Trying to fix her marriage, Allison comes in contact with Noah on a resort where they both where vacating. little did she know that the sparks between them will lead them into more temptations beyond their control.
But having set my expectations lower, I found the new season to be perfectly satisfactory. The show has made a huge improvement just by increasing the number of point of view characters.
Season 2 improves on Season 1 by broadening the story to give us the points of view of the wronged spouses, Noah's wife, Helen (Maura Tierney,) and Alison's husband, Cole (Joshua Jackson.)
As in the first season, the most thrilling parts of each episode are the glimpses into the present day, when the characters are seen in the third person.
The Affair compels us to make sense of its twisted, multiple narratives. It unnerves us. It isn't satisfying. It is ceaselessly irritating. It's very good and then it isn't. It is someone else's nightmare we don't want to share but are compelled to look.
After the season two premiere of The Affair, I was nearly ready to give up. Episode two is significantly stronger, and the cast here is committed enough to keep me interested.
The truth is, a drama about married couples, infidelity, and family dynamics is something I'd watch every week even if it wasn't done as well as The Affair.
This is supremely grown-up drama which tackles adult themes in a proudly demanding way. Sometimes it's hard not to wish The Affair wasn't so deeply in thrall to its own central conceit. The rest of the time, you wouldn't want it any other way.
