At once deeply observed and intriguingly elusive, The Affair explores the emotional effects of an extramarital relationship. Noah is a New York City schoolteacher and budding novelist with a wife of twenty years and four children. Alison is a young waitress and wife from Montauk at the end of Long Island, trying to piece her life back together in the wake of a tragedy. The provocative drama unfolds separately from multiple perspectives, using the distinct memory biases of each character to tell the story. Created by Sarah Treem.
This series is meant to keep viewers hanging on. I like that. We're witnessing a train wreck. I can't stop looking, waiting for the outcome. Like any train wreck, there are eye witnesses with differing accounts of the events leading up to the aftermath of the event. Alison and Noah are providing their perceptions of the wreck and collateral damage. The train hasn't stopped screeching toward halting to a stop. The debris field isn't complete. The Affair is a piece that makes you observe and think. I don't find it all that entertaining. Those reviews that are complaints are looking to be entertained. Asking why are the characters doing this or that...IT'S A STORY. FICTION. A WRITER'S STORY. It may also hit a nerve for viewers who've had an affair or contemplated one. Art imitating life?