The Affair - 8 - Advance Preview: "Descent"

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1.08 "8"
Synopsis: Distracted by her burgeoning small business, Helen tasks Noah with representing the family at a literary award ceremony for her father, Bruce. A chance encounter with Alison and her grandmother leads to an uncomfortable truth.
Rating: 7.5/10 (B)

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If the last episode was all about the affair being revealed to several characters, this installment shows us more of Noah and Alison’s families. There’s a time jump of about four months and it becomes clear very early into the episode that Noah and Helen are still struggling with their marriage, the tension is most noticeable during their session with a marriage counselor. Given their rocky relationship, it was nice watching Bruce and Noah find common ground over the fact they have both cheated on their wives. Although I have to say, it's not really the kind of reaction you'd expect from a father-in-law.

Alison and Cole on the other hand seemed to have moved on from her infidelity, still trying to conceive another child but with no success even after four months. And while the focus isn’t exclusively on them, Noah and Alison do get to spend time with each other though under rather tragic circumstances as Alison has to decide whether or not to sign a DNR for her grandmother and with Cole busy with selling the ranch, Noah finds himself at the hospital with her. They both also make a surprising exclamation to each other that might have been triggered by the events prior to it.

Perhaps the most perplexing aspect about The Affair right now is the fact it’s still making use of its dual perspective which initially was a compelling narrative structure with the interrogation from the present timeline serving as a framework but now that the detective isn’t questioning them anymore, it doesn’t make much sense for us to still see two different versions of the same events. Just like in "7", the glimpses to the present with the detective investigating Scott’s death feel disjointed but they aren’t as confusing as the last time as those scenes poignantly get their message across: Noah might have based his second book on the events we are being shown. Which opens another can of worms: How is all this connected to Noah's new book? Or is it just a bait-and-switch? This episode included, there are only three episodes left this season and answers are nowhere to be found which sort of makes things intriguing and mysterious but if some resolution isn’t provided by season’s end, my fascination with The Affair just might turn into frustration. Rest assured, I'll watch Season 2 but goddamnit, I need some answers.

Tune in for a new episode of The Affair this Sunday, 7th DEC on SHOWTIME 10pm ET/PT.

About the Author - Mark Ondo/LittleDreamer

20 y/o Austrian. Music lover, avid TV watcher, cheesecake muncher and pseudo writer. His taste in television is as eclectic as it gets and he dedicates more time to fictional characters than he would like to admit. He currently reviews Under the Dome and Zoo, writes about various shows in Mark's Remarks and creates Best-Scene Polls for Grey's Anatomy, Once upon a Time, Revenge and Scandal.

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