The Affair - Episode Two - Advance Preview: Unlikable People

"All you need is a good lawyer"

Episode Two

The third season of The Affair has started and we already have no idea what's happening, this time the mysteries are a little bit less dramatic but confusing none the less, especially since most shows have us used to having everything served in a platter. I have to say I found this episode much more interesting than the first one, because I honestly don't care about Noah, I know none of this characters lack flaws, and that's one of the great things about this show, but he appears to have nothing but flaws. So I, for one, I'm very happy he didn't show up in this episode for more than a few short scenes, even if seeing him with his sister Nina (Jennifer Esposito) in the season premiere was interesting.

In the first half of the episode, we see Helen handling drama with her kids, her ex-husband in jail (whom she's still kind of hung up on) and her new boyfriend Dr. Vic Ullah. I still don't like him, but as I said, none of the characters in this show are truly likable, though he seems to have a problem with Helen having so many kids, and it can't be a surprise for him, since they met when he operated on one of them, so he probably knew what he was getting into. By the end of one of theirs discussions, I like him a little more but nothing is ever truly satisfactory here, I'm sure that's exactly how we're supposed to feel since Helen probably doesn't really know what she wants either.

We see her at her job, which is something we haven't seen before, this is interesting since we only saw her as a mother or a wife. She always seems unhappy, though she tries to convince herself and other people that she's not. Noha is an asshole as always, in this show sometimes people seem unlikable from someone's perspective but not from another, but he seems to always come across the same way. She seems to be working under the illusion that the accident bonded then in a deeper way, but maybe she has to let him go completely, though that probably has to do with the guilt of her being behind the wheel. We also meet Whitney's boyfriend, who's sketchy to say the least.

In the second half, we see Allison's back in Montauk, after having disappeared for six months. She gets a new little house and tries to make it a home for Joanie, but Luisa doesn't want to let her see her. Cole looks like he's amazing as a dad, and he seems to have found a way to let most of the drama behind him in the time Allison was gone, even with The Lobster Roll which appears to be doing great, this makes me happy for hi since he's one of the few characters I could actually like. But he's a hard time been convinced Allison won't leave again, which is understandable, but she says she was just sick and needed help. The thing is, since she signed off her rights when she was ill, she has no claim on Joanie. By the end, in a conversation with Oscar Hodges, who always seems to be around for some reason, we find out why she left and it's heartbreaking but also very understandable too. The last short scene, is so heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time it left me with a bitter smile. Her story is just so tragic and it seems like she can't really catch a break, she doesn't let herself be happy, it's like she can't convince herself she deserves it.

Overall, this episode was much more interesting than the first and reminded me why I love this show so much, the great acting, writing and directing sync in together perfectly to create this masterpiece. The tone of the show is very dark and sometimes eerie, every performance is top notch and the stories seem absolutely real if we believe in an almost hopeless world. The characters are well rounded and, even if none are totally likable, we still feel for them. I feel like they still need to find something we can like about Noha because he's still the main character and, given that the stories don't cross as much now as they did in season 1, every character needs to be interesting for us to want to see what happens to them. Because right now, I could almost skip Noha's story without guilt, and this sort of mystery with the security guard they're trying to push, seems plain boring to me, though I have to say it surprised me to see Brendan Fraser in the role (He's not looking goo at all!).

Tune in to watch this episode on Showtime Sunday at 10 PM ET/PT.

I'd like to read your thoughts about the show and if you're excited to see this characters on Sunday. You can also share your thoughts about the episode here once you've watched it.

Note: English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistakes.