The Affair 1.6: Drugs and Vision

A real change of pace - to the dark side - on The Affair 1.6 tonight, as Noah and Alison split apart because of Alison's dealing in cocaine.

Interesting, first of all, that in this criminal episode, there's no scene at all, for either Noah or Alison, with the detective.  That's because the outlaw part of the story takes place just fine without him.

In a nutshell, in both Noah's and Alison's story, Noah is shaken by his discovery that Cole's family is dealing drugs, and Alison's a part of it - so shaken that in his episode he makes passionate love to Helen his wife, and in Alison's episode he point blank says to Alison that he wants to end it, after Alison says she wants to start a new life with him, and give up the coke and Cole for good.

Once again, Alison has the most tender scene, even in this tough episode.   Her saying she wants to start a new life with Noah was moving indeed.   And she was also at her sexiest best in Noah's episode, when she puts her arms around him in the bathroom.

The drugs put Cole's family in a whole new light.   Cole himself, who seemed just a decent, hardworking guy, with a warm heart, now looks a little different.  He still seems decent, and he's warm, but now he's a decent drug dealer.  His reasons for doing this make sense, but his putting Alison at risk has to be taken into our account of Cole.

And the drugs cast Noah in a not very favorable light, as well.   Rather than being supportive to Alison when she comes to him, Noah literally rushes back into his wife's arms.

The attraction that Noah and Alison have is far too strong for their affair to end like this.  It will be interesting to see what exactly brings them back together, and how they proceed from there.

But now we have a missing piece of the puzzle.   The murder, likely of Scott, likely has nothing to do with the affair, and more to do with drugs.   Or, so it seems.  Because one thing that's clear in this shimmering watercolor of a series, is that nothing is as clear as it seems to be.

See also The Affair Premiere: Sneak Preview Review ... The Affair 1.2: Time Travel! ... The Affair 1.3: The Agent and the Sleepers ... The Affair 1.4: Come Together ... The Affair 1.5: Alison's Episode ... The Affair 1.7: True Confessions ...  The Affair 1.8: "I Love You / I Love You, Too" ... The Affair 1.9: Who Else on the Train? ... The Affair Season One Finale: The Arrest and the Rest

podcast review of every 1st season episode