Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress

reviewing 3 Body Problem; Bosch; Citadel; Criminal Minds; Dark Matter; Dune: Prophecy; Fauda; For All Mankind; Foundation; Hijack; House of the Dragon; Luther; Outlander; Presumed Innocent; Reacher; Severance; Silo; Slow Horses; Star Trek: Strange New Worlds; Surface; The: Ark, Diplomat, Last of Us, Lazarus Project, Orville, Way Home; True Detective; You +books, films, music, podcasts, politics

George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Sunday, July 15, 2018

The Affair 4.5: B'shert

A powerful, unusual, altogether brilliant episode 4.5 of The Affair tonight. For starters, it had a half hour just about Vik. But even more significant for the history and arc of the series, it had an episode of Cole, giving him back-to-back episodes this week and last.

Let's start with Cole. The denouement of his half hour is that he realizes it's Alison he's always loved, still loves, and wants to be with again. We the audience of course have always known this. But the way Cole discovers this was a page right out of Mad Men, and what going to California meant to and did to Don Draper.

Amy Irving put in a great performance as Cole's father's (Gabriel's) lover. Her Nan is quiet, soulful, wise, and beautiful. I could live without the California mysticism verging on voodoo, but her story of love lost was a masterfully tragic gem. She thought for years that her exorcism plan - a strategy to get Gabriel to get over her - had worked. But she finds out the two were permanently b'shert - destined to always want and love each other.

Cole coming back to New York with a clear love and desire for Alison should shake things up there nicely. Cole will now be on a collision course with Ben. And I predict ... well, I predict Alison will get back with Cole. But that's just a prediction. Significantly - though I can't say exactly significant of what - this episode had no flashforward prelude with the search for the missing Alison.

But back to California, Vik's story was a wrenching, heart-in-your-throat episode in itself. Helen doesn't want to raise a child alone, so she torpedos Vik's plan to get pregnant. He winds up buying a Porsche - presumably to give to his father - that serves as the vehicle for sex with his next-door-neighbor in her house. Will she end up bearing the grandchild Vik wants for his parents? It's a sad story, whatever happens.

Sad but full of tinder - in the old and new senses - for subsequent episodes, for which I'll be back with reviews.

See also The Affair 4.1: Quakes and Propaganda ... The Affair 4.2: Meanwhile, Back on the Island ... The Affair 4.3: Dire Straits (Not the Band) in California ... The Affair 4.4: Ben