Torrid affair, dark twist make a TV hit

Ruth Wilson as Alison and Dominic West as Noah in The Affair (season 1). - Photo: Steven Lippman/SHOWTIME

Ruth Wilson as Alison and Dominic West as Noah in The Affair (season 1). - Photo: Steven Lippman/SHOWTIME

Published Jan 15, 2015

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The trending TV series of the moment is The Affair, which bagged two Golden Globes on Sunday

 

ONE AFFAIR – two somewhat varied accounts of how it started. That is how The Affair, a new-fangled and dare I say carnal, suspense drama that made an impression at this year’s Golden Globes (winning the Best Television Series – Drama and Best Actress – Television Series Drama for Ruth Wilson) plays out. It stars Dominic West (Noah Solloway) and Wilson (Alison Lockhart) – best known for her big screen roles in Anna Karenina and Saving Mr Banks as well as small screen exploits in Jane Eyre and Luther – as the adulterers.

The doting father and happily married school teacher bumps into Alison at a diner in the Montauk in the Hamptons. She helps when his baby daughter chokes on something.

He along with his four kids and Helen, his businesswoman wife, are en route to his wealthy in-laws’ place. Noah and Alison meet again later that night and strike up a conversation. This bond becomes the catalyst for the torrid affair that follows.

West (The Wire fame) says: “It’s told from two perspectives. One is her perspective and the other is my character’s view. As in life, there is no objective truth, so you are guided through the prism of the character’s viewpoint. So you never really know what is going on.”

Expanding on his character’s motiveless indiscretion, he offers: “Well, that’s a good question because the two of them, they have both got pretty good marriages. But then, why does anyone have an affair? I think he feels claustrophobic in his marriage. His wife is the main breadwinner – or, at least, her parents are. They have a wealthy lifestyle, but he doesn’t earn the money. I think he feels out of place within his own family life and, I suppose, emasculated in some way.”

The veteran actor points out that sexuality, while a key contributing factor, is enhanced by their more profound connection.

“Noah hasn’t got a wandering eye. He’s not interested in a fling. It’s something much deeper. She’s (Alison) not perfect. In fact, she is deeply damaged. But that obviously appeals to something in him.”

Meanwhile, Alison is finding her marriage to Cole (Joshua Jackson) strained by the loss of their child. She can’t seem to fill that drowning emptiness within.

In many ways, Noah provides emotional refuge for her.

Wilson shares: “There’s something about Noah who is professional, a family man. He seems confident in who he is. He’s older than her. There’s an escapism he represents that she’s attracted to.”

Shedding light on the other facets of the TV series, Wilson reveals: “There’s the affair, which is the main love story element of the piece. But there is also a thriller or crime element as you realise that both are telling their story because they are being investigated by a detective. There’s been a hit-and-run. Someone’s been killed. That sort of drives the story forward. And through that you discover the sort of dark under-shades of Montauk and the community. But also what both these characters have been involved in and what they might be hiding.”

As for how Alison’s account differs from Noah’s, she explains: “She going through grief so everything is duller and she seems isolated from the world. In his version, she seems a free spirit and wild, sexy and kind of alluring – for that reason.”

Viewers will find that there is no outright villain in The Affair. The plot is penned in such a way that all the characters have a voice and, as such, resonate on some poignant level with the audience.

Wilson, who wore an eye-catching green Prada gown to the awards ceremony, points out: “I think that’s one of the best things about this show. You shouldn’t really know who the good guy is or who the bad guy is – that’s the idea behind having two perspectives. Everyone has opinions and can take the moral high ground at one point. But everyone is also challenged with every perspective.”

 

• The Affair airs on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) on Wednesdays at 8pm.

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