‘THE AFFAIR’ AND OTHER SHOWS TO WATCH
WITH the glacial temperature still making its presence felt, staying in has become the default option for most people.
As such, the small screen has helped in curbing the cabin fever.
The Affair 4 and Ransom are the shows that kept me riveted. In terms of genre, they are poles apart.
The first series is a masterful exploration of psychological surrealism and the latter is a procedural offering with a distinct perspective. The Affair is still anchored by our firm favourites: Noah Solloway (Dominic West), Alison Lockhart (Ruth Wilson), Helen Solloway (Maura Tierney) and Cole Lockhart (Joshua Jackson).
In the first season, Noah and Alison’s extramarital affair left their spouses devastated. The moral relativism dissected in the narrative is what makes this series such a gem.
Nothing is black or white. There are no villains in the drama. Instead, there are fallible individuals on a journey that is most relatable.
The writers explore their grief, betrayal, forgiveness, love and happiness, with such poignant redemption. True to the style of The Affair, the opening sequence is often a disconcerting one. This time, Ruth is missing. Flashback to six weeks before, Noah, now a free man after his three years in lock-up, is picking up the pieces of his shattered life. Twice divorced, he is gainfully employed as an English teacher at a public school in Los Angeles. He moved there to be closer to his kids.
Helen, fitting into the LA mould of svelte, is struggling to adjust to the new place.
There’s an awkward tension between Helen, who is in therapy, and Noah, who are in constant conflict over the care of their kids.
She feels he’s still irresponsible and lacks emotional intelligence and he thinks she’s just being a b***h.
Such are the woes in the daily lives of exes.
Meanwhile, Helen has her hands full with the mother of Vik (her current beau) pitching up and rearranging her fridge with homecooked Indian food, while subtly insulting her for not taking proper care of her son. And so the drama ensues… Now for Ransom, a show that has left female viewers terribly weakkneed over its lead actor – Luke Roberts.
Cast as Eric Beaumont, an inimitable crisis and hostage negotiator, this tall and devilishly handsome British actor is spellbinding.
This slick crime drama, inspired by real-life negotiators Laurent Combalbert and Marwan Mery, follows Eric and his team – Zara Hallam (Nazneen Contractor), the lead investigator, Oliver Yates (Brandon Jay McLaren), a psychological profiler and Maxine Carlson (Sarah Greene), who is Eric’s second in command – as they are roped into the most precarious of cases, where nothing is as it seems.
In most instances, Eric’s personal life, especially where his ex-wife Nathalie Denard (Emma De Caunes) is concerned, dovetails with his current cases. There’s also a past that haunts him, especially with an enemy wanting to settle an old score by using someone close to him.
Both shows come highly recommended!
You can catch The Affair on M-Net on Wednesdays at 10pm.
Ransom is on Universal TV on Tuesdays at 8pm.