Round 3

THE AFFAIR

VS

SURVIVOR’S REMORSE

Once the story of the third episode of Survivor’s Remorse gets going, there’s a scene that’s jarring compared to the rest of the episodes. A Make-a-Wish kid tells NBA superstar Cam Calloway that he better fill his face with pussy, or he will tell the world that Cam molested him. Cam is forced to tell his manager/cousin to get the kid some pussy. It’s not shocking that a Make-a-Wish kid would be bored with the typical superstar meet-and-greet; in fact, I bet that shit happens all of the time. It’s that the climax of an episode of Survivor’s Remorse had to rely on such a convoluted plot twist as a kid threatening to accuse everyone of molestation. I’m sure there are more appropriate ways of handling a situation like this than hiring hookers for the kid (although the way the characters actually handled it better fleshed out another of the Calloway crew, pun intended I think). And that’s how good Survivor’s Remorse has been through three episodes: I was surprised when a tiny plot twist was a little hacky. It’s been impressive so far, not just distancing itself from Entourage comparisons, but proving why an athlete’s career makes for more week-to-week drama than an actor’s, what with sports and traveling and injuries and contracts. He hasn’t even played basketball yet! Alas, if you have been following the articles attached to this tournament, you know that if they begin with the praise of a show, it probably doesn’t mean good things for that show.
Almost all of the things I needed fixed in the second episode of The Affair were taken care of in the third episode. The show is really plugging along now, having settled into exactly how Rashomon it wants to be, which, as of right now, isn’t that much. The third episode separates its two halves so much, in fact, that it’s hard to believe that two people can remember things so differently, but it’s been five years, and the show couldn’t have ridden that gimmick forever. The questions have now been defined, and it’s hard for me to imagine not staying on all the way to the end. I also can’t wait to see how Showtime Homelands this up, and figures out a hacky way to make sure the couple is together for a season 2. Maybe they’ll team up to bury Brodie in Pet Semetary, so he and Carrie can be together again. Welcome to the Final Four, The Affair.

– Ryan Haley

LATER THIS WEEK:

THE FINAL PILOTS OF THE FIRST ROUND, AS THE MCCARTHYS

TAKES ON FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE!!!