Satisfaction

Coming clean without actually saying a word is what happened between Neil and Grace in Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 9.

Once again, all of the theorizing in the world didn't come close to what actually happened during the hour. 

Grace initially freaks out upon learning Neil knows about her and Simon. She even fantasizes about a life with her escort, who has promised to take care of her. He has a backup plan. But witnessing a breakdown between Mateo's parents and the impact on Grace has a hollowing effect.

Telling the truth, out loud, with words, no longer holds the appeal it might have had earlier in the minds of the Trumans.

For my faithful readers, I'm witing this while listening to the sweet song (Come Clean) Anika and Mateo recorded for their demo. The best part of Anika as a character has been her exploration of music and how it runs concurrent to the lives of the adults. This week was no exception. 

Michelle DeShon, who plays...
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This was probably the least satisfying episode of the series so far.

In Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 8 Neil struggled with all that he has done and how to keep it under wraps, Simon wrestled with his feelings for Grace and Adriana threw a twist into the mix when she offered herself up as Neil's next client.

Even with everything that happened, there wasn't a lot to dig into, which is unlike the previous hours.

Once again, much like past weeks, if we made an attempt to piece together what would happen based on the promos, we found out we were incredibly wrong. Neil worried needlessly about Mallory's husband, even installing an alarm system, but he never made a move. The fight scene was in Neil's incredibly active imagination.

Neil's decided to put the funny business behind him. At least that was his intention before Simon outed him to Grace. That was done in the very last scene, so there wasn't much to grasp onto with regard to her reaction ...
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It was another stellar episode that pulled away from the Truman's extracurricular activities while they were reminded about what's important to them -- each other.

In Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 7 Neil finally reached his breaking point. All the pain he had felt over learning about Grace's affair rose up after he realized another man had seen her naked. This he could talk to her about without jeopardizing their marriage.

It's funny how seeing another couple deal with their issues can make you rethink the way you deal with your own. When Neil and Grace witnessed the embarrassing public display on their neighbors front lawn, they kind of felt sorry for them. But when Neil boasted about their own marriage, they came close to their own argument.

Neil: My point is that we don't have to have those petty arguments to solve our problems. We just talk them through.
Grace: Mmm hmm.
...
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It just gets better and better.

If Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 6 doesn't drive you toward a discussion about who you are, who you love, who you want to be and why you might not already know those things, then you might be watching the show wrong.

I'm so lucky to have this outlet to share my thoughts about these multi-faceted characters because I need to talk about it.

We got a much more complete picture of Grace in this installment and it was just in time. It was becoming difficult to understand exactly where she was coming from, because we've been left to our own devices to figure her out.

Adriana orchestrated much of what happened during the hour and her involvement with Grace gave us a perspective similar to what we get when Neil visits with the Zen Master. I'd say it's no surprise that we didn't see him this week and this change of circumstances might mean that we'll start to see Neil and Grace on a more even playing field.

I...
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A security breach at Neil's office caused a cavalcade of interesting circumstances, but not the ones I was expecting. 

As soon as it happened, I thought for sure someone would read a text or see an email or some trace of Neil's double life. After all he never knew he had a tail taking photographic evidence on his date with Jennifer in Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 4.

But Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 5 was instead about finding your footing again even when the rhythm is off. At least for Neil and Grace. For Adriana, it was more about skipping a beat.

I know I rave each week about how intelligently this show is written, but it's stepping up its game rather than losing ground as the season progresses. This still isn't a show about affairs, but about the emotions that drive them and the changes in life that make you rethink who you are.

We're born solitary, and even though we can pick a partner for life, the growth we encounter together still ...
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There isn't a show currently on the air that examines the human condition as fully as Satisfaction.

Other series have made attempts to dig into marriages gone wrong; Julia and Joel on Parenthood, Alicia and Peter on The Good Wife spring to mind. There have even been extramarital affairs, but no couple has chosen to remain together while so broken.

On Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 4 Adriana tempted Neil with another date. A woman who needed someone special like Neil. It's easy to see the difference between Neil and Simon, although they're both basically doing the same thing. 

Neil doesn't just listen to his dates, but has information often gleaned through similar circumstances to share with them. Since Grace was trying on new clothes, Neil had a fresh perspective about how doing something as simple as wearing new shoes can mean exploring different parts of yourself. He's given real thought not only to his own situation, but the ones he encounters wit...
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We all wear masks.

Wearing them both physically and figuratively is the theme of Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 3 and the depth to which the series goes to examine a long-term relationships and the facade people take up while together is truly satisfying.

If you're still with me, then you didn't run off at the idea of a man remaining in his marriage and actively engaging in infidelity after learning his wife was with a gigolo. 

While the series does follow that very strange curve thrown at the marriage of Neil and Grace, there is so much more to it than that. It yearns for discussion. Perhaps that's why Neil has to go to a monk weekly. He is learning so much about himself and his marriage that he needs to lay out his thoughts and run them by someone who can't use them to hurt him.

Adriana, as well as the monk, is escorting him through a range of emotional epiphanies. Yes, she wants him to partner with her as a highly paid escort, b...
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Stunning.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Satisfaction Season 1 Episode 1 because people in the know told me it's bleak and depressing and will be damned difficult to watch.

Judging from the premiere, Satisfaction deals with a subject many of us do as we reach the middle of our lives: We wonder what the hell we're doing. Whether married or not, it's easy to understand how Neil and Grace Truman wound up, after 18 years of marriage, unsure of their happiness, their relationship, their work and so much more.

Satisfaction is at times hilarious; darkly comedic with moments that make you want to stand up and shout. It's also bleak and distressing, but somehow it lifts itself above becoming depressing with the realization that even when the protagonists make the wrong choices, they make them for the right reasons.

As the pilot begins, it's pretty clear that Neil is struggling. He knows something is missing, but he doesn't know...
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The new USA drama Satisfaction poses the question, "What do you do when having it all is not enough?" And for Neil and Grace Truman (Matt Passmore and Stephanie Szostak), a couple who find themselves at a crossroads in their marriage, it's not such a simple question to answer, even though it turns out the answer is way more provocative than you'd think for a seemingly normal husband and wife who have been married for 18 years and who have a 16-year-old daughter.
The premiere episode sees Neil acknowledging to us the viewers that "Something's not right. And I need to start figuring out what is wrong with me." He feels like he's in a rut in his life that he can't get out of. Who am I? What is my place in my family, in my marriage? These are questions he wants to solve.
As he starts going through the motions to get out of that rut, he starts waking up, so to speak, and decides that enough is enough. No longer will he go along with even something as benign as getting a tie...
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