First, thanks
nonametba it's rough times out there for all of us.
I don't think it added or took away too much from the alpha concept with the exception of one major plot point*. At this stage I'm so fed up with Dan the character (mind you not the husband role, just the character) that I'm starting to pinch the bridge of my nose. So the less POV we have of him the better.
Psiber@mauvais you called it. The ending changed so that Sarah walked Lester out.
*Now let's discuss the turd in the room. I’ll leave space in my comments for the ending to be a red herring, but if this is truly where the story is headed, then I can no longer defend DS. I would have to agree with those who argue this isn’t DS’s work anymore--it’s Patreon fanfiction typed up by DS.
To reduce Sarah--once a proud, intelligent, and resourceful character on a journey of sexual self-discovery--into a cardboard-cutout bimbo prostitute would be a travesty. The ending contradicts everything established up to that point in both the series and this particular chapter. We’ve seen a woman under stress grappling with complex emotions, weighing impossible choices that would impact her children, marriage, and future. Then, in a single paragraph, all that growth is discarded as she suddenly decides prostitution is the way to save her job.
To dangle this idea as a foil or obstacle for Lester, sure--it has narrative value. But the Sarah who evolved over this series would never condone such a choice. She’s too shrewd to ignore the ramifications; she’s already lived through similar mistakes, which is why she and Dan are in this situation to begin with. She’s willing to come clean with Dan and refuse Lester’s secret money (a known bad choice), and instead she’ll jeopardize all those things she's trying to protect by prostituting herself to Richard (an unknown bad choice)? No. It’s neither logical nor consistent with her character’s established maturity and motivations. And I just don't buy it.
I've always tried to be objective, because I don't know the full scope of the story or what the ending is. But it's becoming increasingly more difficult to deny those who are crying foul.