History Main / GoodAdulteryBadAdultery

* An episode of {{Flashpoint}} deals with a husband and wife who had been trying for many times to have a baby and failing. The wife becomes increasingly obsessed with trying to get pregnant and having a baby and the husband becomes frustrated with her inability to talk or think of nothing else. Then the husband runs into an old friend and sleeps with her. Only to realize that what he did was wrong and afterwards genuinely loved his wife more.

* Used in the ''Incarnations of Immortality'' series. The [[GrimReaper Incarnation of Death]] (who is new to the position) checks his mail and finds a letter that reads: "Dear Death--Last night I caught my old goat cheating again. I want you should take him out right away so that I can get the insurance. Sincerely, Outraged Wife. PS, Make sure it hurts!" Death is repelled by this request for murder, thinking to himself, "No need to answer that one. No wonder the old goat cheated!"

* One growing variation of this trope, appearing in recent films such as ''{{Waitress}}'' and ''Before the Rains'', is a woman with an abusive husband having an affair with a man whose wife is the nicest person ever. ''Before the Rains'' has the man taking advantage of the woman, who is trapped by her society. ''Waitress'' treats the man slightly more sympathetically, but has the woman end the affair due to an attack of conscience after she meets his wife, and also after she leaves her husband.

* One growing variation of this trope, appearing in recent films such as ''Waitress'' and ''Before the Rains'', is a woman with an abusive husband having an affair with a man whose wife is the nicest person ever. ''Before the Rains'' has the man taking advantage of the woman, who is trapped by her society. ''Waitress'' treats the man slightly more sympathetically, but has the woman end the affair due to an attack of conscience after she meets his wife, and also after she leaves her husband.

* In supplementary material for ''AndShineHeavenNow'', [[WordOfGod Erin]] hinted that Arthur Hellsing was the result of an affair between Abraham van Hellsing and Mina (Murray) Harker. If true, they'll probably get a pass on the whole 'adultery' thing because...well, if Arthur doesn't exist, then neither does Integra.

* The ''JonathanCreek'' episode 'Angel Hair' features an adulterous husband who, adultery aside, is depicted as an otherwise decent man who feels genuinely stifled in a marriage that, from his point of view, is lacking in passion. He's still treated as something of a hapless fool, though, especially considering that the wife he's cheating on is a beautiful pop singer who, whilst she's not quite the passionate sex goddess that the media depicts her as, is nonetheless a loving, caring woman who clearly thinks the world of him.

** In ''Being There'', Eve Rand falls for ChanceTheGardener (Sellers). She's married to another man, Ben, but it's a May-December relationship (with what author Ellen Gilchrist called the "bartered sexuality" that implies in an essay) and in fact, he's dying. But first, she loves Ben dearly and he her. Second, Ben senses and understands her longing for Chance, and in fact it makes him ''happy'' that she'll have someone to love and to love her when he's gone. With this understood, she makes several seduction attempts on Chance, and HilarityEnsues since Chance hasn't the faintest idea what's going on. At the end, however, [[spoiler:when Chance is at Ben's deathbed, he promises the old man he will take care of Eve, and tells the attending doctor that he does love her; he may not understand specifics, as is his nature, but he has grown kinda fond of her nonetheless.]]

* The ''JonathanCreek'' episode 'Angel Hair' features an adulterous husband who, adultery aside, is depicted as an otherwise decent man who feels genuinely stifled in a marriage that, from his point of view, is lacking in passion. He's still treated as something of a hapless fool, though, especially considering that the wife he's cheating on is a beautiful pop singer who, whilst she's not quite the passionateA* Naturally ''Anna Kareninaepicts her as, is nonetheless a loving, caring woman who clearly thinks the world of him.

* Used in the old Sierra game ''ConquestsOfCamelot'' in which the player has to retrieve a veil from a prostitute on behalf of a husband so that he can prove to his wife [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuhbNOhm39othat he didn't cheat on her]]. ''He gets away with it.''

* In Chobits, Hideki's cram school teacher is discovered having an affair with Hideki's best friend Shimbo. When Hideki realises the implications that she's cheating on her husband, he immediatly starts calling Shimbo a wife-stealing pig...until it's revealed that her marriage is completely devoid of any emotion, as, shortly after they married, Ms Shimizu's husband bought a persocom and fell in love with it, completely forgetting about her. It got to the point that she couldn't get into her house anymore because he'd put the chain on the door, showing that he'd ''forgotten she was even coming home.'' Under these circumstances, it's understandable as to why she'd have an affair, but why she [[FridgeLogic doesn't just get a divorce is something we'll never know...]]

* ''{{Blackpool}}'' features both. Ripley's affairs are casual sex, while Natalie's is about love. [[spoiler:Ripley eventually tells her to go be with the man she loves. But to be fair, who can compete with [[DoctorWho The Doctor]]?]]

*** Misogyny much? It may have been her fault if he applied for divorce. It's entirely HIS fault he had an affair and committed murder.
* Used somewhat lightheartedly in Season II of Entourage. Unsure weather or not his girlfriend Kristin (of whom the rest of the boys don't approve) is cheating on him, Eric gets drunk and sleeps with a Perfect 10 model. He's guilt ridden for much of the remainder of the episdode ... untill Kristin confesses to him that she HAD been cheating on him (Ironically she justified it by doubting that E had been staying faithfull in Vince's company). Eric then gleefully tells Kristin about the affair as he leaves.

*** Whedon's a painfully flaming feminist.
**** The boyfriend is not supposed to be a villain. He is shown as a nice man. Willow only offers to hate him for Buffys sake the way she offers to hate Rileys wife even though Rileys wife was a nice person. Faiths actions aren't necessarily supposed to be right. Also Buffy doesn't cheat on him as she doesn't do anything physical with Angel

* In TheOffice (USA) a long time was spent having Angela engaged to Andy, but sleeping with Dwight, the one that she really loved at the time, though had left for Andy because Andy was "less of a risk." This example sits on both sides of the trope because Dwight and Andy are both shown to be sympathetic in that scenario, which ends with her losing both of them as viable romantic options.

* Used rather inexplicably in the [[BileFascination widely read]] ''[[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' fan-comic ''FanFic/HowIBecameYours''. Fire Lord Zuko getting Katara pregnant and ''physically assaulting his betrothed'' (Mai) for getting upset about it... we are supposed to sympathise with him and the love he and Katara share why, exactly?

* [[ForBetterOrForWorse For Better Or For Worse]] uses the trope, giving us Anthony constantly pursuing his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth... while married to Therese. While Anthony is clearly ''meant to be the one we sympathise with'', it didn't work too well for many readers.

* Used in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Features the good cheating as in everybody in the relationship knows about the relationship with a character named Erika Berger

* Their partner is physically and/or emotionally abusive, to the point that they may well kill a partner whom they discover is cheating. [[BlackWidow Or even just for the insurance money]].

* "Loneliness and unsatisfaction". Usually portrayed as having the cuckolded partner simply not be around. For men, it's often the case that ImAManICantHelpIt if the wife isn't putting out.

** Making it a bit hypocritical, Ezio is a {{Casanova}} and proud of it, chasing after any woman who catches his fancy. However, the closest he gets to instigating an affair is seducing Caterina Sforza, who is a widow who never loved her husband to begin with (and may even have ordered his death).

* In {{Frida}} Frida de Kahlo is okay with her husband Diego Rivera's infidelities, as she comes from a period and culture that accepts that [[ImAManICantHelpIt a man has 'needs.']] What she makes him promise though, is that he doesn't ''betray'' her. Later on, guess what his sleeping with her sister counts as?
* The entire film of It'sComplicated is one big hypocritical example of this trope.

* In AssassinsCreed2 there are side missions called "beat-up missions". The player must locate cheating husbands and beat them senseless. {{Anvilicious}} enough for you?

* On ''TheSimpsons'', the wear and tear of raising eight children erodes Apu and Manjula's marriage to the point where Manjula won't let her husband so much as touch her. A desperate Apu is courted by a fetching Squishee delivery girl, and after the ensuing affair, Manjula pressures Apu to go to ridiculous lengths to restore the same cold, lifeless relationship that drove him to another woman in the first place.

*** With some fairness, he did also marry her because he genuinely likes her wit.

* Used rather inexplicably in the [[BileFascination widely read]] ''[[AvatarTheLastAirbender Avatar]]'' fan-comic "HowIBecameYours". Fire Lord Zuko getting Katara pregnant and ''physically assaulting his betrothed'' (Mai) for getting upset about it... we are supposed to sympathise with him and the love he and Katara share why, exactly?

** [[spoiler: Furthermore, both young woman appear to be just out of high school; it seems pretty clear that the man (who was several years older than them at least) was sleazily taking advantage of them and their naivete by stringing them along for sex.]]

* The person being cheated upon [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality is the protagonist]].

** ...Not really. The wife is portrayed as a confused woman focussed on the wrong things, rather than a bad person. The affection has pretty much left their marriage and it's treated as logical that both husband and wife lust after other people.

[[folder:Videogames]]