The Affair Season 3 Episode 1
“Besides, I think you’re innocent.” And doesn’t that say it all? Noah might not actually be guilty for the crime that he went to prison for (at least not fully), but he is certainly responsible for a glossary section full of other crimes and misdoings. So are a lot of people on this delightfully despicable little show, and that’s sort of the point. During the first two seasons, The Affair would mine material from presenting two perspectives of mostly the same event, letting the small differences blossom into topics of debate. This season continues that tradition, but also propels the show three years into the future after the bonkers event of last year’s finale. As we try and pick up the pieces from what has gone on between then and now, the show also flashes back to three years ago as Noah is first going to prison, offering you bits of story from both ends with you left to reconcile the middle. I can see the need for this show to want to up the ante a little, but I’m not sure if this back-and-forth time jump is ultimately the right direction to go down. A lot of shows have implemented this sort of device whereas The Affair is the only program doing this bifurcated perspective. This is still a show that I deeply enjoy and this new angle is certainly giving a burst of energy to the storytelling this year in a way that’s very exciting. I just hope the show doesn’t complicate things too much or end up feeling like any other generic show in the process. We want Noah Solloway’s A Person Who Visits A Place, not Dissent, essentially. The show returns at the interesting starting point of the death of Noah’s father, shortly after Noah’s release from prison. Tight close-ups with an unstable camera catch Noah stammering through a eulogy where he’s clearly shaken up. Surely he can’t help but think about his own mortality and the words that his children might deliver at his funeral, as he continues to incinerate any good will that he has with his family. As time goes on, we learn that Noah’s disheveled demeanor might have nothing to do with his father’s passing at all. As Helen tries to reconnect with Noah, the show dangles unfinished business in our faces as they talk around big events. Like usual with this show, this premiere is interested in making you put together a puzzle as it occasionally throws you pieces of this narrative and then watches you scramble to put them together until it gives you another necessary detail. While this approach can work to a certain point with a show, you also have to be careful to not burn up all of your trust, and The Affair is getting dangerously close to this line. Yes, there are many changes and gaps to fill in coming into this season, but the show has to be careful to make those answers seem exciting rather than exhausting.
One answer that is given pretty clearly though is that the reason the show has jumped ahead three years is because Noah has been in prison for Scott Lockhart’s murder. It’s a little comforting to see the show actually going down that road rather than cheating their way out of Noah’s incarceration and the mammoth note that last season ended on. Skipping the time actually spent in prison between seasons is a strategy that I’m more than fine with in order to help this story move along. Besides, slowly learning of all the people on the sidelines that were hurt by Noah’s actions and ensuing prison time (such as his father) especially speaks to the show’s themes regarding consequences. Noah has also been living with his sister, Nina. It’s nice to see the boundaries of Noah’s family expanding a little just as he seems to be experiencing so much loss. A lot of this episode is understandably devoted to Noah and Helen’s dynamic and it’s still pretty painful to watch these two try to co-exist. The end of last season saw the tables irrevocably being turned as Noah and Helen are forced into an arrangement that sees the broken couple needing to act as a union once more. This year we see Helen continuing to try and get closer with Noah, even if it’s just an inch, while Noah still seems reluctant on the whole matter. They’ve certainly done this dance before on the show, but Tierney just kills the apathetic pain so well that it’s nice to have this back. A lot of this premiere focuses on showing you the new, lackluster life that Noah has following prison and how he longs so much for the former life that he once had (either of them). That’s a brooding, self-important place to play in but it feels like necessary table setting for the journey that Noah’s likely to be put through this year. So much of Noah’s arc has been about status and appearances, so showing him at his desperate worst, eager to reclaim what he thinks he deserves is a crucial step. Seeing the extra stress that Noah is putting on his sister’s marriage is also heartbreaking. Noah is just trying to get by with the little that he has and watching lives splinter around him is crippling. If nothing else, it’s nice to see how much his sister loves him, and Jennifer Esposito is killing it right out of the gates in this role. And speaking of which, Sarah Ramos of Parenthood fame is also along this year as a struggling student of Noah’s that happens to get thrust into the spotlight. Noah gets to hear this mentor and contemporary wax on about the writer’s darkness becoming a physical manifestation, hitting territory that resonates far too close to home for Noah. Actually, on this note, the idea of Noah being in yet another relationship so quickly here feels a little reductive, but I give the show a lot of credit for going to this place. This speaks volumes towards who Noah is and the rut he’s fallen into. It also casts his behavior with Alison in a whole new light and says a ton about how he operates in general. There is just so much TV at this point that The Affair often gets left out of a lot of conversations, but it’s plotting like this that should act as a reminder that this show has some of the most strongly defined characters on the medium. It’s cathartic to see Noah get lambasted over his approach to consent when considering his actions over the past two seasons. He muses that, “I think sex can be about wanting and not wanting…That’s what makes it so interesting,” which is an illuminating point for Noah to make. As is seeing several guests refer to Noah’s latest novel as a training manual on how to be an asshole. These criticisms can’t help but feel like the show is reflecting the audience’s reaction to Noah last year, a little bit. Noah has lost a lot through the years, but he’s at least always felt safe. For the first time that necessity seems to be gone and it’s a startling loss for him. In perfect Affair fashion the show ends on yet another huge cliffhanger, one that may or may not be everything that it appears to be, but is sure to be the first of many surprises this season. After all, you can shave off the psycho beard, but what’s left underneath?
