Best Moments from The Affair

Showtime’s sinful, Golden Globe-winning hit The Affair returns for its third season on Sunday. (But, if you can’t wait until Sunday, you can watch it free on YouTube— thanks, Showtime!) The series follows Noah (Dominic West) and Alison (Ruth Wilson)– a couple who began their relationship as an affair while they were married to other people– and the ramifications of their relationship both in their lives and those of their respective families. It’s not just about love: it’s also about the potential to do harm to the people around you. The theme of harm is best expressed in the fact that an unsolved crime ties together the entire show: the death of Scott Lockhart (Colin Donnell), Alison’s ex-brother-in-law. The end of season 2 finally explained how he died/who is responsible, and that is likely where season 3 will pick up.

What is most interesting about the show is that it constantly shifts perspectives: the audience is invited to sympathize with– or at least understand– all of the main characters and speculate on their guilt or innocence. Soapy, serious, infuriating, addictive, and brooding, The Affair is daring in its explorations of darkness and isolation within modern relationships.

The Affair is filled with maddening, complicated characters: Noah is an egotistical, self-centered writer who gets bored with trying to be good all the time; Alison lacks the self-confidence to see herself as Noah sees her; Helen (Maura Tierney) is Noah’s ex-wife who keeps hoping he’ll come back to her; and Cole (Joshua Jackson!!!!) is Alison’s haunted and clear-headed ex-husband. For better or for worse, the characters are interesting enough to keep watching.

So, in anticipation of the premiere on Sunday, we’re looking back at some of our favorite moments from last season.

Caution: here be spoilers!

When Noah went to therapy

Noah’s ego reached new heights in the show’s sophomore season: he published a salacious bestselling novel that was a thinly-veiled, fantasy-retelling of his affair with Alison, and he reveled in the attention. As his ego got bigger, it put even more strain on his complicated relationship with literally everyone in his life. One of the best scenes in the second season was when Noah had a therapy session with a psychologist played by Cynthia Nixon (welcome, queen). It was in these sessions that the audience got to see the full scope of Noah’s growing, pathological egotism. He even went so far as to articulate his “great vs. good man” theory: great men, according to Noah, have license to fully explore their creativity by cheating on their wives and doing whatever the hell they want. His therapist did a great job of challenging him and his entitled masculinity, which he clearly felt was under attack this season.

When Noah and Helen returned to their coed roots

Noah and Helen’s eldest obnoxious hell-raiser briefly considered colleges– and so she visited Williams College with her mother, and they ran into Noah. The exes had a bittersweet night of reconnection at their old stomping grounds, Williams College. Noah and Helen had met and fell in love at college, and the shared memory of their past loomed over their shoulders the entire episode. When the two of them headed to their old bar, the show gave us glimpses of why they had fallen in love in the first place, and why their relationship ultimately ended. Let me go on record here, too, to say that this season absolutely belonged to Maura Tierney’s Helen; as in this episode, she was developed, multi-layered, and fully-realized.

When Alison tried to get her life back on track.

Alison has been pulled in many different directions over the course of the last season. Indeed, her character has diminished in strength as Noah’s has increased in ego– it’s a trajectory that makes me a little uncomfortable. That’s why it was so exciting to see her take the initiative to return to school for a possible career as a doctor. Though Alison ultimately quit, it was still a positive moment when she demonstrated she was willing to take control of her life again.

When Cole found someone who deserves him

Oh, Cole. What a treasure you are. After Alison foolishly traded him in for Noah (#WorstDealEver), he spent a lot of time brooding and doing things he probably shouldn’t be doing. But the appearance of a new love interest for him– Luisa (Catalina Sandino Moreno)– challenged him to get a grip. The problem? She lived in the city for work, but he ain’t a city boy. For her, he made the adjustment in an adorably romantic gesture. (Attention, Alison and Noah: compromise is what makes a relationship work– you should try it sometime!) Their wedding at the end of season 2 was one of the few genuinely hopeful moments in this otherwise intense series.

When tragedy brought Alison and Noah back together

Surprise! Alison, Noah, and Helen were all involved in Scotty’s death at Cole and Luisa’s wedding! Before the event, Alison had finally confessed to Noah that he’s not the father of her daughter– Cole is. After a terrible fight, they parted ways. Helen was driving Noah home, and a drunk Scotty was about to assault Alison when she pushed him into the road– just as Helen drove by. After the incident Noah and Alison independently returned to the wedding reception, presumably to appear as if nothing had happened. They reunited and collapsed into one another from their shared trauma. Scotty’s death has brought them back together– a fitting scenario for an especially dark show.

We can’t help but wonder: what will season 3 bring?

Photo Credit: Steven Lippman/Showtime