The Affair Ends in August

And by “affair,” I mean Showtime’s awesome original series The Affair, starring Dominick West and Maura Tierney. Mrs. Buckler introduced this series to our household back in 2014 and I was quickly hooked by its story. After the fourth season finished last summer, we thought we heard that the show wasn’t getting renewed. Well, apparently our source of information was wrong since the fifth and final season of The Affair airs on August 25, 2019. As much as I love this series, I’m a bit skeptical about this upcoming season. Before we unpack all that, let’s take a look at The Affair trailer for season five:

What We Know About The Affair, Season 5

As you can see, there’s a lot going on in that trailer. So much that it might be hard to decipher what this season is going to be about. Fortunately, I’ve done a little research and found out the general plot outlines for this season. I must say, it’s quite an ambitious undertaking. The events take place in two different time frames. There is the present-day storyline, which deals with Helen’s new relationship with a movie star and Noah’s ongoing struggles with literally everyone in his life.

The second storyline takes place a few decades in the future. It centers on Joanie Lockhart (Anna Paquin). Joanie, the daughter of Alison (Ruth Wilson) and Cole Lockhart (Joshua Jackson). Apparently, she returns to a Montauk ravaged by the effects of climate change. What brings her back? her burning desire to learn about the mysteries surrounding her mother’s death.

Here are some other things we (think we might) know about The Affair’s final season:

  • It will have 11 episodes, which is probably needed for such an ambitious script. (Season two had the most with 12 episodes.)
  • One of Noah’s books is being made into a movie.
  • Helen (Tierney) begins the season with movie star Sasha Mann (Claes Bang).
  • A chance encounter with someone from one of the character’s pasts will set many things into motion.
  • Academy Award nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh was cast in an undisclosed role.
  • Lyriq Bent plays Joanie’s husband and father of their two daughters.
  • Julia Goldani Telles and Jadon Sand as Noah and Helen’s children, Whitney and Trevor, respectively.
  • Emily Jane Browning returns as Sierra.
  • Sanaa Lathan returns as Jenelle Wilson.
  • Russell Hornsby returns as Carl Gatewood, Janelle’s ex-husband.

Two Timelines?

Yes, and that has me a bit worried about the upcoming season. As I said earlier, this is a very ambitious concept. The thing about ambitious concepts is that they’re either huge successes or abject failures; there doesn’t seem to be a middle ground. Jumping between two timelines is nothing new in movies; but, if it’s not done well, it could be confusing or even annoying to the viewer. I would hate to see this series go out on such a low note.

The more I think about it, the more I believe I’m worrying over nothing. Since the first season, the writing on The Affair has been top notch so I’m cautiously optimistic that this final season will be done well. It will be good to see all the unfinished plot points with Noah and Helen play out. I’m also intrigued about an adult Joanie Lockhart seeking answers to her mother’s death. But is one season enough time to play out this new character’s story arc? It will have to be, I guess.

In Other Showtime News…

… Showtime’s app is really easy to use unless you’re a permanently bitter curmudgeon. Yes, I’m talking about my colleague Stuart Sweet. Full disclosure, he’s a big Showtime fan, but he struggles with the streaming service provider’s app. Frankly, I think Stuart’s difficulties are the result of his near-permanent bad attitude. We’ve never had a problem with the app while watching The Affair, City on a Hill, or any of the other great programs on Showtime.

About the Author

Jake Buckler
Jake Buckler is a cord-cutter, consumer electronics geek, and Celtic folk music fan. Those qualities, and his writing experience, helped him land a copywriting gig at Signal Group, LLC. He also contributes to The Solid Signal Blog.