'The Affair' season 5 episode 1 puts Noah on the spot, salutes Helen's resilience and offers a peek into Joanie's future
This article contains spoilers for Season 5, Episode 1.
'The Affair' season 5 begins with the redemption arc for the fallen Noah Solloway but doesn't beat around the bush as it quickly establishes how done pretty much everyone is with him. As the final season of a show is now treading uncharted territories with a plot minus its lead actress - Ruth Wilson's Alison - there's no doubt that the makers will aim for more keep the popularity intact for the Showtime drama. And they are doing so with a futuristic impression of Alison's daughter, Joanie's life, and by dividing the first episode into a three-part narrative. Luckily, the one extra narrative doesn't seem out of place at all, because a lot has happened, and all of it is broken enough to not be left out.
What used to be a series on the titular affair between Noah and Alison, has turned into the much-needed documentation of his relationship with his former life, Helen (Maura Tierney) - something we see right from the start. The first narrative is Noah's, of course, because he's the man that women somehow can't help being magnetically drawn to, but there's a newer, better man in the picture, now that Noah's book is being turned into a movie.
Claes Bang plays Sasha Mann, the man about to replace Noah as he takes up the character on screen, in the show, and he is not messing around when he says he wants to do justice to the role. From digging deep into Noah's past to getting the finer and intricate details of his relationship with Helen - how they fell in love, what song they first made love to, and why he left her - Sasha' questions are endless and you can tell he is this expository element to make Noah uncomfortable about what he has done to Helen, and for that, all we have to say is: well, about frickin time!
The way Sasha challenges Noah, the reasons behind his addition is evident: it is to not only to allow Helen to have a reckless love affair, but to also highlight to Noah just how easy it is to win Helen over, and how royally he has f***ed up in that department. As more and more parallels are drawn between the two, with Sasha and Noah eating their omelet and toast the exact same way, and both expressing an inexplicable interest in Helen, Sasha also admits that even though he maintained a life sans all kinds of intoxicants, he "was an addict for toxic relationships", and it's a clear reminder for us fans being into the show. But Sasha also challenges Noah, fronting him with the question whether he likes the ending he has written in his book, and let's just say, Noah Solloway is one lost man at that.
The second narrative is of course from the point of view of the smart, snarky, self deprecative Helen, in the wake of her husband, Dr. Vik's death. We march into Helen's at Vik's funeral, where she is trying to be the good wife, and get Vik buried in accordance with his Muslim roots, but his very Hindu mother wants the body to be cremated. Noah attends the funeral with Janelle and while it is good to see the two of them still pulling through there's no denying that Janelle and Helen get along better than either of them do with Noah. And that's saying something because not a lot of people get along with Helen Solloway.
But this season is redemption for Noah, so of course, his kids are to be brought in the mix, and it seems for the show, it doesn't matter if Noah's arc is compromising Helen's individual one. Even her parents are more keen on Noah's new lady than they are in helping Helen convincing her in-laws to let her bury Vik, as per his dying wishes. The only people who are absolutely not dealing with another second of Noah's unnecessary victim complex is, of course, his four children with Helen. Makes sense, since they were the only ones who were present when Noah decided to randomly leave them after meeting the then, much younger waitress, Alison. And it makes sense to us why Helen doesn't want Noah stepping in Vik's place, taking the trash out and cleaning the house, and commenting on Helen's resilience when he is the reason behind most of her life's woes.
The narrative also allows time for flashbacks explaining how Vik died with plenty of depiction of the sham that is natural home births, with Sierra going into labor next door as Vik lay in the hospice, drawing his last breath. Sierra being Sierra has a group of her very zen, hippie friends chant and burn sage to welcome the baby which clearly needs a hospital to come out. And surprisingly, the ever so dubious Helen decides now is not the time to condescend; she adapts to their methods until she is forcibly asked to leave. Vik draws his last breath after Sierra delivers and she manages to come to visit him with the baby, and for all its morbid glory, the scene doesn't really manage to hit the chords that it was intended to.
Much like Joanie's futuristic life in the third narrative of the same episode. Anna Paquin does what she does best: play a broken woman who thinks she is beyond any saving, but for those wondering if an Alison-sans season would be too unbearable, worry not. Joanie is a stellar replacement. Equal parts grieving and messed up, just like her mom, Joanie's narrative shows her in an otherwise happily married life with a loving husband and two beautiful young daughters, but the woes don't leave her side. From worrying about her younger daughter knowing she's adopted to the existential dread of realizing this year she will be turning the age her mother died, Joanie needs help but she isn't ready to accept it. She needs the same care she shows her organic produce growing in false climatic conditions but so far, it's a decent addition to get used to. Here's keeping our fingers crossed for her upcoming trip down memory lane, aka Montauk.
'The Affair' season 5 debuted this Sunday, August 25, at 9 pm, only on Showtime.
