'The Affair' season 5 will see Noah desperately seeking forgiveness but Helen has other things cooking
After the haunting revelation that its fourth season ended on, Showtime's 'The Affair' took a long gap year off, before the arrival of its fifth and final season. And by the looks of it, Noah Solloway (Dominic West) has had time to himself long enough for a solid contemplation.
So as he welcomes us back to Montauk for the fifth and final time, Noah's voiceover discusses redemption and forgiveness - setting the tone of the show for its big finale. But the real question is, will he find either of those? Is Noah Solloway redeemable after all?
In one of the recently released teaser promos for the fifth season, we see West's Solloway discuss his quest for forgiveness. He announces, "Forgiveness is hard, and as soon as we comprehend that, we yearn for someone who knows us," as his first ex-wife, Helen (Maura Tierney) appears on the screen, setting the premise for this season. It's clear that Noah is going back, yet again, to win his ex-wife back, after the tragic death of his second ex-wife was given closure finally in the season 4 finale.
But by the looks of it, Helen is on our page and not keen on giving Noah another one of the too many chances she has given her unfaithful ex-husband in the past.
Instead, Helen is looking at newer prospects. As season 4 culminated, we saw Helen coping with the imminent loss of her husband. Knowing television dramas, a former husband returning in the wake of her new husband's passing gives scope for the character to reconnect with the ex, but not our Helen. She is in fact moving on to enjoy a thrilling tryst with a sexy actor played by Claes Bang. The actor is bringing Noah's character to life on the screen as the latter's book is being turned into a movie, and unbeknownst to Noah, he is going to be a bigger problem in their life than all the success this prospect will bring.
As Helen gets roped into her new love interest, Noah's chances at redemption and forgiveness start getting bleaker. She taunts him for pretty much everything, pointing out how he's a 50-year-old man who still doesn't know how to act like an adult, and snapping at him for begging another chance as he "loves" her.
But while we're all for Helen's newfound confidence and the will to put herself out there after losing her husband, Vic, after a certain point, Noah's desperation pulls at our heartstrings too.
Especially after finding out that Alison's (Ruth Wilson) death wasn't his fault. Their affair was the premise of the whole plot, and up till this point, we were almost sure that Alison had committed suicide, but season 4's finale revealed that she was actually killed by Ben. That puts Noah in a whole redemptive arc, and perhaps that is the reason we are hoping against hope that he is able to win over his lady love and have a shot at happiness.
'The Affair' season 5 returns on August 25, only on Showtime,