'The Affair' season 5 has Noah Solloway trying hard to be a better father, but he still wants to control his children
The Affair's lead character, Noah Solloway (Dominic West) has made a lot of mistakes in the past. From indulging in an extramarital affair that ruined his marriage to his ex-wife, Helen (Maura Tierney) and strained his relationship with their four children, to not being able to be a good father henceforth, Noah's mistakes have led him to walk on a path of redemption which will be explored in the upcoming fifth and final season. But while Noah is trying his hardest to be a good father and an involved co-parent with Helen, he seems to be repeating the same mistakes from the past.
In the trailer for the soon to be arriving season 5, we see Noah and Helen's whimsical eldest, Whitney, planning her wedding. Whitney can be seen wedding dress shopping, turning and turning in a gorgeous white dress at a retail store, gushing about the promises of a happily married life that she expects ahead in her journey. But Noah isn't all that thrilled about it. Being the concerned father he is, Noah is trying to exercise his authority over his daughter's decisions, claiming she is too young for a wedding. But he isn't directly asking her to call off the wedding; he wants Helen to ask her to call it off, knowing that his kids - having grown up knowing their mother as the primary authority - would listen to her.
But Noah had tried doing something extremely similar in the past with his younger son, Trevor (Jadon Sand) and it hadn't worked out well at all. Trevor's parents have had an inkling that he is gay, which he is, and while they want him to come out about it, Trevor hasn't been too keen on it. In an episode in the fourth season, Noah can be seen trying to convince his son about the need for him to accept himself and come out, but the whole conversation seems more along the lines of pressurizing his son to do something Noah wants him to do. Instead of listening to his father, Trevor flips and walks out of the conversation. It's clear that in all his years of being away from his kids, he has lost the touch when it comes to having a proper heart to heart with them, to help them see his point.
And this is exactly what Noah is trying to do with Whitney too. The last thing he needs in his redemptive arc is another of his children recoiling for maintaining a functioning relationship with him. Let's hope Noah sees the light and is able to work things out in the final season of the show.
'The Affair' season 5 premieres this Sunday, August 25, only on Showtime.