It starts with a dress. Or maybe it doesn’t. In the first episode of The Affair series, Noah Solloway remembers Alison Lockhart wearing a provocative, yellow sundress that leaves little to the imagination. But when we see Alison’s version of the same afternoon? She’s wearing a loose, oversized flannel shirt and looks like she hasn’t slept in a week. This isn't just a continuity error or a wardrobe malfunction. It’s the entire point of the show. Memories are liars.
Most TV shows about cheating are pretty predictable. You get the sneaking around, the cheap motels, and the inevitable "it's not what it looks like" moment when the spouse walks in. But Showtime’s drama, which ran for five seasons starting in 2014, decided to do something way more ambitious and, frankly, exhausting. It used a narrative device called the "Rashomon effect." Basically, the screen splits. You see the same events twice—once through his eyes, once through hers. And they never, ever match up.
The Anatomy of a Messy Plot
Noah Solloway (Dominic West) is a struggling novelist and father of four who feels suffocated by his wealthy father-in-law’s success. He’s the guy who thinks he’s the hero of his own story but is actually just deeply insecure. Then there’s Alison (Ruth Wilson), a waitress in Montauk dealing with a level of grief that would break most people—the loss of her young son. When they collide, it’s not just a "fling." It’s a massive car crash that spans years, cities, and eventually, generations.
The brilliance of The Affair series isn't actually the affair itself. It’s the fallout. While the first season focuses heavily on the "he-said, she-said" of their meeting, the show quickly expands. By season two, we get the perspectives of the betrayed spouses: Helen (Maura Tierney) and Cole (Joshua Jackson). This was a gamble. Usually, when a show introduces more POV characters, it loses its focus. Here, it actually made the world feel heavier. You start to realize that nobody is "good." Helen isn't just a victim; she’s often elitist and cruel. Cole isn't just a jilted husband; he’s a man tied to a toxic family legacy.
Why the "Memory Gap" Works
Have you ever had an argument with a partner about something that happened three years ago? You remember them shouting; they remember you being the one who raised your voice. The Affair series captures that psychological glitch perfectly.
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The differences are subtle. In Noah's POV, he's often the reluctant participant, the one being pursued. In Alison's POV, Noah is the aggressor, the one pushing boundaries. The showrunners, Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi, didn't just change the dialogue. They changed the lighting. They changed the hair. In one version, a character might seem warm and inviting; in the other, they’re cold and dismissive. It forces you to become a detective of human emotion. You have to decide who is telling the truth, only to realize the truth probably lies somewhere in the messy middle.
The Montauk Factor
Setting the show in Montauk was a stroke of genius. It’s a place of extremes—the hyper-wealthy New Yorkers in their summer "cottages" and the locals who actually keep the town running. This class tension is the engine that drives a lot of the early conflict. Noah represents the outsider coming in to "consume" the local flavor, while Cole Lockhart represents the old-school Montauk that’s being priced out of its own history.
When Things Got Weird (Seasons 3-5)
If we’re being honest, The Affair series took some swings that didn't always land. Season three introduced a French love interest for Noah and a weird sub-plot involving a prison guard (played by Brendan Fraser in a truly unsettling performance). It felt like the show was trying to outgrow its own premise.
Then came the behind-the-scenes drama. Ruth Wilson’s departure before the final season was a shock. There was a lot of talk in the industry—reports from outlets like The Hollywood Reporter—suggesting she was unhappy with the direction of her character and the nature of the nude scenes required by the production. Her exit forced the show to pivot. Season 5 jumped into the future, following an adult Joanie (Alison’s daughter, played by Anna Paquin) as she tries to figure out what really happened to her mother.
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It was a polarizing choice. Some fans hated the sci-fi-adjacent future elements (climate change had turned Montauk into a flood zone), but it provided a sense of closure. It showed that the "affair" wasn't just a moment in time—it was a pebble thrown into a pond, and the ripples lasted for fifty years.
The Cast That Carried the Weight
You can't talk about this show without talking about Maura Tierney. She won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Helen, and she earned every bit of it. While Noah and Alison were often lost in their own drama, Helen was the anchor. Her evolution from the "perfect" New York wife to a woman completely unmoored and then finally finding her own strength was the most satisfying arc of the series.
And then there’s Joshua Jackson. If you grew up watching him on Dawson’s Creek, his performance as Cole Lockhart was a revelation. He brought a grounded, salt-of-the-earth pain to the screen that made the Lockhart family drama feel like a modern-day Greek tragedy.
What Most People Miss About the Ending
The finale is surprisingly beautiful. It moves away from the bitterness and focuses on forgiveness. Noah, for all his flaws, ends up being the one who sticks around. The show stops being about the "perspective" gimmick and starts being about the endurance of family. It’s a rare instance of a show that started as a cynical look at infidelity and ended as a meditation on how we grow old.
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Honestly, it’s a tough watch. It’s heavy. It’s frustrating. But it’s also one of the most honest depictions of how memory works ever put on television. It doesn't give you easy answers because real life doesn't give you easy answers.
How to Revisit the Story
If you’re planning to dive back into The Affair series or watch it for the first time, keep these things in mind:
- Pay attention to the background. The differences in the POV segments aren't just in the acting. Look at the furniture, the weather, and even the food on the table. It tells you how that specific character feels about their environment.
- Don't look for a hero. If you try to find someone to root for, you’re going to be disappointed by season three. Every character makes terrible, selfish decisions. The "value" is in watching them navigate the consequences.
- Track the "truth" through Helen and Cole. While Noah and Alison are the central figures, the "betrayed" spouses often offer the most objective view of the damage being done.
- Watch for the musical cues. The theme song by Fiona Apple, "Container," sets the mood perfectly—haunting, cyclical, and a bit claustrophobic.
If you’ve already finished the series, it’s worth looking up Sarah Treem’s interviews regarding the finale. She has been very open about wanting to show that even after a life of mistakes, there is a possibility for a "good" ending. It’s a perspective that requires a bit of maturity to appreciate.
The next time you're in a disagreement with someone about a shared memory, remember Noah and Alison. You’re both probably wrong.