'The Affair' Full Episode: Watch the Season 2 Premiere Before Its Showtime Debut
Spoiler alert: Noah (Dominic West) and Alison (Ruth Wilson) continue their relationship — the one that began as the titular extramarital affair during the first season of the 2015 Golden Globe winner for best TV drama — in Season 2.
That’s far from the whole story, of course, as Season 2 of The Affair focuses on the aftermath of their coupling, and unfolds that drama not just from their perspectives, but from those of their estranged spouses, Helen (Maura Tierney) and Cole (Joshua Jackson). Yahoo TV has the entire Season 2 premiere episode above, and here are a few more hints about what to expect from the season opener and beyond:
* Consequences is the major theme of the season, as time passed hasn’t eased the hurt Noah and Alison caused their loved ones. We also find out a little bit down the road that the passion of the early days of the affair is one thing, but the actual day-to-day living with it isn’t nearly as sexy (and, with a moody Noah, sometimes is just downright unpleasant). Noah and Helen’s children are, unsurprisingly, taking the news of their parents’ impending divorce the hardest, and his interaction with youngest son Trevor in the premiere is a total heartbreaker.
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* Noah has gotten a giant advance for his book, and it’s a boost to his ego, but his editor isn’t so happy with the direction of the autobiographical tome’s ending… which means he’s not ready to cut a check yet for a financially-strapped Noah.
* The show continues to play with time jumps, and in the overall timeline, someone’s in jail, and someone is a new mama.
* Noah and Helen go to a mediator to try to make their divorce as smooth as possible, and the initial meeting with Jeremy the mediator is shown from their two, very differing perspectives. It’s a clever, insightful use of the show’s trademark perspectives device, and even more compelling since Jeremy is played by the fantastic Jeremy Shamos, aka Better Call Saul’s Craig Kettleman.
* There are several twists in the premiere (see “jail” and “new mama” above), but one of the most jarring surprises comes with the reveal of a new, and very graphic, relationship that will shed more light on Noah and Helen’s history.
Watch full episodes from Season 1 of The Affair: Episode 1 and Episode 2
The Affair Season 2 premieres on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 10 p.m. on Showtime.