It’s not often that television shows up and change their storytelling format mid-run. But The Affair, Showtime’s steamy Hamptons-set drama, did just that in its second season, chronicling the titular affair between Noah (Dominic West and Alison (Ruth Wilson) from four perspectives (as opposed to the first season’s two), to show how the romance affected their jilted partners Helen (Maura Tierney) and Cole (Joshua Jackson). Now, as the series approaches its third season, co-creator Sarah Treem has revealed another game-changing twist that promises to multiply the intrigue.
The twist: another character and another perspective to go with her. On Thursday, at Showtime’s annual presentation to the Television Critics Association, Treem confirmed that French actress Irène Jacob will join the cast as Juliette Le Gall, a new love interest for Noah. (Immediately, a moment for you to spit-take your Chardonnay in disgust. We know.) Variety has a few additional details—describing the character as “someone who is running from her own secrets and who helps Noah process a trauma from his past and understand himself a little better.”
Treem did not explain how the episodes will be split between five perspectives. (In Season 2, each episode was halved evenly.) But it will be interesting to see an outsider assess the intermingled families and the trauma caused by Noah and Alison’s affair. Although the introduction of this new character seems to suggest that Noah cheats on Alison, Tierney revealed that this might not be the case because of another time jump between the show’s second and third seasons.
“When Season 3 starts it’s three years later, so quite a bit of time has passed,” the actress told Entertainment Weekly. “We go back and forth—sometimes it’s a year-and-a-half later, sometimes it’s three years later. So everyone has moved on quite a bit, and Helen’s in a new relationship and Noah is sort of beginning a new relationship.”
During Thursday’s TCA panel, Treem also revealed that the upcoming season will be about “the dark sides” of the characters—as if the second season didn’t delve into those dark sides enough. For those who need a refresher, the season ended by showing that it was Helen who killed Scott, by driving drunk with Noah in the passenger seat. Alison, who was on the side of the road at the time, pushed Scott into the road during an argument.
Tierney explained, “The season will sort of be about . . . all of them kind of dealing with the consequences once again of their actions in the previous season. Everybody did it, not just Helen. Because Alison pushed him and Cole wouldn’t let them be apart. Everybody played a role. Noah wouldn’t drive, so we all did it. It’s not only Helen’s fault.”
The third season, which won’t premiere until November 20, is currently filming in New York.
