The Affair season 5 trailer analysis: What are the key takeaways?

Watching a trailer for The Affair season 5 is a visceral experience — you need more than a box of tissues to get through it. Maybe a stiff drink and a handful of cookies will help with that.

Through this trailer (which you can watch here — be warned, as there is strong language), what you’re reminded of is that Helen, Noah, and just about everyone else in this world are inherently messed up. Their flaws are so prominent that their virtues are often unseen. For Noah, he’s done so much bad stuff in his past that he may not be able to repair any of it. The creation of a movie based on one of his works is doing nothing but bringing back old feelings, and that’s causing him to want to gravitate back towards Helen. He claims that he cares about her and those feelings are there, but she’s not so inclined to buy into that.

Instead, she’s trying to move forward in her own way as a parent — one who feels like she understands the kids in a way that Noah never did. She’s also moving closer to Sasha Mann, a big-name actor who seems to be playing a major role in Noah’s movie. This enrages him, thinking that she is interested in a projection of himself more so than him as a human being.

For new video coverage on The Affair, check out our trailer analysis discussion in the video below! Make sure that you subscribe to CarterMatt on YouTube so you don’t miss our coverage on The Affair all summer long and also view our playlist for the show now.

Other important takeaways

Janelle is still a part of the series, but when you see her in season 5, she and Noah will have gone months without speaking. Don’t you think that this has to make any conversation that the two have rather awkward?

As for who is not present, Cole’s status on the show remains MIA and his story may, in fact, be done. That would be a disappointment since it feels like there is more to tell with him following the death of Allison … unless his grief overwhelms him and that is all she wrote for him. We can’t rule that with this story at the moment. You do see Anna Paquin as an older version of Joanie, desperate to find out what happened to Allison out of fear that she is going to someday suffer the same fate.

What do you think about this The Affair season 5 trailer?

Where do you want to see this story go from here? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and remember to also come back for other news. (Photo: Showtime.)