Tuesday's best TV: The Affair

West Coast story: life is no simpler for Helen (Maury Tierney) and Noah (Dominic West) when they move to LA
Showtime
Alastair McKay26 June 2018

A lot of dirty water has run under a number of burned bridges in the first three series of The Affair (Sky Atlantic, 9pm).

It began, remember, as a story about an author with writer’s block — Noah (Dominic West) found some escape from his squabbling children and his overbearing father-in-law by having a fling with a waitress, Alison (Ruth Wilson), who seemed uncomplicated, but wasn’t.

In those early days — how distant and full of sexy promise they now seem — the show included a couple of interesting wrinkles. The episodes were split, so that the same incidents could be seen from competing viewpoints. Nothing was black-and-white. Everything was arguable.

And — it’s easy to forget this now — there was a police investigation into a death, though it wasn’t clear who died, or how. In this scenario, everyone’s behaviour looked a little guilty.

The Affair: Maura Tierney as Helen
Showtime

The fourth series is something of a reboot. We now know who died (Alison’s brother-in-law). We know who killed him (Noah’s wife, Helen, by accident). And we know that Noah took the blame, and did the jail time. He got three years, which is a lot of guilt or a lot of love, or a recognition that these two things are competing strains of the same virus.

But that was then. In episode one, series four (helmed by Leaving Las Vegas director Mike Figgis) we are in Los Angeles, where Noah’s first ex-wife, Helen (Maura Tierney), is living with her surgeon boyfriend, Dr Vic (Omar Metwally).

Noah is there too, for the sake of the children, though the kids seem to be less bothered about this than he is (lovers of Montauk, the Long Island beach town, should not fret: episode two, in which Alison and Cole reunite their emotional battle, returns to the scene of the original crime).

So to LA. Noah is teaching. He is not happy about this. Indeed, followers of Noah’s swollen ego will recognise the volcanic rage which lurks beneath his futile attempts to explore the subtexts of Animal Farm. “Beginning Wednesday,” says Noah, “get ready for The Wasteland.” Helen, meanwhile, has a dream life and a house with a view.

You’d think she would be happy but no. Helen keeps experiencing imaginary earthquakes, is in therapy and it is not going well. Why? Well, partly because her therapist is catching around trying to understand her trauma, and she is in denial about being in denial.

“What trauma?” she asks the shrink. “Your husband left you abruptly after 25 years of marriage,” he replies, “hit his new wife’s brother-in-law with a car, fled the scene and ended up going to prison for three years.

Meanwhile, your older son failed out of two high schools, barely graduated and your daughter dropped out of college, flew off to Paris, with a man twice her age, who abused her.” “I mean, well,” says Helen, “when you put it like that …”

There’s other stuff, none of it relaxing. Dr Vic’s overbearing mother is in the house, filling the fridge, because her boy needs feeding up (he does look a bit peaky). Helen’s son Trevor is maybe-gay. And there’s a space cadet neighbour girl who is attractive enough to cause plot havoc, and she is suggesting goat yoga. Deep in divorceland, everything is beautifully poised. What could possibly go right?

London Live

Keeping Britain Safe 24/7 - London Live, 8pm

There are some major tips on how to hold a safe street party this evening, although these don’t include the precise number of sausage rolls to bring or how to not invite those buzzkills from Number 54.

In this revealing documentary, Julia Bradbury and Matt Allwright ride along with the emergency services as they attend a giant street party in a bid to ensure it all goes smoothly, observing all the work done by the few which goes into ensuring that thousands have a good night out.

Britain’s Greatest Managers: The Fans Decide - London Live, 10pm

A gaffer who won’t be on this list is the former Charlton Athletic boss who managed a tenure lasting seven whole league games — which saw a return of four points — before losing to Wycombe Wanderers in the League Cup. That result ended with him leaving the stadium via a disabled exit to dodge livid fans.

The 44 days of (four points to you if you remembered his name) Les Reed won’t be honoured in this fan poll of the finest dugout generals to marshal relentless point-devouring machines.

Where will former (still strange to type that) Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger end up?

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