Noah might not actually be guilty for the crime that he went to prison for (at least not fully), but he is certainly responsible for a glossary section full of other crimes and misdoings. So are a lot of people on this delightfully despicable little show, and that’s sort of the point.

The Affair is constantly trying to re-invent itself, which is sometimes the case with concept-centered series. The drama has gone from presenting two warring perspectives to four in its second season. This year decides to complicate things in a whole other manner that still effectively toys with your idea of perception. This might be a show that operates with a near Damages-esque abandon for wanting to play with the schism between what the audience thinks is going on and what is actually going on.

During the first two seasons, The Affair would mine material from presenting two perspectives of mostly the same event, letting the small differences blossom into topics of debate. This season continues that tradition, but also propels the show three years into the future after the bonkers event of last year’s finale. As we try and pick up the pieces from what has gone on between then and now, the show also flashes back to three years ago as Noah is first going to prison, offering you bits of story from both ends with you left to reconcile the middle.

I can see the need for this show to want to up the ante a little, but I’m not sure if this back-and-forth time jump is ultimately the right direction to go down. A lot of shows have implemented this sort of device whereas The Affair is the only program doing this bifurcated perspective. This is still a show that I deeply enjoy and this new angle is certainly giving a burst of energy to the storytelling this year in a way that’s very exciting. I just hope the show doesn’t complicate things too much or end up feeling like any other generic show in the process. We want Noah Solloway’s A Person Who Visits A Place, not Dissent, essentially.

Interestingly, this premiere episode chooses to abandon its main construct in order to play catch-up and reacquaint you to this changed world. The episode still begins with “Part One: Noah,” but there’s no Part Two or second perspective to be seen here. Alison and the Lockharts don’t even get a mention until the very final minutes. This is not the first time that this has been done, but it feels like this is going to be a particularly busy season, so we’ll see if this approach of taking its time is the right decision. For the moment, this slow re-entry into things works just fine, but it doesn’t exactly function like an Affair episode.