Anna Paquin Joins The Affair's Final Season Amid Major Time Jump

Anna Paquin is here to shake things up in the final season of The Affair. With Season 5 set to jump several decades into the future, the Showtime drama has enlisted the True Blood alum to take on the role of Cole (Joshua Jackson) and Alison's (Ruth Wilson) now-adult daughter Joanie Lockhart.

Now grown up, Joanie returns to Montauk which has been devastated by climate change, to uncover the truth about her mother's death. At the end of Season 4, Alison was believed to have killed herself but it turned out that she was actually killed by her would-be beau Ben (Ramon Rodriguez)--though that information isn't exactly public.

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The Affair centered on the emotional and psychological effects an affair has on two couples, which each involved telling their side of the story from their own perspective. Season five will chronicle the aftermath of the Season 4 finale with each character "coming to terms with the consequences of their choices as they make the realization that if they really want to change their futures, they must first, face the past," per the show's official description.

Joanie's presence will certainly force others to face their past, but that doesn't necessarily mean her father Cole will be among those owning up to their mistakes. Jackson Jackson reportedly won't return to close out Cole's story which really sucks since he was one of the best things about the show. However, The Affair will offer up proper closure for Noah (Dominic West) and Helen (Maura Tierney).

In addition to West and Tierney, Season 5 will also feature the likes of Julia Goldani Telles and Jadon Sand as Noah and Helen's children Whitney and Trevor Solloway, as well as Sanaa Lathan as Noah's love interest Janelle.

The Affair returns to Showtime for its fifth and final season in 2019.

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