Dan's Papers Appears on 'The Affair' Season 5, Episode 7

In the lead up to filming the fifth and final season of Showtime’s hit, Montauk-set series The Affair, the show’s producers asked us for past issues of Dan’s Papers and some company swag—hats, stickers, etc.—so we expected our paper might appear onscreen at some point before the show ends for good. On Sunday, October 6, that moment finally came in the first half of Season 5, Episode 7.

The June 8, 2018 issue of Dan’s Papers, complete with cover art by Daniel Pollera, had a brief cameo during a scene with Noah Solloway (Dominic West) and his daughter Whitney (Julia Goldani Telles) shopping for a massively overpriced wedding dress in a luxury shop that definitely does not exist in Montauk. The Independent is also shown in the same stack, and Noah picks it up to read a certain bit of news, but we’ll keep this spoiler free.

So, what would the characters from The Affair find if they dug into that particular issue of Dan’s Papers?

First, they would’ve read Dan’s remembrance of Ben and Bonnie Krupinski, who the community lost in a tragic plane crash the previous week. They also might have read about local investigative journalist Karl Grossman’s struggles after a head injury, or the campaign to stop wind energy from coming to waters 30 miles off Montauk. So far, they might not have realized Dan’s is known for bringing the fun, but perhaps they read further.

Noah might’ve had a chuckle reading the latest edition of Mickey Paraskevas‘s “Green Monkeys” comic strip. Maybe he’d read our story about the 39th annual Shelter Island Run and plan a trip there? He’d certainly take notice of our story about the U.S. Open returning to Shinnecock Hills, and he’d have a list of golf terms to help navigate his time there. Would he believe the Hamptons Police Blotter claiming a new law was passed banning “all non-grass organic matter” from local lawns? Would he believe there’s a Hamptons Subway?

Avoiding a truly meta moment, no one from The Affair made that week’s South O’ the Highway, but Noah would’ve learned that Macaulay Culkin ate at the Clam Bar in Napeague, James Franco dined at celebrity favorite Bostwick’s in East Hampton, and Anthony Scaramucci shopped for books in Southampton.

He may have also enjoyed our Summer Camp Guide, perhaps finding the right fit for his and Helen’s youngest daughter Stacey (Abigail Dylan Harrison), should they ever summer in Montauk again. Noah also would have read about Fellow Travelers at Bay Street, Shawn Heinrichs‘ Light on Shadow at Southampton Arts Center, and a whole bunch of interviews with Dan’s Taste of Summer chefs.

Then again, he got out of there pretty fast after learning Whitney’s chosen dress would cost him $17,000. But it’s fun to imagine otherwise. Besides, copies of Dan’s would be all over town, and what else would a lonely tourist do with his down time?

Keep an eye out for more of Dan’s Papers in the remaining episodes of The Affair Season 5, airing Sundays at 9 p.m. on Showtime. You never know what might turn up.