"Damages" Recap & Review - "Sort of Like a Family"

Damages
“Sort of Like a Family”

Original Air Date: October 2, 2007

Tom R - TwoCents Staff Writer

With the new season of House underway, it got me thinking…If you showed someone an episode of House and an episode of Damages, and you told them that director Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects) was involved in only one, which one do you think they would pick? It’s kind of like the arguments about who would win in a fight between Superman and Batman…Who really is the devil incarnate…Keyser Soze or Patty Hewes?

(If you don’t know who Keyser Soze is, or you’ve never seen The Usual Suspects, stop reading this and rent it IMMEDIATELY!)

The showdown has been building between Patty and Frobisher, and the doors blow off in this episode, along with some other surprises as the threads continue to weave together.

Present:
Tom returns to Patty’s apartment to find that the cleanup was not as thorough as they thought. He finds traces of blood, and returns to tell this to Ellen. She wants to meet with Patty, and asks Tom to bail her out. She’ll take care of the rest. As we see Patty driving, the camera moves to a stain on her shoe. But did she get it at her apartment? Or did something else happen at the beach house?

Past:
Patty outlines the situation for Tom: As long as Gregory Malina is in play, Ellen is useful (and employable).

Frobisher worries about the Arlington revelation, but counters effectively by having the father of the crash victim explain about Frobisher’s generosity. Meanwhile, he is served with divorce papers by his wife, whom he confronts with his favorite golf club. Great to see that even a club can experience irony.

Against Patty’s wishes, Ellen pursues Moore’s whereabouts, and finds that he arranged for a conference to be held within shouting distance of Frobisher during the key weekend. Since it was not authorized, Ellen and Patty have shining moment #1 as a confrontation leads Ellen to declare, “I’m sick of your bullshit.” This, of course, yields an immediate dismissal from Patty.

The second shining moment is the deposition of Frobisher, which does not disappoint in the least. Danson and Close both do a remarkable job of making the initial meeting a casual affair, after which Frobisher declares, “She was setting me up.” The subsequent meeting is where all hell breaks loose, as Frobisher’s hands-off attitude regarding business comes to the surface. But the highlight comes as Patty draws a parallel between a company and a family, insinuating Frobisher’s failure at both. But does she know about the divorce? Or is Frobisher projecting it all?

Have you been watching? Have you read anything I’ve written? Of course she knows. Patty knows everything.


Or to put it another way…I believe in God. And the only thing that scares me is Patty Hewes.

Three episodes left. Damn. Even with the impending return of Nip/Tuck, I’m gonna miss this/

Damages airs Tuesdays at 10 PM on FX and repeats immediately and during the week.