Thursday, January 8, 2009

Damages - Recap & Review - I Lied, Too

Damages
I Lied, Too

Original Air Date: 7 Jan 2008

Tom R. - TwoCents Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

No sophomore jinx here, I am happy to report!

It would have been a long way to fall. After last season’s near-perfect creativity and execution on every level, there was a chance that the style might look too familiar, or the characters might flatline, or all the tricks up the sleeves of the three creators may have been exhausted.

Nope, nope and HELL NO!

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[photo: FX.com]

1 comment:

  1. No sophomore jinx here, I am happy to report!

    It would have been a long way to fall. After last season’s near-perfect creativity and execution on every level, there was a chance that the style might look too familiar, or the characters might flatline, or all the tricks up the sleeves of the three creators may have been exhausted.

    Nope, nope and HELL NO!

    While season one opened with a memorable four minute segment, season two establishes itself in half the time. A much more confident, polished Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) has someone at her mercy, asking for the truth. By the end of the segment in the present, we know she has a gun, and it doesn’t look like she’s remotely afraid to use it.

    As with last season, we jump back in time six months to pick up where we left off. The FBI wants Ellen to help put away her boss, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close, in case I have to tell any newbies). They have fed her a case involving infant mortalities. She feeds this to chief associate Tom Shayes (Tate Donavan), but Patty may be tempted in a different direction after receiving a mysterious package of research sent by an old friend, Daniel Purcell (William Hurt, a great new addition). Purcell is desperate, possibly dangerous, and when his wife is ultimately killed, he has nowhere else to turn but Patty.

    Meanwhile, Patty talks about the money she received from last season’s case against Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson). She plans to start a charity foundation, but her partner may be the next Republican candidate for Governor. In true fashion to anyone who works with Patty Hewes, his daughter is arrested for possession of cocaine, the Party drops him, and he doubles his contribution in order to have is name on Patty’s foundation. After hers, of course.

    After being shot in last season’s finale, we find that Frobisher has survived and endured four operations. He talks about the shooting being a wake-up call, but when he hears his wife is on her way to visit, he asks the orderly not to shave him, and even contemplates restoring the tubes they had just removed. But it’s Ellen who comes to visit.

    Plagued by revenge fantasies after Frobisher had her fiancĂ© killed, Ellen has been attending group therapy sessions, where she meets Wes Krulik (Deadwood’s Timothy Olyphant, an even better new addition). Wes feels her pain as he relates the story of the man who killed his girlfriend, even relating the day the man might be paroled, and knowing which day of the week it is. He talks about being caught between revenge and forgiveness, and that dilemma manifests itself as Ellen meets the sleeping Frobisher.

    As the episode flashes back to the present, we realize we are dealing with a radically different Ellen from the rising ingénue we saw last season. Even the commercials leading up to this episode have shown her more glamorous, more confident, and potentially ruthless.

    Best moment: After a visitation by the ghost of Ray Fiske, Patty is tempted to confess that she tried to kill Ellen. As they sit together in the restaurant, the shot is framed with Ellen’s reflection looking over Patty’s shoulder.

    So there’s my two cents…I’d love to hear where you think this is headed. Who do you think was shot? Remember, we haven’t seen all the new characters yet! Drop in your comments or send me a note at: tom@thetwocents.com.

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