Is Damages the new Alias? Well, okay, probably not, but I saw some interesting parallels in last night’s pilot of FX’s dark new legal drama and episode one of ABC’s late, great spy thriller. Ambitious, idealistic young woman gets mixed up with dubious, dangerous employer, then discovers the ugly truth — but not before her devoted fiancee pays…with his life. And the whole thing unfolds with a time-twisting narrative and an intriguingly hazy mythology.
Central to the show’s success is Glenn Close’s understated performance as ruthless litigator Patty Hewes. The things Close (pictured, with costar Rose Byrne) can do with a simple, knowing grin. Her Patty is like a predatory cat, a dozen steps ahead of her hapless prey, and enjoying the hunt as much, if not more, than the actual kill itself. Still, if Patty was already aware that Katie was the key to the Frobisher case, would she really have taken such a circuitous route — hiring the woman’s future sister-in-law, hoping for the best — as her one and only chance to secure a statement? That said, the fact that Patty would go as far as putting a hit out on innocent Saffron — and pinning it on Frobisher’s men — means she’s (thankfully) not another high-powered TV attorney who’s hiding a heart of gold. Now I’m left wondering what’s motivating Patty: A rampant desire to win any case at any cost, or perhaps a more personal (and sinister) reason for wanting to eviscerate Frobisher? And why the heck would she be so sloppy as to request Saffron’s collar?
Unfortunately, with Close dominating the pilot episode, the rest of Damages‘ cast didn’t make much of an impression on me. That said, it’ll be interesting to see Rose Byrne’s Ellen make the descent from bright-eyed law grad to blood-streaked, bedraggled murder suspect. And Philip Bosco’s menacing-fatherly turn as Ellen’s jilted prospective employer has me hopeful he’ll get more screen time in future episodes. Add some nifty photography and direction — I especially liked that opening montage of Patty’s luxury apartment façade, paired with a classical overture and the sound of a pinging elevator — and I’ll definitely watch a second episode before I decide whether Damages gets added to my DVR for the season. How about you?
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I caught the debut and am definitely intrigued. Can’t wait to see where the show is heading.
I was hoping for the unseemly, slightly vulgar treatment FOX usually gives it’s series i.e. Nip/Tuck, Dirt. While I liked Damages, I’m watching for more grit.
Slezak – are you kdding me?!?!?!?!? LOVED IT! Must watch TV. Glen Close ROCKS!
I am hooked.
I never watched “Alias”, but am a big fan of original series on F/X. I’d say they’ve scored again with “Damages”! Already made up my mind about the DVR – it’s a resounding Y-E-S.
It was really good. Definitely tuning in next week. Close was excellent, Tate Donovan was impressive and Rose Byrne was a solid protagnist. Good twist and turns last night and, I’m assuming for the rest of the season.
Personally, I a much more healthy portion of “Devil’s Advocate” (which I actually really enjoy!) worked in there than Alias.
I was hooked after the first 15 minutes
Excellent production values added to good script, good direction, awesome lead actress.
I did enjoy it, definitely going to watch next week. I taped it on my Directv dvr and for some weird reason it marked it as “keep” even though I didn’t designate it that way. Anyone else have this happen to them?
Is this that same Michael Slezak that was in ‘Bridges of Madison County’? Except for Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, who overacted, all you guys were great. I always check out the players in a movie when I forget that I am watching a movie.
I have a question though for real. I have noticed a lot of pictures of these famous people look like their teeth are cased in plastic. Honestly, is this someone going crazy with airbrushing or are they really going for the Wax Museum look? It looks awful.
Never mind “Alias.” This is “The Lawyer Wears Prada.”
Liked it very much. A few of the ‘twists’ were easy to see coming, like when Tate Donovan got ‘fired’, and who offed Saffron, but it was compelling to watch. So glad that her stint on The Shield showed Glenn Close that F/X is the place to do TV.
CAN we just call next year’s Emmy race over, and hand Glen Close a special award for gracing television. That was an Oscar worthy performance trapped on the little tube.
There has been a lot of better than network stuff on cable this summer. Kill Point, Bronx is Burning, Rescue Me, Burn Notice, Mad Men, The Closer, (not sure about Saving Grace or Heartland), but this is by far the best. Is it a limited run series with a definite payoff at the end?
I agree that there are parallels to Alias and The Devil Wears Prada. My favorite Alias thing is the moral ambiguity–you can never really tell who’s evil or good. I’m very intrigued by Damages. I found myself still thinking about the pilot today. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
I thought it was great. I can’t wait for the next one. I haven’t been this creeped out by a TV show since Dexter last fall. And any connection to Alias always makes me happy.
I enjoyed this show much more than you did, Slezak…its so much better than most of the crap on summertime televsion, and its better than most of the law shows as well…leave it to F/X to get it right…I’ve already got it set to record on my DVR for the rest of the season…Ted Danson was even watchable, and he hasn’t been interesting since Cheers, back in 1983…
It could’ve been smarter. Except for a brief allusion to being “perfect,” why not take a few seconds to show the audience why Ellen is being courted by these behemoth law firms? There are so many graduates and not enough positions, and it’s dumb to ignore that. And who else got the Fatal Attraction reference as the sister in law walked into the kitchen — I believe toward the stove — calling for Saffron? All I could think of was boiled rabbit! For me, it was an obvious tip-off that Patty was behind the dog’s murder. So as I say, it has intriguing leading players, but it could’ve been smarter.
who does the opening music for Damages???
I love this show! It is well written and well acted. I look forward to it each week to see what is going to happen. I can’t wait for the finale to piece it all together.
I love this show! It is well written and well acted. I look forward to it each week to see what is going to happen. I can’t wait for the finale to piece it all together.
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