As I mentioned last Friday, I’ve gotten a tremendous amount of enjoyment from the first season of Damages. Even during its most implausible moments, the Glenn Close legal drama has showcased several Emmy-worthy performances and delivered scads of wicked twists (most of which I never saw coming). Yet while last night’s hour provided a satisfying conclusion to the season — or perhaps, the entire series — I wasn’t completely blown away, either. For that, I’m blaming three things: The baby, the shooting, and the pen light.
Indeed, saddling the audience with a last-minute revelation that Pattylost her newborn daughter back in 1972 seemed like a cop-out, a bizarreeffort to redeem our steely, win-at-any-cost heroine when, really, welike her just the way she is. So what if Patty committed blackmail,bribed a district attorney, and ordered the (unsuccessful) killing ofher young associate? She scored a $2 billion settlement for Frobisher’semployees, and delivered that death-blow to her nemesis — "If I don’thear from you by the end of the day tomorrow, I’m gonna treat somefriends of mine at the justice department to dinner and a movie" –with a nifty, self-satisfied twinkle. (By the bye, thank heavenstwo-faced Larry blurted the final settlement figure during thatdeliciously cruel scene where his cohorts cut him out of the proceeds;for a minute, I thought the writers were going to leave the number toour imaginations, which would’ve been unacceptable.)
Unfortunately, Larry popped up again later in the episode, gunning downFrobisher in the middle of the open field from which he’d hoped torebuild his company. (You know there’s probably a diamond mine or oilwell smack in the middle of it.) While we may never know if TedDanson’s corporate devil lives or dies, I’d have far preferred to seehim thinking standing there grinning, convinced he’d never see theinside of a jail cell; it would’ve made Patty’s subsequent handoff ofthe smoking videotape to the D.A. all the more mouth-watering. I alsowish the pen-light subplot was left on the editing-room floor; teasingus that Ellen (Rose Byrne, pictured) might find it and finger David’s killer,only to get a last-act shock that Frobisher’s goon is actually an NYPDdetective, pushed the episode one extra twist past my threshold ofdisbelief.
On the plus side, though, I loved revisiting that scene where Ellenconfesses to Patty that she regrets what they did; with just a slightwidening of her eyes, Close tipped us off to Patty’s nefariousintentions. I’m not sure I completely buy that a powerful litigatorwould’ve risked a murder rap to silence a possibly untrustworthyunderling (why not offer her a fat bonus check to buy her silence?),but hey, nobody ever said Damages was the most realistic show ontelevision. One thing I know, Close’s Emmy reel ought to include that perfectly timedpause between Ellen thanking Patty for clearing her of murder charges,and Patty asking, "Now, where’s the tape?"
And while I’ve never been the biggest fan of Byrne, her somber momentsitting alongside David’s coffin definitely broke my heart a little. Personally, Iwouldn’t want to hinge an entire second season on Damages‘ finalzig-zag — with Ellen agreeing to return to Hewes & Associates as aruse to help with the FBI’s secret investigation — but it could makefor a juicy little subplot if FX decides to gamble on quality overratings, and renew the series.
But here’s my question to you, Damages fans: Do you want FX to pick theseries up for a second season, or is it better to stop now, after 13terrific episodes, and leave it at that? And if the show comes back fora second season, should Patty get a brand new mega-case, and abrand-new associate as her chew-toy, or is there more juice left to besqueezed from the Patty-Ellen-FBI-Frobisher lemon?
This show was one of the most enjoyable I have watched in a long time. I hope they come back next season. I feel they left just enough out there to pick up story lines, but if not, it was certainly worth watching.
Thank you FX
I want a second (and likely final) season. I’m sure that Frobisher probably died, and Ellen won’t have that course of action to pursue, which will open up an opportunity for one last season long case in which Ellen tries to keep up with Patty and keep the FBI informed of what’s going on.
I really enjoyed this series and would love to see it come back. Far fetched or not, I was always surprised by the twists and turns. Damages and The Riches both had season passes on my Tivo. As for the baby — Patty will never be a sympathetic character after she had a dog killed in the first episode.
I love this show! I think the writing is excellent, the acting is superb, especially Glenn Close, and the different plot twists kept me hooked. I even enjoyed seeing Tate Donovan again. I hope FX brings this show back for another season, I would love to see how Ellen spins this, now that she’s working with the FBI. I want to see if/how Patty Hughes gets brought down. I think they could still keep the Frobisher thing going. My guess is that he’s not dead. And even if he is, there are still enough seedy characters in his corner to keep things going. I hope FX doesn’t just toss this to the side, like they did with Thief starring Andre Braugher, which was also excellent.
I really enjoyed the finale, and I’m conflicted about whether I want the show to come back. I think they set up a good potential arc for the second season, but in general, I think TV would be better if there were more series that were DESIGNED to end after one season. You can enjoy a serial drama, and get a real payoff (unlike the first season of Lost), not have to worry about it getting canceled or renewed, and the writers don’t have to come up with ridiculous plot twists to make the plot drag on for another season. They would also get more movie actors like Glenn Close to sign on for a single season.
Here’s what I think:
the baby — allegorical tie between losing baby & losing Ellen/daughter she never had. guilt over decision to kill Ellen.
penlight: v. disappointed, as thought goon reveal was that he was actually writer James Frey!
next season: yes, even with mack truck sized holes in plot, the performances were stellar.
I thought it was a good finale, and a clever way to set up season 2. Rose Byrne really rose to the challenge in my eyes over the course of the season. So much so, that I’m seriously questioning whether Byrne’s/Ellen’s lameness at the beginning of the season was intentional. Because Byrne is now somewhat more formiddable, I wouldn’t mind watching her and the FBI try to take down Patty as the basis for Season 2, and I find it a more preferable option than another token case like Frobisher’s to tie everything together (since Danson, Ivanek and everyone else involved with the Frobisher case was so good.)
That being said, I completely agree with Slezak about the baby and the shooting. The revelation about Patty’s baby was mostly pointless to the plot last night and tried to redeem a character that doesn’t need redeeming, and the shooting lets Frobisher off a little easily. (“Easily” being relative since I’ve never been gut shot in the middle of a field.)
the finale was awesome! i loved every minute of it. they really surprised. how refreshing to have a show surprise you. i was convinced we knew everything after the last two weeks but that was not the case! and even though they threw in a few random plot threads, the were intriquing. i really enjoyed this show and will be very sad if it’s not renewed for a second season. so much garbage on tv. this was quality television. great acting. good writing.
Amanda, that’s an excellent point about maybe having TV producers come up with series (not miniseries) that are just designed to run for one season, whether it’s 24 like a standard network drama, or 13 like “Damages.” I also absolutely agree that they would attract more excellent talent like Glenn Close.
Ready for Season 2
I loved this show …. excellent writing and acting, even the cinematography was first rate. Personally, I’d love to see Ellen take down Patty in Season 2 …. and let’s have another complicated case and move off Frobisher. And this series better come out on DVD … I’d buy it in a heartbeat!
I think a second season would be great, but I’m certain that the show runners would want to include the same past / future dual story, which might not necessarily work again. I’d like to see the series skip forward several months (maybe even a year or five) and see a far future storyline with Tom driving the firm, Ellen possibly still working with him, and Patty on the outside but clawing back in.
Damages definitely deserves a second season. Last night was a good balance between closing the old loops and opening new possibilities. The most promising development is to consider Ellen Parsons as a woman bent on revenge rather than a naive newbie.
I had to laugh–yes, the hitman is James Frey! I always wondered if they casted him villainously on purpose.
Biggest complaint: the Frobisher case, who the heck cares!!! Yes, Frobisher was an interesting character as embodied by Ted Danson, but the actual case and what transpired in Florida was an utter snooze and not enough meaty drama to sustain 12 weeks. Next time give us a case that is compelling even before people start to get killed in the aftermath.
The fractured time sequence worked pretty well but was relied on to cover up the banality of the case. I did love how it all came together with Ellen, Uncle Pete, and Patty crying at the beach house, and the beach discussion with Patty and Ellen at the end.
Remember Glenn never saw the daughter who died right before birth. The baby died in 1972. How old is Ellen?
This was one of my favorite shows of the summer. Glen Close was of course fabulous but I really was impressed with Rose Byrne and Tate Donovan. Rose would have to be included in any additional season. I liked Jason E.’s idea about jumping forward and having Glen trying to claw her way back in..also thought it might be interesting to put Rose and Tate in a romantic situation..they seem to have chemistry. I liked the suspence and the cinematography…eariness of the way this was filmed. Much of the time, Glen seriously looked scary…her eyes looked black during that scene of her crying on the beach and it gave me the creeps. Agree that the baby thing had nothing to do with anything..I had expected more about Patty’s son…what is his deal? Definitely emmy worthy acting here…loved Ted Danson too!
So is the hitman James Frey in actuality? Sorry to be so dense. I would like to see the show back too. I agree that there is no need to make Patti any softer: she is like the Tony Soprano of lawyers… we love to hate her… and hate to love her.