(S01E01) "If you were a man, I'd be worried." - Patty Hewes
Granted I saw this episode about two weeks ago, but after watching it again tonight I think it's pretty clear that FX is on to something big here. On paper, the numbers proclaimed Dirt to be a minor success for the FOX owned cable station. Let's be honest though -- Damages has Dirt beat by a mile and then some. It didn't take much for Patty Hewes (Glenn Close as good as she's ever been) to knock Lucy Spiller off of her tiny throne but it appears that FX has a new reigning female lead. Frankly, I'm terrified of her.
Patty Hewes. The beginning, middle, and end when it comes to law in this twisted tale of deception, lies, loyalty, and death. From the very beginning when we first meet a bloody Ellen Parsons (played by Rose Byrne) right to the end when she calls for a lawyer, you're constantly asking how Patty fits into the whole mess. We were given plenty of clues. Some subtle and some not so much (Saffron's dog collar was about as in your face as you can get). But I truly loved the way the story unfolded, especially through the flashbacks.
Some shows use flashbacks only as it suits them. They're peppered erratically throughout the show, only used when it fills a hole in the story. Damages has a bit of a twist on this usage. The flashbacks are the true story, whereas the present day stuff (where the real mystery lies) feels almost like a flash-forward. It doesn't feel forced either. The difference is that rather than being quick blips on the radar, the flashbacks are the meat and the present day stuff is lacking. Whenever a scene from the present day popped in, it was solely because something in the past triggered it. There was always something to tie it in. It was a nice touch and it made the entire episode flow much more smoothly despite the fact that we were moving back and forth from six months ago to present day. It felt seamless and a lot of shows (films, too) using that technique don't achieve that feel as often as you'd like.
OK, enough about the style of the show. The short answer is that it works and it works well. On to the characterization. Rather than dissect everyone, let's just look at Patty and Frobisher (Danson is about as far away from Cheers and Becker as you can get in this role). I feel like it's still a bit too early to take apart Ellen, suffice to say that I love how we were introduced to her as the victim only to find out immediately that she's actually an integral part to the entire story.
I love the connections between Patty and Arthur. They're almost the same person. Dedicated, successful, and extremely good at what they do. As I mentioned at the end of my Early Look post, by the end of the hour I wasn't sure which side I was rooting for. They're both ruthless, but at the same time they both have families that they're trying to look out for and provide for. It's a dichotomy that just happens to be full of similarities. That sounds completely contradictory, but I hope you get what I'm trying to say.
The one thing I don't get is why try and paint those two so similarly? Frobisher is supposed to be the classic Enron-esque bad guy. Of course you want to introduce things that make him seem wronged and innocent. Why not play against stereotypes and actually make him the genuine good guy and Patty the legit bad girl? For a while I thought they were going this route until we found out that Patty was indeed married, had a son, and she was deeply troubled about her family. So she has a soft side. Fine. I just think it may have been better to save that tidbit for a few episodes. The longer she seemed completely heartless, the better. Although, the final few scenes did save some face in that regard.
Other stuff on my mind:
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Why is Frobisher trying to buy out a settlement if he truly says he did nothing? Well that's a dumb question. Obviously he did it. Or does he actually just want this behind him so he can get on with his life? You could make a good argument for either scenario.
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Again, with Frobisher. Why is he invested in Katie's restaurant? Sounds like a conspiracy to me. Something is being covered up. The question is what did she see or hear that fateful weekend in Florida?
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Did anyone actually believe that Patty really fired Tom? By doing so, she created a shoulder for Ellen to cry on. He would be too valuable to lose since Ellen trusts him.
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Finally, where does Hollis Nye play into Ellen's life? She turned down his job offer, but it appears that she kept in touch with him.
The biggest question? Check out the poll below and check out my review of the second episode of the season ("Jesus, Mary, and Joe Cocker") next Tuesday. Damages... thoroughly impressive.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-25-2007 @ 9:08AM
Lisdog said...
I'm hooked already. Excellent cast and writing. Some great twists and turns. ( The dog collar scene gave me chills.) I'll be back next week. So nice to see a well scripted show. I think the line between the righteous and the evil characters will blur further. Stay tuned!
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7-25-2007 @ 9:08AM
grae said...
a decent episode, can't say i love it or hate it yet. i'll be tuned into the 2nd episode though...i do like glenn close's character patty and the character ellen. i too enjoyed the flashbacks and how they meshed well with the present, you're right that the flashbacks were alot more interesting. the first 1/2 was okay but the real meat was in the 2nd 1/2 of the show...where things finally made some kind of sense.
http://damagesforum.com
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7-25-2007 @ 9:08AM
khamel said...
i LOVE glen close. great episode, should be a great show. looking forward to the rest of the season.
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7-25-2007 @ 9:08AM
Tammy said...
What a sick show! I love it. I like any show where there are twist that I didn't see coming and I didn't see that last scene coming. I will be back next week.
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7-25-2007 @ 9:09AM
khamel said...
and to answer atleast one question, its a pretty obvious 'conspiracy' frobisher owning the restaurant. it was all to get her to sign the NDA and infuse loyalty to him. she saw or they think she saw something that could hurt him. investing in a restaurant is a drop in the bucket if it could buy her silence.
and he didnt have to be guilty (although he still might, but it would be cool if he were innocent of this but guilty of something worse) to try and settle. its risk management. if there was a 50% chance of them settling by offering 5% of his assets as opposed to a 10% chance of him losing 50% of his assets, he would be prudent to offer a settlement, guilty or not.
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7-25-2007 @ 9:09AM
Lopresto said...
>>"Does anyone actually believe that Patty really fired Tom? By doing so, she's created a shoulder for Ellen to cry on. He's too valuable to lose now since Ellen trusts him."
Did you even see the ending of the pilot? It was pretty clear he wasn't "fired". Wasn't it Tom that paid Uncle Pete and went to Patty's house to give her the dog collar? He's especially valuable because Ellen trusts him.
Love the show.
Liked the Cadillac comercial where the old models morphed into the new ones.(Notice they didn't have any of the butt ugly models of the 80's and 90's.)
Hated the Glen Close sales pitch for the ad at the end.
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7-25-2007 @ 9:09AM
WYnWn said...
Does anyone know the name of the female singer in the soundtrack toward the end of the pilot episode?
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7-25-2007 @ 10:14AM
JennieO said...
I would have been satisfied with this as a feature film (except for the dangling mysteries, of course.)
What a tightly-written, beautifully character driven tv show. The production values are as high as the Sopranos, and that's saying a lot.
I am already completely hooked.
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7-25-2007 @ 10:29AM
Adam said...
I haven't been this hooked on a show after a pilot in a long time. What an awesome show. Kudos to F/X. The cast was great, each character felt so real.
And Jennie, you are right, the production values are Sopranosesue.
I am looking forward to intently watching this one each week.
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7-25-2007 @ 10:44AM
Fabrice said...
Does anyone actually believe that Patty really fired Tom? By doing so, she's created a shoulder for Ellen to cry on. He's too valuable to lose now since Ellen trusts him.
OK didn't that question get answered or TVSquad fell asleep during the scene
Again, with Frobisher. Why is he invested in Katie's restaurant? Sounds like a conspiracy to me. Something is being covered up. The question is what did she see or hear that fateful weekend in Florida?
OK TVSquad fell asleep thru this too...
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7-25-2007 @ 10:50AM
JennieO said...
I'm glad you agree, Adam!
Fabrice, I think you're seeking spoilers, and that is something I, personally, don't want this early in the game. I plan to enjoy going with the flow.
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7-25-2007 @ 12:57PM
BobbyBuz said...
"Does anyone actually believe that Patty really fired Tom?"
I thought the question was rhetorical. To me the limo scene was a setup for Ellen, and she didn't actually fire him.
From the first time they met I had zero-trust in the Patty/Ellen relationship.
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7-25-2007 @ 8:39PM
Squishy said...
Colour me impressed and I really didn't expect to be given the premise. Glen Close kicks all kinds of ass and owns her role inside and out from the get go. This ones a keeper... Roll on episode 2 :)
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7-25-2007 @ 11:05PM
Keli said...
Jennie, I don't think they count as spoilers when they were explained (or at least implied) IN the show that aired TWO days ago. Nice try though. Maybe you'll be able to keep up better in episode 2.
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7-27-2007 @ 12:21AM
Sinead said...
wait, ok maybe this is a retarded question, did Patty kill Saffron? i think she did, but i just want to be sure
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7-26-2007 @ 1:13AM
Sinead said...
wait, ok maybe this is a retarded question, did Patty kill Saffron? i
think she did, but i just want to be sure
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7-26-2007 @ 12:03PM
KevAmber said...
Does anyone know the name of the song that played when Ellen and her fiance' had the sex scene? It was really nice, some lady singing...
Oh, and by the way, I'm HOOKED! :)
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7-29-2007 @ 9:00PM
Will said...
What a great episode this was! I'm hooked.
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7-29-2007 @ 9:01PM
publius said...
i liked the pilot a lot (especially seeing as how rescue me - i caught the encore showing on wednesday - has become a pile of shit). nice that fx has a new show on which to hang its hat.
a few things i particularly liked:
1. the initial sequence of the streets of new york with the smoke was run backwards (at least part of it - can't quite tell if it all is). not overstated, but certainly fits with the premise of the show
2. when ellen is showing off the new clothes she got from her hewes shopping spree, she holds up a green overcoat and says she can't wait for a chance to wear it. happens to be the same overcoat she is wandering around half-naked in in the show's first scenes.
too early to tell if this show has legs, but it has glenn close, and as we all know, nobody can play the bunny-boiling sociopath like she can...can't wait for episode 2...
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7-29-2007 @ 9:02PM
cat said...
The pilot was good enough to be a feature film I would pay to see in the theater. Wonderful writing, dimensional acting, cohesive editing, and great cinematography -- altogether, riveting TV! It was wonderful to view it, too, without interruption (i.e., commercials), because the plot was so tight, every detail mattered!
About those details...
1) Patty hired Uncle Pete to kill Saffron (the dog)
2) Tom Shayes admits to Uncle Pete that he thought he had been fired for real, too
3) Yes, the bloodied overcoat Ellen is wearing is the same one Patty bought for her
questions I have...
1) Why would Ellen not be wearing her engagement ring (it was found at the crime scene)?
2) What else has Uncle Pete done at Patty's behest?
3) Why is Tom Shayes so loyal to Patty, seemingly on the 'inside,' but not even aware Patty would 'fire' him as part of her plan?
4) It seems that Frobisher is buying Katie's silence, whether he is guilty or just wants to end the legal tangle, but why is his attorney asking Katie to sign another confidentiality agreement? How has the new agreement been 'tweaked'?
5) Why has Hollis Nye taken such a personal interest in Ellen that he is compelled to locate her in a bar with her boyfriend to warn her a second time about Patty? (Ellen makes it clear at that time that she knows him only from the interview process.)
Looking forward to seeing the story unfold...
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