(S01E07) "Is this a hydrangea?" - Patty
This episode concerns me. Remember the promo for last week? It touted this as being the episode that reveals it all, clues you in, and suddenly adds clarity to the otherwise confusing plot we've been accustomed to so far. Did we get that? Sort of... but not really. Nothing Earth shattering was revealed and the stuff that was let out of the bag ended up creating only more questions. A lot of commenters have noted that this show is starting to feel like Lost for that exact reason. I love Lost. I'm thoroughly enjoying Damages too, but there comes a point when viewers need to be rewarded for their interest. This is a cable show. We've only got six episodes left, meaning that we've eclipsed the half-way point of the season. I'm just as confused as I was after the pilot.
Structurally, this episode felt different. I had a hard time more than once, trying to determine where we were in "time." Some of the flashbacks lacked that bronze "antique" look and it caused confusion. Was it the actual flashback or was it something from Ellen's recollection to Hollis Nye? Normally there's three sets of time periods in the show. Obviously, the present -- Ellen sitting in an interrogation room. Then on top of that, there are two levels of flashbacks. There's the bulk of the episode, which covers everything that happened. But there's also that set of flashbacks that only encompass David's murder, Ellen's attack, the cops and their investigation, and Ellen's arrest. The two sets of flashbacks seemed to blur a little in this episode and that's where my confusion stemmed from... OK, moving on.
So what did we find out? Most of it was obvious or at least alluded to in a previous episode. Gregory Malina is the lynch pin to this case. OK, we knew that. While many speculated (myself included) that his cover-up was related to some kind of sexual involvement with Ray Fiske, we got no confirmation of that. Granted, Ray seemed emotionally torn up that Gregory's life has been destroyed but that could be his Southern charm kicking in. Here's to hoping that Ray turns out to be the "wealthy patron" who paid for Greg's trip down to Florida. Would the restaurant owner that Greg worked for recognize Ray?
Beyond that, the big puzzle pieces (if you can call them that) came out in the present tense as Ellen and Hollis spoke. We now know that the attacker was an unknown. Ellen didn't recognize him. Patty was out of town, Ellen had fought with David, and she spent the night at Patty's place. So, who was the attacker intending to kill? Was he there for Patty? Or had Patty hired him to kill Ellen? That might be a stretch but I do think he was there for Ellen. He beat Ellen's location out of David first, then went looking for his actual target. It'd actually be interesting to find out that David's murder and Ellen's attack were unrelated... although, even as I type that, it sounds like an easy out. Maybe not.
The biggest surprise of the episode? Ellen and Tom aren't as buddy-buddy as we thought. Patty played them against each other and it seems like it worked. No matter what, Tom can't help but be loyal to Patty. If that means lying to Ellen and betraying Ellen's trust, oh well. I loved the end of the episode, present tense. Ellen isn't stupid. She knows that Tom is "full of shit." He knows something. With Patty out of town, wherever she is, it wouldn't surprise me if Tom was the one who orchestrated the clean-up at Patty's place. The whole season, we've had an idea about Tom's true nature. Now we've seen it in action. He's the ultimate "yes man."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-12-2007 @ 9:28AM
Jim said...
I have to agree with you, Toomey. (I know -- stop the presses.) This episode felt like filler after last week's teaser. It's definitely building up to something good, though. I can't wait for Tuesday nights.
As for the blurring of time and the flashbacks, I think that is an effect because we're getting closer to the present. The preview for next week's show actually appeared to have some scenes from the future (i.e. Ellen in court).
Wouldn't it be a total mindf*** if Hollis Nye was actually tied in to the whole thing from the start?
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9-12-2007 @ 10:22AM
Mueller02 said...
Way out there thought - what if the son hired the hit on his mom, and that's who the attacker was looking for? But that wouldn't really explain Tom telling Patty to stay away after he talked with Ellen in jail.
The entire Ray/Greg thing is filler, and should be abandoned. It was smooth how he got away, and then to see Patty get so mad in her office, that was awesome. I was disappointed that Tom turned out to be a rat, just like everyone else. With everyone being so unlikable it's getting hard to root for anyone. Even Ellen. Why you ask? Because NO ONE would live like that. Staying up at night worrying about the mind games your boss is playing. She should realize by now that Patty is deceitful, and self-serving, look at the power-play she made against her son. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to live in her house either. Which is why it seems ludicrous that Ellen would stay at Patty's apartment.
Okay, one last point, how are these lawyers suppose to be at the top of their game, when they are worrying about trusting each other, and extreme office politics!
I thought the episode was good, and can't wait for next Thursday!
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9-12-2007 @ 10:11AM
Mueller02 said...
Way out there thought - what if the son hired the hit on his mom, and that's who the attacker was looking for. But that wouldn't really explain Tom telling Patty to stay away after he talked with Ellen in jail.
The entire Ray/Greg thing is filler, and should be abandoned. It was smooth how he got away, and then to see Patty get so mad in her office, that was awesome. I was disappointed that Tom turned out to be a rat, just like everyone else. With everyone being so unlikable it's getting hard to root for anyone. Even Ellen. Wh you ask? Because NO ONE would live like that. Staying up at night worrying about the mind games your boss is playing. She should realize by now that Patty is deceitful, and self-serving, look at the power-play she made against her son. I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to live in her house either. Which is why it seems ludicris that Ellen would stay at Patty's apartment.
One last point, how are these high power lawyers suppose to be at the top of their game, when they are having to worry about trusting each other, and extreme office politics?
I thought the episode was good, and can't wait for next Tuesday!
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9-12-2007 @ 12:51PM
khamel said...
they were implying (or i thought they were) that the person who tried to kill ellen is patty's son. why else spend so much time on that story line in this episode. i doubt she ever had reason to meet the son before and he clearly isn't too fond of his mother. but that doesn't really mesh with davids death .... maybe they really are unrelated. or maybe davids death was supposed to lead to ellen's but she was attacked at patty's at the same time.
anywho, its clear that there was a sexual relationship between gregory and ray. the weirdo killer guy called him "your (pause) friend" which is weirdo killer guy for "lover".
still liking the show but stuff needs to start making sense eventually.
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9-12-2007 @ 11:39AM
Naf said...
We're still only 7 episodes in, so with 6 episodes left, there's still a lot of ground to cover. You've got to expect that things still aren't going to make sense untill much closer to the end. We know a lot more than we did in the start, about the case and all the characters. I'm still as hooked as I was at the start, and can't wait to see how things unfold.
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9-12-2007 @ 12:51PM
Will said...
I wanted to like Tom, but he really is Patty's man.
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9-12-2007 @ 4:48PM
Bill said...
They wouldn't have beat Ellen's location out of David (although they might have tried). Ellen was very clear that Patty was the only one who knew where she was.
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9-13-2007 @ 12:08AM
malren said...
More than "Lost," it's like "The Nine" now.
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9-13-2007 @ 12:08AM
publius said...
i had the same thought as jim about hollis nye as i was watching this episode. everybody but everybody has a dark side in this show except for him. with the way the writers through possible thing they can at this show to see what sticks, i would be surprised if nye ISN'T somehow involved in this whole thing, or even if it were shown that he's pulling the strings.
he's just about the first person we met on the show, and my guss is he'll be among the last and that we'll think quite differently about him at that point.
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9-15-2007 @ 10:53AM
briman65 said...
I think Hollis is somehow in cahoots with Patty. I have been waiting for that all along.
It is possible that Patty had David murdered if he starts pulling Ellen away from the firm. And it could just so happen that Patty's son was trying to Kill Patty that same night, and Ellen was in the wrong place.
Patty wouldn't want her son put away, or somehow linked to David's murder. That would explain why Tom would tell her to stay away still.
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9-18-2007 @ 6:19PM
Brownie said...
Funny thing about hydrangeas: it will change color depending on the acidity of the soil it is growing in. One day it's pink, the next day it's blue. I wonder if this is symbolic of Ellen or Patty. Or both.
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