TVSquad

(S02E13) "I've been having one helluva shitty month and someone is gonna pay." - Patty

Another great ending to another great season of television. The general consensus seems to be that season two of Damages far outpaced season one. They were pretty tied up for me - that was, until last night's finale. Just like the first season, by the time we got to the end, we'd already seen most of the episode because of all the flashbacks. Same goes this time around - season two's flash-forwards provided us with a pretty solid sense of what to expect. The beauty of Damages is that there was still about 20 minutes worth of plot holes that needed filling. Seeing it all play out, in order, was phenomenal.

Damages has lived up to the hype. After a jaw-dropping debut season that garnered Glenn Close an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her turn as Patty Hewes, the FX legal drama roared back in January amid speculation regarding whether or not the unique storytelling techniques used in season one could be re-created again. The result? Eight episodes into the new season and Damages is as thrilling as ever.

However, after learning that Patty is indeed the person being held at gunpoint in last week's final moments, it proved one thing - Patty isn't the only one in the hot seat. The creative team behind Damages should be sweating too.

(S02E01) "Actually, I take that back. You should be scared. You should be terrified." - Ellen

Payback's a bitch, ain't it? Not if you're Ellen Parsons - then it's a slow, methodical, patience-testing process where it apparently takes six months before you get to shoot a gun. And thus begins the second chapter in the twisted law legacy of Ellen Parsons. After one episode, David Connor's killer is no longer the issue at the top of everyone's mind.

The law/crime genre is a tired and used television landscape. In an era where almost every channel has been saturated with no less than four Law & Order's, three CSI's, and countless other attempts - some good, some bad - it reached a point where it seemed as though we'd seen it all. Then FX premiered Damages back in July 2007 and everything changed. Fast-forward over a year later, add in three history-making Emmy wins, a Golden Globe, and one lingering question remains - how can they possibly re-create the tense past-meets-present plot device that made season one so unique and memorable?

A few days ago I mentioned that both Nip/Tuck and Damages were returning after the New Year, but no premiere dates were known yet. However, FX has now announced that the highly anticipated second season of the Glenn Close legal thriller will make its sophomore debut on Wednesday, January 7th at 10PM. The network has been running ads for Nip/Tuck for a few weeks now, but this past weekend they released the first of what I'm sure will be many new promos for Damages. I've got a bit of an issue with it though.

FOX's second day on TCA was given over to FX, and network president John Landgraf had some news:

• They are ordering an additional 19 episodes of Nip/Tuck. The show will be end its run in early 2011 with an even 100 episodes. Show-runner Ryan Murphy wil stay through the end of the run.
• Michael J. Fox will appear on a four episode arc of Rescue Me next season. He'll play Janet Gavin's new boyfriend, who is confined to a wheelchair.
• Oscar-winner Marcia Gay Harden will be a regular on second season of Damages.
• The network has ordered 39 more episodes of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. This is in addition to 13 currently being produced for the upcoming season.
• They are ordering 13 episode of new comedy series Testees, created by Kenny Hotz (South Park - Kenny vs Spenny). Its about two friends in their early 30's who earn living as medical guinea pigs.

It's always a good thing when an Oscar winner deigns to do TV, and based on her past efforts, I have high hopes for The Tower knowing that Marcia Gay Harden has joined the cast. The Tower, is a new CBS pilot about a group of Chicago reporters. Marcia Gay Harden is going to play Zoe, the millionaire owner of the newspaper, the leader of the pack.

Since winning the 2001 best supporting Oscar for Pollack, which was directed and co-starred her husband Ed Harris, Marcia's gone back and forth between TV and features. She received another Oscar nom for Mystic River in 2004, and last season did a memorable -- and Emmy nominated -- turn as a determined, driven FBI agent on Law & Order: SVU.

(S08E01) Good Lord, how disturbing was that opening scene? A girl shows up to the emergency room with a shaved and wounded head. She won't give her name or allow a rape kit even though it's obvious that's what happened to her. All she wants is a morning after pill. Det. Olivia Benson (a very pregnant Mariska Hargitay) catches her as she's leaving the hospital and trails the woman to her apartment. From the super, she learns the girl's name is Hailey. She gets into Hailey's apartment but the woman refuses to give any information and she cries as she gets into the bathtub and washes away all evidence of her rape. Luckily, Olivia is snoopy. As she's leaving the apartment, she swipes the girl's underpants for evidence.