patty hewes

When Damages burst on to the TV scene in the summer of 2007, it turned everything upside down. Creators Glenn and Todd A. Kessler and Daniel Zelman took a tired television genre and re-invented it so well that it became hard to pigeonhole Damages in the very category that spawned it. It was so much more than a legal thriller and the drama's tense plotting and unique time shifting storytelling technique made the show worthy of scholarly debate -- blink and you'll miss something important.

Now entering its third season, Damages is prepped to turn the legal world on its head again when FX's superb thriller returns this Monday night, January 25, at 10 p.m. ET. Based on the first two episodes, Glenn Close and the rest of the top-notch cast make the same case that they did the previous two seasons -- this is must see, can't miss television.

Hewes & Associates is getting bigger.

FX announced yesterday that season three of Damages, which returns to FX in January and begins filming today in New York, has added four big names to the cast. Martin Short and Campbell Scott have both signed on as regulars and Lily Tomlin and Keith Carradine are joining as guest stars.

This news has me really excited. Last season, after William Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, John Doman, and Darrell Hammond all signed on, I said it was arguably one of the finest casts ever assembled for a TV drama. With these new names added to the roster, this season is shaping up to be just as good, if not better. The only thing missing from this news? Confirmation that Ted Danson will return for at least a few eps to reprise his role as Arthur Frobisher - hopefully, he'll be back as well.

(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.

I just can't get enough of Damages. Season two is right around the corner (it premieres on FX on Wednesday, January 7th at 10PM ET) and to generate some buzz, FX put together a conference call yesterday with Glenn Close, and Executive Producers/Co-Creators Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman.

After I got off the call, I typed some thoughts while it was still fresh in my mind; there's a lot I want to talk about.

I've already seen the first two episodes (you can check out my early review here) and with that in mind, be aware that what follows after the jump is 100% spoilerish. Though some of it is general, if you don't want to know what happens as season two kicks off - this is your warning.

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.

(S01E13) "I'm accused of murder and my mom bakes cookies. Sounds about right." - Ellen

Four or five episodes ago, you might have caught me saying that I was getting sick of Damages. It was getting slow and I was tired of all the questions. But with each week after that, things turned around and last night's finale definitely made up for any shortcomings this phenomenal season had. If FX doesn't renew this show, I'll be more disappointed than when Showtime canned Huff. All the big questions got answered. The ones we were left with won't drive you crazy. Plus, just as Tate Donovan promised us, we got one hell of a set-up for season two.
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(S01E12) "Ellen... I can trust you?" - Patty

I think the best word to describe this episode was safe. Was it bad? No. However, it wasn't outstanding either. Then again, there is something respectable about giving your viewers exactly what they've been expecting all along.

Of course, the inherent problem with a show set-up like Damages is that when you finally reach the pivotal episode when past and present collide, you're forced to re-watch all the scenes from past episodes. Seeing them in order is an added bonus, but Damages is like The Wire. Neither show treats viewers as being stupid and I think most people who watch this show had already pieced together the puzzle and were just waiting for those few remaining holes to be filled.

FX is either really worried or supremely confident about the final two episodes of Damages. First they offered up a conference call with Tate Donovan last Friday and then over the weekend, I found out that I'd have the same opportunity with Glenn Close. When a network starts offering up press opportunities with its biggest stars, either they're not afraid of what they'll say or it's quite the opposite and they're being offered up because something needs to be said. After speaking with Close yesterday afternoon, I think the former more accurately describes what's going on with Damages. Close is thrilled about working on the show and doesn't seem worried one bit about FX scrapping the drama after only one season.

(S01E11) "You're a baptist, right Ray? Repent!" - Patty

This was the first episode this season since the pilot where I really felt a tense energy. It's definitely because we're getting closer to the point when the past catches up to the future. We went from eight days away, to six, to two in this episode and now I'm just waiting for the point when the toned down colors of the present suddenly change to indicate that we just crossed the line. For those that saw the previews for next week, it looks like that's coming up. This week gave us plenty to discuss though.

It might be a possibility after all. Despite enduring through weeks of abysmal ratings, Ausiello is reporting that FX may actually renew Damages for a full 13 episode second season.

For those of you that are scratching your heads, don't forget that this is the same network that plans to bring back Dirt after the new year. However, look at it this way -- Glenn Close along with Courtney Cox are the only two strong female leads currently in the FX original series line-up. So it's not surprising that FX brass would want to keep them around and develop their shows beyond one season.

(S01E10) "I'm so sick of your bullsh*t." - Ellen

And there it was. The moment that we weren't necessarily waiting for, but definitely were expecting. Ellen strikes back. She went from being timid to bold enough to tell off Patty -- the woman who made her that way. However, despite that and some other stellar moments in this episode, I'm officially frustrated with Damages. It really is one of the best things on TV right now, but it has also knocked off Lost as the biggest culprit in terms of the questions to answers ratio. The one silver lining is that it's a cable show and rather than wait a full 22, we'll hopefully get some results in the final three episodes over the course of October.

I'm not saying lay it all out. I still want a good finale... but give me something. It's no fun when a show of this caliber spends a whole hour doing nothing but confirming assumptions that we've had for weeks now.

(S01E09) "I want you to feel the disgust in your children's eyes when they look on you in shame." - Patty

Well, that certainly made up for the last few weeks. It's been slow to build, but I think that most of what's going to shape the rest of this season took form in last night's episode of Damages. Granted, a lot happened. Definitely a blink and you missed it kind of situation. But then again, that was one of the things that made me fall in love with the pilot in the first place. I'm actually starting to believe that the writers may be able to wrap this season up with a logical and satisfying ending.