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"Damages" finale delivers

So, was it good for you? Damages ended its first season last night and those (sadly, few) of us who sat through every twist and turn of this exquisitely twisty, turny legal thriller finally got to see all the pieces of this complex moral jigsaw puzzle fit into place. Stepping back and looking at the finished whole, I have to say wow.

***Spoiler alert, so if you haven’t finished watching, what are you waiting for?***

The finale managed to both satisfy and leave you hungry for more. While we found out who killed David in the penultimate episode, last night’s show answered just about every other burning question. And while the payoff of finally finding out who did what and why was great, it almost wasn’t the point. Along the way, the series has morphed from a classic murder-mystery whodunnit to an in-depth character study in morality, or, more precisely, immorality.

From the show’s riveting premiere (which I watched so intently, I almost forgot to breathe) and throughout its 13-episode run, Damages has never ceased to impress with its sophisticated storytelling, nuanced acting and operatic cinematography. But I’ve been most impressed by its inherent trust that the audience was smart enough to navigate its treacherous ethical minefield. Was it perfect? Of course not. The stalker girlfriend red herring was unnecessary and Patty's lingering grief over a stillborn daughter came out of left field. But the real treat week after week has been watching Glenn Close and Rose Byrne square off as intelligent, powerful and independent women. And, sure, the power suits didn’t hurt either.

How many other shows have given us such strong, albeit it morally challenged, lead female characters as Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons? Heck, how many other shows revolve around two female characters, period? And what other series allows its rich cast of characters to reveal themselves so completely? While it would be easy to make cartoon villains out of ruthless litigators like Patty or corporate raiders like Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson, showing layers never seen on Sam Malone), the series resisted all such shorthand and instead waded happily into the murky gray area that defines real life. Seldom are we all good or all bad. Even the most evil among us have good qualities, and the most virtuous have weaknesses.

FX has yet to renew Damages, which is a true shame. I don’t know if I’ve seen another finale that so brilliantly tied up the season’s loose ends, yet somehow managed to unravel a whole new set to potentially be explored next year. Throughout this season, I kept wondering how the show could possibly come back for a second season if the Frobisher case got resolved. Now, I couldn't imagine not finding out what happens next. Patty vs. Ellen Part II? I hope I remember to breathe.

jennifer from pittsburgh's picture

Damages

I love Damages, and that finale was one of the best finales I've ever seen. The whole season was like a product of an altered consciousness steeped in amoral aphasia. Yet, it all somehow worked. I don't think I've ever watched a show where the creators were so fearless in killing off the characters. Not even the Sopranos whacked people in such quick succession.
scribegrrrl's picture

To the finale, I have to say "meh"

[SPOILER ALERT!!]

I loved most of this season. I was really looking forward to the finale. But with the exception of the killer being revealed as a detective, I found the finale disappointing. Too much pawn-swapping makes for a dull game of chess. (Yes, I know I originally hoped for a wealth of moral relativism, but if everyone's just flip-flopping between good and evil, getting out of cars and back into them, that's not relativism: It's a simple seesaw, satisfying only to four-year-olds.)

Oh -- I did enjoy the "come back; give me another chance" pseudo-breakup speech from Patty to Ellen. Rrrawwrr. But since when does Patty Hewes ever say "thank you" without something up her sleeve? She should have said, "I knew you'd come back." That and the dead baby story line just made me roll my eyes.

Finally, Rose Byrne has confused "calculating" and "flat." She just seems bored. Wiping the smile off your face is not the same as tapping the blackness of your own heart.

That doesn't mean I won't tune in next season, of course! Glenn Close is still, as ever, masterful, and she will enjoy having a nemesis. She will lick her chops.
dorothy snarker's picture

aww, meh, really?

Satisfying only to four-year olds? Ouch. As for the in-and-out of cars stuff, it’s true. There was a considerable amount of horse switching on the who’s who merry-go-round of evil. But for me it was the journey, not the destination that ultimately made the series great. I knew from the start that everyone would come out with some blood on their hands. But it was fun to see how it got there.

And of course, Rose is no match for Glenn, but I think that statement would hold true for almost every young actress when pitted against such a master of her craft. How could you not come across as flat when standing across from that? Rose’s acting in the final scene verged on pouty, but I think it was intentional, done for effect to sell her supposed moral indignation to Patty. I’m not saying it worked, but I see why she did it. Plus, as you mentioned, the way it played out as thinly-veiled break-up/reconciliation was yummy. All they needed afterward was a cigarette.



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Why I Don't Sleep Much: Dorothy Surrenders

jennifer from pittsburgh's picture

More Damages

Yes, the show was not perfect, but it was good, and that's saying something. Glenn Close is steely and riveting, even when she's vulnerable. Rose Byrne has a ways to go, but she's not godawful like Michelle Ryan in Bionic Woman. That said, I still think that the Damages finale was one of the best finales I've seen in ages, despite a few missteps...or maybe because of them. And who knew that Ted Danson could act with such over the top evil depth?
silence91's picture

damages

I love this show, and I'm hoping for a dvd release in Europe so I can force this on all my friends.

That said, I don't think people were actually flip-flopping between good and evil. With the non-chronological story-telling and the three-dimensional characters, it was made to appear that way. It was a clever deception of the viewers, and one of the main reasons to get hooked on this. With shows like this - from The X-Files (Trust no-one) to 24 - out there, producers and writers have to come up with new or at least believeable ways to create a mystery and draw the viewers in. It's not easy. I find, especially in mystery novels, it is often overdone. But here, I felt (with the exception of David's murderer being a cop - that was too much, imho) that it was done well.

Also I still think that the stalker has some significance to the whole story. It seems to me that she was hired by someone to create a rift between David and Ellen and then provoke the fight for the neighbors to hear so Ellen would be suspected of killing her fiancé. She even looked like Ellen (in the dark and from a distance). So the whole thing was planned from the start. But that's part of the next season, if there is one.

Glenn Close was great and I'm glad they wrote the story so she can come back for another season. My second favorite is Zeljko Ivanek, great Southern accent for a Slovenian. Not that I know anything about Southern accents from personal experience (does Northern Virginia count?), but his was great for the character. And the dark circles under his eyes: very authentic.

In a sea of mediocre television, this was a tropical isle. With cannibals, but still, a great adventure...

sammie81p's picture

All I can say...

is that was soooo good. Definitely the best show I've seen in a while. Great acting, amazing story lines, brilliant writing...what more could you ask for?

 

I'm a first year associate at a pretty big firm in Manhattan, and this show totally had me looking at my coworkers in a different light. You never know what people are hiding or what they're capable of...lawyers are so damn shady.

 

Fingers crossed for a second season!

 

-SMP-

frogprincess's picture

RENEW! RENEW!! RENEW!!!!!!!

Love this show.  And I don't watch that much TV.  Loved the entire regular cast.  I liked the girlfriend red-herring. No body was squeaky clean.  And I liked that Ellen believed David that the girl was a nut - deepened their relationship.  The show so impressed me. Wish more people watched....it's the only show I watched regularly during the past couple of months and was the perfect lead in to the new Nip/Tuck season.....RENEW RENEW RENEW!!!!
not without my coffee's picture

This show is so good that it turned me into a criminal.

I saw the first episode and I got hooked, totally hooked. Not only because of the story in itself but also because of it's cinematography and the broken timeline. So, for thirteen weeks I've been living my life as a criminal - I couldn't get the fact that I live in Sweden stop me from watching this show...

And with a finale like the one last night they simply have to renew this show for another season! Unless tptb are all sadistic, mean and like to torture people hooked on shows... I also really hopes that this show comes to Sweden so I can force all my friends to watch it.( I mean - I never thought that I one day actually would like Ted Danson in anything but Damages have proved me wrong.)

So please Fx renew it.

 

starLisa's picture

Stunning.

This show was simply the best thing I've seen on TV for years.  Better even than Dexter and Battlestar Galactica (probably the next two best shows).

I'm not convinced that the bit with Patty's daughter was irrelevant.  The juxtaposition of her visit to the cemetary, her shakes after ordering Ellen's death, and the interaction between them makes me suspect that Ellen might actually be Julia.  But if they don't renew the show, we'll never know.

I was also very skeptical about them renewing the show.  I remember when they renewed Witchblade and I suffered through the horrendous second season before they mercifully cancelled it.  I couldn't imagine how they could possible continue the story.  But now I can see it.

heron's picture

Eh, I'm not so sure that I

Eh, I'm not so sure that I agree Ellen's actually Julia. But I do think she serves as a surrogate daughter to Patty, whose undirected son isn't much of a legacy. Patty clearly cares for Ellen, in one way or another, but she's also morally vacant enough to order her death. As long as this show continues, Ellen can't count on not being used by Patty. That's the cost of being loved by Patty Hewes.
FunkyLB's picture

DAMAGES FINALE ROCKED!

I think the deceased baby s/l partly undergirds Patty's issues with Frobisher and why she was trying to destroy him. I think the baby, Patty's deep-rooted animus for Frobisher and the many references to R & D (research and development) that presumably Frobisher has had his hands in before are all connected. Frobisher even told his son that the new land he's developing is going to house, in part, some R & D company/facility. Maybe Frobisher is behind some pharmaceutical/medical debacle that is the reason for Patty's baby's death. I hope there is a season 2 so that more questions get answered and so we get to see a great homoerotic cat and mouse game happen between Ellen and Patty.
FunkyLB's picture

DAMAGES FINALE ROCKED!

I think the deceased baby s/l partly undergirds Patty's issues with Frobisher and why she was trying to destroy him. I think the baby, Patty's deep-rooted animus for Frobisher and the many references to R & D (research and development) that presumably Frobisher has had his hands in before are all connected. Frobisher even told his son that the new land he's developing is going to house, in part, some R & D company/facility. Maybe Frobisher is behind some pharmaceutical/medical debacle that is the reason for Patty's baby's death. FUNKYLB
lkier's picture

Damages

I had read early on that the plan is for each season of Damages to revolve around one particular case.  That's why yesterday when folks were concerned that the second season would be all about Ellen's trial I thought they were probably wrong.  I loved this show, was glued to my tube when I watched each episode...and had no one to talk to about it.  I am very glad they tied many things up...but left us guessing about some others.  Can't say Rose Byrne is my favorite, I agree with Scribegrrrl that her lack of affect was grating, but Glenn Close is incredible, natch.
MontyCello's picture

My big issue

My big issue with the finale is that they didn't explain why Patty was gunning for Frobisher as hard as she did. Was it over Julia, her daughter? Was Patty somehow connected to the woman who died in the car in Arlington?

Having said that, I want to see a second season. Ellen finally grew a spine and that will make Patty Vs. Ellen a more fair fight.

WS6's picture

d(^-^)b

I Loved It!!!!!
Heather01's picture

Totally agree with you

"I don’t know if I’ve seen another finale that so brilliantly tied up the season’s loose ends, yet somehow managed to unravel a whole new set to potentially be explored next year. Throughout this season, I kept wondering how the show could possibly come back for a second season if the Frobisher case got resolved. Now, I couldn't imagine not finding out what happens next."

I couldn't have said it any better.
hallyb's picture

What a great show

I thought the finale was really good, and I hope they renew this excellent series. It's great for a couple of reasons that make it unique among prime-time shows. First, like was said earlier, it revolves around women, and not in a relationship-y sort of way, like Women's Murder Club and thos kinds of shows. Plus, it allows the women to be bad. I love that. I was really hoping that Patty would be evil. It just shows how far we've come that we can be a lead villain in a show.

I also like that they don't spend much effort slowing down to let everyone keep up. 24, another great show, does too much of that. Damages just assumes that you've been paying attention and rewards you for it.

About the dead baby, I didn't think that it's Ellen, she's way too young. She would have to be 35, and there's just no way that could be, in my opinion. I was wondering if my the dead baby was Frobisher's, and there is some real history between him and Patty. Remember when she showed up at his place and blackmailed him ("legal blackmail," which is just as illegal as any other form, btw) with the tape? He asked her why she hates him so much, and she didn't answer. I would love it if they had a past.

Finally, I'm not usually on the bandwagon of hoping for out-of-nowhere lesbian hookups, but I thought Ellen and her dead finace's sister had real sparks between them.

OutToLunch's picture

seeking Damages

“Damages” – one of the few bright spots in television for the past 13 weeks.  Overall, I was pleased with the finale – they tied up enough loose ends to satisfy me, and the few annoying bits they threw in (stalker, dead baby) were easy enough to overlook, esp since they’ve consistently delivered on SO many other fronts, week after week after week. 

I didn’t see the characters as flip-flopping in their morality.  One of my favorite characters was Ray Fiske (and I love the actor who played him).  I thought he was well-developed throughout the course of the season:  in the beginning, he seemed like a major league scumbag, but slowly, his conscience was torn between the likes of Frobisher and Gregory (Gregory was another one – he also seemed like a bastard, and turned out to be a good guy who just got in over his head).  Were the series not so well written, their character development could’ve seemed hokey or contrived, but it was done slowly and consistently over time – it all rang true to me. 

I still don’t like Ellen tho – she’s just too damn boring.   It’s down to the fantastic plotlines/acting/tight scripts that I was able to overlook the vapidity of Ellen Parsons.  I’m hoping they bring Kate back as a regular – she’s infinitely more interesting than Ellen (and a better actress, IMO).  Also, I’ve got a whole new respect for Ted Danson.  

Now I anxiously await the return of that other fab FX series – The Riches.

godsbedamned's picture

Stunning

I agree about the program just being so much better than anything else on TV. It's smart and well-done (very well-done). The acting was so excellent (though I agree that Rose Byrne was, maybe, too vacant, immature....though, I can sometimes how that works, in terms of the character Ellen). About ratings, I know two people who have followed the whole season, getting their episodes from iTunes. I know the ratings are low, but I've heard a lot of people Tivo or DVR episodes (or get them from iTunes). In terms of 'quality audience,' it seems like this show would deliver a good niche, even if they're smaller in number than other shows. I hope Fox renews. I think it would pay off for them!
godsbedamned's picture

Did Patty order Ellen's killing?

Of course, there are more twists and turns to come on this, too. I was stunned to hear Ellen tell the FBI agents that 'she tried to have me murdered.' And, we see the two henchmen who killed David surprised to see Ellen fleeing Patty's apartment (just when one of them has decided to go into Patty's apartment to look for the tape). We've also seen the older man who does favors for Patty (including killing Kate's dog and cleaning up her office after Ray Fiske's suicide) let somebody into the apartment -- either he was working against or for Patty. So, I definitely want to watch to see how this all unravels. (Like everyone else, I was bored by the suggestion in last week's episode that a second season would focus on Ellen's trial.) Now, if Frobisher is apparently murdered, I don't know if the second season will focus on a specific case, or be focused around Ellen determining who killed David and whether Patty tried to have her killed. !

moviegrl's picture

I'd like to see another

I'd like to see another season if its on the same level as this one. I'll gladly rewatch the season and that doesn't happen very often.

wasn't Ellen Parsons morphing into Patty Hewes.....

I thought that maybe the Frobisher car accident had something to do with the baby......but I'm not sure. When did the car accident happen? Going to have to watch it again.

Through_the_Rye's picture

I loved Patty's grief for

I loved Patty's grief for her daughter and hope they'll revisit it in later seasons. It wasn't out of left field because I think one emotional flood (Ficke's death) opened another (daughter's death) for Patty, so the two are connected.

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