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Hercules Has Seen The First New DAMAGES Since 2007!!
SPOILER ALERT !!
I am – Hercules!!
Notes on my favorite FX series, “Damages,” which - following its first-season Emmy nomination for best drama - launches its second season tonight :
* Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) continues to work for both murderous lawyer Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and vigilant FBI agent Randall Harrison (Mario Van Peebles), who remains determined to send Hewes to stir.
* As they did in season one, flash-forwards starring Byrne frame the first two episodes of season two.
* Season-one villain Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), now penniless and hospitalized, is in the very first episode back, but doesn’t appear in the next two.
* Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek), who thoroughly dislodged his brain near the close of season one, makes a non-flashback appearance tonight as well.
* The great William Hurt joins the cast with 2.1, making this not only a “Big Chill” reunion (thanks to star Glenn Close) but also a “Body Heat” reunion (since Danson’s back – though, sadly, Hurt and Danson don’t share any scenes in the early going).
* The great Tim Olyphant (“Deadwood,” “Live Free Or Die Hard”) joins the cast as Wes Krulik, a haunted support-group member and new potential love interest for now fiancé-free Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).
* Marcia Gay Harden (“The Mist”), billed in the opener’s opening titles, doesn’t show up till 2.2. She’s holding up well!
* Jamie Bamber’s fabulous blonde sister, Anastasia Griffith, is listed in 2.1’s opening titles, but doesn’t reprise her role as fragile Katie Connor until 2.3. Philip Bosco, whose character pursued Ellen’s services in season one, and Michael Nouri, who plays Hewes’ husband, return in 2.3 as well.
* Brett Cullen, who plays an Other on “Lost” and played Alan Alda’s vaguely sinister Christian-coveting running mate on “The West Wing,” is on hand here to manifest corporate menace.
* I'm smitten with this series' opening titles, set to the Bauhaus-ish "When I Am Through With You" by The VLA.
* FX, happily, has already ordered a third season of this mesmerizing series despite its low first-season ratings.
Entertainment Weekly gives it an “A-minus” and says:
… there are more twists and turns in Damages' opening hours than most shows provide in a full season. …
The Associated Press says:
"Damages" arrives just in time to help you start the new year right: off-kilter ... on edge ... hooked ... and loving it! …
The New York Times says:
… In a perfect world “Damages” would have folded when the Frobisher case was closed, and Patty’s character was still open to interpretation. The second season has style and suspense, but it’s harder to keep viewers guessing when the characters are so familiar, and the time-scrambling format is no longer as novel. “Damages” is still an entertaining thriller, but second time around, some of the thrill is gone.
The Los Angeles Times says:
… The deliciously tangled story threads, the endless possibilities, the killer performances, the really great lighting, even the mysterious Uncle Pete (Tom Aldredge) are all mustered and seething once again, a siren song of television to which we, our beloved multitasking forgotten, can only surrender once again.
The Chicago Tribune says:
… Why does the word "melodrama" get such a bad rap? If the word is used as a description, it's usually meant as a warning sign. Yet the terrific new season of "Damages" (***1/2) proves just how entertaining well-made melodrama can be. …
The Washington Post says:
… remains one of the most compelling -- and certainly mind-bending -- dramas on television today, with no points taken off for the fact that it falls under the category of "legal thriller."…
The San Francisco Chronicle says:
… incredibly compelling television. If, in the process of delivering that brand of smart, riveting drama, there are maddening moments of utter confusion, well, so be it. This isn't "The Mentalist" or "Law & Order." It's a serialized mystery that pays off your devotion. Let's not be coy here - if you can't commit, this isn't the show for you. …
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says:
… [not that] it's a bad show; it's just not believable. But "Damages" engrosses with plotting, backstabbing, murder and revenge in its arsenal of dramatic devices. … As a serialized, character-driven show, "Damages" embodies the unexpected left turns and mind games that are standard-issue in modern thrillers. By bringing it to television and stocking the cast with fine actors such as Close, Hurt, Ivanek and Danson, "Damages" provides TV viewers with a high-class melodrama, a soap that takes on the semblance of quality despite its over-the-top nature.
The Newark Star-Ledger says:
… just as working for Patty is ultimately a bad career move because she's going to turn on you in the end, "Damages" is a show that inevitably reveals itself to be less fulfilling than it seems at first glance. … If everything's surprising, then eventually nothing is. …
The Denver Post says:
… Judging by the first two of the season’s 13 new episodes, the tension is delicious, the intriguing relationships ever more strained and complicated, the secrets piling up in even more promising ways. …
The Dallas Morning News says:
… Consider the volume and variety of circumstances provoking use of the phrase "best show on television." … there is a plethora of shows that can justifiably vie for that title. And the current leading contender starts its second season Wednesday …
The Detroit Free Press says:
… First-rate writing makes the stellar performances possible. … "Damages" hooks you from the very start. The verdict: terrific.
The Boston Globe says:
… addictive, satisfying, and filled with empty calories. …
The Hollywood Reporter says:
… If you don't love "Damages," you may well be in a coma -- or at least in the throes of some sort of brain rot. The deliciously edgy and multilayered FX drama begins its second season of playing with our synapses by picking up precisely where it left off last year, the first two episodes showing it hasn't slowed an inch. … The thing with "Damages" isn't so much that the Sony Pictures TV entry is so adept at taking viewers along on this thrill ride into insanity; it's that it aims so much higher than nearly every other hour on the tube, presuming an audience intelligence that's at once precarious and inspiring. One can only hope that the middling ratings numbers from its rookie season rise to a level commensurate with the ambition.
10 p.m. Wednesday. FX.
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
HD Reservoir Dogs: $10.49!! (58% Off!!)
(Part of the 215-title 50% off sale!!)
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
"I love love love DR. HORRIBLE’S SING-ALONG BLOG as much or more than just about anything I’ve seen this year." -- Harry Knowles
HD Reservoir Dogs: $10.49!! (58% Off!!)
(Part of the 215-title 50% off sale!!)
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why haven't we ever had a Its always sunny in Philadelphia talkback?!!!
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Still not sure how they're going to pull off a not-dead-Ray Fiske.
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This show is fantastic. Not sure if I should DVR the whole season again like the first or watch week to week.
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Maybe I was was suffering from tvlawyeritis. But with Hurt as a potential "big bad"...I'll give it another try.
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Ignore that last post...sorry about that...
Thanks for the reminder, Herc. I thought this was later on this month. This was a great series in its first season, so I've been highly anticipating the return. -
it's still a fantastic series. Better than 90 % in TV and cinema. The second best new drama from 2007. (Breaking Bad Number 1, Mad Men 3)
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Jan 07, 2009 4:06:00 PM CST
Loved season 1. I'll be watching this.
by the gospel according to bastardface
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Didn't she cheat on her husband last season? Also, I hope the "she's holding up well" comment for Marcia Gay Harden means we'll see some sex from her! But, knowing how network shows go, there's always less sex with each proceeding season.
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Loved it. If you didn't see this, get the DVD box. Its addictive. Hope they can keep up the quality in season 2.
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Get me back to the Ancient Empire.
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I can see the point in the first season, but playing the same trick again could get real old real quick.
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...but the show doesn't have any staying power or rewatch value. It's like 24 or Dan Brown or Michael Crichton novel, incredibly entertaining while being simultaneously addictive and disposable.
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the first season of this show.
Hurt & Olyphant are welcome additions to the cast.
However, I am surprised to see Danson's character return. My impression from season 1 and from the series in general, was that each season would see a new corporate "villain" played by an actor of note. Not sure why I thought that... or if I read it somewhere? Regardless, that does not seem to be the case.
Still, one of the better shows on the tube. -
R.I.P. Ron Asheton great guitarist of the legendary Stooges. Sad that other shit gets mentioned on here and yet the guitarist of one of the greatest and most influential punk bands EVER gets squat...nothing....PATHETIC! And yeah this is a movie and tv site mostly but I read about scores, soundtracks, and all kind of shit here....and god knows the Stooges music has been in plenty of films. Plus I thought it was AIN'T IT COOL Nothing cooler than The Stooges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! STOOGES FOREVER!!!!!
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You can't help but get caught up in it all. Fantastic performances all around and I'm really interested to see what they do this year. Glad to hear about the flashforwards again; it emphasizes the amount of foresight and planning they've put into this. If I had to compare this show to something, I'd even say The Wire, just in terms of how "real" and blunt it is.
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Clarke Peters and John Doman (Lester Freamon and Rawls) are in Damages this season too. TopHat...the hot blonde didn't cheat on her husband...in a coked out partywhore weekend, she slept with a one night stand she thought was married...and who eventually turned out to be the key witness in the Frobisher case.and alynch3...I respectfully disagree: FX aired repeats of the entire 1st season the past few weekends and I rewatched all of them...just as entertaining the second time around.
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Haven't seen any talkback about Sons of Anarchy....... excellent show, great cast. Kudos to Damages but more kudos to Sons.....
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SO glad to hear they kept the time-shifting angle. I was concerned they'd ditch it. Sweet.
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I have thought the same thing about the show's second season. It was superb. Close was brilliant. Can the show maintain its originality? That remains to be seen. I hope so.
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Jan 07, 2009 9:36:30 PM CST
Offtopic: Heroes won the People's Choice award for Best Sci-Fi
by pennsy
series tonight; didn't think they'd give it to 'em after all the turmoil on and off the set.
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We few, we happy few - we band of buggered.
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...Frobisher, the bearded cop who killed David, Patty, or who else?
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This is a not a show for the casual viewer (though they are trying to make it easier on newbies this season). Of course it will be very good. What I'm worried about is the new season of Rescue Me ("Spring 2008"), which I'm cautiously optimistic will get back on track.
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At least I'm not writing 2008 on my checks.
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I think we can definitely eliminate Patty as the shooting victim (especially since the show got renewwed for a 3rd season), I don't think it's Frobisher either...could the bearded guy who killed David but since the show loves to 'surprise' viewers it has to be someone out of the norm...I'm thinking it's either the new guy Wes (who's probably not who he seems to be)
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Damn You Michael Bay
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Yeah its likely that Wes/Timothy Olyphant will definitely have some kind of twist/secret to him. Maybe he's a spy for Patty, put into the therapy group to report on what she's saying at the meetings.
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Her acting was so good in this episode. Just how she is subtly conveying how she knows how to talk to Patty and is much more confident. It really works as a great mirror to the pilot where Patty has 100 percent of the control.
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Was really fucking great. I'm so glad he is still on the show.
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That's a really, really good theory.
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And to see William Hurt on a weekly basis in a good series is a bonus.
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If she's shooting Wes, the "I lied, too" is almost surely in reference to her comment to him about not being a revenge type person.
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i had no idea she was australian before i saw her appearance, and i typically pride myself on that kind of stuff. must be because i've only seen her play american characters. i must say i didn't think she was all that cute before, but her accent and look last night made her about 100 times hotter in my book. i still think her acting on "damages" is far too wooden. maybe hiding the accent affects her acting, as she seemed natural and charming on letterman.
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I would put my money on the gun ending up in Uncle Pete's face. He is just as guilty as Patty in what happened and knows equally as much.
It won't be long before Rose realizes he is keeping tabs on her and from there it will all unravel.
Someone has to pay for what happened and his character is guilty enough for justification and small enough to be expendible. -
Now, to be fair the one year off hurt on the actors' looks. Close's hair would not grow out that much in 4 weeks, Rose is now anorexic (if the character is not eating because of PTSD, it's a stretch she would be that skinny). But the good was very good. Rose's clenched fist in the therapy session, William Hurt in the car, planting the notion he the father of Patty's dead daughter Julia. I knew Patty H. would mess with the daughter to get back at the foundation partner, but getting her thrown in jail for 12-24 months...that's evil, and I like it!-----later-----m
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It's like a thick, juicy, marbled steak that you take the time to savor for all it's rich, meaty goodness. But they're starting out with many threads this season so I have slight concerns about them keeping the structure clean (within the confines of the flash forwards and intertwining twists) and maintaining a tight focus on the right story/stories. Though what they did last season was brilliant so I'm not really worried.
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does Ted Danson always sound like he just ate a cookie and doesn't have anything to wash it down with. Last night when he said "I'm parched", I couldn't help but laugh. He's been parched for 14 episodes. Great show though. I think Tim Olyphant is a spy for Patti but I don't think that's who Ellen is shooting. I also don't think she's shooting that person. She's probably shooting close to them or something. But I must say that William Hurt is a great addition to the cast. He just fit right in. There's also something up with the FBI guys. They have a hidden agenda or something. It just seemed strange they wanted Patti to take that infant mortality case.
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I agree with both of the above posts. It seems like they planted one too many seeds to have everything stay focused, but taking into account how phenomenal season 1 is I am excited to see how it plays out. The infant mortality case will have to be a direct parallel to Patty's own still birth so I am looking forward to seeing some strong emotional breakdown from her character this season. When she had the vision of Ray Fiske shooting himself again it was a really good weak moment in an otherwise strong character.
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Jan 08, 2009 10:55:59 PM CST
Patty Hewes is maybe the only person I'd consider a cunt...
by danielkurland
She is just SO fucking callous, but plays it so casual. The scene where she's talking to Sam about the foundation and just her obvious lies like "the name has been promised away", is a perfect example. I love it though. It's nice to see her actually feeling guilt though for what happened last season, as although it's fun to see such a cunt, it's nice to see she's not cartoonishly one note and evil, which seemed like a possibility for a moment. Also, I'm just reaching for straws here, but is there anyway there's a connection between Wes returning Ellen's phone, and then her phone being used as the "decoy" in the wire scene?
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Good point about Ellen's phone. Who knows what he could have done with it while he had it. And LOL yeah Patty is a bit of a cunt. At first I thought she might have actually had the coke planted on Sam's daughter, but from the conversation with her son later, the girl was a cokehead anyway and Patty just probably tipped the police off. Still, it was all "classic Patty"!
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so I think it's still too early to speculate on how the pieces fit.
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Rose was just as skinny in the first season. Watch some of those episodes; her arms are pipe cleaners. You might be right about Glen Close's har though.
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Oh, the mind wanders.
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