Teaser: DAMAGES, season 4

Legal drama Damages returns for a fourth season next month, rescued from oblivion when FX cancelled it by DIRECTV. A 30-second teaser has been released (above) that gives us a mild taste of what's in store. I'm not sure what the new storyline is, based on the teaser, but it looks to be connected to the US military's practices overseas, and it stars the always marvelous John Goodman. So I'm definitely interested to see what Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) will be up to this year.

I'm a fan of Damages, as long-time readers will be aware, but it's never been an easy show to review every week, as I've always given up a few episodes into each season. I consequently won't be covering season 4, beyond the premiere. It should be especially interesting this year—both because The Good Wife has stolen much of its thunder as the #1 legal drama around, and to see if the move to DIRECTV has affected it in any way.

How about you? Is Damages a show you watch? Do you agree that it peaked early with that wonderful first season? Is it possible for Rose Byrne to wake up with bed head?

Damages returns 13 July on DIRECTV. The BBC have previously aired every season of Damages, but in light of their recent decision to stop buying US imports to save money, that's not likely to be the case this year. Hopefully another British broadcaster will snap it up, though. We'll have to wait and see.

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Competition: 'Damages' DVD winner!

Last week I gave my American readers the chance to win a copy of Damages: The Complete First Season on DVD. To win, you just had to answer the following question:

In which city does Damages take place?

(a) Washington D.C
(b) Chicago
(c) New York

The correct answer was, of course, New York. I was glad nobody got that wrong! The lucky winner, chosen at random from all the entries received, is...

Trevor Sprinkle, Pennsylvania

Congratulations, Trevor! The Damages DVD box-set will be sent to the address you specified. It should be with you shortly.

A big thank you to everyone who entered this competition. I'd be lying if I said it was as popular as my previous contests, targeting the UK/Ireland, but I'm hoping the muted response was because the prize was a DVD that's been out awhile, and not because Americans are blase about winning something for minimal effort. Or that the question was too hard!

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Competition: 'Damages' Season 1 DVD

It's competition time on DMD again! And this time, it's my American readers who get to feel the benefit. That makes a change, doesn't it.

You may know that Golden Globe-winning drama Damages, following a prodigious lawyer called Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) working alongside fearsome litigator Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), was cancelled by FX last summer. But did you know that DIRECTV rescued the show from the scrapheap and are financing a fourth and fifth season?

Season 4 begins this summer, exclusively on DIRECTV's 101 Network, but in the meantime the channel is repeating the previous three years that aired on FX -- uncut and without commercials! You can currently catch season 1 every Tuesday night at 10pm.

To celebrate Damages' survival, I have a copy of Season 1 up for grabs on Region 1 DVD. In the show's first year, Ellen and Patty become embroiled in a class action lawsuit targeting billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), one of the country's wealthiest CEOs. It's a terrific season of television, and something well worth your time if you haven't seen it. I reviewed the Blu-ray box-set awhile ago here. And if you don't want this DVD, why not promote this competition via Facebook, Twitter, et al?

To be in with a chance of winning this box-set, simply answer the following question:

In which city does Damages take place?

(a) Washington D.C
(b) Chicago
(c) New York

Next, e-mail me your answer, remembering to include your full name and a delivery address. Please ensure the subject header is titled "Damages Competition", or it might get lost in my inbox.

This competition closes on Monday 10 January @5pm (GMT). That's 12PM EST, right? I will pick a winner at random and inform everyone on 11 January.

A gentle reminder: this competition is only open to residents of the United States of America. Entries from people living in other countries will be discounted. Sorry.

Good luck!

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Damages execs on DirecTV pickup

Michael Ausiello has a brief but interesting interview with Damages co-creators Daniel Zelman and Todd A. Kessler, where they chat about the show's recent surprise pickup by DirecTV and what that means for the show.

"DirecTV wants us to do the show that we've been doing. If anything, they want us to push what we've been doing even further. They're encouraging us to be as bold as possible, which is something we strive for anyway. There have been no discussions about altering the show in any fundamental way." Continue reading...

One thing that amused me about the interview is hearing that Zelman and Kessler are excited by the fact The 101 Network don't have breaks for advertising. Here in the UK, Damages has always been shown on the advert-less BBC1, so it slipped my mind that US audiences have been putting up with commercial breaks.

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Damages: fourth and fifth season!

It was cancelled by FX at the conclusion of its third season, but DirecTV have agreed a deal with Sony Pictures Television to finance a fourth and fifth season of Damages, each comprising 10 episodes. The legal drama, starring Glenn Close and Rose Byrne, will return on DirecTV's 101 network next year.


Patty Ishimoto, General Manager of The 101 Network & Vice President for DirecTV:

"We're excited to partner with Sony Pictures Television as we breathe new life into this outstanding drama. It’s a win for our customers because only they will be able to see these new episodes and another great step forward for DirecTV as we continue to build our growing portfolio of exclusive, award-winning programming."

DirecTV similarly saved Friday Night Lights in this manner, but while that show gets a quick repeat on NBC, Damages will air exclusively on DirecTV (denying the show to a lot of its US audience). DirecTV have also acquired the rights to broadcast Damages' existing three seasons.

John Langraf, President & General Manager of FX Networks:

"FX was very proud to have developed one of the best scripted series on television, but in order to have a future, the show needed DirecTV and we are thrilled they stepped in... Sony Pictures Television is a great production partner and we at FX Productions are excited for these next two seasons."

How will this change of channel affect the show? Will the budget be cut in any noticeable way? Will the show's stellar casting take a knock, given the smaller platform of DirecTV? Whatever happens, I'm glad Damages is coming back. If only because it's one of the few shows with strong women in the lead roles.

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DAMAGES 3.4 - "Don't Throw That At The Chicken"

WRITER: Jeremy Doner
DIRECTOR: Matthew Penn
GUEST CAST: Len Cariou, Lily Tomlin, Glenn Fleshler, Zachary Booth, Sarah Wynter, Tom Noonan, Reiko Aylesworth, Ben Shenkman, Miriam Shor, Larry Keith, Wendy Moniz, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Darren Goldstein & Curtis L. McClarin

[SPOILERS] This was an episode all about family dysfunction: Joe (Campbell Scott) is revealed to be an alcoholic who's fallen off the wagon in the wake of his father's insurance fraud scandal; Patty's (Glenn Close) son Michael (Zachary Booth) is pretending he's employed and has broken up with his older girlfriend Jill, who's actually pregnant with his baby; and Ellen (Rose Byrne) has stopped sending cheques to her sister Carrie (Miriam Shor), fearing she's using the money to fund a drug habit.

I thought this was a stronger episode than last week's runaround, mainly because the story took a few U-turns I didn't expect -- Louis (Len Cariou) had actually called his mistress Danielle on Thanksgiving evening because he'd left his medication at her house, so the only reason he wanted to get her out of the country was to spare him the embarrassment of having his affair exposed ontop of the fraud. I also didn't expect the series to kill off Louis at this early stage, as he drank poisoned tea provided by his loyal doctor, leaving behind a package addressed to Patty that Joe found...

There was also some decent emotional strings being pulled here, too, what with Joe having actually decided to give up the bottle and go see his dad on his last night of freedom, only to find him dead like that. The preceding scene of Joe being followed around town by his father's surveillance team, to keep an eye on his drinking, was one of the best sequences I've seen on Damages in awhile; very nicely filmed, slightly bizarre (Lenny making faces in a shop window's TV), and a completely visual piece with no spoken dialogue.

The flashforwards gave us a few neat clues and insights into why Tom's been killed, too: his body wasn't bloated enough to have been in the water very long (so who dragged him out and put him in a dumpster?); Patty remembers speaking to an agitated Tom shortly before his death (by whomever he answered the door to in one sequence?) ; and the final sting suggested that Patty who may have ordered a hit on Tom that she reneged on, but it appears to have gone ahead anyway! That always happens in TV-land, once you set the ball in motion... but what will Tom do that makes Patty angry enough to want to kill him?

Overall, there was lots of juicy stuff to enjoy in "Don't Throw That At The Chicken" (great title, too), as more elements came into play and the flashforwards took a few fun, unexpected twists. Damages still isn't quite the gripping delight I adored in season 1, but so far this year's story is a lot more human, credible and comprehensible than season 2.

Asides

-- I'm sorry, but are we expected to really believe Rose Byrne and Miriam Shor are sisters? No offence to Shor (everyone looks bad stood next to the porcelain doll that is Rose Byrne), but it's unconvincing they share a gene pool. It might have been better if Carrie was played by someone who's equally as attractive, or more attractive than Ellen, but has let clearly let themselves go.

-- This season appears to be all about family, doesn't it? Patty says she considered Tom part of her family, her ex-husband's trying to get back with her, Ellen's family are taking on a bigger role, the Tobin dynasty is obvious central to the year's legal case, and there are even some babies in the mix (Ellen's sister's, Patty's unborn grandchild.)

17/18 MARCH 2010: BBC1 / BBC HD, 10PM

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DAMAGES 3.3 - "Flight's At 11:08"

WRITER: Mark Fish
DIRECTOR: Tony Goldwyn
GUEST CAST: Debra Monk, Ben Shenkman, Gordon Clapp, Mädchen Amick, Maddie Corman, Darren Goldstein, Larry Keith, George Morfogen, Michael Pemberton, Jennifer Roszell, Rebecca Schull & Miriam Shor

[SPOILERS] This wasn't bad, it just lacked enough bite. There was only one storyline that made an impression -- the Tobin family's attempt to fly Danielle Marchetti (Mädchen Amick) out of the country before she's implicated in their family's scandal, with the added complication she's suffered head trauma after being accidentally struck by Joe's (Campbell Scott) car, and could die if she boards a plane. Fortunately, most of the supporting plots leaned on that central dilemma -- with Tom (Tate Donovan) trying to find Danielle at her home, unaware she's being hidden inside by Joe and his family's lawyer Leonard (Martin Short), while Patty (Glenn Close) tried to convince the District Attorney to stop Danielle leaving the country, despite the fact he has no evidence to make such a move.

It was also interesting to see Ellen's (Rose Byrne) family, too. She returned home to spend some time with them, passing up the opportunity to help Patty trace Danielle, and it became clear that the Parsons aren't exactly highfliers. In fact, it's difficult to believe these are Ellen's relatives -- as their lives are crushingly normal and shot through with problems. Her father's a stubborn dolt whose temperament stains the atmosphere, her sister's just split from her husband and appears to be a junkie (Ellen discovers a crack pipe), and it's easy to see why Ellen wanted to leave them behind and make something of herself. When faced with an evening reminiscing over family home videos of a rose-tinted childhood that's a faded memory for her, she's soon on her phone wanting in on the Tobin case.

Overall, "Flight's At 11:08" was an enjoyable watch, and it was good to see Joe becoming more of a villain via his decision to put the delerious Danielle on a plane journey that would kill her, particularly in light of the understated reveal that Danielle was once Joe's lover before she started secretly seeing his father. Campbell Scott's particularly good at playing someone who believes himself to be a good man (and perhaps always has been), but is now being placed in situations that require him to act very selfishly, with bleak consequences for his soul.

This was also the first episode I can remember that didn't feature any of the show's signature time-jumps, which I heartily approve of. If there's no need to use them, don't use them.

Finally, I know I'm not covering this show in the greatest of detail, but these brief Damages reviews haven't inspired much comment. So, a question: are people watching? Is it a show you watch, but don't feel the need to discuss? Or is this season slipping by unloved on BBC1, its reputation sullied by the thorny second season?

Asides

-- Was I alone in knowing that glass of unmelted ice cubes would be the giveaway that Danielle was present in the house, way before Tom? It was so signposted it was more a surprise that he didn't twig until much later.

-- This episode was directed by actor Tony Goldwyn, recently seen in the Last House On The Left remake, but perhaps most famous as the villain from Ghost.

-- I was so relieved we got more Mädchen Amick because her character survived that collision last week. Hopefully she'll be around a bit longer.

-- Damages' great casting continues, with Sarah Wynter (best known as Jack Bauer's girlfriend in 24's second season) debuting as another of the Tobin family's aides. You may also remember her as the unforgettably brash Aussie girlfriend of Jemaine in season 2 of Flight Of The Conchords.

10/11 MARCH 2010: BBC1/BBC HD, 10PM

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DAMAGES 3.2 - "The Dog Is Happier Without Her"

WRITER: Aaron Zelman
DIRECTOR: Matthew Penn
GUEST CAST: Len Cariou, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Michael Nouri, Michael Laurence, Glenn Fleshler, Tom Noonan, Reiko Aylesworth, Mädchen Amick, Souleymane Sy Savane, John Hillner, Joanna Rhinehart, Jennifer Roszell, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Mili Avital, Michael Gaston & Mackenzie Connolly

[SPOILERS] To make it clear, my weekly reviews of Damages will follow a similar format to 24's this year (i.e brief responses, but added detail if an episode justifies it.) This is no reflection on the quality of the show, just the fact its serialized nature means it can be a pain to tackle in depth every single week. So, with that in mind, how was episode 2?

Well, "The Dog Is Happier Without Her" wasn't as great as the exciting opener, but then I never expected it to be. This was a confident follow-up that dangled more clues about the future murder of Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), while ensuring the present storyline with the Tobin family's investment fraud bedded down nicely. Last year the show was so hell-bent on surprising you every episode that the plot soon became impenetrable and fell into a quagmire mid-season, but season 3's plot feels sprightlier and less daunting.

Patty (Glenn Close) and Tom discovered that Louis Tobin (Len Cariou) was seeing a younger woman called Daniele Marchetti (Mädchen Amick) behind his wife's back; Ellen's (Rose Byrne) fondness for Tom means she's gradually being drawn into Patty's case as a handy contact in the District Attorney's office; Patty's estranged husband Phil (Michael Nouri) returned to sort out their affairs, although he has an agenda to get her back; Joe (Campbell Scott) agreed to access his father's secret fortune, to ensure his family's comfort now their assets have been frozen; but the most interesting development was discovering Tom's family face financial ruin because he had them invest in a company involved in Tobin's fraudulence. This will assumedly have a big effect on his ultimate fate, as the Tobin case is now something personal.

Six months in the future, Detective Huntley's (Tom Noonan) interrogation of the homeless man provided a few stimulating pieces of information: Ellen hears about Tom's death and visit his wife to enquire about who knew they were dating (so Tom's death was to get at her?); and we learn that the cause of Tom's death was drowning. I was mainly intrigued by Ellen's lack of emotion upon hearing about Tom's murder -- is she inured to such things after her fiancé's murder in season 1? Did she recently stop seeing Tom? Did she expect this to happen to him? Or was Byrne going for a "numbed" reaction that came off as cold indifference?

Overall, I wasn't terribly interested in the Patty/Phil situation over their sickly dog, and I thought a moment when Joel accidentally ran over his dad's mistress was rather contrived, but I'm responding well to the pincer-grip of Tom's storyline and grateful this season appears to have boiled things down to a story that's easier to understand and get involved in.

Asides

-- As a Twin Peaks fan, it's always great to see Mädchen Amick in something, although I keep forgetting she's not a teenager anymore. It's a terrible shame if her character's dead already, though!

-- So far, it feels like a great idea to make this season more focused on Tom, with Ellen less prominent. I'm sure Ellen will take on a bigger role as things progress (Rose Byrne has second-billing, after all), but I'm glad Donovan's being given a chance to shine.

3/4 MARCH 2010: BBC1/BBC HD, 10PM

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DAMAGES 3.1 - "Your Secrets Are Safe"

WRITERS: Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler & Daniel Zelman
DIRECTOR: Todd A. Kessler
GUEST CAST: Lily Tomlin, Keith Carradine, Len Cariou, Ben Shenkman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Tom Noonan, Michael Gaston, Reiko Aylesworth, J. Tucker Smith, Michael Laurence, Robert Sedgwick, Darren Goldstein, Ana Reeder, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Campbell Scott & Martin Short

[SPOILERS] After a bumpy sophomore season that didn't connect with me on an emotional level and became a slog, I'm relieved to see Damages hit back with a strong and nimble third season premiere, set nearly a year later. Over this hour, some of my concerns about last season were swiftly addressed: the multiple flashforwards/-backs that swamped season 2 have been downsized to just the one, and this year's legal battle is more personal and less corporate in nature...

Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) is now working on behalf of the government to recover billions of dollars lost during a Ponzi scheme[*] setup by corrupt Wall Street businessman Louis Tobin (Len Cariou) -- elderly patriarch of an apparently ignorant family that include proud wife Marilyn (Lily Tomlin) and crestfallen son Joe (Campbell Scott), who've been left destitute now the family's assets have been frozen. It's up to Patty to find the missing billions accrued by Louis' deception, to repay the investors what they're owed and perhaps clear the rest of the Tobin family in the process.

Across the city, Patty's former-protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) is now working at the District Attorney's office on a drug case, apparently having moved on with her life and career. She's less solemn, at any rate, while her new job gives her the opportunity to go out into the field and mete out justice on the streets. Of course, she's destined to be drawn into Patty's contentious Wall Street case like an asteroid to a black hole -- likely via her boss Curtis Gates (Ben Shenkman), who's involved with the criminal side of the Tobin fallout.

Damages has always attracted an astonishing amount of famous faces and talented character actors, and that tradition continues in season 3 with Lily Tomlin, Campbell Scott, Keith Carradine and Martin Short already introduced in key supporting roles. The latter being another example of Damages giving typecast actors a chance to subvert audience expectations. Seeing the impish Short (known for '80s comedy roles in the likes of Three Amigos) play a devious lawyer is almost as surprising as "nice guy" Ted Danson was playing a crooked billionaire who had sex with prostitutes.

The signature flashforwards (set six months in the future) appear to only be tackling one storyline, which makes it a lot easier to follow than the miasma of season 2's multiple subplots. Here, Patty is involved in a car crash where the offending driver flees the scene, but the police discover the car was registered to Patty's trusted associate Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan), whose dead body is later found in a dumpster beside a creepy homeless man who has a luxury handbag given to Ellen as a gift from Patty in the present-day. And we also see a more contented Patty, who's seen regularly spurning the advances of an alluring man called Julian Decker (Carradine, again utilizing his innate easygoing charm.)

Overall, "Your Secrets Are Safe" offered plenty of fresh intrigue, and the adroit plot did a fantastic job outlining the stakes and introducing new characters, mostly avoiding the sense of information overload that Damages has been guilty of in the past. In simplifying their narrative and tackling a legal case with strong human ties (who cared about faceless stock market manipulations and dreary environmentalism last year?), I get the feeling the writers understood what went wrong last time and are now repairing things with an eye on what worked in the magnificent first season.

Of course, because we're into the third season, a certain amount of familiarity with Damages format occasionally undercut some surprises (who didn't think that homeless guy would have Ellen's handbag in the future?), but there were still some genuinely shocking moments -- not least the foreknowledge that genial Tom's days are numbered, just as he finally got his name on the door...

Asides

-- A note to directors of television; audiences are now too aware that a car crash is going to happen when you position the camera low, in the passenger seat, facing the driver as they nonchalantly drive along. That familiar angle has been used ad nauseum ever since Six Feet Under's pilot. It's no longer surprising, so please try and find another way.

-- The recap opening with split-screens being used to summarize the events of season 1 and 2 was like 24 on steroids! I'm not sure if it really helped any newcomers catch-up, though -- it probably just confused the hell out of them! I've seen those episodes and even I felt bewildered.

-- It was great to see Tom Noonan return as that detective; another example of a typecast actor (mostly fated to play creepy villains) getting to play the opposite.

-- Was I alone in failing to recognize Campbell Scott? The sign of a great actor.

-- One thing I particularly love about Damages is that it's a legal drama that's barely set foot inside a court room. I only recall one court scene back in season 1, and even that lasted less than two-minutes!

24 FEBRUARY 2010: BBC1, 10.45PM
25 FEBRUARY 2010: BBC HD, 10PM

[*] A Ponzi scheme is a type of investment fraud where investors are repaid using their own money, or that of the other investors, and not from any actual profit being made. Familiarize yourself here.

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Assessing the Damages

As long-term readers will know, I find Damages an awkward show to review every week. Like 24, it's heavily serialized and that makes it tough to review because it feels like you're writing a book review one chapter at a time. So, I could watch Damages' third season from beginning to end and write about it in retrospect (as I plan to with The Good Wife), but I think I'll try and write capsule reviews every week (as I'm doing with 24.) That way I can be brief and prompt discussion, while occasionally tackling the more stimulating episodes in greater detail if required.

Damages returns to BBC1 tomorrow (24 February) @10.45pm, meaning we're five episodes behind FX in the US. Is anyone here already watching, or planning to?

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