Damages 4.01

[selenak]

Pattie and Ellen are back on my tv screen! So far, despite my anxieties, this is a good thing I muchly enjoy.





First of all: nice fake-out with the nanny, who even looks a bit like Rose Byrnes. Also the moment Holly dared to feel sorry for Pattie and show it in a patronizing way I knew she'd get fired. Mind you, I wonder how that went with Michael's nannies back when he was a child? And speaking of Michael, the biggest surprise of the episode was to me that Phil is back on pleasant terms with Pattie, enough so at least to show up, rave about being a househusband and give Michael-related advice she actually listens to even if she doesn't tell him that.

Ellen thirsting after a big meaty and righteous case against big business to sink her teeth into after years with a non-Pattie employer was not a surprise, but predictable in a good way. So this season's antagonists are Dick Cheney and Blackwater John Goodman and High Star, which is a good premise. The congresswoman secretly in league with Goodman's character comes across a bit Sarah Palin-esque in the shooting scene, while he's the type of villain who believes in his own righteousness, which is always good for drama; I shall remain curious how the show will avoid making either of them into caricatures.

One complaint: this "henchman even more ruthless than big boss, does dirty work" thing becomes a Damages cliché by now. So far the only thing distinguishing this guy from his predecessors is that he speaks fluent Arabic and is willing to aid overworked fast food vendors in between assassinations.

The oddler playing Katherine does a dead-on imitation of Glenn Close's "I am not impressed!" look, which amused me greatly. Good casting!

Since Ellen's friend Chris Sanchez being the dead guy from the framing narration is too obvious, I bet it's either her boyfriend or someone else, but not Sanchez. Still, as I predicted: the set-up can't match the concern we had for poor Tom's fate last season. Though Sanchez is likeable enough.

On this show, I am worried for his dog as well!

Comments

[chaila]

Yay! They're back! :)

Many of your thoughts were my thoughts. I definitely agree about the henchman cliche, though I didn't mind it so much in, say, s1 when there was also Ray Fiske interacting with Frobisher and being interesting. If the evil henchman is the only other major character in Howard's organization/day-to-day orbit, I'll be disappointed. Unless they give him some characterization but, like you say, so far not so much.

The oddler playing Katherine does a dead-on imitation of Glenn Close's "I am not impressed!" look, which amused me greatly.

Hee. Too true!

[selenak]

If the evil henchman is the only other major character in Howard's organization/day-to-day orbit, I'll be disappointed. Unless they give him some characterization but, like you say, so far not so much.

Here's hoping he'll ever get more characterisation or there'll be other interesting characters. For starters, all those children have to have a mother, surely?

I wonder when the first Pattie-and-Katherine-staring-at-each-other icon will appear...