As we come to the end of the month, a new issue of delight! will soon be, er, issuing forth – featuring an interview with Cesar Millan and a look into the Winter Olympics.
If you read the magazine electronically, we’ll be sure to let you know the moment the magazine is available.
But first, let’s close out January with a quick link to our highlighted site from January: TED.
TED features “Ideas worth spreading,” and the very accurate tag line: “Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world.”
In light of recent world events, they’ve put up a page on How to Help Haiti.
Our January write-up on TED is available here.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Don’t Throw That Calendar Away!
Just use the following steps:
Go to this web site.
Choose the original year of your calendar.
Write down the year you can use the calendar again on the front of the calendar.
Wait…
Go to this web site.
Choose the original year of your calendar.
Write down the year you can use the calendar again on the front of the calendar.
Wait…
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Martin Short, On Being on “Damages”
I have to give Martin Short credit – here’s a man known almost completely for his comedic acting, taking a turn on “Damages.” Which, while it has its moments, isn’t exactly chuckle-worthy most of the time.
And based on the first episode of season 3, the man is doing a bang-up job.
It seems the Toronto Sun thinks this is interesting as well: Check it out.
And based on the first episode of season 3, the man is doing a bang-up job.
It seems the Toronto Sun thinks this is interesting as well: Check it out.
Consumer Reports: 15 Infomercial Products
Since 1936, Consumer Reports has been testing, checking, trying and scoping products to find out what works, and what doesn’t.
While their online site, www.consumerreports.org, comes at a price of $26 per month if you want to check out each and every review they post, some of their information is free.
Including this fascinating breakdown of 15 Infomercial Products. Is the Slap-Chop worth your money? Click and see!
While their online site, www.consumerreports.org, comes at a price of $26 per month if you want to check out each and every review they post, some of their information is free.
Including this fascinating breakdown of 15 Infomercial Products. Is the Slap-Chop worth your money? Click and see!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Cold Case Season 7, Episode 12: The Runaway Bunny
Watching my second-ever episode of “Cold Case,” I was struck my something that contrasted it with “Damages,” the other show covered in delight! in January.
The premise of “Damages” seems to be that sometimes bad things do happen to bad people, but you may have to go outside of the bounds of the law to achieve justice.
The premise of “Cold Case,” by contrast, is that the system works, and even if you think you got away with it… you didn’t.
Which makes it, in its way, a more comforting show.
This is not to say it’s always a simple one. While the last episode ended with a murder and a cheater, in this episode the bodies keep on piling up. And, much to my surprise, one body was taken off the pile.
I’d detail the plot, but I think a short synopsis lays out the episode better. When the body of a sleazy detective for hire turns up in the bottom of a building 35 years after vanishing without a trace, it’s up to the cold case workers to figure out how he got there, and why?
And ultimately, the answer is that he ended up there for trying to do the right thing. Which the gang only figures out by uncovering a couple of different conspiracies – one to cover up someone who is alive, and the other to cover up a couple of dead folks.
Having watched a couple of episodes now, I do want to talk about two things that really impress me:
First, the plots are intricate, but the actors get to act. With so many people to introduce and so many facts to throw out from week to week, shows like this can become more about the guest stars than the regulars, and that’s a shame. But here we’ve got a few nice personal details that show up every week, and even if the progression of the arcing plots is a little slow, they’re still there, and it’s nice to see them.
Secondly, I want to applaud the show for avoiding what I once heard referred to as Cesar Romero syndrome. If you don’t remember Cesar, the man was best known for playing The Joker on the Batman TV show that’s many decades behind us now.
But if you hit up the IMDB, you can see he was in, quite literally, everything. The problem was, back in the day, if you had Cesar Romero on your cop show, Romero did it. Oh, sure, they’d try and tell you it was the other guy, who you never saw before on TV and probably would never see again, but at the end of the day, it was Cesar.
But “Cold Case” avoids that, especially with episodes like this one, which contains not just an answer, but a twist within the answer, followed by another twist within the answer.
Ultimately, even if the bad guy had been Cesar Romero… it still wouldn’t have been Cesar Romero.
Both of these are solid accomplishments.
The premise of “Damages” seems to be that sometimes bad things do happen to bad people, but you may have to go outside of the bounds of the law to achieve justice.
The premise of “Cold Case,” by contrast, is that the system works, and even if you think you got away with it… you didn’t.
Which makes it, in its way, a more comforting show.
This is not to say it’s always a simple one. While the last episode ended with a murder and a cheater, in this episode the bodies keep on piling up. And, much to my surprise, one body was taken off the pile.
I’d detail the plot, but I think a short synopsis lays out the episode better. When the body of a sleazy detective for hire turns up in the bottom of a building 35 years after vanishing without a trace, it’s up to the cold case workers to figure out how he got there, and why?
And ultimately, the answer is that he ended up there for trying to do the right thing. Which the gang only figures out by uncovering a couple of different conspiracies – one to cover up someone who is alive, and the other to cover up a couple of dead folks.
Having watched a couple of episodes now, I do want to talk about two things that really impress me:
First, the plots are intricate, but the actors get to act. With so many people to introduce and so many facts to throw out from week to week, shows like this can become more about the guest stars than the regulars, and that’s a shame. But here we’ve got a few nice personal details that show up every week, and even if the progression of the arcing plots is a little slow, they’re still there, and it’s nice to see them.
Secondly, I want to applaud the show for avoiding what I once heard referred to as Cesar Romero syndrome. If you don’t remember Cesar, the man was best known for playing The Joker on the Batman TV show that’s many decades behind us now.
But if you hit up the IMDB, you can see he was in, quite literally, everything. The problem was, back in the day, if you had Cesar Romero on your cop show, Romero did it. Oh, sure, they’d try and tell you it was the other guy, who you never saw before on TV and probably would never see again, but at the end of the day, it was Cesar.
But “Cold Case” avoids that, especially with episodes like this one, which contains not just an answer, but a twist within the answer, followed by another twist within the answer.
Ultimately, even if the bad guy had been Cesar Romero… it still wouldn’t have been Cesar Romero.
Both of these are solid accomplishments.
Bubble Wrap is 50!
Celebrate the wonders of bubble wrap by doing what we all do with bubble wrap: Popping It.
Or click to find out more about how bubble wrap came to be: Hint: It was going to be used as wallpaper.
Or click to find out more about how bubble wrap came to be: Hint: It was going to be used as wallpaper.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Damages Season 3, Episode 1
Okay, let’s regroup for a second.
First, let us all recall that the last episode of season 2 pressed one really important reboot button: Ellen, who we though all along shot Patty? She didn’t shoot Patty.
But she did get a confession that Patty tried to kill her.
Ellen still has Wes in her life, which is all well and good until she learns how Wes GOT in her life, and by the way, what’s Wes doing for money these days?
And, of course, will Arthur ever get nailed for hiring Rick?
I’m sure there are other, smaller, mysteries, but those are the ones we already know about. And I’m intensely curious to know if they’re going to be dealt with, since there are rumors this might be the last season of “Damages.”
Episode 1
Season Three, Episode 1 on The Onion AV Club
We start off with a bit of a recap – shots of Ellen, Patty, Tom, the people they went up against, how things resolved and, strangely, a shot of Ellen shooting Arthur is included, even though that only happened in a dream.
Eventually, we find Patty at dinner with friends. She steps away for a moment, and a man called Decker hits on her a bit, and tries to get her to come see him “play a set” at some other venue.
Patty politely declines.
Six Months Later: Patty drives and listens to talk radio. And another car hits her car. Hard.
Credits!
Tom talks to Patty. The press wants a statement on “The Tobin Case.”
Tobin has been placed under house arrest for operating a Ponzi scheme. His lawyer is a man called Winstone.
Patty and Tom have been assigned the case, and they have frozen the Tobin family assets while they try to get money for all the people who were ripped off.
Meanwhile, Ellen is working for the DA’s office – and she says she hasn’t talk to Patty in a year.
Winstone is trying to keep Tobin’s son, Joe, from talking to the press about how he wasn’t involved with Tobin’s money scheme.
Six Months Later: Patty’s car gets hit. She gets out, and goes to look at the other car. That guy ran off.
She talks to Victor, the detective who tried to put Purcell away in season 2. He’s trying to figure out if someone crashed into Patty on purpose.
Back in the Present: Tom talks to one of the other associates – they’ve already found 9.7 billion in losses from the Tobin case. And they’re still digging.
Tom asks if it’s finally all right to empty out Ellen’s office. Patty gives her okay.
Ellen makes a bet with a co-worker that she can get a drug seller to give up his supplier. She meets with the guy and his slimy lawyer, and freaks her out just a bit. She gives the guy 48 hours to give up his supplier.
Patty looks around Ellen’s empty office, and makes a decision: She’s putting Tom’s name on the door of the building.
Patty interviews Tobin’s wife. Long story shot: The last time the family talked was Thanksgiving, when Tobin told everyone about the Ponzi scheme. Tobin’s wife claims that if there’s a secret stash of money hidden somewhere, she doesn’t know about it.
The Future: The car that hit Patty is registered to Tom.
The Past: Tom visits Patty in her office. They’ve discovered that Joe tried to go to the press, and they wonder if they can get the “real” story out of him.
Joe, meanwhile, gets assaulted by one of the people who lost money to Tobin. Turns out it was a setup engineered by Patty.
Joe goes to talk to his mom. She wants Joe to visit Tobin. Joe wants mom to tell him everything she knows. Mom says there’s no money. Joe wants to know who dad called on Thanksgiving night.
She gives Joe a slip of paper with something written on it.
The Future: Patty gets some coffee, and the detective goes to “Tom’s” apartment. It’s a basic one-room with a mattress on the floor. And blood on the wall. And papers everywhere. The detectives see someone outside looking at the apartment and go to check it out.
The Present: Tom and Ellen talk. Tom tells Ellen he’s going on the wall. Ellen tells Tom she’s sorry about having the FBI arrest Tom. Tom also tells Ellen that Patty would love to have her back.
Joe goes to see Patty in her home. Joe gives Patty the phone number his mom gave him. In exchange, he wants Patty to clear his name in the court of public opinion.
Two dudes beat up the drug dealer’s motorcycle. He, in turn, flips on his supplier. Ellen’s work buddy gives Ellen a hundred bucks. He also asks if Ellen hired the guys with bats.
Another of Ellen’s co-workers wants to know what’s in the box Patty sent Ellen. She tells him to open it. He does. It’s a purse. The co-worker asks if he can keep it.
The Future: The detectives track down the guy they saw. He’s living in a self-made shelter, selling stuff out of a shopping cart. They find “Ellen’s” bag. It has blood on it.
Now! Joe is out for a jog, when Winstone pulls up in a car, and tells Joe to come with him.
Ellen looks at the bag Patty got her, and calls Tom.
Patty talks to Decker, the guy who hit on her at the beginning of the episode.
Patty goes to the restroom. Ellen meets her there. Ellen wants to know why Patty sent the gift. Also, Ellen thinks Patty sent the thugs to the drug dealer. Ellen tells Patty that Patty’s secrets are safe.
The Future: The homeless dude doesn’t remember where the bloody bag came from.
Now: Winstone takes Joe to see Tobin. Tobin wants Joe to provide for the family. He says, “We’ve got money.”
Ellen takes her bag home.
Patty makes a phone call. It goes to a cell phone: It’s Homeless Guy.
The Future: The detectives open a dumpster and look inside. Victor the detective goes to talk to Patty, and asks, “What are you not telling us?” Cut back to the crime scene: Tom is dead in the Dumpster.
And we’re off! We’ve got some interesting stakes all around. Can’t wait to see how it plays out. What say you?
First, let us all recall that the last episode of season 2 pressed one really important reboot button: Ellen, who we though all along shot Patty? She didn’t shoot Patty.
But she did get a confession that Patty tried to kill her.
Ellen still has Wes in her life, which is all well and good until she learns how Wes GOT in her life, and by the way, what’s Wes doing for money these days?
And, of course, will Arthur ever get nailed for hiring Rick?
I’m sure there are other, smaller, mysteries, but those are the ones we already know about. And I’m intensely curious to know if they’re going to be dealt with, since there are rumors this might be the last season of “Damages.”
Episode 1
Season Three, Episode 1 on The Onion AV Club
We start off with a bit of a recap – shots of Ellen, Patty, Tom, the people they went up against, how things resolved and, strangely, a shot of Ellen shooting Arthur is included, even though that only happened in a dream.
Eventually, we find Patty at dinner with friends. She steps away for a moment, and a man called Decker hits on her a bit, and tries to get her to come see him “play a set” at some other venue.
Patty politely declines.
Six Months Later: Patty drives and listens to talk radio. And another car hits her car. Hard.
Credits!
Tom talks to Patty. The press wants a statement on “The Tobin Case.”
Tobin has been placed under house arrest for operating a Ponzi scheme. His lawyer is a man called Winstone.
Patty and Tom have been assigned the case, and they have frozen the Tobin family assets while they try to get money for all the people who were ripped off.
Meanwhile, Ellen is working for the DA’s office – and she says she hasn’t talk to Patty in a year.
Winstone is trying to keep Tobin’s son, Joe, from talking to the press about how he wasn’t involved with Tobin’s money scheme.
Six Months Later: Patty’s car gets hit. She gets out, and goes to look at the other car. That guy ran off.
She talks to Victor, the detective who tried to put Purcell away in season 2. He’s trying to figure out if someone crashed into Patty on purpose.
Back in the Present: Tom talks to one of the other associates – they’ve already found 9.7 billion in losses from the Tobin case. And they’re still digging.
Tom asks if it’s finally all right to empty out Ellen’s office. Patty gives her okay.
Ellen makes a bet with a co-worker that she can get a drug seller to give up his supplier. She meets with the guy and his slimy lawyer, and freaks her out just a bit. She gives the guy 48 hours to give up his supplier.
Patty looks around Ellen’s empty office, and makes a decision: She’s putting Tom’s name on the door of the building.
Patty interviews Tobin’s wife. Long story shot: The last time the family talked was Thanksgiving, when Tobin told everyone about the Ponzi scheme. Tobin’s wife claims that if there’s a secret stash of money hidden somewhere, she doesn’t know about it.
The Future: The car that hit Patty is registered to Tom.
The Past: Tom visits Patty in her office. They’ve discovered that Joe tried to go to the press, and they wonder if they can get the “real” story out of him.
Joe, meanwhile, gets assaulted by one of the people who lost money to Tobin. Turns out it was a setup engineered by Patty.
Joe goes to talk to his mom. She wants Joe to visit Tobin. Joe wants mom to tell him everything she knows. Mom says there’s no money. Joe wants to know who dad called on Thanksgiving night.
She gives Joe a slip of paper with something written on it.
The Future: Patty gets some coffee, and the detective goes to “Tom’s” apartment. It’s a basic one-room with a mattress on the floor. And blood on the wall. And papers everywhere. The detectives see someone outside looking at the apartment and go to check it out.
The Present: Tom and Ellen talk. Tom tells Ellen he’s going on the wall. Ellen tells Tom she’s sorry about having the FBI arrest Tom. Tom also tells Ellen that Patty would love to have her back.
Joe goes to see Patty in her home. Joe gives Patty the phone number his mom gave him. In exchange, he wants Patty to clear his name in the court of public opinion.
Two dudes beat up the drug dealer’s motorcycle. He, in turn, flips on his supplier. Ellen’s work buddy gives Ellen a hundred bucks. He also asks if Ellen hired the guys with bats.
Another of Ellen’s co-workers wants to know what’s in the box Patty sent Ellen. She tells him to open it. He does. It’s a purse. The co-worker asks if he can keep it.
The Future: The detectives track down the guy they saw. He’s living in a self-made shelter, selling stuff out of a shopping cart. They find “Ellen’s” bag. It has blood on it.
Now! Joe is out for a jog, when Winstone pulls up in a car, and tells Joe to come with him.
Ellen looks at the bag Patty got her, and calls Tom.
Patty talks to Decker, the guy who hit on her at the beginning of the episode.
Patty goes to the restroom. Ellen meets her there. Ellen wants to know why Patty sent the gift. Also, Ellen thinks Patty sent the thugs to the drug dealer. Ellen tells Patty that Patty’s secrets are safe.
The Future: The homeless dude doesn’t remember where the bloody bag came from.
Now: Winstone takes Joe to see Tobin. Tobin wants Joe to provide for the family. He says, “We’ve got money.”
Ellen takes her bag home.
Patty makes a phone call. It goes to a cell phone: It’s Homeless Guy.
The Future: The detectives open a dumpster and look inside. Victor the detective goes to talk to Patty, and asks, “What are you not telling us?” Cut back to the crime scene: Tom is dead in the Dumpster.
And we’re off! We’ve got some interesting stakes all around. Can’t wait to see how it plays out. What say you?
Watch Free Movies Now
Somewhere along the line, people realized that YouTube would be a great place to stick a few full-length motion pictures.
This sounds dubious, since people are always putting up illegal movies on the site in 10-minute increments, but this is the real deal. Every movie in this section was put up by an actual movie studio for your enjoyment.
What’s available? A little of everything. You can browse to your heart’s content by clicking here:
YouTube Movies
Or, you can click any one of the following links to go right to a movie:
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie – VeggieTales goes feature-length.
The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo – The men of Mystery Science Theater 3000 do their thing.
Buena Vista Social Club – An outstanding documentary that proves you’re never too old to make great music.
This sounds dubious, since people are always putting up illegal movies on the site in 10-minute increments, but this is the real deal. Every movie in this section was put up by an actual movie studio for your enjoyment.
What’s available? A little of everything. You can browse to your heart’s content by clicking here:
YouTube Movies
Or, you can click any one of the following links to go right to a movie:
Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie – VeggieTales goes feature-length.
The Film Crew: Wild Women of Wongo – The men of Mystery Science Theater 3000 do their thing.
Buena Vista Social Club – An outstanding documentary that proves you’re never too old to make great music.
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Damages Recaps Recap – And More!
And so we come to Monday, the day when “Damages” returns to the airwaves, and we find out (maybe):
What happened to Michael and Jill?
What’s going on with Patty and Phil?
Has Ellen figured out how Wes got into her life, yet?
Is Ellen still looking for revenge against Patty? And Arthur?
And what of all the folks in the energy scandal? How are THOSE cases going?
Feel free to drop speculation in the comments section – it’s open to everyone.
And if you want a little refresher, check out the two-minute “Previously On” now available on Hulu:
Damages Season 1 and 2 Recap on Hulu
Or take another look at our in-magazine recap of season 1 and 2
delight! Season 1 and 2 Recap
Or check out the “Damages” blogs to get the whole story:
First Season
Episode 1
Episodes 2 and 3
Episodes 4, 5 and 6
Episodes 7, 8 and 9
Episodes 10 and 11
Episodes 12 and 13
Second Season
Episodes 1 and 2
Episodes 3 and 4
Episodes 5 and 6
Episodes 7 and 8
Episodes 9 and 10
Episodes 11 and 12
Episode 13
First Season
Episode 1
Episodes 2 and 3
Episodes 4, 5 and 6
Episodes 7, 8 and 9
Episodes 10 and 11
Episodes 12 and 13
Second Season
Episodes 1 and 2
Episodes 3 and 4
Episodes 5 and 6
Episodes 7 and 8
Episodes 9 and 10
Episodes 11 and 12
Episode 13
Don’t Forget Our Giveaways!
delight! has three enter-and-win giveaways on their Web site that you might have missed:
Watch and Win! For $500
1.) Click on the above link, watch a short video clip, and then click “Enter Now” for a chance to win $500.
2.) Read the online version of delight! magazine. Then, click the link below to take a short survey. You could win a $250 gift card.
$250 Shopping Spree Gift Card
Filling out these short surveys not only gives you a chance to win, it gives us a chance to learn what kind of TV shows and Web sites you love – and helps us to plan future issues around reader favorites.
Or, if you’d rather have a free iPod nano, read on:
Do you have a Web site, blog, online game, podcast, or app you’re aching to tell the world about? Is there a TV show or celebrity you think our readers should see? Let us know!
If we use your discovery in print, we’ll send you an iPod nano!
Just fill out the survey at the link below for a chance to share your very favorite site or show – and get a nano to boot:
delight! Survey
Watch and Win! For $500
1.) Click on the above link, watch a short video clip, and then click “Enter Now” for a chance to win $500.
2.) Read the online version of delight! magazine. Then, click the link below to take a short survey. You could win a $250 gift card.
$250 Shopping Spree Gift Card
Filling out these short surveys not only gives you a chance to win, it gives us a chance to learn what kind of TV shows and Web sites you love – and helps us to plan future issues around reader favorites.
Or, if you’d rather have a free iPod nano, read on:
Do you have a Web site, blog, online game, podcast, or app you’re aching to tell the world about? Is there a TV show or celebrity you think our readers should see? Let us know!
If we use your discovery in print, we’ll send you an iPod nano!
Just fill out the survey at the link below for a chance to share your very favorite site or show – and get a nano to boot:
delight! Survey
Friday, January 22, 2010
Damages Season 2 Episode 13
As we hit the last episode of the second season of “Damages,” it’s kind of fun to say: “Well, what DO they have to wrap up in 45 minutes?”
Here’s a quick list:
No one has even talked about taking Dave down for corruption.
Arthur is still roaming free, with his paperwork sitting in the DA’s office as a ticking time bomb.
Patty isn’t even close to touching Walter.
Tom is fired again.
We already know that Ellen shot Patty and is, once again, on her way to the clink.
No one has solved David’s murder.
No one has proved that the cops, in general, are corrupt.
Patty has yet to pay any kind of price for nearly getting Ellen killed.
Pete’s “killer” is still on the loose.
Phil and Patty haven’t even started their divorce process.
Finn hasn’t been approached by anyone for his crimes.
Patty is still pretty cranky about Michael’s girlfriend.
Rick is still out there, and stalking Ellen.
Ellen hasn’t figured out who Wes is or where the guy came from.
Have I mentioned I’m very, very curious to see season three? Which starts Monday?
Episode 13
Damages Season 2 Episode 13 on Television Without Pity
Now! Ellen pulls out the gun, and shoots Patty twice. And then the whole talk Patty and Ellen had plays in reverse, until Patty is at Ellen’s door.
Credits!
Then: Patty and Walter and Walter’s new attorney meet with the Corrupt Judge. The fact that the GPS codes are inadmissible comes up – something that the judge reminds Patty of.
Patty gives Ellen the GPS codes. Ellen says they’ll be inadmissible. She asks if Patty has paid off the judge. She offers to do it for Patty, and Patty tells her no. Then she changes her mind, and tells Ellen to find out what the judge’s terms are.
Rick meets with Wes. Wes tells Rick that Ellen is alive and well. And Wes isn’t going to kill her. Wes walks away from Rick. He tells Rick, “Good luck finding me.”
Ellen meets with Tom. She tells Tom he’s better off, and warns Tom that if he tips Patty off, the Feds can still use everything they have against him.
Rick goes to visit Ellen’s hotel room. Ellen is singing in the shower. Rick walks in, and Ellen asks if it’s Wes. Wes says, “Yes!” and sticks a gun in the back of Rick’s head. He warns Rick that the next time he sees him, there won’t be a conversation.
Patty talks to Purcell, and asks if he really killed his wife. Purcell says he did. Patty still wants his help. Purcell tells Patty that Patty needs to forget her work and concentrate on her life.
Purcell also tells Patty to tell Michael that Michael doesn’t have to be like Patty and Purcell.
Ellen meets with the judge. The judge tells her that the bribe will go into his reelection campaign. He tells Ellen that Patty should contribute the usual amount.
Ellen talks to Patty, and tells Patty the judge wants “the usual.” Patty has decided she doesn’t like the judge idea so she goes to…
Talk to Finn. Finn is hopped up on nose candy when Patty comes to visit. She throws two names at Finn: Dave and Walter.
Dave seems to be the magic name.
Patty says, essentially, that she’ll make this offer once. Help her, or go to jail. Finn says he’ll take his chances.
Ellen goes to work, and Rick is there. Ellen kind of remembers him. Rick reminds Ellen where they met before.
Rick finally gives a name for Bad Cop: Elliot. Rick says Elliot has “vanished,” and he thinks someone might be trying to stonewall his investigation. Rick promises to keep looking into it, but they have to keep quiet.
Katie and Ellen meet with Wilcox, who says that Rick is legitimate. He has a sterling reputation.
They give Wilcox Elliot’s file.
Arthur calls his ex-wife, and tells her all about the building for his new company. And how he’s excited to see her and the kids.
Patty talks to Michael, and tells Michael that she read his college essay. And also, that all of Michael’s applications are still in his bedroom. She knows he never applied anywhere. Michael says he’s not going to college. He says Patty needs a man in her life, and she has no one left but him.
Walter and Dave talk. Dave is confident that things will be fine – because Patty is going to bribe the judge, at which point the FBI will nail Patty.
Finn arrives, and says he’s not happy about what Walter and Dave are doing. He says he wants a stake in the company, or he talks to Patty.
Pete’s wife finds a box in their closet. She finds a LOT of money, and also some files.
Ellen goes to visit Patty. Patty has just gotten a bunch of stuff from Pete’s wife. Ellen starts looking through the pictures, and finds a picture of Pete and the guy who tried to kill Ellen. Ellen asks who the other guy is, and Patty says she has no idea.
Ellen tells Wes that Patty is about to bribe a judge. Ellen is grumpy because all that will happen is Patty will go to jail for a couple of years.
Ellen asks if Wes still has the number of the guy who sells guns. She wants one for “protection.” Wes says he has the number, but that Wes would rather pick up the gun himself.
Jill and Michael go to Michael and Patty’s place. Patty is there. Jill stands around, feeling uncomfortable while Jill stands downstairs.
Michael goes up to his room – it’s empty. Patty tells Michael he doesn’t live here any more. All his stuff has been sent to Jill’s place.
Jill and Michael leave.
Later that night, Patty tries to sleep, but she hears music and laughter downstairs. She goes down to check it out, and there’s Phil. And Pete. And Michael. And Ray. And Tom. And Walter.
Ellen is in the kitchen. Ellen calls her in. Ellen tells Patty that everyone hates her: “Trust no one.”
Patty wakes up. She was asleep on the couch.
Patty calls Ellen.
Ellen comes to visit Patty. Patty tells Ellen what happened with Michael. She tells Ellen that the only people who have been loyal to her were Pete and Ellen. Patty tells Ellen that she wishes they didn’t have to bribe the judge.
Ellen asks if Patty is sure if they can trust the judge.
Patty says she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. But Ellen thinks this is the only chance they’ll have to win the case.
Ellen meets with the Bad FBI guy, and says she’ll let him know a time and place for the bribe.
Patty meets with Dave. She tells him that she knows he’s manipulating the energy market. Dave tells Patty that he knows she’s going to bribe a judge. Patty says she knows she has an informant. She even knows that it’s Ellen.
Dave confirms this.
Dave tells Patty they can help each other. Dave offers to call off the Feds for good, but she has to call off the energy case. Patty says she wants Walter. Dave is fine with that.
Patty wants one more thing. “Ellen is going to bribe that judge. She acted on her own.”
Dave and Patty have a deal.
Ellen goes to her hotel room. Pete’s wife found a folder with Ellen’s name on it. It has pictures. And notes. Pete’s wife says that if Pete did something bad, it was for Patty, because everything he did was for Patty.
Ellen shows Wes the file, and says it’s evidence that Patty tried to have her killed. Ellen says she’s going to use the file to get Patty to confess.
Rick calls. He says he has new information for Ellen. Ellen says she’ll meet with him later. Then she tells Wes that Wes can’t be around today.
Bad FBI guy talks to Dave. Dave says all records of the investigation on Patty are to be destroyed, and Ellen needs to be arrested.
Patty talks to Ellen on the phone. They’re going to meet in three hours. The Bad FBI guy sets up a recording device, and says they need to have Patty authorize the bribe on-camera.
Ellen tells him that she knows the investigation is corrupt, but that they both want the same thing. She says she’s going to get Patty to confess to trying to kill her. FBI says Ellen can ask whatever she wants.
Tom goes to visit Patty, but he can’t get into the office. The security guard won’t let him in.
Ellen calls Wes, and says she called the gun guy. Wes says he won’t pick up the gun.
Ellen calls Tom. Ellen says that if he listens to her, she can get the FBI off his back.
Susie, in her work clothes, hears a knock at the door. She tells whoever it is to come in. It’s Walter. He wants information on Finn. She says she doesn’t know Finn, and he smacks her in the mouth. He tells her the next time he sees Finn, she needs to deliver a message.
Ellen calls Rick. They prepare to meet. Rick gets into his car, looks into his rear view mirror, and there’s Wes. Who shoots Rick in the back of the head.
Someone steps into Patty’s car and gives her a jump drive with the documentation needed to put Walter away.
Finn talks to Susie, and Susie tells Finn that Walter was the one that hit her. She tells him it’s a warning. If Finn talks, Walter will have him killed. Finn leaves.
Wes goes to see Ellen. Ellen reminds Wes that Wes isn’t supposed to be there.
Wes kisses Ellen. The next shot of them is in bed.
Ellen gets a call. Tom tells her, “Ten minutes.”
Wes asks who it was. Ellen won’t tell him. Wes asks again. Ellen’s not talking.
Ellen meets Tom. Tom gives her a gun, and says he wants the feds off his back.
Wes calls the front desk of the hotel and says he wants the room across the hall from Ellen.
Patty arrives at the hotel, and goes up to Ellen’s room. As she gets into the elevator, Finn jumps in with her. He says they can help each other. He’s ready to testify.
Patty says she’s made her decision.
Patty knocks on Ellen’s door. Ellen invites Patty in. She asks if the bag Patty has is “the money.” Patty says yes.
Ellen says they have some unfinished business they need to discuss. Ellen makes herself a drink, and tells Patty that Patty should be terrified. She shows Patty her gun. Then she shows Patty Pete’s “Ellen” folder.
Inside the folder are the words, “The Feds are Watching Us.”
She shoots at Patty twice. It looks like she misses. She does. She shot the FBI’s camera.
The FBI guy runs out of the van.
Ellen sets down her gun and finally asks the question: Did Patty try to have her killed?
Patty says the words: “I told Pete to have you killed.”
Ellen says, “Thank you, Patty.” Then Ellen picks up her gun. Patty wants Ellen to shoot her, but Ellen says Patty is going to have to live with this.
Patty tells Ellen to give the money to the judge.
Ellen puts the gun in her purse, then takes the money and walks out the door of her room. Wes comes out into the hallway, and sees Ellen go into the elevator, but he can’t catch her.
Ellen leaves the building.
Patty comes out of Ellen’s room, crying and bleeding.
Flashback! Patty talks with Finn. Finn stabs Patty.
Ray is “in” the elevator with Patty. He tells Patty there are things far worse than death. He says Patty has a chance to set things right. Ray tells Patty to go to Ellen. The truth is waiting for her.
End Flashback! Patty, bleeding and not in good shape, gets into the elevator.
Wes and Bad FBI guy look for Ellen. FBI finds Patty. He calls Dave. Dave says to leave Patty and go arrest Ellen.
Wes finds Patty.
Wes takes Patty to the hospital.
Ellen takes the bribe to the judge. The judge says the GPS codes will be allowed into evidence. The FBI guy arrests the judge and the FBI Guy.
The U.S. Marshall arrests the FBI Guy. Tom’s sister has a recording of Dave and Patty setting up Ellen.
Patty set the whooole thing up.
Dave gets arrested.
The FBI Guy wants to cut a deal.
1 Month Later: Patty is out at the beach house. Tom is there as well – he asks how Patty is doing.
He tells her that the EPA has started the cleanup in West Virginia. They can’t reach Ellen. She left the hotel, her cell phone is disconnected, and all of Tom’s emails have bounced back.
Ellen talks to David’s grave, and says she got what she needed from Patty for now.
Tom asks what Patty told Ellen. Patty tells Tom to let Patty know when Ellen calls.
Ellen says she has a new job offer, and that she met someone new.
Patty says, “She’ll be back. Trust me.”
Ellen walks away from David’s grave.
Here’s a quick list:
No one has even talked about taking Dave down for corruption.
Arthur is still roaming free, with his paperwork sitting in the DA’s office as a ticking time bomb.
Patty isn’t even close to touching Walter.
Tom is fired again.
We already know that Ellen shot Patty and is, once again, on her way to the clink.
No one has solved David’s murder.
No one has proved that the cops, in general, are corrupt.
Patty has yet to pay any kind of price for nearly getting Ellen killed.
Pete’s “killer” is still on the loose.
Phil and Patty haven’t even started their divorce process.
Finn hasn’t been approached by anyone for his crimes.
Patty is still pretty cranky about Michael’s girlfriend.
Rick is still out there, and stalking Ellen.
Ellen hasn’t figured out who Wes is or where the guy came from.
Have I mentioned I’m very, very curious to see season three? Which starts Monday?
Episode 13
Damages Season 2 Episode 13 on Television Without Pity
Now! Ellen pulls out the gun, and shoots Patty twice. And then the whole talk Patty and Ellen had plays in reverse, until Patty is at Ellen’s door.
Credits!
Then: Patty and Walter and Walter’s new attorney meet with the Corrupt Judge. The fact that the GPS codes are inadmissible comes up – something that the judge reminds Patty of.
Patty gives Ellen the GPS codes. Ellen says they’ll be inadmissible. She asks if Patty has paid off the judge. She offers to do it for Patty, and Patty tells her no. Then she changes her mind, and tells Ellen to find out what the judge’s terms are.
Rick meets with Wes. Wes tells Rick that Ellen is alive and well. And Wes isn’t going to kill her. Wes walks away from Rick. He tells Rick, “Good luck finding me.”
Ellen meets with Tom. She tells Tom he’s better off, and warns Tom that if he tips Patty off, the Feds can still use everything they have against him.
Rick goes to visit Ellen’s hotel room. Ellen is singing in the shower. Rick walks in, and Ellen asks if it’s Wes. Wes says, “Yes!” and sticks a gun in the back of Rick’s head. He warns Rick that the next time he sees him, there won’t be a conversation.
Patty talks to Purcell, and asks if he really killed his wife. Purcell says he did. Patty still wants his help. Purcell tells Patty that Patty needs to forget her work and concentrate on her life.
Purcell also tells Patty to tell Michael that Michael doesn’t have to be like Patty and Purcell.
Ellen meets with the judge. The judge tells her that the bribe will go into his reelection campaign. He tells Ellen that Patty should contribute the usual amount.
Ellen talks to Patty, and tells Patty the judge wants “the usual.” Patty has decided she doesn’t like the judge idea so she goes to…
Talk to Finn. Finn is hopped up on nose candy when Patty comes to visit. She throws two names at Finn: Dave and Walter.
Dave seems to be the magic name.
Patty says, essentially, that she’ll make this offer once. Help her, or go to jail. Finn says he’ll take his chances.
Ellen goes to work, and Rick is there. Ellen kind of remembers him. Rick reminds Ellen where they met before.
Rick finally gives a name for Bad Cop: Elliot. Rick says Elliot has “vanished,” and he thinks someone might be trying to stonewall his investigation. Rick promises to keep looking into it, but they have to keep quiet.
Katie and Ellen meet with Wilcox, who says that Rick is legitimate. He has a sterling reputation.
They give Wilcox Elliot’s file.
Arthur calls his ex-wife, and tells her all about the building for his new company. And how he’s excited to see her and the kids.
Patty talks to Michael, and tells Michael that she read his college essay. And also, that all of Michael’s applications are still in his bedroom. She knows he never applied anywhere. Michael says he’s not going to college. He says Patty needs a man in her life, and she has no one left but him.
Walter and Dave talk. Dave is confident that things will be fine – because Patty is going to bribe the judge, at which point the FBI will nail Patty.
Finn arrives, and says he’s not happy about what Walter and Dave are doing. He says he wants a stake in the company, or he talks to Patty.
Pete’s wife finds a box in their closet. She finds a LOT of money, and also some files.
Ellen goes to visit Patty. Patty has just gotten a bunch of stuff from Pete’s wife. Ellen starts looking through the pictures, and finds a picture of Pete and the guy who tried to kill Ellen. Ellen asks who the other guy is, and Patty says she has no idea.
Ellen tells Wes that Patty is about to bribe a judge. Ellen is grumpy because all that will happen is Patty will go to jail for a couple of years.
Ellen asks if Wes still has the number of the guy who sells guns. She wants one for “protection.” Wes says he has the number, but that Wes would rather pick up the gun himself.
Jill and Michael go to Michael and Patty’s place. Patty is there. Jill stands around, feeling uncomfortable while Jill stands downstairs.
Michael goes up to his room – it’s empty. Patty tells Michael he doesn’t live here any more. All his stuff has been sent to Jill’s place.
Jill and Michael leave.
Later that night, Patty tries to sleep, but she hears music and laughter downstairs. She goes down to check it out, and there’s Phil. And Pete. And Michael. And Ray. And Tom. And Walter.
Ellen is in the kitchen. Ellen calls her in. Ellen tells Patty that everyone hates her: “Trust no one.”
Patty wakes up. She was asleep on the couch.
Patty calls Ellen.
Ellen comes to visit Patty. Patty tells Ellen what happened with Michael. She tells Ellen that the only people who have been loyal to her were Pete and Ellen. Patty tells Ellen that she wishes they didn’t have to bribe the judge.
Ellen asks if Patty is sure if they can trust the judge.
Patty says she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. But Ellen thinks this is the only chance they’ll have to win the case.
Ellen meets with the Bad FBI guy, and says she’ll let him know a time and place for the bribe.
Patty meets with Dave. She tells him that she knows he’s manipulating the energy market. Dave tells Patty that he knows she’s going to bribe a judge. Patty says she knows she has an informant. She even knows that it’s Ellen.
Dave confirms this.
Dave tells Patty they can help each other. Dave offers to call off the Feds for good, but she has to call off the energy case. Patty says she wants Walter. Dave is fine with that.
Patty wants one more thing. “Ellen is going to bribe that judge. She acted on her own.”
Dave and Patty have a deal.
Ellen goes to her hotel room. Pete’s wife found a folder with Ellen’s name on it. It has pictures. And notes. Pete’s wife says that if Pete did something bad, it was for Patty, because everything he did was for Patty.
Ellen shows Wes the file, and says it’s evidence that Patty tried to have her killed. Ellen says she’s going to use the file to get Patty to confess.
Rick calls. He says he has new information for Ellen. Ellen says she’ll meet with him later. Then she tells Wes that Wes can’t be around today.
Bad FBI guy talks to Dave. Dave says all records of the investigation on Patty are to be destroyed, and Ellen needs to be arrested.
Patty talks to Ellen on the phone. They’re going to meet in three hours. The Bad FBI guy sets up a recording device, and says they need to have Patty authorize the bribe on-camera.
Ellen tells him that she knows the investigation is corrupt, but that they both want the same thing. She says she’s going to get Patty to confess to trying to kill her. FBI says Ellen can ask whatever she wants.
Tom goes to visit Patty, but he can’t get into the office. The security guard won’t let him in.
Ellen calls Wes, and says she called the gun guy. Wes says he won’t pick up the gun.
Ellen calls Tom. Ellen says that if he listens to her, she can get the FBI off his back.
Susie, in her work clothes, hears a knock at the door. She tells whoever it is to come in. It’s Walter. He wants information on Finn. She says she doesn’t know Finn, and he smacks her in the mouth. He tells her the next time he sees Finn, she needs to deliver a message.
Ellen calls Rick. They prepare to meet. Rick gets into his car, looks into his rear view mirror, and there’s Wes. Who shoots Rick in the back of the head.
Someone steps into Patty’s car and gives her a jump drive with the documentation needed to put Walter away.
Finn talks to Susie, and Susie tells Finn that Walter was the one that hit her. She tells him it’s a warning. If Finn talks, Walter will have him killed. Finn leaves.
Wes goes to see Ellen. Ellen reminds Wes that Wes isn’t supposed to be there.
Wes kisses Ellen. The next shot of them is in bed.
Ellen gets a call. Tom tells her, “Ten minutes.”
Wes asks who it was. Ellen won’t tell him. Wes asks again. Ellen’s not talking.
Ellen meets Tom. Tom gives her a gun, and says he wants the feds off his back.
Wes calls the front desk of the hotel and says he wants the room across the hall from Ellen.
Patty arrives at the hotel, and goes up to Ellen’s room. As she gets into the elevator, Finn jumps in with her. He says they can help each other. He’s ready to testify.
Patty says she’s made her decision.
Patty knocks on Ellen’s door. Ellen invites Patty in. She asks if the bag Patty has is “the money.” Patty says yes.
Ellen says they have some unfinished business they need to discuss. Ellen makes herself a drink, and tells Patty that Patty should be terrified. She shows Patty her gun. Then she shows Patty Pete’s “Ellen” folder.
Inside the folder are the words, “The Feds are Watching Us.”
She shoots at Patty twice. It looks like she misses. She does. She shot the FBI’s camera.
The FBI guy runs out of the van.
Ellen sets down her gun and finally asks the question: Did Patty try to have her killed?
Patty says the words: “I told Pete to have you killed.”
Ellen says, “Thank you, Patty.” Then Ellen picks up her gun. Patty wants Ellen to shoot her, but Ellen says Patty is going to have to live with this.
Patty tells Ellen to give the money to the judge.
Ellen puts the gun in her purse, then takes the money and walks out the door of her room. Wes comes out into the hallway, and sees Ellen go into the elevator, but he can’t catch her.
Ellen leaves the building.
Patty comes out of Ellen’s room, crying and bleeding.
Flashback! Patty talks with Finn. Finn stabs Patty.
Ray is “in” the elevator with Patty. He tells Patty there are things far worse than death. He says Patty has a chance to set things right. Ray tells Patty to go to Ellen. The truth is waiting for her.
End Flashback! Patty, bleeding and not in good shape, gets into the elevator.
Wes and Bad FBI guy look for Ellen. FBI finds Patty. He calls Dave. Dave says to leave Patty and go arrest Ellen.
Wes finds Patty.
Wes takes Patty to the hospital.
Ellen takes the bribe to the judge. The judge says the GPS codes will be allowed into evidence. The FBI guy arrests the judge and the FBI Guy.
The U.S. Marshall arrests the FBI Guy. Tom’s sister has a recording of Dave and Patty setting up Ellen.
Patty set the whooole thing up.
Dave gets arrested.
The FBI Guy wants to cut a deal.
1 Month Later: Patty is out at the beach house. Tom is there as well – he asks how Patty is doing.
He tells her that the EPA has started the cleanup in West Virginia. They can’t reach Ellen. She left the hotel, her cell phone is disconnected, and all of Tom’s emails have bounced back.
Ellen talks to David’s grave, and says she got what she needed from Patty for now.
Tom asks what Patty told Ellen. Patty tells Tom to let Patty know when Ellen calls.
Ellen says she has a new job offer, and that she met someone new.
Patty says, “She’ll be back. Trust me.”
Ellen walks away from David’s grave.
Game: Super Stacker 2
Find it at: http://www.addictinggames.com/superstacker2.html
You’ll love this game if: You love playing with blocks – but hate putting them away.
Distraction time: Five minutes to five hours.
Getting started: Click “Play Game.” Then click “Play Game again.” Then use your mouse to point, click, and stack your blocks.
Why it’s worth sharing: It starts out so simple, yet gets so tricky… making it a perfect, “Well, just one more round…” kind of game.
You’ll love this game if: You love playing with blocks – but hate putting them away.
Distraction time: Five minutes to five hours.
Getting started: Click “Play Game.” Then click “Play Game again.” Then use your mouse to point, click, and stack your blocks.
Why it’s worth sharing: It starts out so simple, yet gets so tricky… making it a perfect, “Well, just one more round…” kind of game.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Damages Season 2, Episodes 11 and 12
Here’s a question: Did Arthur actually perform a pump-and-dump on his old company? I don’t know that the show ever said that he did, or didn’t.
Mostly I’ve been puzzling over this because “Damages,” in its second season, has presented us with a surprise similar to the one they had in the first season:
In the first season, Ray was really the reason they managed to pull Arthur apart. Ray did wrong. As it turns out, Ray probably ended up doing a lot more wrong, on a person-to-person basis, than Arthur did. And we saw him do it, so we know it happened.
And now, here in the second season, it looks like David is pulling ALL the strings. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows Rick.
So the question becomes: How bad is Walter, really? Who is the real big fish? Because we’re running out of episodes.
Episode 11
Damages Season 2, Episode 11 on Television Without Pity
Then: Ellen looks at photos of the deceased FBI agent. She’s talking to Bad Agent and his Bad Boss. Ellen is in shock. She asks if the FBI is suspicious. They said they were, but they couldn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing.
One Month Later: Ellen shoots Patty, Patty walks out to the elevator, and Bad Agent makes a call: “My informant just shot Patty Hewes.”
Credits!
Then: Ellen sees Phil in the lobby of her hotel. She sees someone who is not Phil’s wife touching Phil. Phil says hello to Ellen. Ellen congratulates Phil on being first choice for energy secretary.
Ellen goes to Bad FBI guy and says that Ellen’s husband is having an affair. They debate whether or not to tell Patty. FBI guy says do nothing, for now.
Walter and Claire talk. Walter is emotional about his father and grandfather. Claire is nonplussed. Claire says she wants to apologize for asking about Walter’s business plans.
Tom talks to Ellen. Patty and Phil are going to be in a magazine. Ellen is warned that the magazine will be fishing for dirt.
Tom talks to the reporter. Tom tries to spin things well for Patty. Tom says, “off the record” that Patty doesn’t have any flaws.
Patty and Phil get ready for a photo shoot. Ellen brings Patty some forms to sign. The reporter says she’s love to talk to Ellen.
Phil and Patty get photographed together. What can I say? They do look smart and successful.
Ellen goes to talk to Patty. Patty has shut down Ellen’s search for evidence on Arthur. Patty tells Ellen that she’s shutting down the investigation while they are dealing with the FBI and UNR.
Ellen interviews a guy named Wilcox. She asks if he’s ever worked for Patty. He says no. Ellen tells him that her fiancé was murdered.
Claire meets with Purcell. She has a headache. And she’s angry with Walter. Purcell tells her the only thing to do is resign.
Claire wants to do something about Walter poisoning people in West Virginia.
Meanwhile, UNR has brought in a guy named Mitch. Apparently Mitch is very “ambitious.” Mitch is, of course, the guy who was sort of hitting on Claire the other night.
Walter meets with The Messenger. Walter tells The Messenger to make the SUV vanish.
Bald Security Guy (whose name is Malcolm) calls Patty and says no one has been to the car in days.
Phil tries to talk to Patty, but Patty is “distracted.”
The next day, Patty talks to Ellen. Ellen apologizes for her Arthur outburst. Patty is cold about the whole thing.
Claire meets with Mitch. She doesn’t think that UNR’s stock is going to recover. She tells Mitch that Walter is going to lose the suit. She says she doesn’t want to see Walter drive the company off a cliff.
She tells Mitch she thinks that Mitch could right the ship. It’s up to Mitch to make a power grab.
Claire meets up with Walter. She claims that Mitch is going to make a power grab. She tells Walter he needs to meet the problem head on.
Rick talks to a Balding Guy. He says he’s worried about Ellen, the loose end. Balding Guy tells Rick to clean up his own mess.
Wilcox talks to Ellen. He got information on the Bad Cop. He knows there’s corruption, but proving it is going to be expensive. Ellen says she’s willing to pay. Wilcox also says, “About that other thing. You were right,” and gives her some papers.
Ellen goes to work, and drops an unmarked envelope in the mail cart.
Ellen goes to see Patty, who was asking for her. The reporter wants to talk to Ellen. Ellen has a question: How DO Patty and Phil make it work. The new mail guy arrives. He’s got Ellen’s envelope.
Patty opens the envelope while Ellen sits in front of her and tells Ellen that marriage is all about trust and commitment.
Patty pulls out the pictures of Phil kissing another woman as she finishes her speech. Ellen asks if everything is okay, and Patty says it’s fine.
Ellen talks to the reporter. She tells the reporter that Patty and Phil are devoted to each other. And says that Patty is nothing less than an inspiration.
Walter confronts Mitch. Walter says that the FCC will be interested to know how Mitch made his first million.
The Messenger goes to locate the car that must be destroyed. It’s not there. He calls someone and says there’s a problem.
Patty, Ellen and Tom have the vehicle in a garage. He says the car has barely been used, but there’s a ton of Latitudes in the navigation system. They want a complete set of numbers.
Mitch meets with Claire. He says he can’t move against Walter. Claire says she understands. Mitch says that Claire should take over the company. Mitch has the votes – he just needs to send them to Claire.
Malcolm meets with Patty, and gives her the name of the girl Phil is cheating with. Malcolm starts to say that the pictures are a bad thing, but Patty knows that already. He also says that someone wanted to hurt Patty, and asks who that could be.
Michael and Jill talk. Michael says he never actually applied for college.
Phil and Patty and Michael talk. Phil says that Michael should be honest with his girlfriend.
Claire goes to see Purcell. Claire’s going to take over. And she wants Purcell to oversee the cleanup of the compound.
Claire goes to what is supposed to be Walter being deposed. All of the board is supposed to be there. They aren’t. It’s just Walter and Claire.
Claire tells Walter she knows about everything Walter has done.
According to Walter, an hour ago, the board voted to let Claire go. Because of her relationship with Purcell.
Walter tells Claire to go home. He sent her a present. So she goes home. There’s an envelope on the floor. In it is a recording of Claire and Purcell having extramarital relations.
Claire goes to Patty, and says she wants Walter taken down. She also tells Patty that Purcell wants to set things right now.
Ellen meets with Katie, and tells Katie that she hired her own investigator. Tom calls Ellen and tells Ellen to turn on the TV. Phil and Patty are about to go through a messy divorce.
Ellen didn’t leak the photos to the press: Patty must have done it.
Ellen goes to Patty’s place. Patty’s clothing is strewn everywhere. Patty tells Ellen that Ellen can take whatever she wants.
Michael is with his girlfriend. Phil is at a hotel.
Patty says she wasn’t as concerned about the affair. She’s more upset because Phil got caught. Got sloppy. Patty says she can’t figure out whether to thank Ellen or not, for sending her the pictures.
Ellen doesn’t say anything. Until she asks why Patty leaked the pictures to the press. Patty says, “That’s my business.”
Ellen asks why she’s here. Patty says she wants Ellen to know that, “Things may be required of us.” Patty goes on to say that, “This case is going to get ugly.”
Ellen is dismissed.
One Month Later: Ellen shoots Patty. Bad FBI guy arrests Ellen, who asks what the FBI guy is doing there.
Episode 12
Damages Season 2, Episode 12 on Television Without Pity
Then: Purcell is making breakfast. His daughter takes the dog outside for a walk. The dog runs away. The dog finds something and starts digging. It’s something that’s been burned.
5 ½ months earlier: Purcell burns a remote control.
Back to the so-called present: Purcell says he doesn’t know what it is.
Credits!
Purcell comes home, and Walter is there. It seems that Purcell’s daughter doesn’t know who Walter is.
Purcell tells Walter that what Walter did to Claire is unforgivable, and he tells Walter to get off his property. Purcell reminds Walter that Walter is killing people in West Virginia. Walter says people die all the time, and reminds Purcell about his wife.
Ellen meets with a judge. She says Patty is willing to “extend herself” to make sure certain evidence is permissible. The judge tells Ellen that what Patty is asking for is highly unethical… but that he’s flexible.
Tom, Ellen and Patty talk about the GPS coordinates. They still don’t know what they’re for. Ellen tells Patty that the judge is flexible. Patty says that’s the only way they’ll get the codes into evidence.
Ellen asks how Patty is doing with the whole Phil thing. Patty says if you can’t trust someone, they’re worthless.
Dave talks to Walter. He wants to know how they managed to lose the car. Walter says if the information comes out, it won’t be admissible.
Dave is concerned about Purcell and Claire. Walter is not.
Phil talks to Patty, and sort of apologizes for cheating. He says he told Patty everything. Patty says he didn’t: He bought stock in UNR.
Phil is mad, because Patty had him investigated.
Patty wants to know who tipped Phil off about UNR’s stock going up. She wants to know if the same person tipped Phil off about Patty being investigated by the FBI.
Phil tells her it was the same guy. Patty wants a name. Phil gives Phil Dave’s name. Patty breaks stuff, and tells Phil to get out.
Phil says she’s going to fight Patty in court. She wishes him luck.
Purcell goes to visit Patty. He says he wants to help, because Walter came to his house. He confesses to taking money from Walter. Patty tells Purcell that Purcell is useless as a witness.
Purcell brings up the energy trader/brownouts connection. Purcell asks if there’s anything he can do. Patty asks how he is with codes.
Wes and Ellen walk in the woods. Ellen thinks they’re lost. Wes agrees. Wes goes to tie his shoe, and pulls a gun out of the back of his pants. He walks up behind Ellen, who’s looking for a dirt path.
He hands Ellen the gun and says, “Let’s see what you can do outside the range.” He has her shoot a tree. She’s gotten quite good.
Purcell works the codes.
5 ½ Months Earlier: Purcell tells his wife he gave in to UNR, to protect their daughter.
Post-Flashback: Purcell tells his daughter to go to bed.
Patty and Michael talk. Michael’s been staying with Jill. Patty says it’s not a healthy relationship. Michael doesn’t think Patty is a good one to judge. He says people either leave Patty or die.
Patty goes to Ellen and tells Ellen that she can’t talk to the Bad Judge. She thinks Ellen has a bright future, and doesn’t want Ellen getting involved. And she won’t tell Ellen who is going to handle it.
Ellen meets with the Bad FBI guy and says that she’s been shut out. Ellen thinks Tom is going to handle the bribe now. She tells the FBI Guy to arrest Tom for the “payoff” in the infant mortality case. Which didn’t happen.
Bad FBI guy is reluctant, but Ellen doesn’t think they have a choice.
At home, Purcell figures out the code.
The next day, Purcell takes the code to Patty. The codes each have a state letter, the time (military) and the day of the week. Each code corresponds to a trade from Finn.
Patty asks Purcell what’s wrong? Flashback to Purcell’s dead wife.
Patty eats lunch. Walter meets her. Patty asks if it was Walter’s plan to manipulate the energy market, or if it was Dave’s idea. Walter asks for a price. Patty says she wants Walter to clean up the compound and give the people affected some money. She mentions the GPS coordinates, and Walter points out that the evidence was stolen.
Walter leaves without ordering.
Patty, Tom and Ellen talk about the Walter meeting, and about Dave. Tom’s wife calls – she’s at five centimeters. Tom goes to get a cab. The FBI grabs him before he can get in.
The FBI asks about the payoff. Tom says it didn’t happen. Then they play a recording of Tom saying he’s “happy to help” and that “I’m going to give you this.”
The woman who was supposed to get the money shows up. She’s got an envelope that looks like the one she was supposed to get. Tom says he wants a lawyer.
Ellen walks in.
Ellen and Tom talk. Tom wants to know how long Ellen has been lying to him. Ellen says this is about Patty. Tom wants to call his wife. Ellen already did. Tom’s wife is fine.
Ellen wants Tom to give up Patty.
Ellen talks to the FBI. They got Tom to wear a wire. But Ellen doesn’t think he’ll go through with it. She thinks Tom should say he won’t do the bribing, so that Ellen has to do it.
Purcell and Michael talk. Purcell wants Michael to meet his half-sister. Purcell tells Michael that he and Patty went to court over custody. Michael says he’s sorry he never met Purcell’s wife.
Flashback! Purcell’s wife prepares to call the EPA, since Purcell won’t do it. Purcell goes to attack his wife. She throws a remote at his head.
Later, he makes a phone call to Wayne, and says they’re in trouble.
End Flashback! Michael and his half-sister meet.
Tom brings a baby photo to Patty. Patty congratulates Tom. Tom says they have to converse. Tom says he can’t bribe the judge. He blames the new kid. He also says that he doesn’t think Patty should do it either.
Patty says she always knew Patty would let him down. Yelling happens. Patty tells Tom to leave. He’s fired.
Tom takes his baby photo and goes.
Rick’s phone rings. Wes is calling. He says he’ll have to try again. He goes to his gun closet.
Wes meets Ellen in the lobby of her hotel and asks if can crash with Ellen. They’re “doing some work on his building.”
Purcell, in his car, calls Walter. Purcell tries to tell Walter about the nine circles of hell. Then he hangs up on Walter.
Purcell goes to the cops, and says he’s there about the murder of his wife.
Flashback: Purcell chokes his wife to death. Then he freaks out.
Post-flashback! Walter says they might have a problem on their hands. The Messenger asks if Purcell knows what happened that night.
Flashback! Walter talks to Wayne. Walter tells Wayne to call The Messenger and make it look like a robbery. The Messenger talks to Purcell in his car.
Then The Messenger goes into Purcell’s house, and says that Purcell’s wife is still alive. Walter says to finish it. The Messenger takes the ruby ring. Purcell’s wife asks for help. Then the screen goes black.
Post-flashback! Purcell tells a cop that he killed his wife.
Mostly I’ve been puzzling over this because “Damages,” in its second season, has presented us with a surprise similar to the one they had in the first season:
In the first season, Ray was really the reason they managed to pull Arthur apart. Ray did wrong. As it turns out, Ray probably ended up doing a lot more wrong, on a person-to-person basis, than Arthur did. And we saw him do it, so we know it happened.
And now, here in the second season, it looks like David is pulling ALL the strings. I wouldn’t be surprised if he knows Rick.
So the question becomes: How bad is Walter, really? Who is the real big fish? Because we’re running out of episodes.
Episode 11
Damages Season 2, Episode 11 on Television Without Pity
Then: Ellen looks at photos of the deceased FBI agent. She’s talking to Bad Agent and his Bad Boss. Ellen is in shock. She asks if the FBI is suspicious. They said they were, but they couldn’t find any evidence of wrongdoing.
One Month Later: Ellen shoots Patty, Patty walks out to the elevator, and Bad Agent makes a call: “My informant just shot Patty Hewes.”
Credits!
Then: Ellen sees Phil in the lobby of her hotel. She sees someone who is not Phil’s wife touching Phil. Phil says hello to Ellen. Ellen congratulates Phil on being first choice for energy secretary.
Ellen goes to Bad FBI guy and says that Ellen’s husband is having an affair. They debate whether or not to tell Patty. FBI guy says do nothing, for now.
Walter and Claire talk. Walter is emotional about his father and grandfather. Claire is nonplussed. Claire says she wants to apologize for asking about Walter’s business plans.
Tom talks to Ellen. Patty and Phil are going to be in a magazine. Ellen is warned that the magazine will be fishing for dirt.
Tom talks to the reporter. Tom tries to spin things well for Patty. Tom says, “off the record” that Patty doesn’t have any flaws.
Patty and Phil get ready for a photo shoot. Ellen brings Patty some forms to sign. The reporter says she’s love to talk to Ellen.
Phil and Patty get photographed together. What can I say? They do look smart and successful.
Ellen goes to talk to Patty. Patty has shut down Ellen’s search for evidence on Arthur. Patty tells Ellen that she’s shutting down the investigation while they are dealing with the FBI and UNR.
Ellen interviews a guy named Wilcox. She asks if he’s ever worked for Patty. He says no. Ellen tells him that her fiancé was murdered.
Claire meets with Purcell. She has a headache. And she’s angry with Walter. Purcell tells her the only thing to do is resign.
Claire wants to do something about Walter poisoning people in West Virginia.
Meanwhile, UNR has brought in a guy named Mitch. Apparently Mitch is very “ambitious.” Mitch is, of course, the guy who was sort of hitting on Claire the other night.
Walter meets with The Messenger. Walter tells The Messenger to make the SUV vanish.
Bald Security Guy (whose name is Malcolm) calls Patty and says no one has been to the car in days.
Phil tries to talk to Patty, but Patty is “distracted.”
The next day, Patty talks to Ellen. Ellen apologizes for her Arthur outburst. Patty is cold about the whole thing.
Claire meets with Mitch. She doesn’t think that UNR’s stock is going to recover. She tells Mitch that Walter is going to lose the suit. She says she doesn’t want to see Walter drive the company off a cliff.
She tells Mitch she thinks that Mitch could right the ship. It’s up to Mitch to make a power grab.
Claire meets up with Walter. She claims that Mitch is going to make a power grab. She tells Walter he needs to meet the problem head on.
Rick talks to a Balding Guy. He says he’s worried about Ellen, the loose end. Balding Guy tells Rick to clean up his own mess.
Wilcox talks to Ellen. He got information on the Bad Cop. He knows there’s corruption, but proving it is going to be expensive. Ellen says she’s willing to pay. Wilcox also says, “About that other thing. You were right,” and gives her some papers.
Ellen goes to work, and drops an unmarked envelope in the mail cart.
Ellen goes to see Patty, who was asking for her. The reporter wants to talk to Ellen. Ellen has a question: How DO Patty and Phil make it work. The new mail guy arrives. He’s got Ellen’s envelope.
Patty opens the envelope while Ellen sits in front of her and tells Ellen that marriage is all about trust and commitment.
Patty pulls out the pictures of Phil kissing another woman as she finishes her speech. Ellen asks if everything is okay, and Patty says it’s fine.
Ellen talks to the reporter. She tells the reporter that Patty and Phil are devoted to each other. And says that Patty is nothing less than an inspiration.
Walter confronts Mitch. Walter says that the FCC will be interested to know how Mitch made his first million.
The Messenger goes to locate the car that must be destroyed. It’s not there. He calls someone and says there’s a problem.
Patty, Ellen and Tom have the vehicle in a garage. He says the car has barely been used, but there’s a ton of Latitudes in the navigation system. They want a complete set of numbers.
Mitch meets with Claire. He says he can’t move against Walter. Claire says she understands. Mitch says that Claire should take over the company. Mitch has the votes – he just needs to send them to Claire.
Malcolm meets with Patty, and gives her the name of the girl Phil is cheating with. Malcolm starts to say that the pictures are a bad thing, but Patty knows that already. He also says that someone wanted to hurt Patty, and asks who that could be.
Michael and Jill talk. Michael says he never actually applied for college.
Phil and Patty and Michael talk. Phil says that Michael should be honest with his girlfriend.
Claire goes to see Purcell. Claire’s going to take over. And she wants Purcell to oversee the cleanup of the compound.
Claire goes to what is supposed to be Walter being deposed. All of the board is supposed to be there. They aren’t. It’s just Walter and Claire.
Claire tells Walter she knows about everything Walter has done.
According to Walter, an hour ago, the board voted to let Claire go. Because of her relationship with Purcell.
Walter tells Claire to go home. He sent her a present. So she goes home. There’s an envelope on the floor. In it is a recording of Claire and Purcell having extramarital relations.
Claire goes to Patty, and says she wants Walter taken down. She also tells Patty that Purcell wants to set things right now.
Ellen meets with Katie, and tells Katie that she hired her own investigator. Tom calls Ellen and tells Ellen to turn on the TV. Phil and Patty are about to go through a messy divorce.
Ellen didn’t leak the photos to the press: Patty must have done it.
Ellen goes to Patty’s place. Patty’s clothing is strewn everywhere. Patty tells Ellen that Ellen can take whatever she wants.
Michael is with his girlfriend. Phil is at a hotel.
Patty says she wasn’t as concerned about the affair. She’s more upset because Phil got caught. Got sloppy. Patty says she can’t figure out whether to thank Ellen or not, for sending her the pictures.
Ellen doesn’t say anything. Until she asks why Patty leaked the pictures to the press. Patty says, “That’s my business.”
Ellen asks why she’s here. Patty says she wants Ellen to know that, “Things may be required of us.” Patty goes on to say that, “This case is going to get ugly.”
Ellen is dismissed.
One Month Later: Ellen shoots Patty. Bad FBI guy arrests Ellen, who asks what the FBI guy is doing there.
Episode 12
Damages Season 2, Episode 12 on Television Without Pity
Then: Purcell is making breakfast. His daughter takes the dog outside for a walk. The dog runs away. The dog finds something and starts digging. It’s something that’s been burned.
5 ½ months earlier: Purcell burns a remote control.
Back to the so-called present: Purcell says he doesn’t know what it is.
Credits!
Purcell comes home, and Walter is there. It seems that Purcell’s daughter doesn’t know who Walter is.
Purcell tells Walter that what Walter did to Claire is unforgivable, and he tells Walter to get off his property. Purcell reminds Walter that Walter is killing people in West Virginia. Walter says people die all the time, and reminds Purcell about his wife.
Ellen meets with a judge. She says Patty is willing to “extend herself” to make sure certain evidence is permissible. The judge tells Ellen that what Patty is asking for is highly unethical… but that he’s flexible.
Tom, Ellen and Patty talk about the GPS coordinates. They still don’t know what they’re for. Ellen tells Patty that the judge is flexible. Patty says that’s the only way they’ll get the codes into evidence.
Ellen asks how Patty is doing with the whole Phil thing. Patty says if you can’t trust someone, they’re worthless.
Dave talks to Walter. He wants to know how they managed to lose the car. Walter says if the information comes out, it won’t be admissible.
Dave is concerned about Purcell and Claire. Walter is not.
Phil talks to Patty, and sort of apologizes for cheating. He says he told Patty everything. Patty says he didn’t: He bought stock in UNR.
Phil is mad, because Patty had him investigated.
Patty wants to know who tipped Phil off about UNR’s stock going up. She wants to know if the same person tipped Phil off about Patty being investigated by the FBI.
Phil tells her it was the same guy. Patty wants a name. Phil gives Phil Dave’s name. Patty breaks stuff, and tells Phil to get out.
Phil says she’s going to fight Patty in court. She wishes him luck.
Purcell goes to visit Patty. He says he wants to help, because Walter came to his house. He confesses to taking money from Walter. Patty tells Purcell that Purcell is useless as a witness.
Purcell brings up the energy trader/brownouts connection. Purcell asks if there’s anything he can do. Patty asks how he is with codes.
Wes and Ellen walk in the woods. Ellen thinks they’re lost. Wes agrees. Wes goes to tie his shoe, and pulls a gun out of the back of his pants. He walks up behind Ellen, who’s looking for a dirt path.
He hands Ellen the gun and says, “Let’s see what you can do outside the range.” He has her shoot a tree. She’s gotten quite good.
Purcell works the codes.
5 ½ Months Earlier: Purcell tells his wife he gave in to UNR, to protect their daughter.
Post-Flashback: Purcell tells his daughter to go to bed.
Patty and Michael talk. Michael’s been staying with Jill. Patty says it’s not a healthy relationship. Michael doesn’t think Patty is a good one to judge. He says people either leave Patty or die.
Patty goes to Ellen and tells Ellen that she can’t talk to the Bad Judge. She thinks Ellen has a bright future, and doesn’t want Ellen getting involved. And she won’t tell Ellen who is going to handle it.
Ellen meets with the Bad FBI guy and says that she’s been shut out. Ellen thinks Tom is going to handle the bribe now. She tells the FBI Guy to arrest Tom for the “payoff” in the infant mortality case. Which didn’t happen.
Bad FBI guy is reluctant, but Ellen doesn’t think they have a choice.
At home, Purcell figures out the code.
The next day, Purcell takes the code to Patty. The codes each have a state letter, the time (military) and the day of the week. Each code corresponds to a trade from Finn.
Patty asks Purcell what’s wrong? Flashback to Purcell’s dead wife.
Patty eats lunch. Walter meets her. Patty asks if it was Walter’s plan to manipulate the energy market, or if it was Dave’s idea. Walter asks for a price. Patty says she wants Walter to clean up the compound and give the people affected some money. She mentions the GPS coordinates, and Walter points out that the evidence was stolen.
Walter leaves without ordering.
Patty, Tom and Ellen talk about the Walter meeting, and about Dave. Tom’s wife calls – she’s at five centimeters. Tom goes to get a cab. The FBI grabs him before he can get in.
The FBI asks about the payoff. Tom says it didn’t happen. Then they play a recording of Tom saying he’s “happy to help” and that “I’m going to give you this.”
The woman who was supposed to get the money shows up. She’s got an envelope that looks like the one she was supposed to get. Tom says he wants a lawyer.
Ellen walks in.
Ellen and Tom talk. Tom wants to know how long Ellen has been lying to him. Ellen says this is about Patty. Tom wants to call his wife. Ellen already did. Tom’s wife is fine.
Ellen wants Tom to give up Patty.
Ellen talks to the FBI. They got Tom to wear a wire. But Ellen doesn’t think he’ll go through with it. She thinks Tom should say he won’t do the bribing, so that Ellen has to do it.
Purcell and Michael talk. Purcell wants Michael to meet his half-sister. Purcell tells Michael that he and Patty went to court over custody. Michael says he’s sorry he never met Purcell’s wife.
Flashback! Purcell’s wife prepares to call the EPA, since Purcell won’t do it. Purcell goes to attack his wife. She throws a remote at his head.
Later, he makes a phone call to Wayne, and says they’re in trouble.
End Flashback! Michael and his half-sister meet.
Tom brings a baby photo to Patty. Patty congratulates Tom. Tom says they have to converse. Tom says he can’t bribe the judge. He blames the new kid. He also says that he doesn’t think Patty should do it either.
Patty says she always knew Patty would let him down. Yelling happens. Patty tells Tom to leave. He’s fired.
Tom takes his baby photo and goes.
Rick’s phone rings. Wes is calling. He says he’ll have to try again. He goes to his gun closet.
Wes meets Ellen in the lobby of her hotel and asks if can crash with Ellen. They’re “doing some work on his building.”
Purcell, in his car, calls Walter. Purcell tries to tell Walter about the nine circles of hell. Then he hangs up on Walter.
Purcell goes to the cops, and says he’s there about the murder of his wife.
Flashback: Purcell chokes his wife to death. Then he freaks out.
Post-flashback! Walter says they might have a problem on their hands. The Messenger asks if Purcell knows what happened that night.
Flashback! Walter talks to Wayne. Walter tells Wayne to call The Messenger and make it look like a robbery. The Messenger talks to Purcell in his car.
Then The Messenger goes into Purcell’s house, and says that Purcell’s wife is still alive. Walter says to finish it. The Messenger takes the ruby ring. Purcell’s wife asks for help. Then the screen goes black.
Post-flashback! Purcell tells a cop that he killed his wife.
Late Night Wars
A very silly, yet pretty accurate description of what's going on with Conan and Leno:
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Damages Season 2, Episodes 9 and 10
First, a housekeeping note: Someone recently visited this blog, searching for an explanation of Ellen and Patty’s relationship.
I’d have to go with “complicated.” But if you’re talking strictly work-related, Ellen works for Patty’s firm.
Second, I had a thought yesterday. Well, two thoughts that tie together.
The first is that this show is finally out of good guys. In the last season, you could argue that Ellen only did what she thought was right, so maybe her. And Nye did as well as can be expected. And David, though the show led you to think otherwise for a while, never cheated on Ellen.
But Nye hasn’t been in an episode in a while, and doesn’t appear to be coming back. And David is dead.
Even Phil, who seemed to be trying to do the right thing, is both cheating on Patty and perhaps making deals Patty wouldn’t approve of.
And for eight episodes now, it looks like Ellen is going to shoot someone at the end of the season.
Which leaves the show with something of a rooting problem. Who do you choose to root for? Can you really root for anyone, when everyone seems to have an agenda, and not necessarily an honorable one?
You could argue that Ellen is seeking justice, and that people don’t want to see folks who did harm to others behind bars. They really want to see “justice,” and if that means putting a bullet in someone’s head then so be it. But I don’t think that’s the case.
Perhaps I’m wrong.
More importantly, this led me to my other thought: TV writers can no longer just think about what happens on their show from week to week. In days of yore, a lot of the time they’d have to carefully repeat information, because if someone missed an episode, there was no way to see it again.
Today, of course, an episode airs, and then a few hours later it’s online. Sometimes for free, sometimes for pay, but it’s always there. And a lot of cable companies are even making episodes of various TV shows available for perusal without leaving the comfort of your couch.
What this means, of course, is that you can watch a show in compressed form. Instead of watching a show week-by-week, you can watch it over a couple of days. And TV writers have to take that into consideration. Repeat too much information, and watchers get bored. They don’t need to be reminded of what happened three weeks ago, because they’re watching on DVD or the internet and it “just” happened, in their mind.
This also means that hard-to-take character turns, like Ellen with her gun, can get difficult to watch. Catch the show once a week, and Ellen seems like a woman bent on getting justice. Watch every episode over the course of a couple of weeks, and she seems a little less likeable. A little too driven. A little harder to take, since she’s constantly pointing that gun at the screen.
We’re near the end of the second season now, sitting on the back five episodes, and it’s going to take a lot of justification to explain Ellen and those gunshots.
Episode 9
Damages Season 2, Episode 9 on Television Without Pity
Then: Ellen goes to meet with the FBI. She tells them that the FBI is no longer just targeting Patty – Patty is now targeting the FBI.
Patty talks to Tom and Ellen about the FBI. Tom is angry that he’s just finding out about it now.
2 Months Later: Tom goes to the office to visit Patty. He’s told that he’s not allowed in the building any more. Tom tells the guard at the front door that he tried to warn Patty, and that he’s filing suit against Patty for wrongful termination.
Tom gets a gun. He gives it to Ellen.
Ellen holds the gun on Patty, while Patty says, “It’s not who you are.”
Credits!
Then: Walter talks to Dave while Walter golfs. Dave wants to increase the number of transactions he and Walter are having.
Tom goes to talk to Patty, and tells her he’s upset about not knowing about the FBI. Tom says he’ll make a call because they need information.
Tom asks his sister, a US Attorney, to find out what the FBI knows.
Dave talks to Finn. Dave tells Finn about some new transactions. Finn tells Dave he kicked the nose candy and the lady-friend to the curb. Dave says that’s a good thing. Finn gets belligerent and reminds Dave that Finn is the only one who can do what he does.
Wes plays pool with Katie. And loses. Ellen is there. It’s “girl’s night.”
Patty, at her house, stands and thinks about something. Phil asks how she’s doing. Phil thinks they should cancel their dinner party. They talk about Pete. Then Phil tells Patty to drop the UNR case. Patty says she thinks the FBI killed Pete.
Ellen talks to her group counselor. The counselor is concerned about Ellen and Wes, and their developing relationship. She wants them to go to different groups. And Wes has agreed.
Dave and Phil talk. Dave wants Phil’s opinion on who to put into an energy seat in the White House. Phil suggests Sam. You remember Sam, right? From the start of the season?
Wes and Ellen practice shooting. Ellen is improving. A lot. Wes apologizes for asking Ellen out. He says they shouldn’t get involved. Wes asks if he can ask Katie out. Ellen gives Wes Katie’s number.
Wes meets with Rick, and says he has nothing to report yet. Rick tells Wes to deliver some guns to Jersey. Wes says no. Rick says that Wes is going to do it.
Finn meets with Susie. Susie’s got the nose-candy Finn wanted. Finn asks about Tom. Susie says she’s been ignoring him.
Tom meets with his sister, who says there’s no official FBI file on Patty and/or her firm. There’s no investigation.
Tom, Ellen and Patty talk about the lack of file.
Ellen confronts the FBI about their lack of file. The FBI guys tell Ellen that they had the file pulled, because they know Patty has contacts at the justice department. Ellen leaves, and the FBI guys talk about Ellen.
Susie has a visitor. It’s Patty. Patty wants the story on the arrest of Susie and Finn.
Patty and Phil have a dinner party. Dave talks to Sam about being the energy secretary.
Later, at dinner, a bunch of people ask Phil for advice on investing.
Ellen and Katie talk. Katie asks if it’s okay to go out with Wes. Ellen says she’s fine with it.
Back at the dinner party, everyone convinces Sam to sing “Danny Boy,” while Michael plays the keyboard. Patty warns Dave about Sam being something of a spoiled brat.
The FBI men talk to their boss. He says that the file on Patty has become need-to-know, because the case could make or break his career.
Walter meets with Wayne. They talk weather. And energy strategy.
Susie meets with Patty and Tom at the office. Susie tells Patty about the SUV and Finn.
The Messenger goes to the SUV and puts in some numbers.
Phil and David talk. Dave talks to Phil about going to Washington and taking the energy job. Phil says he’ll think about it.
Patty goes to visit the FBI men’s boss. She tells him that she holds the FBI responsible for Pete’s death. Patty says the investigation is corrupt, and that when she proves it, the guy’s career will be over.
The Boss makes a call and asks what the person on the other end of the line wants him to do.
Wes and Katie have a date. Wes asks Katie why no counseling? Katie says therapy is not for her.
Then Wes asks if Katie thinks Arthur killed David. Katie says Arthur DID kill David. Then she spouts a bunch of information she probably shouldn’t. Katie also tells Wes that it’s obvious that Wes wants to be with Ellen, not with Katie.
Finn goes to the SUV and gets the numbers.
Tom sees the SUV, and Finn, and takes down the SUV information.
Later that night, Ellen goes to visit Wes. He asks if everything is okay. She say’s it’s fine. And she knows that Katie called off Katie and Wes’s date. Kissing happens. Then more than kissing happens.
Wes goes to see Rick again. Wes tells Rick that Ellen knows about Arthur’s security firm. Rick tells Wes to take Ellen out, and make it look like an accident. If Wes does that, he’s “done.”
Episode 10
Damages Season 2, Episode 10 on Television Without Pity
Then: Ellen meets up with Wes in a park. Ellen left without saying goodbye. She’s “confused” about what happened. Wes asks if Ellen wants to get away for the weekend. Ellen says she needs some time.
The FBI keeps on looking for information on Patty, but they aren’t having any luck. One of the FBI guys gets a call from his “wife.” He’s in the middle of a divorce. Only one problem – the person on the other end of the phone is a man.
Now (Six Weeks Later): Ellen confronts Patty on Ellen’s room. Only now we get to see that the FBI is listening in.
Ellen shoots twice and the FBI dude jumps out of the van.
Credits:
Then: Ellen talks to the FBI about how Patty is trying to prove that the UNR is manipulating energy prices.
Phil, Michael and Patty talk. Michael is waiting for college letters to come in. Also, they want to meet his girlfriend.
Walter and Dave talk about Phil becoming their energy man. Dave recommends that Walter settle Patty’s case to keep her from finding out any more than she already knows.
At UNR, Walter celebrates 20 years of service from Claire. Along with a whole lot of other people. Including Claire’s dad, who takes off early.
Walter tells Claire to settle, and to go as high as 50 million.
At the art gallery, we meet Tanya, Michael’s girlfriend. She has multi-colored hair and a whole lot of tattoos and piercings.
The FBI guy with the wife problem gets a call, but he’s not by his phone, so the other one answers… and hears the male voice on the other end.
Ellen and her mom talk. Mom is worried about Ellen.
Ellen goes to Patty’s office – Ellen was late again today. Ellen apologizes. Ellen is about to leave, but Patty has a question: Does Ellen know anything about Michael’s girlfriend? Ellen doesn’t.
Patty is clearly concerned about Michael’s girlfriend.
Patty and Phil talk about the girlfriend as well. Patty says if she has piercings or a tattoo, she’s walking out. Michael introduces Phil and Patty to his, “girlfriend,” Jill. Who taught at Columbia from 1988 to 1992.
And who isn’t that other girl with the funny hair.
Claire has lunch with her dad. She asks how retirement’s been. He says it would be less quiet if he had grandchildren.
She reminds her dad how successful she’s been, and he asks her what she has to look forward to.
The FBI men confront each other about the phone call. They dance around what’s really going on. The “guy” on the phone is, apparently, paying a little something from time to time to find out where Patty’s case is at.
Patty and Michael talk during something resembling breakfast. Patty tells Michael that last night meant a lot to her.
Claire goes to see Patty about a settlement. Claire tells Patty that neither of them really want to settle, so she’s leaving. Patty tells Claire to mention Finn’s name to Walter, and then triple the offer.
Claire talks to Walter. She tells him Finn’s name, and looks for a reaction. Claire is upset, because she went into Patty’s office without all the facts. Walter lies about who Finn is.
Ellen gets ready to go to bed. She has a message on her phone from Katie. Katie tells Ellen to come out for a drink. Ellen goes. She and Katie drink. Ellen kinda flirts with a dude on the other side of the bar.
Then she goes to talk to him. Ellen invites the flirty guy back to her room. Kind of.
Claire meets with Purcell. She tells Purcell about Finn, the guy who trades energy futures.
Purcell notes that UNR has had some unusual power outages. And we get a sort of layman’s explanation of what’s going on. If an energy trader knows when a power outage is going to happen, he can time his trades to make money.
Claire doesn’t think Walter would do something like this, because he could lose the company. Purcell tells Claire that he cut a deal with Walter about the toxic compound.
Ellen, who is now super-drunk, goes back to her apartment. Katie came with her. Not the other guy. Ellen tells Katie that she’s not really working for Patty. Then Ellen passes out.
Claire talks to Walter about Purcell. Walter lies, and says the compound isn’t dangerous, and that Claire needs to stop asking questions.
Patty goes to meet with Jill, the “girlfriend.” It appears she really is the girlfriend. Which doesn’t please Patty at all.
Claire meets with Purcell. She’s finally realized that Walter is a criminal. This makes her angry. So she fools around with Purcell.
Someone is watching their hotel room on a laptop.
The FBI guy who is not taking money wants to meet the money-giver. He wants in. Or so he says.
Ellen goes to visit Wes.
Two men go to visit the FBI guy who is not on the take. It looks bad for him.
Wes wakes up. He’s in bed. Ellen is sitting at the foot of the bed, looking sad. Ellen tells Wes that she told Wes something she probably shouldn’t have. That Patty tried to kill her.
Wes says that’s insane.
Ellen tells Wes that she was approached by the FBI five months earlier. And that she became an informant. In flashback, Ellen gets out of the FBI car, and walks down the street… right past Wes.
Wes meets with Rick, and tells Rick that the FBI is using Ellen against Patty. Wes tells Rick that Rick is safe. Rick agrees: Because he still wants Wes to kill Ellen.
The “bad” FBI guy arrives home and finds that the “good” FBI guy has “died from a drug overdose.”
He meets with Dave. Dave informs Bad FBI that Good FBI reported him. And it turns out that the FBI Boss is also in on this.
Now: And we’re back where we started, with Ellen shooting Patty, and Bad FBI Guy hopping out of the van. Patty steps out of the hotel room. She’s freaked out. And she’s got blood on her hands. She collapses in the elevator.
I’d have to go with “complicated.” But if you’re talking strictly work-related, Ellen works for Patty’s firm.
Second, I had a thought yesterday. Well, two thoughts that tie together.
The first is that this show is finally out of good guys. In the last season, you could argue that Ellen only did what she thought was right, so maybe her. And Nye did as well as can be expected. And David, though the show led you to think otherwise for a while, never cheated on Ellen.
But Nye hasn’t been in an episode in a while, and doesn’t appear to be coming back. And David is dead.
Even Phil, who seemed to be trying to do the right thing, is both cheating on Patty and perhaps making deals Patty wouldn’t approve of.
And for eight episodes now, it looks like Ellen is going to shoot someone at the end of the season.
Which leaves the show with something of a rooting problem. Who do you choose to root for? Can you really root for anyone, when everyone seems to have an agenda, and not necessarily an honorable one?
You could argue that Ellen is seeking justice, and that people don’t want to see folks who did harm to others behind bars. They really want to see “justice,” and if that means putting a bullet in someone’s head then so be it. But I don’t think that’s the case.
Perhaps I’m wrong.
More importantly, this led me to my other thought: TV writers can no longer just think about what happens on their show from week to week. In days of yore, a lot of the time they’d have to carefully repeat information, because if someone missed an episode, there was no way to see it again.
Today, of course, an episode airs, and then a few hours later it’s online. Sometimes for free, sometimes for pay, but it’s always there. And a lot of cable companies are even making episodes of various TV shows available for perusal without leaving the comfort of your couch.
What this means, of course, is that you can watch a show in compressed form. Instead of watching a show week-by-week, you can watch it over a couple of days. And TV writers have to take that into consideration. Repeat too much information, and watchers get bored. They don’t need to be reminded of what happened three weeks ago, because they’re watching on DVD or the internet and it “just” happened, in their mind.
This also means that hard-to-take character turns, like Ellen with her gun, can get difficult to watch. Catch the show once a week, and Ellen seems like a woman bent on getting justice. Watch every episode over the course of a couple of weeks, and she seems a little less likeable. A little too driven. A little harder to take, since she’s constantly pointing that gun at the screen.
We’re near the end of the second season now, sitting on the back five episodes, and it’s going to take a lot of justification to explain Ellen and those gunshots.
Episode 9
Damages Season 2, Episode 9 on Television Without Pity
Then: Ellen goes to meet with the FBI. She tells them that the FBI is no longer just targeting Patty – Patty is now targeting the FBI.
Patty talks to Tom and Ellen about the FBI. Tom is angry that he’s just finding out about it now.
2 Months Later: Tom goes to the office to visit Patty. He’s told that he’s not allowed in the building any more. Tom tells the guard at the front door that he tried to warn Patty, and that he’s filing suit against Patty for wrongful termination.
Tom gets a gun. He gives it to Ellen.
Ellen holds the gun on Patty, while Patty says, “It’s not who you are.”
Credits!
Then: Walter talks to Dave while Walter golfs. Dave wants to increase the number of transactions he and Walter are having.
Tom goes to talk to Patty, and tells her he’s upset about not knowing about the FBI. Tom says he’ll make a call because they need information.
Tom asks his sister, a US Attorney, to find out what the FBI knows.
Dave talks to Finn. Dave tells Finn about some new transactions. Finn tells Dave he kicked the nose candy and the lady-friend to the curb. Dave says that’s a good thing. Finn gets belligerent and reminds Dave that Finn is the only one who can do what he does.
Wes plays pool with Katie. And loses. Ellen is there. It’s “girl’s night.”
Patty, at her house, stands and thinks about something. Phil asks how she’s doing. Phil thinks they should cancel their dinner party. They talk about Pete. Then Phil tells Patty to drop the UNR case. Patty says she thinks the FBI killed Pete.
Ellen talks to her group counselor. The counselor is concerned about Ellen and Wes, and their developing relationship. She wants them to go to different groups. And Wes has agreed.
Dave and Phil talk. Dave wants Phil’s opinion on who to put into an energy seat in the White House. Phil suggests Sam. You remember Sam, right? From the start of the season?
Wes and Ellen practice shooting. Ellen is improving. A lot. Wes apologizes for asking Ellen out. He says they shouldn’t get involved. Wes asks if he can ask Katie out. Ellen gives Wes Katie’s number.
Wes meets with Rick, and says he has nothing to report yet. Rick tells Wes to deliver some guns to Jersey. Wes says no. Rick says that Wes is going to do it.
Finn meets with Susie. Susie’s got the nose-candy Finn wanted. Finn asks about Tom. Susie says she’s been ignoring him.
Tom meets with his sister, who says there’s no official FBI file on Patty and/or her firm. There’s no investigation.
Tom, Ellen and Patty talk about the lack of file.
Ellen confronts the FBI about their lack of file. The FBI guys tell Ellen that they had the file pulled, because they know Patty has contacts at the justice department. Ellen leaves, and the FBI guys talk about Ellen.
Susie has a visitor. It’s Patty. Patty wants the story on the arrest of Susie and Finn.
Patty and Phil have a dinner party. Dave talks to Sam about being the energy secretary.
Later, at dinner, a bunch of people ask Phil for advice on investing.
Ellen and Katie talk. Katie asks if it’s okay to go out with Wes. Ellen says she’s fine with it.
Back at the dinner party, everyone convinces Sam to sing “Danny Boy,” while Michael plays the keyboard. Patty warns Dave about Sam being something of a spoiled brat.
The FBI men talk to their boss. He says that the file on Patty has become need-to-know, because the case could make or break his career.
Walter meets with Wayne. They talk weather. And energy strategy.
Susie meets with Patty and Tom at the office. Susie tells Patty about the SUV and Finn.
The Messenger goes to the SUV and puts in some numbers.
Phil and David talk. Dave talks to Phil about going to Washington and taking the energy job. Phil says he’ll think about it.
Patty goes to visit the FBI men’s boss. She tells him that she holds the FBI responsible for Pete’s death. Patty says the investigation is corrupt, and that when she proves it, the guy’s career will be over.
The Boss makes a call and asks what the person on the other end of the line wants him to do.
Wes and Katie have a date. Wes asks Katie why no counseling? Katie says therapy is not for her.
Then Wes asks if Katie thinks Arthur killed David. Katie says Arthur DID kill David. Then she spouts a bunch of information she probably shouldn’t. Katie also tells Wes that it’s obvious that Wes wants to be with Ellen, not with Katie.
Finn goes to the SUV and gets the numbers.
Tom sees the SUV, and Finn, and takes down the SUV information.
Later that night, Ellen goes to visit Wes. He asks if everything is okay. She say’s it’s fine. And she knows that Katie called off Katie and Wes’s date. Kissing happens. Then more than kissing happens.
Wes goes to see Rick again. Wes tells Rick that Ellen knows about Arthur’s security firm. Rick tells Wes to take Ellen out, and make it look like an accident. If Wes does that, he’s “done.”
Episode 10
Damages Season 2, Episode 10 on Television Without Pity
Then: Ellen meets up with Wes in a park. Ellen left without saying goodbye. She’s “confused” about what happened. Wes asks if Ellen wants to get away for the weekend. Ellen says she needs some time.
The FBI keeps on looking for information on Patty, but they aren’t having any luck. One of the FBI guys gets a call from his “wife.” He’s in the middle of a divorce. Only one problem – the person on the other end of the phone is a man.
Now (Six Weeks Later): Ellen confronts Patty on Ellen’s room. Only now we get to see that the FBI is listening in.
Ellen shoots twice and the FBI dude jumps out of the van.
Credits:
Then: Ellen talks to the FBI about how Patty is trying to prove that the UNR is manipulating energy prices.
Phil, Michael and Patty talk. Michael is waiting for college letters to come in. Also, they want to meet his girlfriend.
Walter and Dave talk about Phil becoming their energy man. Dave recommends that Walter settle Patty’s case to keep her from finding out any more than she already knows.
At UNR, Walter celebrates 20 years of service from Claire. Along with a whole lot of other people. Including Claire’s dad, who takes off early.
Walter tells Claire to settle, and to go as high as 50 million.
At the art gallery, we meet Tanya, Michael’s girlfriend. She has multi-colored hair and a whole lot of tattoos and piercings.
The FBI guy with the wife problem gets a call, but he’s not by his phone, so the other one answers… and hears the male voice on the other end.
Ellen and her mom talk. Mom is worried about Ellen.
Ellen goes to Patty’s office – Ellen was late again today. Ellen apologizes. Ellen is about to leave, but Patty has a question: Does Ellen know anything about Michael’s girlfriend? Ellen doesn’t.
Patty is clearly concerned about Michael’s girlfriend.
Patty and Phil talk about the girlfriend as well. Patty says if she has piercings or a tattoo, she’s walking out. Michael introduces Phil and Patty to his, “girlfriend,” Jill. Who taught at Columbia from 1988 to 1992.
And who isn’t that other girl with the funny hair.
Claire has lunch with her dad. She asks how retirement’s been. He says it would be less quiet if he had grandchildren.
She reminds her dad how successful she’s been, and he asks her what she has to look forward to.
The FBI men confront each other about the phone call. They dance around what’s really going on. The “guy” on the phone is, apparently, paying a little something from time to time to find out where Patty’s case is at.
Patty and Michael talk during something resembling breakfast. Patty tells Michael that last night meant a lot to her.
Claire goes to see Patty about a settlement. Claire tells Patty that neither of them really want to settle, so she’s leaving. Patty tells Claire to mention Finn’s name to Walter, and then triple the offer.
Claire talks to Walter. She tells him Finn’s name, and looks for a reaction. Claire is upset, because she went into Patty’s office without all the facts. Walter lies about who Finn is.
Ellen gets ready to go to bed. She has a message on her phone from Katie. Katie tells Ellen to come out for a drink. Ellen goes. She and Katie drink. Ellen kinda flirts with a dude on the other side of the bar.
Then she goes to talk to him. Ellen invites the flirty guy back to her room. Kind of.
Claire meets with Purcell. She tells Purcell about Finn, the guy who trades energy futures.
Purcell notes that UNR has had some unusual power outages. And we get a sort of layman’s explanation of what’s going on. If an energy trader knows when a power outage is going to happen, he can time his trades to make money.
Claire doesn’t think Walter would do something like this, because he could lose the company. Purcell tells Claire that he cut a deal with Walter about the toxic compound.
Ellen, who is now super-drunk, goes back to her apartment. Katie came with her. Not the other guy. Ellen tells Katie that she’s not really working for Patty. Then Ellen passes out.
Claire talks to Walter about Purcell. Walter lies, and says the compound isn’t dangerous, and that Claire needs to stop asking questions.
Patty goes to meet with Jill, the “girlfriend.” It appears she really is the girlfriend. Which doesn’t please Patty at all.
Claire meets with Purcell. She’s finally realized that Walter is a criminal. This makes her angry. So she fools around with Purcell.
Someone is watching their hotel room on a laptop.
The FBI guy who is not taking money wants to meet the money-giver. He wants in. Or so he says.
Ellen goes to visit Wes.
Two men go to visit the FBI guy who is not on the take. It looks bad for him.
Wes wakes up. He’s in bed. Ellen is sitting at the foot of the bed, looking sad. Ellen tells Wes that she told Wes something she probably shouldn’t have. That Patty tried to kill her.
Wes says that’s insane.
Ellen tells Wes that she was approached by the FBI five months earlier. And that she became an informant. In flashback, Ellen gets out of the FBI car, and walks down the street… right past Wes.
Wes meets with Rick, and tells Rick that the FBI is using Ellen against Patty. Wes tells Rick that Rick is safe. Rick agrees: Because he still wants Wes to kill Ellen.
The “bad” FBI guy arrives home and finds that the “good” FBI guy has “died from a drug overdose.”
He meets with Dave. Dave informs Bad FBI that Good FBI reported him. And it turns out that the FBI Boss is also in on this.
Now: And we’re back where we started, with Ellen shooting Patty, and Bad FBI Guy hopping out of the van. Patty steps out of the hotel room. She’s freaked out. And she’s got blood on her hands. She collapses in the elevator.
Project Gutenberg
Did you ever say to yourself: “You know, I’d love to read ‘Dracula,’ right now, at no cost?”
You can.
In fact, you can read a lot of out-of-copyright books at Project Gutenberg, which has thousands upon thousands of volumes available for downloading on your computer, iPhone, or PDF reader.
Product Gutenberg
Books you might have heard of include: Dracula, Frankenstein, all of the John Carter of Mars books (soon to be a major motion picture), and the complete works of Jane Austen.
You can.
In fact, you can read a lot of out-of-copyright books at Project Gutenberg, which has thousands upon thousands of volumes available for downloading on your computer, iPhone, or PDF reader.
Product Gutenberg
Books you might have heard of include: Dracula, Frankenstein, all of the John Carter of Mars books (soon to be a major motion picture), and the complete works of Jane Austen.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Damages Season 2 Episodes 7 and 8
In case you forgot, Damages Season 2 is available on DVD as of today. I keep pushing the Amazon link only because, as I write this, the entire season is $25, which is a pretty great price:
Damages Season 2 on Amazon
A few thoughts before we go on.
One of my favorite TV shows of the last decade was Veronica Mars, a show that used its second-season finale to tell you that everything you knew about the first season was wrong.
I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point about plot threads. If all you ever saw was the first season of “Damages,” you’d make a lot of assumptions about the characters that are no longer true.
Phil, who seems like a nice enough guy, cheats on his wife.
Arthur, who seemed like he was probably going to be dead soon, lived.
And Patty seems to get away with everything.
On truly great TV shows, the writers are always thinking ahead – sometimes a few episodes, and sometimes a couple of seasons. And in the case of “Damages,” it looks like they thought way, way ahead.
With season three starting next week, I’ll be curious to follow along on a week-to-week basis, if only to see what loose ends can still be tied up from season one – and what effect they’ll have on season 3.
But of course, right now, this is still mid-season two. Dead center, to be exact.
Episode Seven
Damages S 2, Episode 7 at Television Without Pity
Then! Ellen is in the office late at night. She sees Uncle Pete there. Ellen remembers Tom saying that “Uncle Pete is really the one who runs everything around here.”
Ellen goes into her office, and sees that her computer is running. And her monitor is warm.
The FBI checks out Uncle Pete – his criminal history goes back something like 50 years. He’s been with Patty ever since she served as his lawyer. He probably knows where the bodies are buried.
Patty meets with Arthur. They’re setting up a press conference. Arthur wrote down some things he wants Patty to say. Arthur wants to fix his reputation. Patty warns Arthur that they’re going to have to vet his financials. Arthur says he has nothing to hide.
Ellen walks into Patty’s office, and Patty informs Ellen that Arthur is going to be their lead plaintiff.
Walter takes his grandkids to the zoo. In New York. His granddaughter says she hates New York. She’s, like, eight.
Dave and Walter meet. One of their guys got caught with cocaine and a lady of the evening. They need a lawyer.
Arthur meets with his spiritual advisor. Arthur says he’s struggling with the press conference – is he getting involved with “these people” for the right reasons?
Ellen talks to Patty. She’s not pleased about Arthur being brought in. Patty doesn’t seem to care. Probably because she doesn’t.
Uncle Pete takes care of his wife, who appears to be on oxygen.
Pete meets with a couple of younger guys. The FBI men observe Pete doing so – they know the guys with Pete. They both have rap sheets.
Ellen and Wes meet for more shooting lessons. Ellen is improving. Slowly. Wes tries to invite Ellen to dinner, but she’s reluctant. They decide to meet again the next week for more shooting practice.
Ellen and Katie talk over a newspaper, which says that Katie’s “follower,” the Bad Cop, is missing. Katie realizes it was a mistake to report him, as they’ve now lost that lead.
Rick meets with Arthur and tells Arthur that Arthur needs to pull out of the lawsuit. He tells Arthur that Katie is “back in the picture.” Rick reminds Arthur that once Arthur chose to go down this road, there was no turning back.
Claire defends the lady of the evening in court. The lady pleads guilty, and gets off with a suspended sentence. Tom sees Claire do this in court.
Claire asks Walter why she was defending the lady of the evening in court. She tells Walter that they need to talk about Arthur’s lawsuit. She suggests they get the stock prices up. Walter says they’ve already lined up some money people.
Walter meets up with The Messenger again, and says that they need to “try again.” He gives The Messenger a slip of paper with coordinates on it.
Tom meets with Patty, and tells her who Claire was defending. They know there was another person on the police report whose named was redacted. Patty says to find her and run down the other name.
And now we start to see how the coordinates thing works. The Messenger gets into the new car, and puts in a Latitude. Then the other guy (who got busted, but released) gets into the same car at another time and writes down the Latitude. Then he leaves. There’s probably more to it, but we don’t get to see it. Yet.
At the press conference, Patty talks Arthur up, since that’s what he asked for. Arthur is as smooth as ever.
Tom orders a lady of the evening. Oddly, he orders the wrong one. Ah, wait, no – he tells the girl he did get that he was hoping to talk to Susie. He pays her, and tells her he just wants the name of Susie’s other client.
His name is Finn. The lady asks if Tom wants to stay, since he already paid.
Patty and Ellen talk strategy, and Uncle Pete brings in Polish pastry. His wife makes it. Turns out they’ve been married almost 60 years.
This seems to make Ellen a little sad.
Ellen asks how long Patty has known Uncle Pete. Since she was a kid. Pete is Patty’s mother’s brother, and, “The Most Loyal Man I’ll Ever Know.”
A couple of dudes meet with Pete’s boys, from the start of the episode. The guys bust Pete’s boys for selling stolen goods.
The FBI guys go after Pete. They bust him with a $3,000 payoff. Racketeering.
They offer him some options. 10 years in prison $250,000 in charges. Second option, he goes home to his wife. The catch is, Pete has to give up Patty. At first, Pete says he’s not going to do it. Then he says he’ll think about it, but he can’t see Patty again. He can’t look her in the eye.
Pete says he has evidence in a storage locker in his house. The FBI guys get ready to take him there. He wants to pick up some strawberries, because he wife will wonder where he was.
Patty talks to Tom, and asks Tom if Tom had a good time with his lady of easy virtue. Tom says he got a name.
Finn. Finn’s a trader in the energy market.
Finn does some trading. With a lady-friend in the room.
Dave calls Walter, and tells him that the trade went through. Walter is happy.
Patty gives Ellen some information about Arthur. They have a lead on the dead Bad Cop.
Wes meets with Rick, and gives Rick the lowdown on the FBI guys. Rick is mad that Wes can’t get Ellen to talk about the missing Bad Cop. Wes says he needs to play it his way. Rick says he’ll have to try someone else: Katie.
Ellen and Katie talk in a bar, and there’s Wes. Ellen calls him over. They drink. Katie tells Wes that she just broke up with her boyfriend. Ellen’s phone rings, she walks away from the table. It’s the FBI. They let Ellen know they’ve got Pete.
Pete goes to the kitchen of his house and tells his wife to “keep these guys company.” He gets a key. And he tells the FBI guys that he has to use to the bathroom, and give his wife her medication. He does so. As far as we know at this point. You really can’t trust this show.
Pete takes the FBI guys to his storage location.
At home, his wife’s inhaler has run out. She takes off her oxygen and goes to get another inhaler.
Pete tells the guy that the information they need is on the third shelf. The trunk.
Pete’s wife finds a note from Pete.
Pete gives the FBI guys a combination to the trunk. It’s empty.
Pete falls over. He’s dying.
Pete’s wife looks through all the medication. It’s all gone. His note says, “I’m sorry. Pete.”
Episode Eight
Damages S 2, Episode 8 at Television Without Pity
Ellen lays in bed. It’s 3 in the morning. She takes some pills, drinks some water. She hears a voice: “Can’t sleep?”
It’s David. He tells her that she’s having a hallucination. She tells David that he was right about everything. He asks her why she hasn’t opened her wedding present. He tells her that she’ll know what it means, and that it will make Ellen laugh.
The phone rings. He asks if it’s Patty. She says it’s the FBI. She says it will be one minute… and then David is gone.
The FBI tells Ellen that Pete tried to kill himself, and they don’t know if he’s going to live.
Patty goes to Pete’s bedside, and talks to Pete’s wife, who is already there. She gives Patty Pete’s note.
Patty has a flashback. Patty is a little girl, and someone is yelling that they want to see their wife.
Ellen talks to the FBI. They fill her in on Phil.
Dave talks to Phil. He wants Phil to invest in UNR. Phil says there’s a conflict of interest. Dave thinks the case will vanish. Phil tells Dave that Patty never loses.
Arthur goes out to his land with his spiritual advisor. He shows the advisor where he was when he was shot by Larry. Arthur talks about how the patch of land they’re standing on changed his life.
He wants his spiritual advisor to build a healing center in his field. He buries the bullet he was shot with in the dirt he was shot on. He thinks this could be his new beginning.
Pete’s wife sees Patrick, the guy Pete told to get out of town. He offers to give her a ride to the store.
Ellen goes to visit Patty in her office. She asks about Pete. Pete is still unconscious. Patty tells Ellen about her father, who was an angry, angry man. Patty’s dad left. Then Pete stepped in to help raise Patty.
Patty reminds Ellen that Ellen warned Patty that this would happen. Ellen asks if Pete has anything incriminating on Patty. She asks what they’ll do if Pete wakes up.
Rick and Wes go to visit Arthur. Wes tells Arthur about Ellen going to visit him in the hospital. And Rick tells Arthur, again, to drop the lawsuit.
Ellen and Wes go back to the group counseling. She tells everyone about the wedding gift from David, and how she can’t open it. Wes says that if Ellen never opens the gift, she always has one more moment with David to look forward to.
Patty talks to Phil, and tells Phil that Pete might never wake up. Phil tells Patty that UNR is expecting an influx of capital that will turn the stock around.
Patty takes that information, and mentally ties it to Finn. She thinks Finn might be manipulating energy futures.
Tom finds Susie the escort. And asks her about Finn. And Claire. He tells her that she can talk to him, or she can go down with the rest of the people Tom is going to take down.
Phil invests in UNR stock.
Patrick talks to one of Pete’s boys. Pete’s boy fingers the guy who set up Pete.
Pete wakes up for a moment, and touches his wife’s hand. She calls for a nurse.
One of the FBI fellows goes to talk to Pete. Once again, he tries to make Pete choose between his wife or Patty.
Once again, Finn makes a deal online. While Susie looks on. Susie tells Finn about Tom. Finn tells Susie to never talk to him again. He also says some other things, which freak her out a bit.
Rick goes to visit Arthur’s spiritual advisor. Who is petting a rabbit.
Rick has been reading the guy’s books. First he tells the guy a freaky story, and then he asks to hold the bunny. Rick wants the advisor to tell Arthur that Arthur is still Rick’s pupil.
Then Rick gives the bunny back.
Patty asks Pete what Pete was arrested for. Pete tells her that he got caught doing bad. Patty also asks what the FBI wants to know. Pete says they want Patty, and they have enough to either put Pete or Patty away.
Arthur’s spiritual advisor tells Arthur that no matter what Rick does to Arthur’s body, Rick can’t touch Arthur’s soul.
He also says Arthur’s options are to run from Rick for the rest of his life, or to turn himself in.
Arthur makes a call, and says, “I need to see you.”
Ah. Arthur called his own lady of the evening. When he’s done, he says, “Yeah, I’ll do it.”
Patty, sitting with Pete, flashes back to the days when things were bad in her house.
Turns out, there’s a wire in Pete’s room.
Patty asks why Pete stuck around when her dad took off. Pete says he doesn’t know. Patty tells Pete to give the FBI whatever he needs to.
Arthur talks to Rick, and says he’ll drop the suit. And give Rick the funds Rick needs.
Susie meets with Tom in the middle of a park. He asks if she’s ready to talk. Susie tells Tom she’s scared of Finn. She tells Tom she’ll need protection.
Tom asks if Finn knows Walter.
Arthur drops the lawsuit. But the class-action suit is already on its way to a solid start.
Pete talks to Patrick. The FBI is listening. They don’t know the guy’s voice. The FBI sends Ellen in to ID Patrick. Patrick, of course, being the guy who almost killed Ellen.
Patty walks by a playground, and sees all the happy kids playing.
Pete tells Patrick that Patrick really needs to get out of town for good. Patrick injects something into Pete’s IV.
Ellen juuust misses seeing Patrick. Pete starts dying. Quickly.
Ellen calls Patty to tell her Pete’s dead.
Patrick calls Pete’s boy, Mikey, and they get into Mikey’s car and drive away.
In flashback, Uncle Pete takes Patty to go get some licorice.
Three Months Later: Pete’s wife opens up a box in the closet and finds a bunch of files. Including pictures of Katie’s dog. And a red folder with Ellen’s name on it.
She gives the folder to Ellen.
And there it is: Ellen is talking to someone. It’s Patty. And there’s Ellen with her gun. She tells Patty it isn’t loaded. Then she shows Patty the Ellen folder. Two gunshots. BAM. BAM.
Damages Season 2 on Amazon
A few thoughts before we go on.
One of my favorite TV shows of the last decade was Veronica Mars, a show that used its second-season finale to tell you that everything you knew about the first season was wrong.
I’m exaggerating a bit to make a point about plot threads. If all you ever saw was the first season of “Damages,” you’d make a lot of assumptions about the characters that are no longer true.
Phil, who seems like a nice enough guy, cheats on his wife.
Arthur, who seemed like he was probably going to be dead soon, lived.
And Patty seems to get away with everything.
On truly great TV shows, the writers are always thinking ahead – sometimes a few episodes, and sometimes a couple of seasons. And in the case of “Damages,” it looks like they thought way, way ahead.
With season three starting next week, I’ll be curious to follow along on a week-to-week basis, if only to see what loose ends can still be tied up from season one – and what effect they’ll have on season 3.
But of course, right now, this is still mid-season two. Dead center, to be exact.
Episode Seven
Damages S 2, Episode 7 at Television Without Pity
Then! Ellen is in the office late at night. She sees Uncle Pete there. Ellen remembers Tom saying that “Uncle Pete is really the one who runs everything around here.”
Ellen goes into her office, and sees that her computer is running. And her monitor is warm.
The FBI checks out Uncle Pete – his criminal history goes back something like 50 years. He’s been with Patty ever since she served as his lawyer. He probably knows where the bodies are buried.
Patty meets with Arthur. They’re setting up a press conference. Arthur wrote down some things he wants Patty to say. Arthur wants to fix his reputation. Patty warns Arthur that they’re going to have to vet his financials. Arthur says he has nothing to hide.
Ellen walks into Patty’s office, and Patty informs Ellen that Arthur is going to be their lead plaintiff.
Walter takes his grandkids to the zoo. In New York. His granddaughter says she hates New York. She’s, like, eight.
Dave and Walter meet. One of their guys got caught with cocaine and a lady of the evening. They need a lawyer.
Arthur meets with his spiritual advisor. Arthur says he’s struggling with the press conference – is he getting involved with “these people” for the right reasons?
Ellen talks to Patty. She’s not pleased about Arthur being brought in. Patty doesn’t seem to care. Probably because she doesn’t.
Uncle Pete takes care of his wife, who appears to be on oxygen.
Pete meets with a couple of younger guys. The FBI men observe Pete doing so – they know the guys with Pete. They both have rap sheets.
Ellen and Wes meet for more shooting lessons. Ellen is improving. Slowly. Wes tries to invite Ellen to dinner, but she’s reluctant. They decide to meet again the next week for more shooting practice.
Ellen and Katie talk over a newspaper, which says that Katie’s “follower,” the Bad Cop, is missing. Katie realizes it was a mistake to report him, as they’ve now lost that lead.
Rick meets with Arthur and tells Arthur that Arthur needs to pull out of the lawsuit. He tells Arthur that Katie is “back in the picture.” Rick reminds Arthur that once Arthur chose to go down this road, there was no turning back.
Claire defends the lady of the evening in court. The lady pleads guilty, and gets off with a suspended sentence. Tom sees Claire do this in court.
Claire asks Walter why she was defending the lady of the evening in court. She tells Walter that they need to talk about Arthur’s lawsuit. She suggests they get the stock prices up. Walter says they’ve already lined up some money people.
Walter meets up with The Messenger again, and says that they need to “try again.” He gives The Messenger a slip of paper with coordinates on it.
Tom meets with Patty, and tells her who Claire was defending. They know there was another person on the police report whose named was redacted. Patty says to find her and run down the other name.
And now we start to see how the coordinates thing works. The Messenger gets into the new car, and puts in a Latitude. Then the other guy (who got busted, but released) gets into the same car at another time and writes down the Latitude. Then he leaves. There’s probably more to it, but we don’t get to see it. Yet.
At the press conference, Patty talks Arthur up, since that’s what he asked for. Arthur is as smooth as ever.
Tom orders a lady of the evening. Oddly, he orders the wrong one. Ah, wait, no – he tells the girl he did get that he was hoping to talk to Susie. He pays her, and tells her he just wants the name of Susie’s other client.
His name is Finn. The lady asks if Tom wants to stay, since he already paid.
Patty and Ellen talk strategy, and Uncle Pete brings in Polish pastry. His wife makes it. Turns out they’ve been married almost 60 years.
This seems to make Ellen a little sad.
Ellen asks how long Patty has known Uncle Pete. Since she was a kid. Pete is Patty’s mother’s brother, and, “The Most Loyal Man I’ll Ever Know.”
A couple of dudes meet with Pete’s boys, from the start of the episode. The guys bust Pete’s boys for selling stolen goods.
The FBI guys go after Pete. They bust him with a $3,000 payoff. Racketeering.
They offer him some options. 10 years in prison $250,000 in charges. Second option, he goes home to his wife. The catch is, Pete has to give up Patty. At first, Pete says he’s not going to do it. Then he says he’ll think about it, but he can’t see Patty again. He can’t look her in the eye.
Pete says he has evidence in a storage locker in his house. The FBI guys get ready to take him there. He wants to pick up some strawberries, because he wife will wonder where he was.
Patty talks to Tom, and asks Tom if Tom had a good time with his lady of easy virtue. Tom says he got a name.
Finn. Finn’s a trader in the energy market.
Finn does some trading. With a lady-friend in the room.
Dave calls Walter, and tells him that the trade went through. Walter is happy.
Patty gives Ellen some information about Arthur. They have a lead on the dead Bad Cop.
Wes meets with Rick, and gives Rick the lowdown on the FBI guys. Rick is mad that Wes can’t get Ellen to talk about the missing Bad Cop. Wes says he needs to play it his way. Rick says he’ll have to try someone else: Katie.
Ellen and Katie talk in a bar, and there’s Wes. Ellen calls him over. They drink. Katie tells Wes that she just broke up with her boyfriend. Ellen’s phone rings, she walks away from the table. It’s the FBI. They let Ellen know they’ve got Pete.
Pete goes to the kitchen of his house and tells his wife to “keep these guys company.” He gets a key. And he tells the FBI guys that he has to use to the bathroom, and give his wife her medication. He does so. As far as we know at this point. You really can’t trust this show.
Pete takes the FBI guys to his storage location.
At home, his wife’s inhaler has run out. She takes off her oxygen and goes to get another inhaler.
Pete tells the guy that the information they need is on the third shelf. The trunk.
Pete’s wife finds a note from Pete.
Pete gives the FBI guys a combination to the trunk. It’s empty.
Pete falls over. He’s dying.
Pete’s wife looks through all the medication. It’s all gone. His note says, “I’m sorry. Pete.”
Episode Eight
Damages S 2, Episode 8 at Television Without Pity
Ellen lays in bed. It’s 3 in the morning. She takes some pills, drinks some water. She hears a voice: “Can’t sleep?”
It’s David. He tells her that she’s having a hallucination. She tells David that he was right about everything. He asks her why she hasn’t opened her wedding present. He tells her that she’ll know what it means, and that it will make Ellen laugh.
The phone rings. He asks if it’s Patty. She says it’s the FBI. She says it will be one minute… and then David is gone.
The FBI tells Ellen that Pete tried to kill himself, and they don’t know if he’s going to live.
Patty goes to Pete’s bedside, and talks to Pete’s wife, who is already there. She gives Patty Pete’s note.
Patty has a flashback. Patty is a little girl, and someone is yelling that they want to see their wife.
Ellen talks to the FBI. They fill her in on Phil.
Dave talks to Phil. He wants Phil to invest in UNR. Phil says there’s a conflict of interest. Dave thinks the case will vanish. Phil tells Dave that Patty never loses.
Arthur goes out to his land with his spiritual advisor. He shows the advisor where he was when he was shot by Larry. Arthur talks about how the patch of land they’re standing on changed his life.
He wants his spiritual advisor to build a healing center in his field. He buries the bullet he was shot with in the dirt he was shot on. He thinks this could be his new beginning.
Pete’s wife sees Patrick, the guy Pete told to get out of town. He offers to give her a ride to the store.
Ellen goes to visit Patty in her office. She asks about Pete. Pete is still unconscious. Patty tells Ellen about her father, who was an angry, angry man. Patty’s dad left. Then Pete stepped in to help raise Patty.
Patty reminds Ellen that Ellen warned Patty that this would happen. Ellen asks if Pete has anything incriminating on Patty. She asks what they’ll do if Pete wakes up.
Rick and Wes go to visit Arthur. Wes tells Arthur about Ellen going to visit him in the hospital. And Rick tells Arthur, again, to drop the lawsuit.
Ellen and Wes go back to the group counseling. She tells everyone about the wedding gift from David, and how she can’t open it. Wes says that if Ellen never opens the gift, she always has one more moment with David to look forward to.
Patty talks to Phil, and tells Phil that Pete might never wake up. Phil tells Patty that UNR is expecting an influx of capital that will turn the stock around.
Patty takes that information, and mentally ties it to Finn. She thinks Finn might be manipulating energy futures.
Tom finds Susie the escort. And asks her about Finn. And Claire. He tells her that she can talk to him, or she can go down with the rest of the people Tom is going to take down.
Phil invests in UNR stock.
Patrick talks to one of Pete’s boys. Pete’s boy fingers the guy who set up Pete.
Pete wakes up for a moment, and touches his wife’s hand. She calls for a nurse.
One of the FBI fellows goes to talk to Pete. Once again, he tries to make Pete choose between his wife or Patty.
Once again, Finn makes a deal online. While Susie looks on. Susie tells Finn about Tom. Finn tells Susie to never talk to him again. He also says some other things, which freak her out a bit.
Rick goes to visit Arthur’s spiritual advisor. Who is petting a rabbit.
Rick has been reading the guy’s books. First he tells the guy a freaky story, and then he asks to hold the bunny. Rick wants the advisor to tell Arthur that Arthur is still Rick’s pupil.
Then Rick gives the bunny back.
Patty asks Pete what Pete was arrested for. Pete tells her that he got caught doing bad. Patty also asks what the FBI wants to know. Pete says they want Patty, and they have enough to either put Pete or Patty away.
Arthur’s spiritual advisor tells Arthur that no matter what Rick does to Arthur’s body, Rick can’t touch Arthur’s soul.
He also says Arthur’s options are to run from Rick for the rest of his life, or to turn himself in.
Arthur makes a call, and says, “I need to see you.”
Ah. Arthur called his own lady of the evening. When he’s done, he says, “Yeah, I’ll do it.”
Patty, sitting with Pete, flashes back to the days when things were bad in her house.
Turns out, there’s a wire in Pete’s room.
Patty asks why Pete stuck around when her dad took off. Pete says he doesn’t know. Patty tells Pete to give the FBI whatever he needs to.
Arthur talks to Rick, and says he’ll drop the suit. And give Rick the funds Rick needs.
Susie meets with Tom in the middle of a park. He asks if she’s ready to talk. Susie tells Tom she’s scared of Finn. She tells Tom she’ll need protection.
Tom asks if Finn knows Walter.
Arthur drops the lawsuit. But the class-action suit is already on its way to a solid start.
Pete talks to Patrick. The FBI is listening. They don’t know the guy’s voice. The FBI sends Ellen in to ID Patrick. Patrick, of course, being the guy who almost killed Ellen.
Patty walks by a playground, and sees all the happy kids playing.
Pete tells Patrick that Patrick really needs to get out of town for good. Patrick injects something into Pete’s IV.
Ellen juuust misses seeing Patrick. Pete starts dying. Quickly.
Ellen calls Patty to tell her Pete’s dead.
Patrick calls Pete’s boy, Mikey, and they get into Mikey’s car and drive away.
In flashback, Uncle Pete takes Patty to go get some licorice.
Three Months Later: Pete’s wife opens up a box in the closet and finds a bunch of files. Including pictures of Katie’s dog. And a red folder with Ellen’s name on it.
She gives the folder to Ellen.
And there it is: Ellen is talking to someone. It’s Patty. And there’s Ellen with her gun. She tells Patty it isn’t loaded. Then she shows Patty the Ellen folder. Two gunshots. BAM. BAM.
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Monday, January 18, 2010
Damages Season 2, Episodes 5 and 6
Episode 5
Damages S2 Ep 5 on Television Without Pity
Then: As we open, Patty and Ellen are at a spa, getting spa’ed up. Ellen sorta-kinda says she’s sorry that Purcell turned on Patty. Patty says that Purcell was a pawn – they’re really going after the energy company.
Purcell talks to someone about selling his house.
Five Weeks Earlier: Purcell’s wife tells Purcell he needs to do something about the company hurting people. Later, in the car, Purcell tells his wife he cut a deal with UNR, the energy company. Even later, in the house, his wife says she’ll stop “them,” even if Purcell won’t.
On the TV, Walter says, “I’m merging UNR with another company.”
In Patty’s office, Patty and Tom and Ellen realize that if the merger goes through, UNR will have twice the legal power to stop them from bringing them to justice. So they’re going to try to stop the merger.
Patty tells Tom to get her all the legal info on UNR, and Tom asks Patty if she asked Ellen about “something.” Tom has been with the firm ten years, so Patty is throwing a party at her place. Ellen is invited – assuming she’s not freaked out about returning to the place where she was almost murdered.
Walter talks to the energy commission people about the environmental impact of the merger. Walter has brought Purcell to say, “Hey, it’s going to be fine! We checked out the environmental impact, and it’s all good.” Only in science-speak.
Ellen talks to the FBI. If she goes to the party, they want her to record it.
Patty takes her allegations to the energy commission, and tells them to stall.
Walter talks to his Messenger. The Messenger says that the energy guy is clean – so they can’t blackmail him. The Messenger guy is sent away for now.
Later that night, Walter gets roasted. While wearing a dress.
In the bathroom, Walter punches the guy who roasted him in the kidney. And then cracks his face on the urinal. A large black man asks Walter if he can help Walter with his “merger problem.”
Ellen goes to the party. She meets Tom’s wife. She has flashbacks to the night she was attacked.
Ellen goes out with Wes and practices shooting at a target. She tells Wes that someone tried to kill her, and she never wants to feel vulnerable again. They agree to get together the next week for more shooting lessons.
Wes calls someone and tells them that Ellen wants to learn how to use a gun.
Now: Wes comes to Ellen’s hotel room. She asks if he’s all right. He comes in, they kiss, the door closes.
Then: Phil leaves the office, and bumps into Dave – Dave was the man who asked Walter about his “merger problem.”
Phil asks how Dave likes life in the private sector. Dave tells Phil there’s “something he should know.”
Phil talks to Patty that night. He informs Patty that she’s probably under investigation, and that she needs to make sure there’s nothing out there they can hang her with.
Patty talks to Uncle Pete, who tells her that he doesn’t leave loose ends. He says Ellen is the only problem.
Patty goes to talk to Ellen about the infant mortality case. Ellen says that someone in grief counseling referred the woman who wanted a payoff. Patty says she was worried that someone was trying to set Ellen up. And that something about the case never felt right.
Ellen talks to the FBI, and says that Patty seems paranoid. They’re on the street. Someone appears to be following them.
Patty asks her husband to look over a UNR financial report. He’s off to London.
Patty tells the team they need to get everything they can on UNR as fast as possible. Ellen checks her phone while she’s talking. Patty calls Ellen into her office – she wants to know who was so important that Ellen had to check her phone.
Phil checks out the UNR paperwork. There’s someone in his hotel room. Someone… uh… special, I guess. Phil asks her to look at the numbers. She says she can look later. Then she kisses Phil.
At Patty’s place, Patty talks to Michael. Michael’s writing his college essay about Purcell.
Patty talks to the energy commission. They’ve seen something that makes them want to kill the merger.
Dave goes to visit energy commission guy. He says it’s about “his career.”
Ellen tells the FBI that she thinks she’s being followed. And that Patty asked about the infant mortality case again.
The FBI says there’s a good chance the operation is over.
The dude following Ellen meets with Wes. He gives Wes pictures of Ellen with the FBI guys – but he doesn’t know what they are for sure.
Patty goes to talk to environmental guy. The merger was approved. Patty is mad.
Walter talks to Purcell, and tells Purcell the merger is going through. Walter says he sees big things in Purcell’s future.
Purcell tells Walter that Walter is going to clean up the mess in West Virginia. Walter says it’s already happening. He also says that “whatever happened with Purcell’s wife is over.”
Purcell walks away.
Uncle Pete checked into the “plaintiff” on the infant mortality case. The hospital records check out. But the plaintiff is the wrong color. The real Monique is white, not black. I’m sure that the real FBI enjoys looking like a bunch of dopes.
Uncle Pete tells Patty that Ellen is a liability.
Patty talks to Ellen. Ellen is wired. She tells Patty she was approached by the FBI. The FBI is listening. They say this wasn’t the plan.
Ellen tells Patty that she thinks the infant mortality case was a setup.
She asks who else the FBI might approach.
The FBI meets with Ellen. They are not pleased with Ellen’s choice.
Uncle Pete meets with the guy who tried to kill Ellen. He survived being stabbed. Pete gives the guy a bunch of money and tells him to get out of town.
Purcell sold his place.
In the past, Purcell tells his wife not to go to the police. Then Purcell calls The Messenger. The Messenger asks for the keys to Purcell’s home, and tells Purcell to park his car. “In twenty minutes, this will all be over,” he says.
Phil talks to Patty, and tells her that the energy merger makes no financial sense.
Patty tells Phil that Patty knows she’s under investigation.
At a crime scene, Rick examines a body, then eats a cheeseburger. And then he talks to Wes. Wes tells Rick that he thinks Ellen is talking to the FBI.
Now! Wes gets some guns, and cancels a flight. He asks if he can crash with Ellen, because they’re “doing some work at his buidling.”
Five months ago, we’re looking at a car, a gun goes off, there’s a bullet hole in the windshield, and Wes gets out.
Episode 6
Damages S2 Ep 6 on Television Without Pity
Then! Ellen meets up with Katie at Ellen’s apartment. They’re going to a movie with Katie’s new boyfriend.
Katie gives Ellen the security deposit for her old apartment. Katie’s parents packed up all of David’s stuff. Things are ready to be moved into storage.
Ellen thinks she should go back one last time. Katie doesn’t think Ellen should put herself through that.
Patty is on the news again. She’s going after Walter and UNR on air. She even calls Walter a corporate thug.
She even claims that Walter is responsible for Purcell’s wife’s death, though she doesn’t use names.
Claire talks to Walter, and says they need to shut Patty up. Their stock price fell today. Claire wants to sue Patty.
7 Weeks Earlier: Walter talks to The Messenger. He tells The Messenger to do something, but we don’t know what.
Tom wants to know why Patty mentioned Purcell’s wife’s murder. Patty says to make it personal. She wants information on Claire.
In a bedroom somewhere, Claire asks why Purcell never told her about Patty. She says he probably won’t see her again. Things have gotten “complicated.” Claire leaves.
Katie calls Ellen at the office. Katie was robbed. She fills out a report with the police. At the station, she sees a cop. She remembers the cop. He was in plainclothes, and he was following her.
She goes to take a picture with her phone, and he looks over at Katie.
Katie talks to Ellen. She’s freaking out. Ellen says she’ll figure out if the guy is tied to Arthur.
Ellen talks to the FBI. She tells them they have to look into a cop, since it ties to Ellen’s fiancé’s murder. They say they can’t help.
Ellen goes to Patty, and gives Patty the picture Katie took. Patty says she’ll help.
Katie’s follower talks to Rick, and says Katie saw him. Rick says to do nothing, Rick will handle the rest.
Dave goes looking to buy a car. He offers to pay cash: Sticker Price.
Dave drives the vehicle to someplace in the city.
Patty tells Ellen that the UNR paid too much for the merger. Ellen asks if Patty is worried about the FBI looking into Patty. Patty says she’s in the mood for a fight.
Dave goes to visit Walter at an art museum. They talk merger for about a second. Then Dave gives Walter some keys.
Walter goes to a ballet, and runs into Arthur. Arthur tells Walter that Walter shouldn’t try to take on Patty. Just do whatever she says.
Walter calls Claire and says to sue Patty.
Tom fill Patty in on Claire. Claire was hand-picked by Walter. She’s really, really, really great at her job. There are rumors of a relationship between Claire and Walter.
Patty gets served. Court papers. Defamation suit. 200 million dollars.
Ellen goes to visit her old apartment. Everything is boxed up. Ellen finds an open box and pulls out a picture of herself and David. Then she walks through the rest of the apartment.
She bumps into the president of the co-op board – that creepy dude who fixed the light bulb. He gives her a gift bag that got dropped off after Ellen and David left.
Ellen opens the note. It’s from David.
Patty, Walter, Tom and Claire all meet up with a legal mediator who wants them to come to terms.
In the office, Patty asks if Ellen wants to have lunch. They eat Chinese food. Ellen asks if it’s hard for Phil to be away all the time. Then Ellen asks about the defamation suit.
Walter gives The Messenger a set of keys and some information.
Ellen talks to Katie, and tells her that she went back to the apartment. And got a wedding present from David. She hasn’t opened it yet.
Claire and Walter talk. Claire thinks Patty is trying to drive their stock down so she can have their stockholders sue Walter and Company. She thinks they need to settle, like, NOW.
Katie goes to visit the cops. Rick sees her.
4 Months Later: Rick is sitting in his car when Ellen walks by. She heads into a building. The building. The one where Ellen shoots someone-or-other.
Rick goes to a room, listens at the door, and lets himself in.
Then! Claire joins Walter and crew at dinner. She meets a guy named Mitch.
Walter goes to “make a call.” Claire goes to “stretch her legs.” They meet at the bar. Walter tells Claire to give Mitch a chance. Claire wants Walter to answer her about settling the defamation suit.
Walter says to settle.
Ellen and Katie talk. Katie filed a complaint with the citizen’s review board. Patty tells Katie they have information on the bad guy, but it’s going to take time to tie him to Arthur.
Katie and Ellen argue about how, if Ellen hadn’t taken a job with Patty, David would still be alive. The argument ends badly.
At some random room, Claire asks a tattooed guy to zip her up. She pulls out a cigarette. She says she only smokes one. At the end of every day. Ah – tattooed guy was the waiter where Walter and crew were just eating.
In the middle of somewhere, The Messenger gets into the vehicle David bought and drives away.
Patty, Tom, Claire and Walter try to agree on a settlement price to go to the charity of Walter’s choice. They agree to five million dollars. Walter wants it to go to the NRA. No, apparently that’s a joke. It’s going to Environment First, a local environmental group.
Patty and Tom leave – they’re happy to have paid five million to charity.
Claire and Walter get ready to leave, when, surprise! They get served. They being sued by a major UNR shareholder. It’s Arthur.
Patty tells Arthur she’s glad they can help each other out.
Wow.
Ellen calls Katie to apologize for their fight. She’s about to open her wedding gift from David when her phone rings. It’s Patty.
Patty tells Ellen that they found a shareholder to sue Walter. She doesn’t say who it is.
The bad cop talks to Rick about the fact that Katie filed a complaint. Rick says they need to do what they should have done a long time ago. Then Rick shoots the Bad Cop. Twice.
4 Months Later: The hotel room. Rick walks in. Ellen is in the shower. Rick puts a silencer on his gun. Ellen asks if it’s Wes.
Damages S2 Ep 5 on Television Without Pity
Then: As we open, Patty and Ellen are at a spa, getting spa’ed up. Ellen sorta-kinda says she’s sorry that Purcell turned on Patty. Patty says that Purcell was a pawn – they’re really going after the energy company.
Purcell talks to someone about selling his house.
Five Weeks Earlier: Purcell’s wife tells Purcell he needs to do something about the company hurting people. Later, in the car, Purcell tells his wife he cut a deal with UNR, the energy company. Even later, in the house, his wife says she’ll stop “them,” even if Purcell won’t.
On the TV, Walter says, “I’m merging UNR with another company.”
In Patty’s office, Patty and Tom and Ellen realize that if the merger goes through, UNR will have twice the legal power to stop them from bringing them to justice. So they’re going to try to stop the merger.
Patty tells Tom to get her all the legal info on UNR, and Tom asks Patty if she asked Ellen about “something.” Tom has been with the firm ten years, so Patty is throwing a party at her place. Ellen is invited – assuming she’s not freaked out about returning to the place where she was almost murdered.
Walter talks to the energy commission people about the environmental impact of the merger. Walter has brought Purcell to say, “Hey, it’s going to be fine! We checked out the environmental impact, and it’s all good.” Only in science-speak.
Ellen talks to the FBI. If she goes to the party, they want her to record it.
Patty takes her allegations to the energy commission, and tells them to stall.
Walter talks to his Messenger. The Messenger says that the energy guy is clean – so they can’t blackmail him. The Messenger guy is sent away for now.
Later that night, Walter gets roasted. While wearing a dress.
In the bathroom, Walter punches the guy who roasted him in the kidney. And then cracks his face on the urinal. A large black man asks Walter if he can help Walter with his “merger problem.”
Ellen goes to the party. She meets Tom’s wife. She has flashbacks to the night she was attacked.
Ellen goes out with Wes and practices shooting at a target. She tells Wes that someone tried to kill her, and she never wants to feel vulnerable again. They agree to get together the next week for more shooting lessons.
Wes calls someone and tells them that Ellen wants to learn how to use a gun.
Now: Wes comes to Ellen’s hotel room. She asks if he’s all right. He comes in, they kiss, the door closes.
Then: Phil leaves the office, and bumps into Dave – Dave was the man who asked Walter about his “merger problem.”
Phil asks how Dave likes life in the private sector. Dave tells Phil there’s “something he should know.”
Phil talks to Patty that night. He informs Patty that she’s probably under investigation, and that she needs to make sure there’s nothing out there they can hang her with.
Patty talks to Uncle Pete, who tells her that he doesn’t leave loose ends. He says Ellen is the only problem.
Patty goes to talk to Ellen about the infant mortality case. Ellen says that someone in grief counseling referred the woman who wanted a payoff. Patty says she was worried that someone was trying to set Ellen up. And that something about the case never felt right.
Ellen talks to the FBI, and says that Patty seems paranoid. They’re on the street. Someone appears to be following them.
Patty asks her husband to look over a UNR financial report. He’s off to London.
Patty tells the team they need to get everything they can on UNR as fast as possible. Ellen checks her phone while she’s talking. Patty calls Ellen into her office – she wants to know who was so important that Ellen had to check her phone.
Phil checks out the UNR paperwork. There’s someone in his hotel room. Someone… uh… special, I guess. Phil asks her to look at the numbers. She says she can look later. Then she kisses Phil.
At Patty’s place, Patty talks to Michael. Michael’s writing his college essay about Purcell.
Patty talks to the energy commission. They’ve seen something that makes them want to kill the merger.
Dave goes to visit energy commission guy. He says it’s about “his career.”
Ellen tells the FBI that she thinks she’s being followed. And that Patty asked about the infant mortality case again.
The FBI says there’s a good chance the operation is over.
The dude following Ellen meets with Wes. He gives Wes pictures of Ellen with the FBI guys – but he doesn’t know what they are for sure.
Patty goes to talk to environmental guy. The merger was approved. Patty is mad.
Walter talks to Purcell, and tells Purcell the merger is going through. Walter says he sees big things in Purcell’s future.
Purcell tells Walter that Walter is going to clean up the mess in West Virginia. Walter says it’s already happening. He also says that “whatever happened with Purcell’s wife is over.”
Purcell walks away.
Uncle Pete checked into the “plaintiff” on the infant mortality case. The hospital records check out. But the plaintiff is the wrong color. The real Monique is white, not black. I’m sure that the real FBI enjoys looking like a bunch of dopes.
Uncle Pete tells Patty that Ellen is a liability.
Patty talks to Ellen. Ellen is wired. She tells Patty she was approached by the FBI. The FBI is listening. They say this wasn’t the plan.
Ellen tells Patty that she thinks the infant mortality case was a setup.
She asks who else the FBI might approach.
The FBI meets with Ellen. They are not pleased with Ellen’s choice.
Uncle Pete meets with the guy who tried to kill Ellen. He survived being stabbed. Pete gives the guy a bunch of money and tells him to get out of town.
Purcell sold his place.
In the past, Purcell tells his wife not to go to the police. Then Purcell calls The Messenger. The Messenger asks for the keys to Purcell’s home, and tells Purcell to park his car. “In twenty minutes, this will all be over,” he says.
Phil talks to Patty, and tells her that the energy merger makes no financial sense.
Patty tells Phil that Patty knows she’s under investigation.
At a crime scene, Rick examines a body, then eats a cheeseburger. And then he talks to Wes. Wes tells Rick that he thinks Ellen is talking to the FBI.
Now! Wes gets some guns, and cancels a flight. He asks if he can crash with Ellen, because they’re “doing some work at his buidling.”
Five months ago, we’re looking at a car, a gun goes off, there’s a bullet hole in the windshield, and Wes gets out.
Episode 6
Damages S2 Ep 6 on Television Without Pity
Then! Ellen meets up with Katie at Ellen’s apartment. They’re going to a movie with Katie’s new boyfriend.
Katie gives Ellen the security deposit for her old apartment. Katie’s parents packed up all of David’s stuff. Things are ready to be moved into storage.
Ellen thinks she should go back one last time. Katie doesn’t think Ellen should put herself through that.
Patty is on the news again. She’s going after Walter and UNR on air. She even calls Walter a corporate thug.
She even claims that Walter is responsible for Purcell’s wife’s death, though she doesn’t use names.
Claire talks to Walter, and says they need to shut Patty up. Their stock price fell today. Claire wants to sue Patty.
7 Weeks Earlier: Walter talks to The Messenger. He tells The Messenger to do something, but we don’t know what.
Tom wants to know why Patty mentioned Purcell’s wife’s murder. Patty says to make it personal. She wants information on Claire.
In a bedroom somewhere, Claire asks why Purcell never told her about Patty. She says he probably won’t see her again. Things have gotten “complicated.” Claire leaves.
Katie calls Ellen at the office. Katie was robbed. She fills out a report with the police. At the station, she sees a cop. She remembers the cop. He was in plainclothes, and he was following her.
She goes to take a picture with her phone, and he looks over at Katie.
Katie talks to Ellen. She’s freaking out. Ellen says she’ll figure out if the guy is tied to Arthur.
Ellen talks to the FBI. She tells them they have to look into a cop, since it ties to Ellen’s fiancé’s murder. They say they can’t help.
Ellen goes to Patty, and gives Patty the picture Katie took. Patty says she’ll help.
Katie’s follower talks to Rick, and says Katie saw him. Rick says to do nothing, Rick will handle the rest.
Dave goes looking to buy a car. He offers to pay cash: Sticker Price.
Dave drives the vehicle to someplace in the city.
Patty tells Ellen that the UNR paid too much for the merger. Ellen asks if Patty is worried about the FBI looking into Patty. Patty says she’s in the mood for a fight.
Dave goes to visit Walter at an art museum. They talk merger for about a second. Then Dave gives Walter some keys.
Walter goes to a ballet, and runs into Arthur. Arthur tells Walter that Walter shouldn’t try to take on Patty. Just do whatever she says.
Walter calls Claire and says to sue Patty.
Tom fill Patty in on Claire. Claire was hand-picked by Walter. She’s really, really, really great at her job. There are rumors of a relationship between Claire and Walter.
Patty gets served. Court papers. Defamation suit. 200 million dollars.
Ellen goes to visit her old apartment. Everything is boxed up. Ellen finds an open box and pulls out a picture of herself and David. Then she walks through the rest of the apartment.
She bumps into the president of the co-op board – that creepy dude who fixed the light bulb. He gives her a gift bag that got dropped off after Ellen and David left.
Ellen opens the note. It’s from David.
Patty, Walter, Tom and Claire all meet up with a legal mediator who wants them to come to terms.
In the office, Patty asks if Ellen wants to have lunch. They eat Chinese food. Ellen asks if it’s hard for Phil to be away all the time. Then Ellen asks about the defamation suit.
Walter gives The Messenger a set of keys and some information.
Ellen talks to Katie, and tells her that she went back to the apartment. And got a wedding present from David. She hasn’t opened it yet.
Claire and Walter talk. Claire thinks Patty is trying to drive their stock down so she can have their stockholders sue Walter and Company. She thinks they need to settle, like, NOW.
Katie goes to visit the cops. Rick sees her.
4 Months Later: Rick is sitting in his car when Ellen walks by. She heads into a building. The building. The one where Ellen shoots someone-or-other.
Rick goes to a room, listens at the door, and lets himself in.
Then! Claire joins Walter and crew at dinner. She meets a guy named Mitch.
Walter goes to “make a call.” Claire goes to “stretch her legs.” They meet at the bar. Walter tells Claire to give Mitch a chance. Claire wants Walter to answer her about settling the defamation suit.
Walter says to settle.
Ellen and Katie talk. Katie filed a complaint with the citizen’s review board. Patty tells Katie they have information on the bad guy, but it’s going to take time to tie him to Arthur.
Katie and Ellen argue about how, if Ellen hadn’t taken a job with Patty, David would still be alive. The argument ends badly.
At some random room, Claire asks a tattooed guy to zip her up. She pulls out a cigarette. She says she only smokes one. At the end of every day. Ah – tattooed guy was the waiter where Walter and crew were just eating.
In the middle of somewhere, The Messenger gets into the vehicle David bought and drives away.
Patty, Tom, Claire and Walter try to agree on a settlement price to go to the charity of Walter’s choice. They agree to five million dollars. Walter wants it to go to the NRA. No, apparently that’s a joke. It’s going to Environment First, a local environmental group.
Patty and Tom leave – they’re happy to have paid five million to charity.
Claire and Walter get ready to leave, when, surprise! They get served. They being sued by a major UNR shareholder. It’s Arthur.
Patty tells Arthur she’s glad they can help each other out.
Wow.
Ellen calls Katie to apologize for their fight. She’s about to open her wedding gift from David when her phone rings. It’s Patty.
Patty tells Ellen that they found a shareholder to sue Walter. She doesn’t say who it is.
The bad cop talks to Rick about the fact that Katie filed a complaint. Rick says they need to do what they should have done a long time ago. Then Rick shoots the Bad Cop. Twice.
4 Months Later: The hotel room. Rick walks in. Ellen is in the shower. Rick puts a silencer on his gun. Ellen asks if it’s Wes.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Damages Season 2: Episodes 3 and 4
Episode 3
Damages S 2: Ep 3 on Television Without Pity
Then: Claire asks Purcell if he killed his wife. Then she asks if Purcell’s wife knew about them.
Purcell tells her no, while footage plays that shows Purcell and his wife arguing.
Claire tells Purcell that someone leaked his toxicity findings, and Purcell tells Claire it was him. But won’t tell her why.
Tom and Patty talk. A dude named Walter is running the energy company that’s destroying the earth. Tom basically thinks it’s a great case, but wants to know what the deal is with Patty and Purcell.
Ellen and the FBI talk. They want to know why Tom didn’t pay. They want Ellen to back off on Tom and Patty for a while, so they can make sure they haven’t blown their cover.
Tom goes to his office and finds Purcell injecting insulin. Tom tries to prep Purcell to talk to the police. Purcell asks if they found any evidence as far as the murderer goes. Nope.
Ellen asks Patty to sit in while Purcell is questions. Patty says no.
A cop talks to Purcell. They ask about the earlier break-in, and he tells the cop about it. The cop asks if the killer was the same guy who broke in. Purcell says he doesn’t know.
The cop wonders if someone was targeting the wrong house. The cop asks Purcell to describe the killer again. And also, he wonders why the guy didn’t steal anything.
The cop shows Purcell pictures of the crime scene. Patty tells Purcell that Purcell doesn’t have to look, but Purcell says he wants to help. He looks at the pictures and discovers that one of his wife’s rings is missing – not a diamond, but a ruby.
The cop writes it down, but Purcell doesn’t like the guy’s attitude and asks if the cop thinks he killed his own wife? The cop says no. Then the cop asks if Purcell ever “laid a hand” on his wife. Purcell says no. The cop says that his wife filed a complaint with the state of New York three years ago that says otherwise.
Oh, and also there was a restraining order.
Both were sealed under court order. Purcell says they can’t use those files in a court of law.
Tom and Patty talk. The information really was sealed, which is why Patty and Tom didn’t find the information.
Meanwhile, Ellen tries to find the Patty/Purcell connection. She finds a file labeled IBC Global Summary, and reads it.
10 Years Ago: Patty asks Purcell a bunch of questions about a chemical, and whether it is/was safe. There’s a bunch of other people in the room. Patty produces a letter to Purcell’s daughter’s day care provider.
Katie calls Ellen and asks when Ellen is showing up. Ellen is late. Katie appears to have a new boyfriend.
Tom talks to Ellen. First about Katie, and then about the IBC Global case. Purcell was a key witness against Patty. Ellen thinks that’s strange.
At the park, Claire talks to Wayne. She appears to think Wayne is the reason for Purcell’s wife being dead. Wayne says he thinks Purcell did it.
Wayne talks to Walter about Claire and Purcell. Walter wants to up security at all facilities, otherwise he doesn’t seem worried.
Purcell goes to see Patty in the office. Ellen bumps into him and says she’s sorry about Purcell’s wife.
Patty talks to Purcell and says she doesn’t believe a word he says. Purcell claims that he’s told Patty everything he knows. She makes him take a lie detector test.
The lie detector guy asks Purcell a bunch of questions – including, “Did you kill your wife?” and, “Do you really think your wife’s ruby ring was stolen?”
And now we’re in West Virginia, with some dude looking at a dead pig. His name is Josh. He talks to the owner. He wants to know how the pig died. He’s wondering if the water has contamination from the coal plant.
Ellen talks to Nye about the IBC case. Nye was part of the defense.
10 Years Ago: Purcell wrote a letter to his daughter’s day care provider. The contaminant was present, in lower numbers than what Purcell judged as “safe,” for his company. Patty basically crushes him in the deposition.
Six Months Ago: Nye suspects that Patty paid Purcell the blow his testimony, because it was Patty’s first case on her own.
Patty calls the FBI and tells them this information. She’s left them five messages.
Michael tells Patty to stay away from Purcell. Michael thinks Purcell killed his wife.
Joshua calls Purcell. Purcell sees the number and lets Josh leave a message. Josh says that, “things are getting worse down here.”
Patty and Purcell talk. The results on the polygraph were inconclusive. Purcell admits there’s a lot more that he hasn’t been saying. But he knows as soon as he gives any more information to Patty, she’ll push him aside to pursue a conspiracy. Patty says he’ll get Purcell a good defense attorney, and walks away.
Michael goes to see Ellen. He asks Ellen to read his application essay.
Purcell gets into a cab. Claire is in the cab. Claire says that Purcell can’t trust Wayne.
Claire tells Purcell that he needs to take his daughter and leave the country.
Ellen talks to Patty. She wants to know why they’re defending Purcell. Patty says she needed an expert witness, so she was referred to Purcell. Then things went… well. I guess.
Until 10 years ago. Patty asks if Ellen thinks Patty paid off Purcell.
10 Year Ago: Patty offers Purcell and envelope. Purcell says he threw the deposition because it was the right thing to do.
Six Months Ago: Patty tells the FBI that she thinks Michael is Purcell’s kid.
10 Years Ago: Purcell thanks Patty for “these.” Purcell says he always wanted a son, he just didn’t know he actually had one. Purcell wants to know why he’s finding out about his son post-thrown-testimony.
This makes Purcell mad.
Six Months Ago: Tom tells Patty that Purcell was arrested boarding a plane at JFK.
Somewhere with a fence, Joshua breaks through said fence and takes a water sample.
Patty questions Purcell. He wants to know why Purcell tried to leave. Patty wants to know what Purcell knows. Purcell wants Patty to defend him. He says he wants a retainer from Patty. Patty pulls out some paperwork and has Purcell sign it. Then Patty signs it.
Purcell says there’s a reporter that Patty needs to meet. He’s talking about Joshua, who just got back to his jeep, and discovered that he’s got a flat tire.
He goes to change it, and two guys beat him up and take some of Josh’s stuff.
Tom and Patty talk. Patty was the one who ratted out Purcell about leaving the country.
As the ‘sode ends, a dude sells a ruby ring at a pawn shop.
Episode 4
Damages S 2: Ep 4 on Television Without Pity
Then: Purcell has a dream where he can’t get a plate clean inside the house, while his wife, who is sitting on a swing, is attacked outside the house. He wakes up in jail.
Ellen and Patty talk – Ellen and Tom are going to find Josh, who is missing.
Now! Ellen talks to whoever it is she’s talking to in that room. She puts a gun in her purse just as the person comes in. Ellen asks if “that’s the money.”
She shoots the person, then walks out of the hotel room with a briefcase.
Patty talks to the cop and the attorney who are going to take Purcell down. She tells them to find the ring, or she will.
Outside, Patty’s bald guy hands a bunch of people pictures of the ring and tells them to find it.
Somewhere, at night, the dude who sold the ring gives the money to a woman and a little girl who I guess is his daughter. The woman gets mad at him, and says there’s no way he only got $300 for the ring.
Dude’s name is Kevin.
Purcell meets with his daughter in jail. Patty is sitting one table over. Purcell nods Patty to the table. Erica, the daughter, wants to know when Purcell is coming home. Patty says she’s doing her best.
In West Virginia, Ellen and Tom drive and talk about bluegrass and the fact that they’re lost.
Ellen asks if Tom “sees that.” They get out of their car, and see a huge bonfire. It smells bad, even though they’re far away.
Also in West Virginia, Wayne and Walter talk. Walter’s driver comes up and talks about Joshua, and how he’s been in contact with Purcell. Wayne says Purcell is under control.
Walter wants the water sample back.
Bald Guy calls Patty, and tells her they found the ring.
Ellen and Tom go to Josh’s place. It’s been broken into and ransacked.
Patty gives the cop the ring, and a security camera shot of the guy who pawned the ring.
The cop says he’ll look into this. The cop says he still doesn’t believe Purcell.
Kevin goes to a shop, pulls out a gun, and sticks up his friend. His friend gives him all the money in the register.
Michael talks to his stepfather, Phil, about a dream Phil had.
10 Years Ago: Patty discovers that Purcell filed for custody. They talk. Threats are made.
Five Months Ago: Patty talks to Purcell, and tells Purcell they found the ring. Patty says she’s going to get him out of jail. Purcell says he needs to redraft his will.
Ellen and Tom talk to Josh’s editor. He sent Josh to cover a basketball game. Ellen and Tom don’t buy it. The editor apologizes, and says that Josh is a smart kid who tries hard, but that Josh is wrong about a nearby energy plant killing livestock.
A cop gives the other cop (who is actually a detective) the information that Kevin has been brought in for robbing his own cousin.
The detective tells Patty that he was wrong. They found the guy who sold the ring, and he matches Purcell’s description.
They do a lineup. Purcell looks at the suspects. He fingers the dude who pawned the ring.
Then he gets out of jail. His daughter is there to meet him. Patty is happy.
Claire meets with Walter. Claire says she thinks Wayne had something to do with Purcell’s wife. She wants Walter to cut all ties with Wayne.
She asks if “they” had anything to do with the murder.
Some guy tells Wayne that Kevin has been caught. He tells Wayne that he needs instructions. Wayne gives obtuse instructions.
Tom and Ellen call Patty and say they’re looking for Josh. Ellen goes to her room. Tom goes to buy a Mr. Pibb.
Josh finds Ellen and asks if they can talk somewhere safe.
Josh tells them that the livestock are dying, and leukemia rates are through the roof. And he gives them the water sample.
Wayne’s man meets some other dude in prison. He wants to “deliver a message.”
At home, Patty talks to Michael. She says she “wants to talk to him about something.”
Purcell tells Patty that they have the water sample. Purcell agrees to test it. She also needs Purcell to testify against his company.
Patty tells Purcell that they’ve told Michael about him. Michael would like to meet Purcell. Purcell would like to meet Michael.
They meet. They talk, while a bunch of music plays, so you can’t hear them. They seem to get along well.
Patty talks to the guy who was going to prosecute Purcell. She tells him she doesn’t think Kevin acted alone.
In the prison yard, the “messenger” shivs Kevin.
Tom and Josh drive to the airport, only they’re stopped by the cops, who think they are “in possession of stolen property.”
Tom steps out of the car. The cop goes to search their stuff. Josh asks what’s up.
Ellen steps into Patty’s office. She has the water. She and Tom split up. Smart people.
In court, Patty and Claire fight it out. Patty wants that paperwork back, to prove wrongdoing. The judge wants to hear why Purcell sought to come forward. Purcell is brought up on the witness stand. Questioning happens.
Purcell shafts Patty. He says that UNR doctored nothing: The results are clean.
In flashback, Purcell dumps the water sample.
The judge throws Patty out of court. He does all but shout, “Shame!” as he does so.
Patty is mad. This isn’t going to be good for Purcell. At all.
In flashback again, Purcell dumps the water, and we learn that Wayne was standing next to him. And tells him that Purcell’s first “wire transfer” went through. Yes indeedy, Purcell was paid off.
Three Weeks Earlier: Wayne’s messenger and Kevin are in Purcell’s car. The messenger gives Kevin the rings and tells him to pawn it after a couple of days.
Then The Messenger tells Purcell to go into the house and dial 911.
Damages S 2: Ep 3 on Television Without Pity
Then: Claire asks Purcell if he killed his wife. Then she asks if Purcell’s wife knew about them.
Purcell tells her no, while footage plays that shows Purcell and his wife arguing.
Claire tells Purcell that someone leaked his toxicity findings, and Purcell tells Claire it was him. But won’t tell her why.
Tom and Patty talk. A dude named Walter is running the energy company that’s destroying the earth. Tom basically thinks it’s a great case, but wants to know what the deal is with Patty and Purcell.
Ellen and the FBI talk. They want to know why Tom didn’t pay. They want Ellen to back off on Tom and Patty for a while, so they can make sure they haven’t blown their cover.
Tom goes to his office and finds Purcell injecting insulin. Tom tries to prep Purcell to talk to the police. Purcell asks if they found any evidence as far as the murderer goes. Nope.
Ellen asks Patty to sit in while Purcell is questions. Patty says no.
A cop talks to Purcell. They ask about the earlier break-in, and he tells the cop about it. The cop asks if the killer was the same guy who broke in. Purcell says he doesn’t know.
The cop wonders if someone was targeting the wrong house. The cop asks Purcell to describe the killer again. And also, he wonders why the guy didn’t steal anything.
The cop shows Purcell pictures of the crime scene. Patty tells Purcell that Purcell doesn’t have to look, but Purcell says he wants to help. He looks at the pictures and discovers that one of his wife’s rings is missing – not a diamond, but a ruby.
The cop writes it down, but Purcell doesn’t like the guy’s attitude and asks if the cop thinks he killed his own wife? The cop says no. Then the cop asks if Purcell ever “laid a hand” on his wife. Purcell says no. The cop says that his wife filed a complaint with the state of New York three years ago that says otherwise.
Oh, and also there was a restraining order.
Both were sealed under court order. Purcell says they can’t use those files in a court of law.
Tom and Patty talk. The information really was sealed, which is why Patty and Tom didn’t find the information.
Meanwhile, Ellen tries to find the Patty/Purcell connection. She finds a file labeled IBC Global Summary, and reads it.
10 Years Ago: Patty asks Purcell a bunch of questions about a chemical, and whether it is/was safe. There’s a bunch of other people in the room. Patty produces a letter to Purcell’s daughter’s day care provider.
Katie calls Ellen and asks when Ellen is showing up. Ellen is late. Katie appears to have a new boyfriend.
Tom talks to Ellen. First about Katie, and then about the IBC Global case. Purcell was a key witness against Patty. Ellen thinks that’s strange.
At the park, Claire talks to Wayne. She appears to think Wayne is the reason for Purcell’s wife being dead. Wayne says he thinks Purcell did it.
Wayne talks to Walter about Claire and Purcell. Walter wants to up security at all facilities, otherwise he doesn’t seem worried.
Purcell goes to see Patty in the office. Ellen bumps into him and says she’s sorry about Purcell’s wife.
Patty talks to Purcell and says she doesn’t believe a word he says. Purcell claims that he’s told Patty everything he knows. She makes him take a lie detector test.
The lie detector guy asks Purcell a bunch of questions – including, “Did you kill your wife?” and, “Do you really think your wife’s ruby ring was stolen?”
And now we’re in West Virginia, with some dude looking at a dead pig. His name is Josh. He talks to the owner. He wants to know how the pig died. He’s wondering if the water has contamination from the coal plant.
Ellen talks to Nye about the IBC case. Nye was part of the defense.
10 Years Ago: Purcell wrote a letter to his daughter’s day care provider. The contaminant was present, in lower numbers than what Purcell judged as “safe,” for his company. Patty basically crushes him in the deposition.
Six Months Ago: Nye suspects that Patty paid Purcell the blow his testimony, because it was Patty’s first case on her own.
Patty calls the FBI and tells them this information. She’s left them five messages.
Michael tells Patty to stay away from Purcell. Michael thinks Purcell killed his wife.
Joshua calls Purcell. Purcell sees the number and lets Josh leave a message. Josh says that, “things are getting worse down here.”
Patty and Purcell talk. The results on the polygraph were inconclusive. Purcell admits there’s a lot more that he hasn’t been saying. But he knows as soon as he gives any more information to Patty, she’ll push him aside to pursue a conspiracy. Patty says he’ll get Purcell a good defense attorney, and walks away.
Michael goes to see Ellen. He asks Ellen to read his application essay.
Purcell gets into a cab. Claire is in the cab. Claire says that Purcell can’t trust Wayne.
Claire tells Purcell that he needs to take his daughter and leave the country.
Ellen talks to Patty. She wants to know why they’re defending Purcell. Patty says she needed an expert witness, so she was referred to Purcell. Then things went… well. I guess.
Until 10 years ago. Patty asks if Ellen thinks Patty paid off Purcell.
10 Year Ago: Patty offers Purcell and envelope. Purcell says he threw the deposition because it was the right thing to do.
Six Months Ago: Patty tells the FBI that she thinks Michael is Purcell’s kid.
10 Years Ago: Purcell thanks Patty for “these.” Purcell says he always wanted a son, he just didn’t know he actually had one. Purcell wants to know why he’s finding out about his son post-thrown-testimony.
This makes Purcell mad.
Six Months Ago: Tom tells Patty that Purcell was arrested boarding a plane at JFK.
Somewhere with a fence, Joshua breaks through said fence and takes a water sample.
Patty questions Purcell. He wants to know why Purcell tried to leave. Patty wants to know what Purcell knows. Purcell wants Patty to defend him. He says he wants a retainer from Patty. Patty pulls out some paperwork and has Purcell sign it. Then Patty signs it.
Purcell says there’s a reporter that Patty needs to meet. He’s talking about Joshua, who just got back to his jeep, and discovered that he’s got a flat tire.
He goes to change it, and two guys beat him up and take some of Josh’s stuff.
Tom and Patty talk. Patty was the one who ratted out Purcell about leaving the country.
As the ‘sode ends, a dude sells a ruby ring at a pawn shop.
Episode 4
Damages S 2: Ep 4 on Television Without Pity
Then: Purcell has a dream where he can’t get a plate clean inside the house, while his wife, who is sitting on a swing, is attacked outside the house. He wakes up in jail.
Ellen and Patty talk – Ellen and Tom are going to find Josh, who is missing.
Now! Ellen talks to whoever it is she’s talking to in that room. She puts a gun in her purse just as the person comes in. Ellen asks if “that’s the money.”
She shoots the person, then walks out of the hotel room with a briefcase.
Patty talks to the cop and the attorney who are going to take Purcell down. She tells them to find the ring, or she will.
Outside, Patty’s bald guy hands a bunch of people pictures of the ring and tells them to find it.
Somewhere, at night, the dude who sold the ring gives the money to a woman and a little girl who I guess is his daughter. The woman gets mad at him, and says there’s no way he only got $300 for the ring.
Dude’s name is Kevin.
Purcell meets with his daughter in jail. Patty is sitting one table over. Purcell nods Patty to the table. Erica, the daughter, wants to know when Purcell is coming home. Patty says she’s doing her best.
In West Virginia, Ellen and Tom drive and talk about bluegrass and the fact that they’re lost.
Ellen asks if Tom “sees that.” They get out of their car, and see a huge bonfire. It smells bad, even though they’re far away.
Also in West Virginia, Wayne and Walter talk. Walter’s driver comes up and talks about Joshua, and how he’s been in contact with Purcell. Wayne says Purcell is under control.
Walter wants the water sample back.
Bald Guy calls Patty, and tells her they found the ring.
Ellen and Tom go to Josh’s place. It’s been broken into and ransacked.
Patty gives the cop the ring, and a security camera shot of the guy who pawned the ring.
The cop says he’ll look into this. The cop says he still doesn’t believe Purcell.
Kevin goes to a shop, pulls out a gun, and sticks up his friend. His friend gives him all the money in the register.
Michael talks to his stepfather, Phil, about a dream Phil had.
10 Years Ago: Patty discovers that Purcell filed for custody. They talk. Threats are made.
Five Months Ago: Patty talks to Purcell, and tells Purcell they found the ring. Patty says she’s going to get him out of jail. Purcell says he needs to redraft his will.
Ellen and Tom talk to Josh’s editor. He sent Josh to cover a basketball game. Ellen and Tom don’t buy it. The editor apologizes, and says that Josh is a smart kid who tries hard, but that Josh is wrong about a nearby energy plant killing livestock.
A cop gives the other cop (who is actually a detective) the information that Kevin has been brought in for robbing his own cousin.
The detective tells Patty that he was wrong. They found the guy who sold the ring, and he matches Purcell’s description.
They do a lineup. Purcell looks at the suspects. He fingers the dude who pawned the ring.
Then he gets out of jail. His daughter is there to meet him. Patty is happy.
Claire meets with Walter. Claire says she thinks Wayne had something to do with Purcell’s wife. She wants Walter to cut all ties with Wayne.
She asks if “they” had anything to do with the murder.
Some guy tells Wayne that Kevin has been caught. He tells Wayne that he needs instructions. Wayne gives obtuse instructions.
Tom and Ellen call Patty and say they’re looking for Josh. Ellen goes to her room. Tom goes to buy a Mr. Pibb.
Josh finds Ellen and asks if they can talk somewhere safe.
Josh tells them that the livestock are dying, and leukemia rates are through the roof. And he gives them the water sample.
Wayne’s man meets some other dude in prison. He wants to “deliver a message.”
At home, Patty talks to Michael. She says she “wants to talk to him about something.”
Purcell tells Patty that they have the water sample. Purcell agrees to test it. She also needs Purcell to testify against his company.
Patty tells Purcell that they’ve told Michael about him. Michael would like to meet Purcell. Purcell would like to meet Michael.
They meet. They talk, while a bunch of music plays, so you can’t hear them. They seem to get along well.
Patty talks to the guy who was going to prosecute Purcell. She tells him she doesn’t think Kevin acted alone.
In the prison yard, the “messenger” shivs Kevin.
Tom and Josh drive to the airport, only they’re stopped by the cops, who think they are “in possession of stolen property.”
Tom steps out of the car. The cop goes to search their stuff. Josh asks what’s up.
Ellen steps into Patty’s office. She has the water. She and Tom split up. Smart people.
In court, Patty and Claire fight it out. Patty wants that paperwork back, to prove wrongdoing. The judge wants to hear why Purcell sought to come forward. Purcell is brought up on the witness stand. Questioning happens.
Purcell shafts Patty. He says that UNR doctored nothing: The results are clean.
In flashback, Purcell dumps the water sample.
The judge throws Patty out of court. He does all but shout, “Shame!” as he does so.
Patty is mad. This isn’t going to be good for Purcell. At all.
In flashback again, Purcell dumps the water, and we learn that Wayne was standing next to him. And tells him that Purcell’s first “wire transfer” went through. Yes indeedy, Purcell was paid off.
Three Weeks Earlier: Wayne’s messenger and Kevin are in Purcell’s car. The messenger gives Kevin the rings and tells him to pawn it after a couple of days.
Then The Messenger tells Purcell to go into the house and dial 911.
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