Damages Season 1 – Episodes 7, 8 and 9

So where were we?

Well, at this point, we’re almost halfway through the season, and most of the major players seem to be in place.

The most interesting question at this point is, of course: What exactly did Arthur do?

Through the last six episodes, Arthur has maintained that he’s innocent – to his wife, his kids, his lawyer, and pretty much anyone else that’ll listen.

But dangling over those statements is Gregory’s counter-statement: This is much bigger than the broker.

How much bigger remains to be seen.

Episode 7

Damages Episode 7 on Hulu

Ellen starts by saying that someone is covering “it” up. By which she means the fact that someone tried to kill her in Patty’s apartment.

Nye says to start with what she knows.

Ellen says that she and David had a fight, so she stayed at Patty’s apartment. Patty was “away for the weekend.”

The man came in, and attacked Patty, and from what we can tell she stabbed him to death with a knife from the kitchen. Then she pulled off her bloody clothing, put on her coat, and went to go find David.

She runs into the apartment, and sees the signs of the struggle. She finds the Statue of Liberty bookend, and picks it up. She finds David dead. She hears a knock at the door, escapes out the window, and gets to the sidewalk. Only she’s stopped by two cops.

Ellen tells Nye that if he wants to help her, he has to find Patty.

Credits.

The Past! Ray and Patty are in a makeup room, and Ray is getting made up. Patty brings up Gregory, and Ray pretends he has no idea what she’s talking about.

Out in the street, Gregory, hood pulled up to hide his face, walks down the sidewalk. A dude gets out of a car and follows him. Gregory accidentally knocks a woman over. The dude walks past Gregory… and the woman serves him a subpoena.

Later, Gregory sits in a hotel room and Ray comes to visit him. Ray tried to quash the subpoena. Then he asks Gregory if Gregory ever told anyone about the stock sale. Gregory says no. Ray gets ready to go, and Gregory asks Ray if Ray has money for the snack machine.

Patty goes to visit Michael at Reform School. Patty asks a director if Michael is ready to come home. The director says that’s up to her.

Patty talks to Michael – she thinks Michael should come home. Michael says he wants to stay. He states that him coming here wasn’t about parenting – it was about Patty proving she was in control. It’s a whole battle-of-wills thing.

The Present! Ellen, meanwhile, says that Patty was the only one who knew Ellen was at her apartment, and that someone needs to find Patty. The cops come in, state that her fingerprints were all over the murder weapon, and arrest her for David’s murder.

The Past! Patty takes something for a headache, I’m guessing, and she seems Tom and Ellen laughing in the hallway. Ellen goes to get her stuff, and Patty goes to see Ellen. She asks a lot of questions about Tom: How’s he doing? Does he seem fully committed to the firm? Did Tom try to hire her when Tom was thinking about starting his own firm?

Ellen says no, he didn’t.

Outside, Tom and Ellen talk about this. Tom is thinking Ellen probably should have told the truth, but that no one can prove anything, so they should be okay. They go to talk to the manager of the restaurant Gregory used to work at.

In the park, Gregory’s Tormentor talks to Ray. Ray says Tormentor needs to knock off what he’s doing – they don’t need anything happening to Gregory right now.

At home Patty tries to work the Tivo, but can’t get it to record the program she was on. They talk about Michael.

The next day, Patty and Ray go before a judge, and Patty says that a wealthy patron paid Gregory a lot of money to go to Florida. And she tells the judge that Gregory and Arthur dumped their stock on the same day.

The subpoena stands.

Now! Ellen is in jail. Her lawyer is here. It’s Tom. She tells Tom he’s the only one she can trust.

The Past! Tom and Ellen discuss whether they should tell Patty the truth. Tom thinks it’s a stupid idea. Patty appears in the doorway, and asks to talk to Ellen.

Ray goes to tell Gregory that Gregory needs to disappear. And that he can’t protect Gregory any more. Gregory has no idea where to go.

Tormentor and Dude with Beard meet, and Dude with Beard says that he’ll handle dealing with Gregory himself this time.

Tom talks to David about the fact that she lied to Patty. She doesn’t know what to do.

Gregory packs to leave, only to bump into Bald Dude.

Bald Dude throws Gregory in a limo – and there’s Patty. Who says Bald Dude has been protecting him, and that probably he’s confused, since a lot of people have likely been making promises to him.

He concurs.

Patty tells Gregory that Patty will protect him. All he has to do is show up and tell the truth.

Later, Patty tells Ellen that she’s going to do something that Tom doesn’t need to know about. I suspect that Tom and Patty are trying to drive Ellen insane, but I’m just guessing.

Patty goes to see Michael at reform school. She’s brought him emancipation papers, and signed a form to release his college fund. He signs the papers and he’s on his own.

At the office, Patty and Ray get ready for Gregory’s deposition.

At the hotel room, Gregory and Bald Dude are talking, since Bald Dude is there to protect and escort Gregory. At least until Gregory clocks him with a baseball bat.

Bald Dude texts Patty. The deposition is cancelled. Patty goes to her office and freaks right out.

Gregory is out on the street. Bearded Dude is following him.

Ellen goes to Tom’s office and says they either need to trust each other, or not – there’s no in-between. Tom says she’s right – and they opt to trust each other.

Now! Ellen needs Tom to find Patty. Tom thinks Patty doesn’t want to be found. And that Ellen was the last one to see Patty.

The Past! Tom calls Patty and tells her that he tried to hire Ellen.

Patty sits watching herself on the news when Michael appears in front of her, and drops the unsigned papers in front of her. Patty says, “Well. Welcome home.”

Patty offers to make Michael a sandwich. Michael asks how the case is going, and Patty says it’s going great.

Now! Tom calls Patty and tells her to lay low. Ellen calls Nye and tells him to follow Tom, as Tom will lead him to Patty.

Episode 8

Damages Episode 8 on Hulu

Then! Ellen is sitting and eating when there’s a knock at the door. It’s David, who still hasn’t gotten his keys. Ellen’s sister was going to bring over the extra set, but it hasn’t happened yet.

On the table are three slices of cake. They have to choose one for the wedding. Ellen tastes one, says it’s great, and leaves.

Now! Ellen is talking to Nye. He asks what happened the last time she and David saw each other. David says, “Do you want us, or do you want this job?” He wants her to decide right now. She can’t, so he says they’re done.

Credits!

Then! Michael makes French Toast and eat while his parents watch the news. Michael leaves, and Patty says, “First family breakfast in over a year.”

At the car wash, Larry, Arthur’s sometime stooge, works. He’s not looking too good.

Tom tells Patty that they have to plan their next move, because Gregory has vanished.

A rep from the case shows up, and Patty says she’s going to tell him the truth.

Back at the car wash, the managers asks about a Caddy with scratches on it. Larry says they were there before, and starts talking about bad brushes. It doesn’t matter – he’s fired.

Ellen talks to her assistant, who isn’t doing a great job. Then she talks to Patty, about checking over some things on some papers. Patty asks her how she likes her assistant, and Ellen says, “He’ll get there.” Patty says she doesn’t like him.

Larry goes to see Arthur. He tells Arthur he’s done everything he can do, and he wants to be taken care of, like Arthur said. Arthur reminds Larry that he was supposed to be taken care of after the trial, but he says he’ll look into it.

At the office, Ellen has to tell her parents she can’t have lunch – something her assistant was supposed to take care of. He did tell them, but it turns out they have another reason to be there. Her dad hit a crossing guard with his car and month ago, and his deposition is tomorrow.

Ellen is called to Patty’s office. Patty is trying to get Larry to think they’re going to settle.

On the way back to her office, Tom tells Ellen that Patty’s “I don’t like him,” is code telling her to fire her assistant.

Ellen goes back to her office, and finds her parents aren’t there, and the files her assistant was supposed to pull are incomplete. Yep, her assistant really is kind of un-great at his job.

Now! Ellen’s in jail. She talks to Nye. They still can’t find Patty.

Then! Ray wants Arthur to practice for his deposition. Arthur lets slip that he’s got someone on the inside who says they’re ready to settle. Ray tells Arthur he needs to stop talking to his “contact,” because Arthur can go to jail for what he’s doing.

Ray goes to talk to Patty “off the record” at the dog park. He mentions the number: 175 million. And so Patty knows: Larry is corrupt.

She tells this to another one of the client reps, but they aren’t going to do anything about it now.

Patty brings all the reps in, and tells them that Gregory vanished, and might be dead.

Larry calls Arthur, but Arthur isn’t taking Larry’s phone calls any more.

David and Ellen talk. She tells him that Gregory is dead, and they’re worried about Katie.

Later that night, Arthur is about to get into his car, when Larry confronts him, asking him if Arthur is responsible for the death of Gregory. Larry says he needs his money. Arthur tells Larry that giving Larry money is bribery, and that they could go to jail.

Arthur has his driver give Larry twenty bucks.

Larry says maybe he should be talking to Patty.

The next day, Ellen talks to her parents about how to handle their lawsuit.

Out in the middle of a field, Arthur talks to Gregory’s Tormentor. He asks what happened to Gregory. We’re left hanging.

Ellen talks to Patty. First about her assistant. Then about the trial. Then about whether it’s okay to help her parents with their case. Patty recommends claiming that the accident is the victim’s fault.

Patty goes to visit Larry at his house. She tells Larry that she knows he’s been talking to the other side. She tells him that he’s going to watch him, and his family, for the next hundred years so that if he gets money from Arthur, they can never spend it.

Now! Ellen pleads not guilty. Bail is set at 1.5 million dollars.

Then! Ellen’s dad goes through his deposition. Ellen tries to help. As does his attorney. Dad wants to tell the truth – all of it. Ellen says that’s a bad idea, because the other lawyer will spin his story into gross negligence.

Larry goes to see Arthur. Again. He just wants to make sure that Arthur won’t cut him out after the trial. Arthur says he’s looking into Gregory, and that Arthur reminds him of his dad. If I recall, that’s a BAD thing, seeing as how Arthur proudly talked about leaving his home at age 17 without a penny to his name.

Ellen’s mom goes to visit Ellen at the office. The other side is now asking for over a million dollars.

Ellen has to go. Also, her assistant forgot to tell her that Ellen’s mom called. Ellen fires her assistant as the elevator doors close.

Now! Ellen’s parents want to post a bail bond, but they can’t. “Not after the settlement.”

Then! Ellen and Tom go to talk to “Moore.” And Moore is? Gregory’s tormentor! Right in the middle of the seventh episode! The dead-on halfway point! Nice work, “Damages” writers. Nice work indeed. Solid reveal.

Arthur calls Larry to tell Larry that Gregory is safe. Turns out, Larry took the call while sitting in Patty’s apartment. Larry wants to make things right.

Now! Ellen gets walked out to the prison van. And we get a little recap of David and Ellen breaking up. Ellen goes to leave the apartment, and at the last minute opts to leave her engagement band behind.

A little later, David calls Ellen to apologize. There’s a knock at the door. And a shot of a dead David.

Episode 9

Damages Episode 9 on Hulu

Now and Then! Ellen sits in jail and thinks about the good times and the bad times and the final fight with David.

Six Weeks Earlier: Katie is still at her parent’s house, watching “Dracula” and eating popcorn. There’s barking outside. Kate gets a little freaked. There’s a face at the window. It’s Gregory.

Credits!

Ellen and Tom talk to Moore. Moore says he’d love to help, but there’s nothing he can do for them. They ask him if he knows Gregory. He says no, but that he’ll make some calls.

David bumps into Lila, who says she sold the machine. She wants to take him to dinner to thank him. David says no, because he knows that Lila is trouble. He’s really straightforward about it. It’s kind of shocking.

Moore goes to talk to Ray. Turns out that Gregory worked for Ray, back in the day. Moore says that Gregory is back in the States – and that Moore is going to take care of the problem.

Also, Ray is probably the weak link here – Gregory most likely owned Arthur’s stock because of Ray. Interesting.

Patty is also aware that Gregory is alive. Gregory used a credit card recently, in the United States. He had been in Mexico, outside of the United States legal system. Patty tells Ellen to get back in touch with Katie.

Out in the street, Lila looks in her purse, and takes out two identical sets of keys.

Arthur meets Ray in his office. A woman named Nancy arrives. She’s there to prepare him for the trial.

First, she has him sing. Because she wants him to look comfortable. While being grilled.

Katie talks to her parents, who are in Montreal. Ellen tries to call Katie, but Katie hangs up on her.

As Ellen walks down the street – late in the evening – Moore calls out to her from his car. Moore tells Ellen he wants to help. He “knows things.” Things they couldn’t use in the government case. He tells Ellen he’ll help, but only if he’s not named in the trial. It’s too risky for him.

Moore tells Ellen to look into Arlington, and drives away.

Later, Ellen looks in a drawer and finds David’s keys. They laugh about it. Then she says they should go away for the weekend.

At the office, Patty and Tom watch some of Arthur’s old deposition footage. Ellen comes in and tells them Moore wants to help off the record. She mentions Arlington, and Patty talks about 1983, and a girl being killed in a car crash. Apparently, the girl’s family now owns a lot of land. Arthur likely paid them off.

Patty tells Ellen to talk to Moore some more. Alone.

While taking her dog for a walk, Katie runs into Gregory again. She decides to talk to him.

At her office, Ellen meets Lila, who says they have to talk about David.

Gregory talks to Katie, and details come out. Ray paid Gregory 1000 shares of Arthur’s stock to go down and rent a condo in Gregory’s name. They thought Nancy saw Moore, which is why they tried to buy her off with the restaurant.

They set up Gregory with a job at the consulting firm a few weeks later.

Gregory has no idea who got into the car with Arthur that night. He gave her Luke’s name to burn her as a witness.

In Ellen’s office, Lila tells Ellen that David treated her grandfather, and that David doesn’t love Ellen any more. Lila also tells Ellen that she’s been sleeping with David. Ellen calls security.

Now! Ellen talks to Tom, and Tom says he knows that Ellen isn’t telling Tom everything.

Patty gives Ellen a key (flashback) and tells Ellen that everything’s going to be all right, and that Patty will be at the beach house.

Then! Ellen confronts David about Lila. David is honest, which is kind of strange for this show. Ellen tells David to stay away from Lila. Probably not advice he needs at this point.

Moore tells Ray that he mentioned Arlington to Ellen – something Arthur wouldn’t want coming out in a deposition. Ray is not happy about this.

Moore is forcing Arthur to settle, so that more and bigger issues won’t come out.

Arthur practices being deposed. He’s not great at it. But, you know, practice makes perfect.

Ellen asks Moore why he’s coming forward, and he says it’s because he tried to nail Arthur before and failed. Ellen doubts this, and tells him as much.

Gregory and Katie talk about what was real and what wasn’t in their relationship. Gregory claims that he really did like Katie a lot. Katie reminds Gregory that he ruined her life.

Later that night, Katie falls asleep on the couch. Gregory looks at the video camera sitting on the end table.

Gregory calls Ray to tell Ray that, “I was wrong back then.” He tells Ray that it’s not too late to change, and not too late for Ray to get away from “those people.”

Ray says he’s sorry for everything.

Ellen and Tom meet with Patty, and she tells them Moore won’t go on the record.

Tom asks if Ellen can use The Beach House, and Patty says fine.

Now! Ellen tells Tom to go to the beach house.

In the office, Tom calls Patty and leaves a message that Patty should call him back. Then he asks Uncle Pete for the keys to the beach house.

At the beach house, Patty sits on the beach and cries.

Then! Gregory picks up the video camera, goes somewhere, and makes a taped confession. He says he doesn’t trust anyone, and he wants to make sure his story gets out.

He tells the story we’ve mostly already heard, adding that Arthur met with a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which I’m not sure we’ve heard directly stated before.

Gregory names Moore.

Katie gets the keys to the beach house, and also the keys to Patty’s car.

At Katie’s place, Gregory leaves the tape for Katie. Or rather, he’s about to, when the dog whines that it has to go out.

Outside their apartment, Ellen tells David that Lila is crazy and has three restraining orders against her. He tells David to stay away from her.

Outside Katie’s house, Gregory takes the dog for a walk. He stops for a paper, and the dog runs out in the street. Gregory runs out after the dog, and Gregory gets hit by a car, which then drives away.

Katie wakes up on the couch, and finds an envelope with her name on it. And a really big cashier’s check. $128,000. Outside, Katie can hear sirens.

Moore sits in his car, with Ray. Moore says, “It’s done.” Ray gave Moore the number/area code Gregory called from.

Ellen and David get to the beach house. They’re pumped.

Arthur, Ray, and Moore talk. Moore and Ray try to convince Arthur to settle.

At a local awards dinner, Patty is dancing with someone when Arthur cuts in. They talk. Arthur is willing to negotiate. Patty says she wants Arthur disgraced.

Arthur starts naming numbers, while Patty pretends to be the dying girl in the car crash from 1983. Then he wakes up. Dream sequence!

Six Weeks Later: Tom arrives at the beach house, and finds a stain on a wall and a smashed glass. He calls Patty and leaves another message.

Patty is in a car, driving. The sign she drives by says, “Leaving New York.”