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?