Damages Season 3, Episode 10

As the latest episode of Damages came to an end, the “What’s Coming Next Week” desperately tried to remind us that we’ve only got three episodes left until the Finale.

I’m guessing this was kept just a little vague, in case it was the Finale-finale, and not just the season finale.

And a couple things struck me, at that moment.

First, we may be down to the last three episodes of “Damages,” ever. I find myself hoping that the last three episodes of the show are going to bring it to a solid close.

At the moment, I can’t see how it’s going to get there.

Which leads me to my second point: I might be worrying about that just be because this episode never really felt like it was going anywhere. With just three episodes to go, the show tossed us a bunch of subplots that are going to have to resolve, pulling time away from other things we actually want to know about.

To lay it all out:

1. Rose talked to a few people and tried to figure out what to do with her drug-dealing sister. It seems that sissy didn’t just sell drugs the one time, and now Ellen is going to leave her to twist in the wind. (I recognize that this is probably meant to show us that Ellen’s life is a bundle of stress and possibly lies, but none of this really made me feel sympathetic towards her.)

2. Even more bothersome for a show with only three episodes left, a whole lot of time was devoted to Ellen dreaming about someone from her past. Neither her mother nor her sister will reveal the true nature of the person Ellen is dreaming about, and the episode ends with Ellen making a 100-mile trek to track down a character who doesn’t affect the main plot in any way, and who has only been introduced just now.

3. Tessa was the big player this week, getting money from Joe, talking to Tom, who claimed her mother was murdered, then talking to Rose who first claimed mom wasn’t murdered and then said she was. Which leads to Tessa going to talk to Patty… except she gets stopped by Gates first. (Also in there, Ellen’s co-worker, Nick, sells Ellen out to Gates for working with Patty. And not having lunch with him.) Oh, and Patty is now guessing that Tessa is taking money out of the Caribbean, not putting it in.

4. Tobin’s wife wants to go to Africa with the charity she always goes with, but Stewart, who sits on the board, shuts her down.

5. And finally, Winstone’s dad comes to town and we learn that Winstone comes from a family of grifters. And dad wants some of Tobin’s money.

Now, let me ask a question: How much of that information is important to the final outcome of the show?

I suppose that the answer could be that it’s all important, and when the dust settles in three weeks we’ll have answers galore and I’ll be nodding my head and going, “Oh, I see now.”

But I suspect it’s more likely that the writers got into plotting the season and realized far too late that they just didn’t have enough story to fill 13 hours.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say again that “Damages” tends to wrap up all the loose ends during the last two episodes of the season, and I’m looking forward to that. But I also kind of want to skip next week, since I suspect it’s going to be more throat-clearing and red herrings as the show treads more water before the big finish.

Here’s hoping I’m wrong.

Cold Case: The Last Drive-In

What’s there to say when you’re only watching one-half of a show?

In this instance, “Cold Case” is in two parts, with the second half arriving next week and saying howdy-do. So while we’ve got a plot, and a fun one, it’s hard to talk about without a resolution.

So, the So Far.

The Good, So Far:

It seems like the back half of this season has been about shaking things up as much as possible, and this episode has been no exception. Generally, there’s a lot of “take this guy into a room and grill him” sequences, and up to this point, there hasn’t been a ton of that. Everyone’s in the dark, so there’s not a lot in the way of flashbacks.

(Don’t get me wrong, they’re in there, but they aren’t as prevalent.)

It’s kind of fun to stick a new element into the world of “Cold Case” just to see what’ll happen, and the somewhat rogue-y FBI agent has certainly been a new element. Though I’m not sure I’m a big fan of the character. More on that in a second.

And finally, assuming the middle twist is really what it is, it should be fun watching this conclude. And if that isn’t the real ending, then by gum, I’m super-excited to see how things shake out.

The Bad:

I’m not sure if I’m a fan of the somewhat racist, super-casual-about-bedmates FBI character. I recognize that doing this with a woman as opposed to a man is something of a change-up in TV writing (the male version is pretty prevalent – see Winstone on “Damages”). But we don’t have much else to go on with this character, which doesn’t make her all that entertaining to be around.

But we’ll wait until next week before passing final judgment.

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Damages Season 3, Episode 9

So we’ve got four episodes to go, and sakes alive, the ratings are bad. B A D bad. At its best this season, “Damages” managed to grab all of one-fifth of the audience that “Justified,” a wholly new show got the very next night.

At this point, I can see them offering to bring the show back if they can make it cheaper, but and that might be why Tom got offed this season. With him gone, the cost of a recurring character is dropped, and with a few less extras and a few more scenes in sets that are already built, they can maybe shave some cash off the price tag.

I’m probably over-thinking this.

And I haven’t talked about the plot, yet.

Well, I’m still not going to, because even though some chess pieces moved, not a whole lot happened. Even a few “shocking” moments mostly filled in information the audience could have worked out for themselves.

Let’s talk for a second about why the ratings are low.

Two things:

First, the show refuses to dumb itself down at all for the people too slow to follow along. I don’t say that as a bad thing. I say that because I realized while watching today that while the entire season focuses on a Ponzi scheme, no one onscreen has ever once explained what a Ponzi scheme is.

It’s hard to attract viewers who have to run to Wikipedia to know what the thrust of the whole story is.

Second?

We’ve pretty much lost our last loveable character. Tom. He’s gone. Or rather, he will be in a few short weeks, and really, if the only person you can really like is about to go bye-bye, how many people are going to stick around to watch him go?

Recently, I’ve been watching “The Wire,” which in a lot of ways has a similar feel to “Damages.” And the difference between the two shows is, you really do get attached to the (extremely flawed) characters on “The Wire.” They make mistakes, they hamstring their lives sometimes, but more than anything, they want to do the right thing.

The right way.

Patty wants the right thing, but doesn’t care how it happens. And Ellen, who used to be our eyes and ears, is now in bed with a person who tried to kill her. Literally. Hired a man to kill her.

And these are our people.

What did our people bring us this week?

Patty and Michael talked, and Michael told her a bunch of things she already knew.

Patty made a hole in her hall.

Tom and Patty talked to Tobin’s daughter, but didn’t get much out of her they didn’t already know, except that Danielle’s daughter was with Danielle on Thanksgiving.

Winstone went to Danielle on Thanksgiving and got the boots and the cell phone we already saw him stick in the Dumpster.

Oh yes! And Arthur keeps moving forward with his movie, which culminated in Arthur having the movie people meet Patty. Patty, in turn took Arthur to task for all the damage he did to the people in his former company.

Did I miss anything?

Like I said last week, I think at this point we’re just waiting for the last two revelation-packed episodes, at which point this show will wander off into the sunset.

Cold Case: Flashover

So what happened?

You know what? You’re going to have to tell me. It seems that CBS Sports thought it was okay to shove everything back an hour thanks to something… sportslike, and I only got to catch the first ten minutes of the ‘sode.

So what happened?

Nick crashed his car, and might have killed someone. Or at least, that’s what he told Lilly, who told Scotty.

They went to the bar Nick left, where Nick had recently had a run-in with the brother of a dude who was put away for letting his kids burn to death.

After that? I’ve got nothing. Unlike most TV shows, Cold Case isn’t available On Demand, or on Hulu, or anywhere. I can’t even figure out which clip from last night’s show might give me the final fate of the participants.

I did get to see Nick turn in his gun and shield, though – so I’m guessing Nick put away an innocent man.

If anyone wants to volunteer to write up the rest of the ‘sode, shoot me an email at delight.blogger@gmail.com and we’ll get the rest of the story filled in.

The Ukulele Lady

I first discovered Julia Nunes a couple of years ago, stumbling through YouTube. As we all do from time to time.

Since then, I’ve watched all of her videos, and bought two of her three CDs. If you want to know why, watch this:

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Damages Season 3 Episode 8

Taking a poke around the Internet, I was surprised to find that not a lot of people dug this episode.

Whereas I felt it was kind of just what I needed.

I’ve been complaining a little bit about how the show hasn’t been doing any callbacks to the plot threads it kind of swore it would come back to: Michael and Jill’s baby. Arthur. Wes.

We were kind of promised all of those things would come back to haunt us, but it’s been a pretty haunt-free season. We’ve just been following the plotlines that they set up in episode 1 of season 3, which is good for new viewers, but not quit as fun for guys like me.

So while this episode leaned heavily on things off the spine of the main plot, it was nice to see that the writers didn’t forget about people like myself, who come each week to see characters evolve.

And what have we got?

Well, we’ve got Patty finding out her grandchild-to-be is going to be born to her son and a woman who was declared an unfit mother in the state of Colorado. She tries to make Jill go away, which is interesting considering her family history.

We’ve got Arthur, who has started a wind-power company and actually written the book he kept saying he was going to write. And I guess it’s good, because by the end of the episode Arthur is cutting a movie deal in hopes of getting a well-loved face in front of his new company.

And we get a little motion on Ellen and Tom and Patty, who are now all working together to take the Tobin family down.

Is there more? There’s more! The homeless guy gets a name! We find out that the money in Tom’s car came from Winstone! We learn that Joe orchestrated Danielle’s death, and is keeping his sister away from anyone who might ask her questions!

And it appears that Ellen and Tom were leaving Patty and Gates and striking out on their own, law-firm-wise.

Was there more to learn? Oh, maybe, but those are the high points. If this season runs like the other seasons, we’ve got three more episodes of setup and red herrings before the big reveals come.

And after that? Time, and ratings, and FX will tell.

Cold Case: One Fall

Before I talk about the latest episode, I’ve had a request to post the following:

“Who wants another season of Cold Case? I sure do! If you want to keep it going for at least another season, come sign this petition, we urge fans desperately to sign this! http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/cold-case-petition/ - Post this around everywhere, get your friends to sign this and keep the show going!”

“Another way to save Cold Case, come join this CBS Forum, and under this topic, write how much Cold Case means to you. We beg you all to come join and plead for Cold Case to have another season, thank you :) - http://www.cbs.com/forum/posts/list/103968.page”

We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog, already in progress.

Well, okay, we won’t for just one more minute, because I have what I think is a very legitimate question: How is it that “Cold Case” is not yet on DVD? I’ve read that it’s a music rights issue, which I can sort of understand since the show uses a lot of music to set the time and place of the series.

The only problem with that theory is that “Cold Case” grew up in the world of DVD. I can understand why things like “Roswell” come out with music missing – they got started before the words “The Complete Season One” became as common as they are today.

But never you mind. Let’s get back to the task at hand, which is talking about “One Fall,” the latest episode.

What to say?

Well, we got a resolution to Scotty’s big storyline this season, after he finally found and brought in the man who attacked his mother. Since the show has to reserve most of its screen time for the mystery of the week, Danny Pino had to spend a lot of time trying to communicate what he was going through with a few scraps of dialogue and a handful of scenes, and I thought he did a nice job.

Is that case over? Well, on a show like “Damages,” I’d say the story was just beginning, but with so little time to dedicate to ongoing storylines, we get a hint or two that Scotty has resolved the case.

And that’s fine.

As for the mystery of the week, I realize no one on earth will agree with me, but I honestly think that Roddy Piper deserves an Emmy nod for his role as an ex-wrestler. Rowdy, of course, has been part of the wrestling world for something like 30 years or more, and like his on-screen persona, one that was always just a return bout away from being the biggest thing ever.

A quick peek at the Internet Movie Database reveals that his life since his hardcore wrestling days has been a combination of acting in mostly direct-to-video fare, with occasional returns to the WWE for an episode or two a year.

And every minute of that life is on his face.

I’m sure Piper was the first guy anyone thought of when it came time to pull an older wrestler from the stacks for this episode, in which a part-time newbie wrestler has his cold case reopened thanks to a guns for groceries gun return.

Much to my surprise, by the time the episode was about halfway over, I was more interested in the family drama aspects of the main story than I was the final resolution. Watching the mom, kid, and dead father orbit around each other, in search of a way to be a family post-divorce was fairly heartbreaking.

Equally interesting was their portrayal of a low-rent wrestling organization trying to make it big in an era where the WWF was completely dominant. I’ve read a few wrestling autobiographies, and in particular the three by Mick Foley. I won’t say they got the entire backdrop 100% correct, but they were close.

If anything, they erred on the side of being tasteful.

What else to say about the episode? Not a bad ending, though I think the fact that it falls so close to the circus episode makes it feel like we’ve just seen this kind of resolution.

And while I suspect that Scotty’s arc for this season is pretty much done, I almost hope there’s a season eight just so we could watch his story play out a little more.

All in all, a good drama, but just an okay mystery this week. And it appears we’re up for more drama next week. We shall see.

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Damages: Season 3, Episode 7

Having gotten halfway through the season, I’ve gotta say, I think that the creators of the show walked up to the blackboard at the front of the room, scribbled FAMILY on it, and whenever anyone had any ideas, they pointed at the word.

FAMILY.

That seems to be the theme.

Moreover, it appears that the theme applies to both the family you create and the family you’re born into, and how both can be hideously disappointing.

Consider our plotlines so far:

Ellen: It’s clear that even though Patty, you know, tried to have her killed, that she really really really wants to go back to the “Mom” that gets her, as opposed to her actual flesh-and-blood. Who don’t understand the law, and apparently smoke crack.

Patty: She hires Alex, yes, but it’s clear that she misses Ellen. To the point where she tries to make Ellen jealous by having wine with Alex and inviting Ellen to a fake party.

Winstone: He wants to be a member of the Tobin family, and after tonight, you can see why. His mom died five months ago and when he confronts his dad, his dad threatens blackmail.

Must have made for awkward Thanksgivings.

Tom: Tom spent this whole episode tracking down a member of the Tobin family an in effort to get all the money back for his own family, immediate and in-laws. And it’s telling that, to do so, he tried to help another family.

Did anything else happen in this episode that I missed? Well, there’s the double agent keeping the Tobin funds safe in the Caribbean, I guess. And Ellen finding out that Joe’s sister probably gave the killer potassium to Danielle.

Everything else is, of course, speculation.

One final note: We’ve got six episodes to go, and there’s been no word yet on whether or not Damages will be coming back for a round four. I suppose it’s possible that FX is waiting to see if the back half of the season gets some kind of a bump, but I don’t see that happening.

Well, okay, one more note: How great has Martin Short been this season? Honestly, the man has been brilliant in every scene. Maybe they can spin him off into his own show? Assuming his character isn’t dead at the end of this season?

And what do YOU think?

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My Favorite TV Show: With Guest Blogger Zoe Lauren Thomas

Zoe Lauren Thomas may very well be the world’s number one fan of “Cold Case.” Not only does she run Perfect Case, a “Cold Case” fan site, with three other women, she also runs Kathryn Morris and Danny Pino fan pages on Facebook.

Here at the delight! blog, we’re covering every episode of season seven the Monday after it airs. Check it out.

Take it away, Zoe:

My favorite TV show is Cold Case.

The show revolves around Lilly Rush, a detective who investigates unsolved murders from the recent and not-so-recent past. Kathryn Morris does an amazing job portraying Rush's character – from matching her appearance to her emotions, to acting out scenes with full concentration and commitment. Kathryn Morris has been around for many years, but this would have to be her best role yet! She is an amazing actress who has not been given any credit for her outstanding acting, which is a shame.

Danny Pino, the lead actor who plays Scotty Valens, also never seems to get any credit for his talent, even when he plays such an amazing role – and a completely different person than his actual self.

What else is good about it?

Whether it be the dramatic flashbacks into the past, or the heartfelt confrontations with the killer, or even the slight moments of anger from one of the detectives in an interrogation, nothing will pull your eyes away from the screen. Never have I seen such brilliant acting from a cast – or such wonderfully written storylines.

I advise everyone to take some time to check out this fantastic show. From the moment I watched the first episode, I was captivated and no other show on TV can compare with this one. I'm sure you will feel the same when you check it out!

Cold Case runs Sundays on CBS.