Exactly what type of show is FX’s new series, Damages? Is it a murder mystery? Is it a legal thriller? Is it something more personal? After watching the premiere episode, it seems unclear; I am not even sure that the producers could tell you.
It all starts off simply enough, with artistic shots of a dead man, in a pool of blood, on the floor in a bathroom. He is found by the police and a murder investigation begins. But then the series jumps backward six months, and we see the dead man at a birthday for his girlfriend. One of the women at the party is upset about something to do with a restaurant she wants to open. What’s going on? Who knows.
Soon, the haze clears and it boils down to this: the birthday party was for Ellen (Rose Byrne), the dead boyfriend is David (Noah Bean) and the woman with the restaurant problem is David’s sister (though if they state that in the episode I completely missed it), Katie (Anastasia Griffith). It turns out that Katie can’t get the restaurant opened because the money is coming from Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) who wants Katie to sign a confidentiality agreement that would cover goodness knows what. You see, Rose’s boss at her law firm, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), thinks that Katie can give her information about Frobisher that will help her destroy him in a lawsuit Hewes is pursuing about Frobisher’s bankrupting his own company and selling out his workers.
Sorry, I said the “haze clears” and it really does not, does it? It is all so convoluted and makes little sense after seeing only one episode. And, as the episode flips back to the investigation of David’s death, one can only assume that you have switched the channels and started watching a completely different show. The deadpan discussion among the cops in the bathroom is hugely over-the-top, and is capped with the umpteenth derivation of Jerry Orbach’s Lennie Briscoe, with one of the detectives stating “good looking boy” as David’s body is wheeled out and the scene ends.
Article comments
1 - Josh Lasser
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2 - john gomes
I stumbled upon the show by accident, thought i would give it a glimpse after seeing non-stop commercials for it. I couldn't get enough.. Glenn close is fantastic!! this is no Shield!! her character is dynamic!! Ted Danson, plays it too soft hearted and i didn't like his character at first, but after these two great episodes i beging to see his characters true nature, despite his vast wealth and power, his nature is not that of a predator.. he seems to be the prey.. The young lawyer is a great choice of innocence and she has done a good job.. Glenn close's character is so dynamic and villianish that the only likeness that immediately comes to mind is "Darth Vader with a smile". Great show and the plot twists so far have left me sitting on the couch with my jaw dropped totally blown away!! if you havnt seen it, I'm sorry!! I love it!!
3 - JerryW
I was all ready for a nice viewing run with Damages. Gleen Close and Ted Danson established her character credibility at the outset, but all those boring 'thirties something' characters who just seem to fill in the dragging conversation spaces between the semi-tense and/or dramatic spots. The show has an irritating stop and start cadence. And I just don't buy the obvious, over dramatised foreshadowing trick of he story line. I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time but just ends up as bad writing. After the first two whoopie hooks it lost it's impact. I want to keep saying, "Get on with he show". I fell asleep twice in the middle of the show. These TV shows have to give viewers a break from all these male models who can't act. The Sopranos did and look what happened. Now a new kind of gangster show is coming out with all thirties something male models trying to "act" tough. Fuggetit!