One of the things I like about Damages is the way the show picks its episode titles from lines of dialogue. Sometimes it will come from a scene that's key to the overall story, other times, it will be something crucial from a thematic or storytelling point of view.
Tonight's was "It's Not My Birthday," a reference to something Patty Hewes says to several characters who wish her a happy one. Maybe she just doesn't believe in celebrating it until the day actually arrives, or maybe it's the unsettling dream she's been having involving a horse in her apartment and her beloved Uncle Pete, her late fixer/confidant.
For a show grounded in cold hard reality and concerned far more with story than with character, Damages does dream sequences well. Not as good as The Sopranos, but they're always pretty effective, even if the show's creators apparently frown on using them.
Nevertheless, Patty's haunted by the dream, and that's good...for us at least. So far this season, she's seemed somewhat removed from the action of the show. In the first two seasons, she had more of an emotional stake in the cases she was working. This year, she's been appointed by the court, and while she's determined to get the Tobin fortune back, it doesn't seem like the case has gotten under her skin. (At least not yet. Assuming Tom Shayes' death is connected to Tobin -- and may the TV gods help you if it's not Damages writers -- I imagine Patty will go into pure vengeance mode.)
There was still plenty of emotion to go around tonight, as the Tobin family dealt with the fallout from Louis' suicide last week, and the continued humiliation of losing everything to the court case.
("We can get you the photos, but not the frames," Tom tells them as they pick through their belongings before they're auctioned off.)
We spend more time with daughter Carol Tobin, who we saw briefly in the first episode. She's likely her father's biggest champion other than Winstone. She also -- apparently -- kills Danielle Marchetti with the same cocktail Louis took with his tea last week.
And then there's Mr. Zedeck (sp?), the guy who can release the hidden Tobin money back to the family, once certain obstacles are out of the way. He won't meet with Joe and Len until that happens, and sends a representative to speak with them.
We see this guy again at the end of the episode, putting on a pair of black leather gloves that might as well have the words "I'm about to commit a violent felony" stitched on them. In the 5-months later flashforward, we see a man with black gloves dump Tom's body. Hmmm...
A lot to digest, just with those final minutes. For now, some other thoughts:
- Nice to see Ellen actually is kind of happy, and that she wasn't putting up a smokescreen for new Hewes/Shayes attorney Alex. She may have been hoping Wes would return, but with Timothy Olyphant on his own FX show now, that seems unlikely.
- Which of the Tobin women is going to turn out to be the mastermind here, Carol or Marilyn?
- And who will play Stuart Zedeck? My money is on Dominic Chianese, who's expected to show up pretty soon.
- This really doesn't relate too much to the show, but for some reason, coffee always seems much less appealing served in clear glass cups (the way Patty drank it).
Tom Coombe
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