Damages Season 2 Begins In January On FX

Damages season 2 is coming at us and we’d better strap in for this high-stakes litigation drama.

Starring Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Ted Danson & Tate Donovan, season two will add William Hurt and Timothy Olyphant to the star studded cast. (is that an oxymoron?). Damages has it all: Mystery, subterfuge, suspense and some confusion and it only gets better from there.

Season one was an insidious piece of quality story telling. When I pick up on new shows, it’s hard to miss the formulaic outlines of a scripted show. Damages took that scripted play book and apparently used it as a booster seat for someones child because they never even went there.

Last Season (One):
The show premiered with Ellen Parsons (Played by Rose Byrne) running through the streets covered in blood. This becomes an investigation of the murder of her fiancé, David, who was killed in their apartment. Ellen is the primary suspect, and she needs a lawyer. But wait, this is near the end of the story, even if that’s how it all began.

Six months previous, Ellen took a job with Patty Hewes (Glenn Close, in her first ever television role). Hewes is an extremely shrewd lawyer who will go to any lengths to obtain what she wants. Including manipulating and even trying to kill own her employees, like Ellen.

Last season, Hewes was retained to sue billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) in a class action suit for insider trading. It was Enron like, except they tried to put a family spin on Frobishers angle in this.

Story Delivery:
The show flips back and forth in the telling of the tale but the flash backs and forwards were well executed to serve in telling the tale of everyone involved and maintained a keen level of anxiety and anticipation through out. As the end of season one neared, the story is all caught up and you’re left with a “wow” in your head as the final few weeks played out in normal story advancement.

About The Cast:
Glenn Close makes you hate her in her cold calculating methodologies and yet at other times you find yourself rooting for her, depending on what angle they’re showing her character from. She delivers to the fulfillment of any Glenn Close fan. Rose Byrne plays the innocent, turned shrewd victimized newbie lawyer rather well and Ted Danson just delivers like he’s never spent a day at a bar. Everyone in this cast delivers.

For those cast members I don’t mention, each and every one of them fills a niche in this story that needs filling. Each character is used exquisitely to fill holes, build background or further the story. Don’t just believe me as I toot my horn about the show. They got themselves eleven Emmy nominations for their work and snagged a few awards along the way.

• Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series - Glenn Close
• Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series - Zeljko Ivanek
• Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Casting For A Drama Series - Julie Tucker
• Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Drama Series - Glenn Close
• Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress - Rose Byrne.

Season two of Damages!
Season two looks like it may be just as intense as season one.

Ellen has done a lot of growing up since she graduated from law school all wide eyed and naive and taking her first job with Hewes and Associates. During season one, she got “shoved in the pool”, learning to swim with the sharks as it may and she figured it all out on her own.

Now Ellen continues to work for Patty, looking to learn everything she can from her,

“To become her confidant, the daughter she never had.”

But Patty needs to stay one step ahead of Ellen. The FBI has caught wind of how Patty does business and they’ve employed Ellen as an informant who’s looking to take Patty down and as Ellen puts it in a preview for season 2,

“I am willing to do whatever it takes, … revenge is the ultimate motivator.”

Makes sense, being as how Patty tried to have Ellen killed.

New players:
Patty gets a new client named Daniel Purcell (William Hurt), an energy consultant. He’s someone that Patty has a professional and personal past with. Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant) is in the same group therapy program as Ellen and ends up involved in her life.

I’d need therapy too if my boss tried to kill me!

I can’t wait to see what these two bring to the tension filled table of this show.

Damages started filming season 2 of this legal thriller around mid 2008 and it will premiere Wednesday, January 7th at 10 PM E/P on FX.

Photo Montage Cr: Andrew McPherson, Mark Seliger / FX;

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