by Kenn Gold
From the opening scene, the pilot episode of FX’s new series Damages takes you on a roller coaster ride of plot twists that leave you breathless and wanting more. The series stars Glenn Close as Patty Hewes, the nations most revered and reviled litigator who will stop at nothing to get her way. When Patty selects Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), an exceptionally bright and sought after young lawyer, as her protégé, nothing will ever again be the same for either of them.
The opening shots of the pilot show Ellen Parsons wandering through the streets disheveled and bloody, setting the stage for a murder mystery that will be unraveled throughout the season. The main back story involves Patty’s efforts to bring down an Enron-like former CEO of a large company, Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) who took his employees to the cleaners while getting richer. The scenes switch back and forth between the present day with Ellen’s situation, and the events that led up to this day.
The final sequence of the pilot is indeed a shocker, and leaves you stunned with the depths that Patty Hewes will go to have her way. The series, filmed in New York, was created by Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, who also serve as Executive Producers, writers, and showrunners. The series is produced by FX Productions and Sony Pictures Television.
This series is showcases the excellent acting ability of Glenn Close and Ted Danson, as they are pitted against each other in a high stakes battle that both will stop at nothing to win. Rose Byrne’s character is caught in the middle of the tangled webs of this thriller, and she will come to realize that the price of success may be higher than she is willing to play.
Don’t miss the series opener, Tuesday, July 24, on FX. Or you’ll be sorry you did!
