The bizarre dream sequence has become a bit overused in the post-Sopranos world. Well, maybe more than a bit, which is a shame considering that the imagery surrounding Patty’s tainted innocence is actually pretty great. It just doesn’t feel as creative as it ought to… which is a criticism I’m tempted to level at this season as a whole. I still really like the show, but with five episodes down I have yet to be amazed and that’s well below standard for Damages. Perhaps I’m grading on an unfair curve here, but the quality of television these days is such that I can afford to be unfair. If a series isn’t “great,” I’ve got a half dozen ones that are waiting in my “to watch” pile.
All complaints aside, I’m confident that Damages will get there before this season is over. The raw talent in writing and acting is still very much in evidence and my need to know what happened to Tom remains. The issue is that episodes like this one don’t make the journey itself all that rewarding. Danielle’s death was probably a good twist, particularly after her life was just saved a week ago, but it just fell flat for me. The same can be said of Ellen boning Josh, Patty interviewing a new associate, and Marilyn meeting her step daughter (or granddaughter?).
The problem, as I see it, is the Tobins. There’s certainly an arc here, but we never really knew any of them before their fall, and so it just looks like we’re seeing lousy people get worse. Carol’s the most egregious example; introduced in this episode as a distraught daughter and immediately shifted into murderess. We need to care about these people before we can care about their actions, and Damages just isn’t giving us the time necessary to do that.
There was some good to be had here, most particularly with Lenny delivering a creepy-ass confession to a prostitute. There’s no reason for him not be honest about his feelings here, but he speaks about his grief in such emotionally dead tones that we need to wonder what’s wrong with this guy. This is a good thing, as it opens up a world possibilities and makes Lenny the most interesting of the Tobins (yes, he’s “family”). Is he simply conflicted, sharing Joe’s sense of betrayal and unsure what to feel at his father’s death? Or is he wrestling with this own impending betrayal of the Tobin family? Or is he a sociopath, knowing he should be feeling something here but unable to do so?
Unfortunately, one character does not an episode make. There are some more tidbits of enjoyment, like Joe’s growing friction with the family he claims to want to protect, Patty’s ongoing overtures to Ellen via proxy, and the conflation between Tom’s apparent murder as opposed to the apparent attempted murder. Actually, when you put it like that, it does sound like a really good episode, but I still found myself underwhelmed. I remain confident, but I am starting to grow impatient.
Final Thoughts
Alternate theory: Carol throwing the vial into the harbor wasn’t about destroying evidence, it was about stopping herself from making a terrible mistake. She went to Danielle’s apartment to kill her, but chickened out. Danielle was killed by the sinister black gloves.
Whether Carol did or didn’t kill Danielle is the question that saves the character. I really, really didn’t care about her before that.
Patty’s manipulation of Marilyn was a nice small touch for the character. This series continues to impress with its attention to detail.
Critical Viewing 