What I’m Watching: Damages

Damages: Season 3, Episode 2 “The Dog Is Happier Without Her” (B-)

This episode shows, unfortunately, that this show’s constantly-invoked flash-forward device will be just as distracting, if not more, than it has in previous seasons. Part of the problem is the frequency of the cuts and the way that it makes the story feel very disjointed and overly tumultuous. While it’s interesting to learn that Ellen and Tom would have an affair in the future, it’s obvious that Ellen didn’t kill him, even if she is standing by the water looking all serious. Tom Noonan yelling at homeless people is fine, but let’s stay grounded in the present for at least a little bit, why don’t we? Michael Gaston, now at Hewes and Associates after performing poorly at work in both “Jericho” and “Mad Men,” did a spectacular job delivering that heavy news to Tom about what happened with all of his investments, and that made for an extraordinarily powerful scene. Joe’s parallel pursuit of justice and problems with his wife wanting to escape her situation worked well alongside Tom’s realization of the gravity of things. The legal battle to iron out the specifics of Patty and Phil was very interesting, and it was astounding to see how the two former spouses sparred and managed to intimidate their respective legal counsel into speechlessness. Phil’s mention of Ray Fisk made me think that we might be digging old skeletons out of the closet, but it seems that Patty is more than ready to move on with her life without reliving her old demons.