What I’m Watching: Damages

Damages: Season 4, Episode 9 “There’s a Whole Slew of Ladies With Bad Things To Say About the Taliban” (B+)

I don’t think I ever expected to say this, but it’s really good to see Patty being Patty. Aside from an imagined confession of incompetence from Michael that didn’t play out so well in reality, she’s back on track, emphasizing that she’s planning to crucify both Howard and Jerry, regardless of just how willing they both are to turn on each other. The abduction of the boy presented a frightening image of Howard, assuring him that he would never hurt him before making a furious threat to Jerry, who has thrown him under the bus completely. Ellen now just seems concerned with seeing Chris again, and it’s ambiguous as to whether he’s already dead or still marked for execution. I have to imagine that AC did something to save his friend’s life. There’s nothing quite so terrifying as the immediate transparency that comes when Howard decides to share something with someone, as is the case when AC asked to be read in on whatever was happening with Chris, who certainly wasn’t going to let Howard’s planned execution make him quake in his boots. The departure of Ellen’s latest love interest is of little consequence since we barely saw him, though I’m not sure his categorization of her as being highly driven is entirely accurate, especially given her latest ploy to drop the case in exchange for seeing her friend again. Next week marks the season finale already, and it’s definitely going to be one hell of an intense and overstuffed hour.