What I’m Watching: Damages (Season Premiere)

Damages: Season 5, Episode 1 “You Want to End This Once and For All?” (B+)

I found myself anticipating this premiere quite a bit, even though it took me a bit to warm to the show, something that seems to have occurred after most people stopped watching it. Though this season has a brand new storyline, there are a few holdovers from last season, most notably the male confidantes for each of the female protagonists: Judd Hirsch’s Bill and Chris Messina’s Chris, both of whom seem considerably more stable and focused than ever before. A pretentious hacker is a great role for the often unenthusiastic Ryan Phillippe (he does have experience – 2001’s “Antitrust”), and it’s good to have John Hannah on board as his trusted associate. Jenna Elfman gave a great performance as the horrified whistleblower whose life was ruined by the posting of personal e-mails, and her murder following a contemplated suicide was extremely intense. That wasn’t, of course, the most shocking death of the hour, since it appears that Ellen will in fact die in a few months’ time. I’ve never been a big fan of the show’s flash-forward segments since I think they distract from an already intriguing plotline, but there’s something to be said for mirroring the first season’s setup with Patty being the one in custody. This is the show’s final season, with ten episodes running through September, and I’m quite excited to see how it plays out.