What I’m Watching: Damages

Damages: Season 5, Episode 6 “I Need to Win” (B+)

It’s a very bad thing when the people involved in a case want to settle but the lawyers are willing to make a deal to get falsified testimony just to make sure that the case goes to trial. It makes sense that the man of many names staying in the hotel room right next to Naomi wouldn’t be able to contribute much in the way of useful information, and instead he’s just being manipulated by both lawyers. It’s a shame too, since both Rachel and Channing had reached a good place with Channing’s explanation of what happened, and everything could have gone back to normal. It seemed especially therapeutic for Rachel since he was honest about how he was forceful and may have made her feel unsafe. Rachel’s run-in with Mr. Davies was miserable, and it’s clear that she’s going to have just as hard a time getting her life back as Channing will. Instead, Ellen is spiraling out of control, having more nightmares in the middle of the day and now connecting the image of Naomi in the bathtub with that of her dead fiancé. Going back to the support group she sent Chris to is at least a positive step, but it seems that she isn’t taking anyone’s advice in terms of how to proceed both in her professional and personal lives, if Chris’ reaction to overhearing her phone call is any indication. Hopefully the one woman who has worked closely with both ruthless lawyers, Kate, will be able to stop this train wreck before someone else gets hurt.