What I’m Watching: Damages (Penultimate Episode)

Damages: Season 5, Episode 9 “I Like Your Chair” (B+)

It still doesn’t feel like we’re just one episode away from the end of this show, but a few things did become much, much clearer in this hour. Showing Ellen up on the roof proved to be a fake-out not once but twice, as she turned around the second time to reveal a gun. I can only imagine that Patrick is seen looking over the roof at her motionless body as a staged attempt on Ellen’s part since Patrick appears to have served his purpose by confirming to Ellen that he does in fact work for Patty. It seems especially cruel for Patty to reference Ellen’s attack and explicitly deny it when Ellen knows the opposite to be true. Ellen held her own in that ending confrontation, but she doesn’t have the slightest idea of what to expect in the trial since Rutger has now gone ahead and confessed his role in the scandal to Patty. I’m not sure that him setting Channing up for a fall is entirely believable, but it’s extremely interesting to hear Rutger ask Patty for funding and to see her so readily agree. We’ll see, of course, whether she holds her end of the bargain or just decides to take down Rutger for the hell of it. Ellen has enough to worry about with her father coming into her home and then kicking him out with a gun pointed at his chest. Here’s hoping for a mesmerizing finale that will send this show out with an unforgettable bang.