With the second season of the legal thriller Damages, the creators, writers, cast, and crew have accomplished a minor miracle by producing 13 episodes that match--and, at times, surpass--the level of nail-biting drama and suspense that made the show's freshman season one of the best in 21st-century television. The core cast is back for this round--which is something of a surprise, given that novice lawyer Rose Byrne is convinced that her legal-eagle boss (Glenn Close) is responsible for the murder of her fiancé. The story neatly weaves together a murder mystery involving an old flame (William Hurt) of Close's, Byrne's collaboration with federal agents (led by Mario Van Peebles, who also directs the season's fourth episode, "Hey! Mr. Pibb!"), and Hurt's involvement in an environmental scandal that implicates a major corporation. The threads come together in impressive fashion, and the quality of the writing and direction is matched at every turn by the cast, which also includes Marcia Gay Harden as Close's opposing council; Tate Donovan as Byrne's saintly confidante; Ted Danson, who reprises his winning turn as disgraced billionaire Arthur Frobisher; Saturday Night Live's Darrell Hammond as an unnerving killer; and a trio of HBO vets--Deadwood's Timothy Olyphant and The Wire's John Dornan and Clarke Peters--as a shady love interest for Byrne and a pair of malevolent corporate apparatchiks. If the third season of Damages achieves the level of quality of season 2 and its predecessor, it will be the neatest hat trick on TV since The Sopranos.
After her unprecedented victory over billionaire Arthur Frobisher, Patty Hewes has the legal world at her feet. Just as she is pondering her next move, Daniel Purcell, a man from Patty's past, throws her into a new legal challenge. What starts as a domestic murder case escalates into the highest reaches of government as Patty unearths a vast conspiracy. Ellen, at the same time, is on a mission to take Patty down. She's agreed to act as an informant for the F.B.I., assisting them in their criminal investigation of Patty and the firm.
General Note
Title from container.
Contains all 13 episodes from the second season originally broadcast on F/X in 2009.
Special features: Cast and crew commentaries; deleted scenes; Season 1 recap; Season two: post mortem; 7 character profiles. (Features not rated and may not be subtitled or closed-captioned.).
Content Note
Disc 1. I lied, too -- Burn it, shred it, I don't care -- I knew your pig -- Hey! Mr. Pibb!. Disc 2. I agree, it wasn't funny -- A pretty girl in a leotard -- New York sucks -- They had to tweeze that out of my kidney -- You got your prom date pregnant. Disc 3. Uh oh, out come the skeletons -- London, of course -- Look what he dug up this time -- Trust me.