Pain and Suffering

Damages:

Woohoo! After my third try at watching a new cable show this summer (well, in fairness, I only watched the first five minutes of Saving Grace), I've found one I really, really like! What is impressive is that Damages not only provided one great hour of thrilling television, but it also helped me erase the negative connotations that the word "damages" has for me, which stem from a very late night in the stairwell of Sussex Hall reading a very long book about the very botched delivery of twins and the very drawn out legal aftermath. Helping me forget about that is no small feat.

But anyway: There was so much to like about this show. It started off great with some very sexy (in a judicial sort of way) opening credits. The opening scene was fan-freaking-tastic with the orchestral, movie-esque music contrasting the eventual appearance of a bloody, disoriented Ellen.

Glenn Close was great--so smart and yet so, so creepy! And she's married to Summer Roberts' dad (and Uncle Saul's almost boyfriend) of all people! Of course, any show with Jimmy Cooper (Tate Donovan) in it gets a thumbs up in my book. Well, except for that frawful (freakin awful) astronaut episode of Law & Order: CI.

But, let's be honest, what I really loved about this show was that it's Alias, but with lawyers instead of spies. Actually, I think some of it was so much like Alias that it was encroaching on plagiarism, but ripped off Alias is better than living in an Alias-less world.

Another thing I liked was that I felt smart while watching it. Like any other self-respecting Alias addict, I saw the dead-fiance-in-the-bathtub coming a mile away (that poor guy literally was Danny Hecht without the Australian accent). But I was really impressed with myself that I figured out that Patty didn't really fire Jimmy Cooper. Come on, he's Jimmy Cooper! You wouldn't fire someone that adorable! (Well, maybe if he embezzled several million dollars from you, but that was a different show.) If they were impressed with Ellen's ability to see through bull shit, and I did a better job of it than she did, does that mean that I have a job waiting for me at Patty's firm? Though after watching this hour of television, I think I'll pass on that job.

And I'll admit I enjoyed the extra swearing that basic cable allows in their shows. It just made it seem more authentic.

Highlight:

Patty: "'Hope' is the thing with feathers."

Ellen: Emily Dickinson. That bitch will say anything.

I loved that it ended with Ellen saying, "Get me a lawyer." Unfortunately, it looks like lawyers are what got her into this mess in the first place...

Another wacky similarity to the Alias pilot was that it was presented commercial free. This time, though, I have Cadillac to thank for me having to go to the bathroom and not being able to for 45 minutes.

P.S. Damages has quite a swanky official website.