Damages Season 2

Damages Season 2 picks up from where the last season ended (I'll come to why that's an issue in a minute). The series follows Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) a ruthless litigator who will do anything and step over anyone to make sure she gains the winning result. After almost being murdered in Season 1, her protegee Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) is convinced that Hewes set up the attack and is convinced by the FBI to help them take Hewes down. During all this Patty discovers a man from her past (William Hurt) which comes just as she is embarking on a new case against a big energy company. Confused yet?

Unlike many dramas, such as CSI, Damages is unique by having long almost season length story arcs. While this works in its favour for fleshing out characters and storylines, the problem comes with the fact that if you have missed one episode you may be stuck or confused by what is happening. If I'm honest, if you haven't seen Season 1 of Damages, the whole of Season 2 maybe a little baffling. The fact this DVD comes with a Season 1 overview helps somewhat, but it does hamper the series when you simply cannot just watch an episode randomly. Although a series like CSI, Boston Legal or ER will have an underlying story with character's growing, meeting new people, relationships and so forth, the fact is you don't have to have watched an entire season for it be make sense. This is also the kind of issue that made Twin Peaks such a complicated show to watch too.

That being said, Damages is one of those shows that you can't help but praise the quality of it all. Each episode, feels like a little mini-movie and the writing of each is so tight and so brilliant that it could stand as a template that all good writing should be judged against. The acting, headed up by Glenn Close is wonderful as ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes and Rose Byrne is just as good as Ellen. Unlike a lot of shows (ER especially) who felt the need to fill it with cameos by famous actors every other episode, this one does not, though appearances by William Hurt, Ted Danson and Mario van Peebles are welcome additions to a stellar cast of relative unknowns.

Besides the Season 1 recap, the three disks all have their fair share of extra features. Commentaries are littered throughout the series, which is something I have a personal dislike for, though it would be greedy for me to ask for a commentary on every episode. These four commentaries are good, though as with most TV commentaries you do get the feeling they are rushing to get stories told without actually considering if they are interesting or not. A Season 2 overview featurette clears up a lot of the confusion that the series causes and tries to tie all the threads together if you hadn't figured them out already. Character profiles for several of the main characters who feature in the season is an interesting idea to again reveal more about the characters and the actors who played them.

Damages is a great drama and Season 2 is a wonderful set to own and for those who have followed the series from the start will enjoy this just as much as the last. For those who haven't, I recommend you go out and buy Season 1 before you sit down for this own, it will make things a lot easier.