Timothy Olyphant joins Damages!

[Temis the Vorta]

Excellent news! S1 of Damages was great stuff (I usually don't go for lawyer shows, but this one sold me with its insanely intricate plotting and killer performance by Glenn Close) but they killed off two of my favorite characters, making me wonder whether it was worth returning to for S2.

I didn't think he'd necessarily return to "mere" TV after doing several movies, but I'm glad to see I was wrong. I really prefer seeing actors I like, who have the ability to really develop their characters over time, on TV, particularly one with strong writing like Damages.

"His magnetic combination of humor, charm and menace make him a perfect fit for our show. We're thrilled to get the chance to write for him."

Production on the show's second season began this week in New York. It's scheduled to premiere in early 2009.

Another one to look for at midseason...

 

[auntiehill]

Cool! I might actually have to start watching that show now.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

You should watch S1 on DVD, but here's the short version:

Spoiler: Damages S1 recap

Ellen is a hotshot young lawyer who goes to work for ruthless Patty Hewes at her law firm. In the course of a vicious and convoluted legal case spanning the whole season, Ellen's fianace is murdered and Patty tries to have Ellen killed, too (because she "knows too much.") At least two other people get killed (I lost track of the body count - but I think the fiance was killed by the other side in the case, not Patty). Regardless, Ellen goes back to work for Patty, but this time as an FBI spy cuz the FBI is onto Patty's hijinks and Ellen is out for revenge bwahaha! Looks like Olyphant will be playing Ellen's new boyfriend/co-conspirator in going after the unstoppable, unsinkable Patty. Should be fun!

 

[Agent Richard07]

I didn't think he'd necessarily return to "mere" TV after doing several movies...

Yeah, I thought the same thing about Rose Byrne.

 

[Goliath]

Smart, sleek, and more than a little wicked, the Golden Globe-winning series Damages proves that legal programs don't have to follow a well-worn formula in order to prove completely addictive. In fact, the show (from Todd and Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, whose credits include The Sopranos) steers clear from nearly all courtroom drama clichés over the course of its 13 episodes, and hews closer to classic film noir with the slowly-spun web of deceit that is woven around fresh-scrubbed lawyer Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne).

Hmm. That sounds like something I might like.

I need something to watch while I'm waiting for the next season sets of The Wire, Prison Break, Dexter, and The Shield, damn it!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I don't think there was a courtroom scene in all of S1! The lawyers in this show spend most of their times in back alleys, hiring assassins.

PS, Glenn Close will probably win Best Drama Actress Emmy this year.

 

[nx1701g]

^ Actually there was one court room scene that I can remember that dealt with evidence in the case and a death (If you've seen the show you know what the death is and who it involved).

 

[Starbreaker]

I watched the Damages pilot today and am on the second episode now. What a great show!

 

[Temis the Vorta]

^ Actually there was one court room scene that I can remember that dealt with evidence in the case and a death (If you've seen the show you know what the death is and who it involved).

Oh right, I'd forgotten about that one.

 

[Starbreaker]

^ Actually there was one court room scene that I can remember that dealt with evidence in the case and a death (If you've seen the show you know what the death is and who it involved).

Oh right, I'd forgotten about that one.

I'm up to episode ten now. Freakin' addicted.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

^ Actually there was one court room scene that I can remember that dealt with evidence in the case and a death (If you've seen the show you know what the death is and who it involved).

Oh right, I'd forgotten about that one.

I'm up to episode ten now. Freakin' addicted.

Wow, fast work.

 

[Starbreaker]

Oh right, I'd forgotten about that one.

I'm up to episode ten now. Freakin' addicted.

Wow, fast work.

I ended up watching eleven in a row before I passed out. The second I put the laptop on the floor I was gone. I watched the remaining two this morning and was very impressed.

 

[nx1701g]

^ Now imagine the suspense of an entire season of it with not being able to watch the next part.

What I liked about the series (I'm going to put it in spoilers)

Spoiler: What I liked...

... was that you would form a theory about what was going on and then somehow they would change your mind about it. One thing I also liked was you never knew really who to cheer for on the show. One minute you were cheering for Frobisher and the next for Patty. The only constant was the Ellen was the good guy but even that became a shade of gray as the series kept going. In the end though both Patty and Frobisher were the same and I wonder if Ellen is going to become Patty during her quest to bring her down for the FBI in the coming seasons - it's been renewed for two that I know of. I had always assumed that one or the other was behind David's murder and the attempted murder of Ellen, but I never imagined both would be behind the murders). I was also pretty surprised that Frobisher was shot in the season finale but the producers have already said he'll be back this season.

In short I'll be tuning in.

 

[Starbreaker]

^ Now imagine the suspense of an entire season of it with not being able to watch the next part.
In short I'll be tuning in.

Yeah, I think I would have gone crazy. It would be like Lost, only I would have no one to theorize with.

 

[splodenode]

what happened to deadwood?

 

[Starbreaker]

Deadwood has been off the air for nearly two years.

 

[nx1701g]

^ Now imagine the suspense of an entire season of it with not being able to watch the next part.
In short I'll be tuning in.

Yeah, I think I would have gone crazy. It would be like Lost, only I would have no one to theorize with.

Sadly the threads for Damages on the TrekBBS would have been little help too. They would start, we would have one or two posts, but then they died off. We usually had (at most) about 20 posts total.

 

[splodenode]

Deadwood has been off the air for nearly two years.

i was hoping they were saving up for something good

 

[Temis the Vorta]

I ended up watching eleven in a row before I passed out.

Wow, I didn't even do that when I got my Dexter DVDs.

I remember thinking during the first few episodes of Damages, "this may be the best-written TV series of all time." It didn't really hold up all through the season - at the end, I could spot some logical problems - but it was quite an achievement.

As for Ellen, I guess this isn't a spoiler, but she's hardly innocent in what happened. She loves power. She wants to be in Patty's orbit, in some capacity. Otherwise she'd be on the next train back to Paducah and we wouldn't have a second season of this show.

 

[nx1701g]

I just read that Ted Danson (Arthur Frobisher) and Zeljko Ivanek (Ray Fiske) are in the running for best supporting actor.