'Damages': It's the little things
<p><a href="http://blog.zap2it.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/18/rosebryne_damages_240.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href, '_blank', 'width=240,height=200,scrollbars=no,resizable=no,toolbar=no,directories=no,location=no,menubar=no,status=no,left=0,top=0'); return false"><img width="150" height="125" border="0" src="http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/images/2007/09/18/rosebryne_damages_240.jpg" alt="Rosebryne_damages_240" title="Rosebryne_damages_240" style="margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px; float: left;" /></a><a href="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCSC.do?t=Damages&sId=EP00924423"><em>Damages</em></a> gave us one admittedly jaw-dropping revelation Tuesday night -- we now know who <a href="http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0726200/">Boone</a> (or Assemblyman Zellman, if you like) is, and it's a nice twist. But the bulk of the episode was about smaller things.</p>
<p><em>(Avert those eyes if you don't want to be spoiled.)</em></p>
<p>The Frobisher case certainly moved forward, and the timeline seemed to collapse -- the show has stopped telling us how far in the past it's going, but I'd guess we're no more than a month away from the two storylines intersecting. We're also seeing the slow, or maybe not so slow now, erosion of whatever kindness Ellen Parsons had in her thanks to the force that is Patty Hewes.</p>
<p>Ellen's increasingly exasperated dealings with her father, who'd been in a car accident, and her not especially swift new assistant gave us a window into how much working for Patty is changing her. She wasn't really in the wrong in either case -- she was giving her dad sound advice when she told him not to say too much at his deposition, and her assistant clearly wasn't really up to the job. But you have to wonder whether, six months in the past, a simple "I don't like him" from Patty would have stuck with her the way it did.</p>
<p>Nor does it seem likely that she would have blown off tasting wedding cakes -- and really, why would anyone do that? -- with David (who also didn't seem into the task. What gives? I mean, come on; it's <em>cake</em>) before coming into Patty's orbit. We've witnessed little bits of Ellen's better nature falling away before, but tonight she really seemed to take a slide. That slide ends, we see in the nearly present day, after her blowout with David about work shortly before his murder.</p>
<p>Another seemingly little thing -- Frobisher's inside man, Larry Popler, losing his job at a car wash -- set in motion one of the night's major developments on the legal side of things. Larry hasn't exactly been subtle about his desire for a settlement, and after a meeting with another client rep, Patty was on to him as well, by episode's end turning him to her side. (Her threat about no Popler being able to spend any ill-gotten Frobisher money was chilling.) Yet for all his concern about what happened to Gregory Malina, who got into so much hot water switching sides, Larry didn't seem all that concerned about doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Gregory's whereabouts are still unknown, but we do now know who the guy pulling his strings is, inasmuch as it's possible to be certain about any aspect of the impossibly twisty Frobisher litigation. We've seen Peter Riegert pulling Gregory's strings and tweaking Ray Fiske for several episodes now, and tonight, after a meeting with Frobisher in which he reminded the tycoon how he "stuck his neck out" for him five years back, we finally found out his angle. He's George Moore, and he's a former SEC bigwig who helped lead the commission's investigation of Frobisher and is now meeting with Ellen and Tom.</p>
<p>I think we can all safely assume Moore didn't go strictly by the book.</p>
<p>Other observations from the episode:</p>
<ul><li>The collapsing timeline was most evident in Ellen and David's conversation about Gregory and where the hell he might be. If we assume that the dead man David mentions in their fight is Gregory -- no small assumption, I know, but the best we have to go on so far -- then it seems like we're only a few weeks apart in the different story threads.</li>
<li>It looks like Mr. Parsons didn't heed Ellen's advice at his deposition. At Ellen's bail hearing, he says he can't afford the $150,000 bond "after the settlement."</li>
<li>More fine work from Zeljko Ivanek tonight, with Fiske first dressing down Frobisher for his illegal dealings with Larry and then, intrigued by what he's just heard, turning on the charm to take a settlement offer to Patty. </li></ul>
<p>The show seemed to spin its wheels some last week with the hyper-focus on Gregory and his rather annoying ambivalence about testifying in the case. With tonight's developments, though, it seems like Damages is back on track a little. Five episodes remain, and the show's creators have promised answers to most of the show's outstanding questions. </p>
<p><strong>What do you think? Can they pull that off in the final five?</strong></p>
Twitter<p><em>(Avert those eyes if you don't want to be spoiled.)</em></p>
<p>The Frobisher case certainly moved forward, and the timeline seemed to collapse -- the show has stopped telling us how far in the past it's going, but I'd guess we're no more than a month away from the two storylines intersecting. We're also seeing the slow, or maybe not so slow now, erosion of whatever kindness Ellen Parsons had in her thanks to the force that is Patty Hewes.</p>
<p>Ellen's increasingly exasperated dealings with her father, who'd been in a car accident, and her not especially swift new assistant gave us a window into how much working for Patty is changing her. She wasn't really in the wrong in either case -- she was giving her dad sound advice when she told him not to say too much at his deposition, and her assistant clearly wasn't really up to the job. But you have to wonder whether, six months in the past, a simple "I don't like him" from Patty would have stuck with her the way it did.</p>
<p>Nor does it seem likely that she would have blown off tasting wedding cakes -- and really, why would anyone do that? -- with David (who also didn't seem into the task. What gives? I mean, come on; it's <em>cake</em>) before coming into Patty's orbit. We've witnessed little bits of Ellen's better nature falling away before, but tonight she really seemed to take a slide. That slide ends, we see in the nearly present day, after her blowout with David about work shortly before his murder.</p>
<p>Another seemingly little thing -- Frobisher's inside man, Larry Popler, losing his job at a car wash -- set in motion one of the night's major developments on the legal side of things. Larry hasn't exactly been subtle about his desire for a settlement, and after a meeting with another client rep, Patty was on to him as well, by episode's end turning him to her side. (Her threat about no Popler being able to spend any ill-gotten Frobisher money was chilling.) Yet for all his concern about what happened to Gregory Malina, who got into so much hot water switching sides, Larry didn't seem all that concerned about doing the same thing.</p>
<p>Gregory's whereabouts are still unknown, but we do now know who the guy pulling his strings is, inasmuch as it's possible to be certain about any aspect of the impossibly twisty Frobisher litigation. We've seen Peter Riegert pulling Gregory's strings and tweaking Ray Fiske for several episodes now, and tonight, after a meeting with Frobisher in which he reminded the tycoon how he "stuck his neck out" for him five years back, we finally found out his angle. He's George Moore, and he's a former SEC bigwig who helped lead the commission's investigation of Frobisher and is now meeting with Ellen and Tom.</p>
<p>I think we can all safely assume Moore didn't go strictly by the book.</p>
<p>Other observations from the episode:</p>
<ul><li>The collapsing timeline was most evident in Ellen and David's conversation about Gregory and where the hell he might be. If we assume that the dead man David mentions in their fight is Gregory -- no small assumption, I know, but the best we have to go on so far -- then it seems like we're only a few weeks apart in the different story threads.</li>
<li>It looks like Mr. Parsons didn't heed Ellen's advice at his deposition. At Ellen's bail hearing, he says he can't afford the $150,000 bond "after the settlement."</li>
<li>More fine work from Zeljko Ivanek tonight, with Fiske first dressing down Frobisher for his illegal dealings with Larry and then, intrigued by what he's just heard, turning on the charm to take a settlement offer to Patty. </li></ul>
<p>The show seemed to spin its wheels some last week with the hyper-focus on Gregory and his rather annoying ambivalence about testifying in the case. With tonight's developments, though, it seems like Damages is back on track a little. Five episodes remain, and the show's creators have promised answers to most of the show's outstanding questions. </p>
<p><strong>What do you think? Can they pull that off in the final five?</strong></p>
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So Sue, you wouldn't seek the $1mil for the accident? I'll be sure not to hire you should I be a victim of a similar accident.
Consider who Patty would go to such great lengths to protect/shield.
What you were remiss to mention was that Ellen asked Patty if she should interview George Moore. Patty told her "there was nothing there" and that during the government trial, interviews with Mr. Moore were exhaustative. That said, Patty has been watching everyone ***ociated with Frobisher and, if we know Patty, she's got them all by the balls.
Great episode! By the way, another great outing by Ted Danson. Is it just me, or shouldn't Danson, Close, and Ivanek all get Emmy nominations next year? They have all been outstanding and when they are on the screen, I simply can't look away.
Thank you Terry, I really dislike doing P.I. And no, you shouldn't seek 1 million if the case is not worth it as no one will take you seriously and you'll be accused of over-crowding the already clogged court docket with frivolous claims (you can even be fined for being frivolous). I'm not a shark, I'm attorney who helps my clients by being true to their case. You always ask for more than it's actually worth, that's negotiation, but you can't build people up with unrealistic explanations. Plus, juries are notoriously pro-defendant in p.i. cases here in MA.
Next week's episode teaser revealed that Greg made a video of his testimony (and perhaps each party's involvement in the corruption of the Frobisher case). I believe he may send it to Judge Tumey to incriminate Patty, Fiske and anyone else involved in said corruption. And I believe that whichever side gets the original and, if any, copies of said video --- wins.
Thanks Sue for clearing it up for Terry. People who demand large amounts of money for cases that aren't worth it are what give PI lawyers a bad name. The reason they asked for $1 million in this case was b/c the lady said that she had permanent injuries and wouldn't work again, not just from the hip injury alone.
Marsha I did not need anything clarified by Sue. It appears from your post that you agree with me that the injured character was justified in seeking the $1 mil. Am I wrong? If so please clear it up for me.
Yes Terry, I think the injured party was justified in seeking the $1 million if it is true that she could never work again. However, you made it look like you wanted $1 million for just a hip injury with complete recovery. So maybe I wasn't clear.
Sue, et al.:
In all fairness, Ellen's dad admitted guilt and was ready to settle and get the "nightmare" behind him. So the case settled with the arbitrator. Common for cases such as these. A few Bills were reviewed by Congress where a cap would be set for the judgment amounts plaintiffs could request in civil suits and thereby setting a precedent so that outlandish cases, such as those filed against medical practioners would be "fair." That said, requesting $1 million for hitting a crossing guard whereby the ***ailant constantly admitted guilt, especially in deposition, makes the case quite meritorious. Further, that amount is only a starting point for negotiations. They settled for a lot less but a lot for "commonfolk" like Ellen's parents are portraying. Therefore, there was no need to get on a judge's docket; the case was settled before it reached the court system. Claims like these are not frivolous. Suits like these are filed everyday. Take Dan Rather's $70 million defamation suit.
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Like he'll get that much.