Noami's death was certainly shocking, and while Damages has never shined away from violence, I found myself feeling squeamish when the two masked men ambushed her in her bathtub and slit her wrists with a box cutter. It'll be interesting to find out who did it. While the obvious answer is Patty, as usual, you can't be certain.
Obviously, the courtroom confession of Ellen had to wait, but the custody of Catherine storyline seemed to fall by the wayside as the episode progressed and as Bill suggested, what is the point of keeping it around? I hope Michael starts to become a more aggressive character rather then just acting like an immature smart-ass. I can see him trying to dig up inofmration about his mother to build his case, possibly from Ellen. I hope this occurs, after all he's Patty's son, he's not just going to let her take his child. Hopefully Catherine is used more to, she provoked some very entertaining emotions from Patty during her dream.
While I understand the need for Patty and Ellen to have people to confide in, the inclusion of Bill and Chris respectively as the people they turn to to discuss their problems doesn't excite. At this stage, we know little about Bill, other than his loyalty to Patty. I could see him easily getting his hands dirty, but he pales in comparison to Pete. I'm hoping that he'll develop into a more three-dimensional character and not just be Patty's lackey, I'd love to see him start to question her as the season goes on, possibly even betray her. As for Chris, he's a liability to Ellen if there ever was one, and I can see a David-esque situation occurring all over again. Obviously the longer he hangs around, the more he's going to learn about Ellen and Patty's relationship, and that can't end well. He's just a distraction Ellen doesn't need. She's thinks she can do it all, be a successfully lawyer, have the perfect relationship, but she's needs to learn she can't.
While of course, for the sake of the story, Ellen had to represent McClaren in order to set up her showdown with Patty, it still always annoys me a little when Ellen plays right into Patty's hands. She knows she is giving Patty exactly what she wants by doing this, yet she still does it because she seems to have the delusion that somehow she will be able to truly triumph over Patty. It's a self-centred move, and while I don't necessarily like it in her character, hopefully it will lead to a sense of self-realisation before the end of the season. Ellen can't beat Patty without becoming exactly like her.
Flash-forwards have always been a staple of Damages' storytelling, and they're the perfect way to entice viewers to keep watching. Unfortunately, the adds for this season spoiled what would have surely been the episode's main talking point: Three months later Ellen is shown to be lying on a road, dead, a pool of blood surrounding her body. So what lead Ellen to her untimely end? Or perhaps more importantly, how was Patty involved, if she indeed was involved at all. Other flashbacks within the episode show Patty being taken away in handcuffs, and interrogated about Ellen's disappearance, revealing that Ellen was meant to tesify against her in court that day. Given that Ellen agreed not to do that in this episode, either she changes her mind about representing McClaren, or possibly fails at doing so, and goes back to testifying for Michael as a last attempt to get Patty. Or there's the possibility that she's testifying against Patty for a whole other reason, perhaps she finds out Patty's responsible for Noami's death during her investigation for McClaren, and plans to reveal it to the court? Either way, despite the giveaway in the trailer, the flashbacks have certainly intensified the build up for the rest of the season.
A solid start to the season, the introduction of the McClaren case was perfect, and the tantalising flashbacks ensure us that the showdown betwen Patty and Ellen is not to be missed.
Rating: 4/5
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