New TV - Damages

There's no doubt that Glenn Close is up there with Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren for credibility and sheer talent, and if Ms Close commits to a television series, one would hope it would be something special. Her previous venture into TV was the 4th season of The Shield. Her performance was perfect and proved that the weight of her star power did not overwhelm the gritty realism of this powerhouse of a series. Obviously the experience was considered to be an all-round success, as FX, the network that produces The Shield, has created an entire series for this remarkable actress.

Patty Hewes is an uber-successful and highly intimidating litigator, who runs her own law firm. Doesn't sound so exciting, does it! Based on this description alone, Damages could be a close relative of Canterbury's Law, the new Julianna Margulies vehicle, which I've seen and will review when I think of something interesting to say about it. But there many aspects of this show that raise it above the average legal fare. For starters, it defies genres. It's not a court-room drama, it's not a procedural. Although it concerns law suits and litigators, it's not even a legal drama. There is murder, intrigue, psychological game play; nobody is innocent and every one is duplicitous. Villains are proved to be victims and vice versa. Patty Hewes herself is the most complex of protagonists, After watching two episodes of this show, my opinion for her has gone from impressed to appalled, and I look forward to the writers switching back my loyalty to her as the series proceeds. There is nothing familiar or predictable about this show.

The pacing also gives it an edge. This is not a case-of-the-week structure. It has a single story to tell over the season but with many, many dimensions to the narrative. It is slow-building, but still compelling. It starts with a woman, dazed and bloody, running through the streets and eventually into the hands of the police. The rest of the episode is told six months earlier, when we are introduced to the woman, a young lawyer who is being wooed by a number of law firms, including Hewes. The story builds from here with occasional flash forwards to the present, as the truth about her gruesome circumstances gradually unravels.

Visually, it has the feel of a movie rather than a TV series. partly because of the pacing but also because of the settings. Although set in Manhattan, it has a European feel. There are no shots of modern skyscrapers, instead, you will see neo-classical courthouse exteriors, tree lined residential streets and sidewalk cafes.

As you would expect, Glenn Close is outstanding in the role. She gives a multi-faceted performance that never overshadows the plot, the suspense or the rest of the cast. Ted Danson is a revelation as the billionaire defendant in Hewes high-profile law-suit, who may or may not be a murderous, deceitful swindler. It's a successful change of pace from his previous work.

I'm totally hooked on this and look forward to more red herrings and u-turns, as I try to decipher what the hell is going on.

http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/originals/damages/main.html#home