What is there to say? It’s so hard to review an episode that so wonderfully speaks for itself. The fact of the matter is that, if you’re a fan of Damages and you’ve been watching this season, I can’t imagine that you were disappointed with the finale. Three seasons in and I don’t think this show has let me down at any turn. Coming right off the third season, I think it might have been the strongest outing for the show, or at the very least stronger than last season.
Red herrings. Misdirection. Twists. Turns. Damages excels at all of these things, and this episode pointed out just well the show can do it. As a viewer, I know that I thought things were becoming clearer, but boy was I wrong. Patty put a hit out on Tom? Not so fast. Tom plunged into the East River in an apparent suicide? Nope. Patty was having a drawn out flirtation with an architect? Not by a longshot.
Where to start? How about with the Tobins. Lenny cut his deal, pulled one last con and cheated over Tom (though he did hand over the evidence) and escaped out of the country. Good for him. Joe continued to prove that he is maybe the most despicable scumbag that Patty has ever gone after, and that’s saying quite a bit. He was ultimately the person who killed Tom, drowning him in the man’s own toilet no less. As if that weren’t enough, he drove his poor mother to kill herself. I can’t think of a better character to rot away in prison.
Then, of course, there is still the matter of Frobisher. What a comically pathetic character he is. I certainly hope there is a season four, and I sincerely hope that it does feature the prosecution and investigation into Frobisher. He is great fun to watch, and Ted Danson does a spectacular job with him. It was a nice touch seeing him speak throughout the episode with Ray Fisk. It was a good reminder that no one goes away in this show. These characters are deep, troubled, and haunted. Patty especially.
Nothing proved that more than the revelation that Decker was really just a manifestation of Patty’s mind. Every encounter they shared this season was only in her head. We learned just how cutthroat Patty is and got more insight into the situation with her daughter. She was completely to blame for the stillborn birth of Julia. The doctor told her to take bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, so she took a nice long walk to make sure that her career as a big time New York lawyer was unimpeded. Decker just happened to be there. A reminder of her guilt and shame. Brilliant.
Honestly, my mind is still racing through the season, and the finale, riding the giddy high that the episode gave me. I really want to go back and watch the whole thing over again, and isn’t that the best compliment you can give?
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Apr 20, 2010 @ 19:17 EST5EDT
I got that Decker was in Patty’s head. However what I still don’t get is why he was introduced as an architect.. of sorts. What does that mean and how does it relate to the fact that Patty is imagining him?
Tom’s death was just plain horrible. The character was so likable I kept rooting for his death to be some dream Ellen had. But they killed him with toilet water after being stabbed. Some f–ked up s–t right there. Hopefully Joe gets a nice cell-mate as karma.
My take on the “architect” is this: it was all about breaking down walls and rebuilding. I think Patty was struggling with taking down the walls that she had built up around herself (as symbolized in her dreams, and more overtly in her apartment), in order to start over or redesign herself, so having Decker (who represented a horrible point in her life) present himself as an “architect” made some sense.
Haven’t had a chance to comment since I watched this last night, but wow.
One thing that I loved about this episode is the way they brought back Wes and resolved that whole thing from season one/two in the spirit of the Veronica Mars rape storyline. It’s not often that storylines other than arcs get revisited in a different season when there’s a whole new thing going on and I love it.
I also noticed that the ending of this season was much more wrapped up than the other two — it could be a series finale if it doesn’t come back, but the other seasons were definitely more open-ended. I’m hoping for a s4 as well, but when less that 1m people watch, can we really expect a renewal?
Damages has been renewed/saved by directv. They will air 10 episodes per season, for two seasons, as per their agreement. They will be aired on Directv’s exclusive 101 channel, meaning if you don’t have their dish, you don’t watch it.
I for one am signing up!