Damages Season 4 Episode 7 I'm Worried About My Dog 4X7 Youtube Video August 24, 2011 Tv Drama Serial Watch Online at 10:00 PM on DIRECTV Online Tv Channel A legal thriller set in the world of New York City high-stakes litigation, Damages follows the turbulent lives of Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) the nation's most revered and reviled high-stakes litigator and her bright, ambitious young protégé Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne). After Patty handpicks Ellen to be a first-year Associate at the high-profile law firm "Hewes & Associates", life will never be the same for either one of them.Patty uses her drug-company case to gain information on High Star; and a journalist tries to embed with High Star mercenaries in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Michael Hewes seeks out his daughter, Catherine.
I've mentioned Howard Erickson and Arthur Frobisher quite a bit in my recaps of this season, because in many ways, they're the same character. I was reminded in last week's episode, as well as in "I'm Worried About My Dog," of season one, when Frobisher was already buying land and mentally sketching out blueprints for his next company before the case against him was even settled. Here we find Erickson desperate to get his new training facility off the ground, even as Chris Sanchez is still be held captive and Ellen and Patty's case against High Star refuses to die. In the world of Damages, entrepreneurship is a compulsion. Men like these have to always be building something, creating something, affecting change, planning the next big score. Their self-worth is only as large and thriving as their businesses are, so when something threatens the company, it isn't just about money, it's about shielding their overinflated egos. The added layer to Erickson is his raging jingoism and his refusal to entertain the idea that the war in Afghanistan could have caused more harm than it prevented.
I've given kudos to John Goodman many times over the course of this season, but I don't feel like it's overstating to say that he's just fantastic. Erickson's scene with Sanchez might be my favorite of the season. (I loved his scenes against O'Malley too, so basically any scene where Erickson slowly but surely loses his shit is quite alright with me.) What's important to Erickson is protecting his men, completing the missions and helping to keep the country safe. Sure, there's plenty of scrambling to get lucrative contracts secured, but the money seems secondary, if that. And on some level, I'm sure he'd love to believe that the men who work for him share his beliefs and his passion. So when Sanchez says that the only reason he and his fallen comrades worked for High Star was for the money, Erickson bristles. A few exchanges later, the man he was trying to bargain with and ply with peanuts and beer is on the ground with Erickson kicking him in the ribs. It was terrific, and yet another reason why I'm praying the move to The Audience Network won't work against the show's favor come Emmy time. Goodman certainly deserves it.
The rest of "I'm Worried About My Dog" wasn't quite on that level, but it was a pretty good episode. For some reason, though, I'm still not convinced that we're hurtling towards a satisfying conclusion. I've always been slow to warm to the alternate timeline story because even if the guy we saw being killed in the season premiere is, in fact, Chris Sanchez (even though it almost certainly isn't), that wouldn't much of a shocking conclusion. If it's anyone other than Sanchez, then chances are we've gotten to know that person even less than we've gotten to know Sanchez. If you're going to make a mysterious death part of the central mystery, it has to be someone we've spent time with. Some commenters last week suggested it could be the reporter Ellen dispatched to find Chris, but I certainly hope that's not the case. (I suppose another possibility is Bill Herndon, and that might pack somewhat of a wallop.)
I've mentioned Howard Erickson and Arthur Frobisher quite a bit in my recaps of this season, because in many ways, they're the same character. I was reminded in last week's episode, as well as in "I'm Worried About My Dog," of season one, when Frobisher was already buying land and mentally sketching out blueprints for his next company before the case against him was even settled. Here we find Erickson desperate to get his new training facility off the ground, even as Chris Sanchez is still be held captive and Ellen and Patty's case against High Star refuses to die. In the world of Damages, entrepreneurship is a compulsion. Men like these have to always be building something, creating something, affecting change, planning the next big score. Their self-worth is only as large and thriving as their businesses are, so when something threatens the company, it isn't just about money, it's about shielding their overinflated egos. The added layer to Erickson is his raging jingoism and his refusal to entertain the idea that the war in Afghanistan could have caused more harm than it prevented.
I've given kudos to John Goodman many times over the course of this season, but I don't feel like it's overstating to say that he's just fantastic. Erickson's scene with Sanchez might be my favorite of the season. (I loved his scenes against O'Malley too, so basically any scene where Erickson slowly but surely loses his shit is quite alright with me.) What's important to Erickson is protecting his men, completing the missions and helping to keep the country safe. Sure, there's plenty of scrambling to get lucrative contracts secured, but the money seems secondary, if that. And on some level, I'm sure he'd love to believe that the men who work for him share his beliefs and his passion. So when Sanchez says that the only reason he and his fallen comrades worked for High Star was for the money, Erickson bristles. A few exchanges later, the man he was trying to bargain with and ply with peanuts and beer is on the ground with Erickson kicking him in the ribs. It was terrific, and yet another reason why I'm praying the move to The Audience Network won't work against the show's favor come Emmy time. Goodman certainly deserves it.
The rest of "I'm Worried About My Dog" wasn't quite on that level, but it was a pretty good episode. For some reason, though, I'm still not convinced that we're hurtling towards a satisfying conclusion. I've always been slow to warm to the alternate timeline story because even if the guy we saw being killed in the season premiere is, in fact, Chris Sanchez (even though it almost certainly isn't), that wouldn't much of a shocking conclusion. If it's anyone other than Sanchez, then chances are we've gotten to know that person even less than we've gotten to know Sanchez. If you're going to make a mysterious death part of the central mystery, it has to be someone we've spent time with. Some commenters last week suggested it could be the reporter Ellen dispatched to find Chris, but I certainly hope that's not the case. (I suppose another possibility is Bill Herndon, and that might pack somewhat of a wallop.)
No comments:
Post a Comment