I really do. I think it’s sophisticated, intelligent, powerfully characterized, and socially relevant, which is more than I can say about 95% of the crap in the current media. More importantly, it doesn't rely on the sexual appeal of its two female main characters to carry the show. Which is why I’ll be recapping (read: gushing over) it.
Before I begin, though, I’m going to need a moment.
Thank god for DirecTV because seriously, what in hell was FX thinking when they decided to cancel their only award-winning show? Ratings be damned, did they have no idea what that would do to me? Each season of Damages was tantamount to sex for me (fyi, I watched all three seasons within two months, but yes, it was somewhat of a dry spell at the time). The way the non-linear s/l was set up, I knew what would come at the end—no pun intended; I would get hints and flashes, but the build-up was always tantalizing and more than enough to satisfy me until the end.
Damages was hands down one of the best shows on cable targeted toward an audience with two brain cells to rub together with all-around high caliber writing, production, and acting. Oh my god—the acting. Just two words for you. Glenn Close. That woman is made of pure win. Patty Hewes makes Miranda Priestly look positively huggable in comparison. Or like a whiny, self-loving, little bitch. God, I love me an irreverent woman on a power trip. Only Patty’s god, and she has us all eating out of the palm of her hand.
Not to mention Rose Byrne whom I’m glad to be seeing more of this summer, from Bridesmaids to X-Men: First Class. She’s beautiful, has sex eyes and her voice is pretty damn sexy. Even clothes love her (love her wardrobe).
But it’s the chemistry, guys, between the actresses’ characters that steals the show. Glenn has never been canonically beautiful according to Hollywood standards, as evidenced by her past roles.
With that being said, though, she brings the chemistry to every role and relationship in her work. The air practically crackles around her. (Remember her turn as the bisexual photographer on Will & Grace?)
There’s nothing else on television that comes close to the subtext between Patty and Ellen. Which is why I’m frankly shocked, shocked, I say, that people don’t notice it more. Throughout the seasons, their relationship has taken on various, often overlapping manifestations as mentor/mentee, enemies, co-conspirators, and underneath it all, a tenuous ‘friendship’ born out of necessity, if you can even call their manipulations and unrequited sexual tension that. I can never tell whether they’re seconds away from stabbing each other or having angry sex. It’s dark, twisted, and entirely fucking brilliant.
Now in its fourth season, we really begin to see the maturation of the relationship. Ellen has come a long way from season one as she is now more Patty than the once bushy-eyed graduate, while it appears that Patty’s hard edges have softened as a result of the emotional tolls wrecked on her over the past seasons, in addition to the current situation with her son. We’re seeing how these two beautiful, competent women are inextricably drawn to each other and exactly what is the nature of the role they have in each other’s life. With nary a significant male romantic interest in sight. (Ellen’s list of men grows, but it’s quite the insubstantial and inappropriate one.)
In other words, I’m all over it.
This post was supposed to be a recap but I couldn’t put a cork in my Patty/Ellen homage. I’ll most likely retro-recap the last three episodes of this season, so watch out for them. :)
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| THIS PIC--so many ideas, such little time. |
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| Did I mention the sex eyes? |
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| Puppy killer; man eater; krazy bitch. Not the sort of gal you bring home to mama. |
There’s nothing else on television that comes close to the subtext between Patty and Ellen. Which is why I’m frankly shocked, shocked, I say, that people don’t notice it more. Throughout the seasons, their relationship has taken on various, often overlapping manifestations as mentor/mentee, enemies, co-conspirators, and underneath it all, a tenuous ‘friendship’ born out of necessity, if you can even call their manipulations and unrequited sexual tension that. I can never tell whether they’re seconds away from stabbing each other or having angry sex. It’s dark, twisted, and entirely fucking brilliant.
Now in its fourth season, we really begin to see the maturation of the relationship. Ellen has come a long way from season one as she is now more Patty than the once bushy-eyed graduate, while it appears that Patty’s hard edges have softened as a result of the emotional tolls wrecked on her over the past seasons, in addition to the current situation with her son. We’re seeing how these two beautiful, competent women are inextricably drawn to each other and exactly what is the nature of the role they have in each other’s life. With nary a significant male romantic interest in sight. (Ellen’s list of men grows, but it’s quite the insubstantial and inappropriate one.)
In other words, I’m all over it.
This post was supposed to be a recap but I couldn’t put a cork in my Patty/Ellen homage. I’ll most likely retro-recap the last three episodes of this season, so watch out for them. :)
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