Damages: The Complete First Season | Joe Szadkowski saw, Television, Drama | ENTERTAINMENT
Damages: The Complete First Season
If you missed it then, or just want to enjoy it again before settling in for the second season, the series first season arrives in a three disc Blu-ray set on Tuesday, January 29th.
Writers, producers and series creators Todd A. Kessler, Glen Kessler and Daniel Zelman examine the shadowy complexities of power and its effects on human nature. Remarkably this legal drama that chronicles the mechanizations of a class action suit and the downfall of a billionaire, manages, throughout the entire 13 episodes, to keep it out of the courtroom.
Which happens when witnesses, defendants and lawyers keep showing up dead.
Directorial choices of film stock, camera angles and Goth/alternative music adds a surreal touch to the story arc that pits Mrs. Hewes against a corrupted CEO Arthur Frobisher, played brilliantly by Ted Danson.
1. The goods: Miss Close delivers such a likable but flawed character it is often hard to believe she is as ruthless as the evidence obviously plays her out to be. Excellent cast support from Rose Byrne (as protégé Ellen Parsons), Zeljko Ivanek (attorney Ray Fiske) and the aforementioned Mr. Danson makes "L.A. Law" and "Boston Legal" look like kiddy shows.
By juxtaposing different cinematic techniques viewers are able to keep track of the director’s use of forecasting and flashbacks in telling this gritty, and often surprising, saga.
From the coarse, almost sepia toned scenes that provide insights to motives to the brilliantly clear sharp focus of the present day murder investigation, the look of Damages impacts as much as the story.
2. The mandatory extras: A pair of commentary tracks is the best of the bonuses. The first, in the premiere episode, offers a mildly informative but not inspiring optional commentary with director Allen Coulter, a surprisingly quiet Ms. Close and creators Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman.
A second commentary accompanies episode 11, " I Hate These People," with Zelijko Ivanek (Ray Fiske) ably adding to the discourse.
A pair of behind the scenes featurettes (that should only be watched after enjoying all episodes) are underwhelming and cannot compare to the energy found in any of the episodes.
3. Above and beyond: A confusing menu navigation screen reveals thumbnails of the episodes, no matter what disc is popped in. The problem is viewers can only access the shows available in the disc currently in the player. If they pick a different show they are instructed to pull the disc and put another one in. I am not sure what the point of this is as it causes way more confusion than functionality.
Particularly frustrating is when trying to access special features and being constantly told to pick the third disc. Thank goodness this is not a ten-disc set.
4. Fuel the disc revolution: The interactive "Understanding Class Action" takes visitors to a book spread out on a desk in the Hewes' library. Legal experts explain some of the basic legal terms tossed about during the show, such as numerosity, and quickly covers three famed examples of class action suits (Exxon Valdez, Tobacco and Agent Orange) while clips from the series are interspersed to reinforce the legal concepts presented in the show.
Unfortunately, this type of resource, which does help the viewer to understand the complexities of the type of case being pursued by Patty Hewes and her association, has already been seen ad nauseam in standard DVD technologies (reference most Disney DVD sets), so it won't win any innovation rewards.
— Joseph Szadkowski