Who here laughed their heads off last night when Patty tried a Ding-Dong and then asked Ellen and Katie what it was, only to turn around and say that it "tastes like a Ho Ho"? It's moments like that which only make me love this smart series even more.I'm talking about last night's little gem of an episode of FX's Damages ("Tastes Like a Ho Ho"), which focused mainly on the character of Katie Connor (Anastasia Griffiths), a consummate liar whose constantly shifting version of the events in 2002 in Florida have kept me on the edge of my seat. We had known that Katie lied about her timeline, concealing a one-night stand with a mystery man named Gregory (Peter Facinelli) and an abortion she had as a result of their tryst. What we didn't know though was how far gone Katie was and that she entered rehab after their meeting. So why didn't baby brother David know about any of this? That's the mystery... and just who payed for her rehab stint?
Katie, of course, is merely a pawn in the war between Patty and Arthur Frobisher; she's being used by both sides without her knowledge. I knew better than to trust Greg, who turned out to be another cog in the conspiracy. Sure, he's being forced into playing his role but he made Katie perjure herself under oath and fed her information that was quickly disproved by conniving attorney Ray Fiske. Information that Patty had in her possession way before Katie's deposition.
So why did Patty set up Katie to take the fall? Simple: Patty knew she was lying because she had had that incriminating ATM photo (of the man Katie claimed to see getting into the limo that night with Frobisher) for months and she had to get Fiske and Frobisher off their backs. She wants the settlement withdrawn because she wants Frobisher to think that he's in the clear; if he does, she can nail the billionaire's butt to the wall when the case goes to trial. And Fiske won't even see it coming. That's the beauty of Patty's grand scheme.
So who was the Mystery Man who employs Greg and what is the connection between them? Greg was staying at his house (and obviously had a key to the place) and owned Frobisher stock yet knew to dump it back in June of 2002 before the alleged fraud occurred. Hmmm. Was he really ever just a West Village waiter or is that just a cover story? And what was he doing down there in Florida that night. My guess? The Mystery Man is Frobisher's broker; hence the big cover up that Frobisher engages in to keep Katie Connor happy and silent. But why does this guy have a penchant for wandering the streets of Manhattan at night with a baby in a stroller? Whose kid is that and why did he show up for a clandestine meeting with Greg with the kid? Curious.
Katie was never meant to testify at the trial. She was an unreliable witness with a past filled with "a blur of narcotics and intercourse" who as completely not credible. But the icing on the cake was the fact that both Patty and Frobisher's people destroyed Katie's entire life for something that she didn't even see. She wasn't even awake when the Mystery Man entered that Florida house on the water that night in 2002 and never saw him or his face, never knew he even existed. So everything that happened to her: the stalking, the murder of her dog Saffron, the sacrifice of her dreams of owning her own restaurant, they were all in vain. It's a sad testament to the power of the wicked over the truly powerless.
That said, I had thought that Katie would be killed before this was all over. Not so, as in the current timeline, she goes to the police station and has to identify David's body. Turns out that she and Ellen haven't spoken in months (Katie takes off in her car, without looking back, at the episode's end) and she didn't even know that Ellen and David had called off the wedding. (Lest you fear that Katie is off the series, she appears in the scenes for next week's episode.)
Could the reasons for that split between the two lovebirds have something to do with that extremely flirty (not to mention inappropriately chatty) woman whose grandfather David is looking after? Hmmm. Given the way that she still put a move on David even after he told her that he was engaged leads me to believe that David is going to stray from Ellen, especially since Patty continues to drive a wedge between them. Could this be why Ellen is staying at Patty's when she's attacked by an unknown assailant with a knife? After all, she was in Patty's apartment wearing only a negligee.
Just who is this young woman who lacks even a remote knowledge of the films of John Cassavetes? Is she for real or another plant, a honey trap hired by Patty to split David and Ellen up for good? Patty tells Ellen to trust no one and I'm doing just that. Anyone who comes onto the screen is a potential villain and could be caught up in this web of lies that threatens to overtake them all. Hell, even Tom (Tate Donovan) himself, who has finally proven that he's not Patty's lapdog anymore when he accepts an offer from a rival firm in order to get his daughter into an elite school. (After years of abuse from Patty and getting "fired" from the firm only to spy on Katie, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.) Just what will Patty say when she learns of this new treachery? And how will she enact a bitter revenge on the one person she did trust above all others? It's time to eat your words, Ms. Hewes.
Next week on Damages ("A Regular Earl Anthony"), Fiske is spurred by Frobisher to take a more aggressive tack with Patty, who finds herself on rather insubstantial ground with her clients, while Tom meets with an old friend (Donal Logue) and someone gets beat up.
Comments
I feel bad for Katie. Mostly because she is merely a pawn and was never meant to testify; there was no reason why she had to be skewered the way she was. Yes, she had to be discredited as a witness, but she didn't do anything that warranted her being completely slaughtered.
So who the hell is Greg? I really think his "waiter from the West Village" is BS. He must have a more pivotal role in the whole scheme - was his one night stand with Katie really happen by chance? I don't think so, especially since he forced Katie to purjure AND was staying at Baby Carriage Man's posh pad. (Like a waiter could really pay that mortgage? Please.) So what are Greg's true colors?
BCM (Baby Carriage Man) freaked me out. Pushing a stroller around at odd hours is just plain creepy. He must employ Greg in some capacity, since he had to chastise Greg for not keeping his fly zipped. (I'll have to watch the episode again)
The first thing I thought of when I saw the Soda Skank putting the moves on David was that she's been hired to seduce David and break up his and Ellen's engagement. Granted, he's a pig for being so easily led astray (it would've been more credible to me if the show had shown some relationship problems between David & Ellen before this), but most women don't come on that strong and they usually back down when told their "target" is taken. So Soda Skank's actions made me suspicious right away. David didn't even bother correcting her when she referred to Ellen as another doctor. And it wasn't like she and David started off strictly as doctor/caretaker and developed a rapport which eventually turned into something; Soda Skank went straight for the kill. And besides, she sure wasn't acting upset that her grandfather is in the hospital. David sucks.
Maybe I'm just paranoid but I think the new firm Tom wants to join could be a set-up as well. Who is that guy, anyway? I forgot.
It's funny because the more I watch this show, the more convinced I am that everyone (save Ellen, David, and Katie) is power hungry and has an ulterior motive. One of the things that has me hooked is seeing just who's hungry for what power, and who's just plain wicked.
Jace, what do you think?
re: Jane's comment on Soda Skank - I, too, thought she was sent by Patty. But that is really saying a lot about her power that she could manage to work it so that one of his patients had a hot grandaughter. I wouldn't put it past her, though.
re: Baby Carriage Man - that was Peter Riegert, right? MAn, I love Peter Riegert. That was just creepy - the whole baby thing.
Poor Katie - it's so tragic.
As for Tom, I am not totally sure that the offer is a set-up though I wouldn't put it past Patty to have arranged it (she did tell him to find another connection) as a test. I think that Martin will go after the plantiffs in the Frobisher case now that he's snared Tom (his possible motivation, all along).
Love "Soda Skank." I think I might have credit you for that next week!
BCM is CLASSIC!! I can't wait to see how this unfolds. I think you might be right about BCM being the broker. It makes perfect sense - Greg said "I don't think she remembers you" giving us every reason to believe that's why he told Katie to identify Luke Richards. Can't wait for next week!
I kind of feel bad for Katie but she hasn't exactly led a blameless life. And as for her losing the restaurant I have to remind myself that she wouldn't even have had the restaurant if it weren't for Frobisher trying to buy her off and keep her quiet. I know she's been screwed over but she shouldn't blame Ellen. She did agree to all this, after all, and was warned it would get ugly.
The person I really feel bad for is Ellen. Patty has totally kept her in the dark and she is being used just as much (if not more) than Katie.
jules i wondered too why BCM looked like he was packing when he stepped into the house. and, assuming it's his pad and not Greg's, why didn't he kick Ketamine Katie out on her stoned butt for trespassing? (or at least try and get a gratuitious boob shot or something) I just watched a clip of the scene and I didn't even realize that KK called out "Gregory???" right as BCM was almost at the threshold of the room. Wow. Totally missed that one before.
sorry for the cheesy nicknames - my girlfriends and i have been notorious for assigning nicknames to everyone for years, and it's a habit i've yet to break (see Ketamine Katie lol).
for Soda Skank - what were the tickets she slipped into her grandfather's chart? i assume they were for the music she had David listen to? and her saying later on that David could play it anyway he wants....I just find her so fake because no woman would be that aggressive with a guy she knows is taken, unless that guy is a billionaire or pretty close to a billionaire.
i feel bad for ellen as well. but for a full wardrobe from Bergdorf's and a posh pad on the upper west, i would probably sign on as an associate at Hewes. hell, if they threw in some free Hermes bags and some Brioni suits, i'd sign my name in blood.
and no, i'm not an attorney. :-)
Also, did anyone else tire of the drunk couple date scene with Tom et al.