I'M NOT BEING DEFENSIVE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S BEING DEFENSIVE! WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE OTHER PERSON WHO'S BEING DEFENSIVE? HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF THAT? So I'm guessing
based on the
reviews that it's about time I started watching Damages with the third-season premiere tonight.
I've been watching since the start. Close and Danson are magnificent, and the single season actors (Marcia Gay Harden and William Hurt last year, Zelkjo Ivanek in Season 1) are great. (The less said about Darrell Hammond's effort, though, the better.) Two problems:
ReplyDelete1. Rose Byrne is very very pretty. She's not tough enough to be able to buy as a rival to Patty.
2. The show reeks of "we're making it up as we go along" and the middle of a season almost invariably drags.
That lame-ass Martin Short 'waterboard' line in the commercials told me all I needed to know.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Matt on all points. The "we're making it up as we go along" issue ties into my biggest problem with the show, which is that it is propelled along almost entirely by character-based plot twists that, functionally, renders the characters as cyphers. When I know that there are going to be major reveals about the intentions of many of the characters as the season goes along, it nearly impossible for me to buy into any of the characters as characters. Season 1 worked, I think, b/c it was new and exciting. Season 2 didn't work, b/c it had already become weirdly formulaic. Basically, it went from being the legal equivalent of 24 Season 1 to the equivalent of 24 Season 6 in just two seasons.
ReplyDeleteI will add my endorsement. One of the best shows on TV. My wife got into it before I did, and I was really skeptical, because I find a lot of her taste in TV to be weird, but this is among the handful of shows we both love. I second Matt about Close and Danson (and Hammond). The plot of Season 2 was kind of a Michael Clayton rip-off, but was well-done nevertheless.
ReplyDeleteI loved Season 1 and found Season 2 so unwatchable that I quit part way through (which I almost never do). I've got too much TV on my plate right now, so I won't be watching Season 3, but I do hope it gets back to the quality of Season 1.
ReplyDeleteWe got hooked on Season 1 on DVD, and liked Season 2, as well (though not as much).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, WHY do I know exactly where the title of this thread came from? Why is that taking up space in my brain? Why?!
I'm with Marsha, loved season 1, but couldn't get into season 2 AT ALL, so I quit, and can't deal with even more TV now, especially with TAR staring up soon, Lost next week (WOOOOOOOO!) and Idol, which I'll start watching during Hollywood week. Sorry, Damages.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should post this as I was in the middle of writing this blog post.
ReplyDeleteThis is somewhat of a thread-jack, but are there any other lawyers out there who find it unenjoyable/stressful to watch any kind of legal shows? At first I thought it was just because I was a miserable biglaw associate and didn't want to be reminded, in any way, of work when I was out of the office, but I've switched to a new job I enjoy much more and still can't stand legal shows. I tried watching the pilot of Damages but switched it off shortly after Glen Close made Rose Byrne the job offer in the bathroom of her sister's wedding. The Deep End looks horrendous. When I was in high school/college I loved Ally McBeal, but I think if I tried to watch it now it would absolutely make my head spin. Probably ditto for anything else David E. Kelley. Law and Order is slightly more bearable, maybe because I don't do criminal law, but I certainly don't seek it out. Is this just a sign I'm in the wrong career, or is there anyone else out there who's with me?
ReplyDeleteMe too, acf. I'm in a government job that overall I like very much, but legal shows inevitably stress me out and make me think of only the most stressful aspects of my job.
ReplyDeletei'm not a lawyer, but my husband is a doc and he can't stand to watch any medical shows with the exception of scrubs (back when it was funny). so i watch grey's on my own. oh, and i think the deep end is unwatchable regardless of your profession...
ReplyDeleteI totally understand - for me, watching shows based in my profession either feel stressful, like homework, or I obsess about all the details that are wrong. It's why I very rarely watch dramatic sports movies (comedies don't usually have the same problems with authenticity, or I give them a pass if I laugh). Heck, I still haven't watched the SportsNight series, which combines my two careers.
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