There's Only One Way to Try a Case
| "There's Only One Way to Try a Case" | |
|---|---|
| Damages episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | Todd A. Kessler |
| Written by | Todd A Kessler Glenn Kessler Daniel Zelman |
| Original air date | July 13, 2011 |
| Running time | 57 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| Michael Nouri Chris Messina Bailey Chase Tom Noonan | |
"There's Only One Way to Try a Case" is the first episode of the fourth season of the
Synopsis
It has been two and a half years since the death of Tom Shayes (
Meanwhile, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), now the sole leader of Hewes & Associates, has taken a case against a French pharmaceutical manufacturing company whose clinical drug trials have caused the deaths of dozens of people while also trying to raise her granddaughter Catherine. She and Ellen occasionally meet to exchange legal strategy and Patty warns Ellen against trying a case against High Star, saying that it is a dangerous company to make an enemy of. Patty struggles to find a suitable nanny to help raise her granddaughter and, after firing the latest appointee, is urged by her ex-husband Phil (Michael Nouri) to track down her son and Catherine's father Michael, who disappeared almost three years earlier. Patty hires Detective Victor Huntley (Tom Noonan) to investigate Michael's whereabouts.
The Senate refuses to renew High Star's contract with the U.S. Government and Erickson turns to his shadowy associate Jerry Boorman (
A future timeline jumps three months ahead, where a young Afghan boy brings a prisoner bound to a chair with a hood over his head a sandwich. The unknown prisoner, wearing a medallion identical to the one Sanchez previously wore, is then approached by two masked men who threaten him with a machete. Later, Ellen stumbles upon the blood-soaked scene and breaks down in tears.
Production
"There's Only One Way to Try a Case" was the eighteenth script of Damages for each of the three creators, Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman. The episode was directed by Todd A. Kessler, his sixth such credit for the series and his third season premiere.
Title reference
This episode's title is taken from a line Patty delivers to Ellen when she warns her former protégée about the dangers of filing suit against High Star, "There's only one way to try a case, Ellen: the one that lets you win."
Reception
Critical reviews
The episode was met with a strong positive reaction from television critics. Matt Roush of
Not all reviews were completely favorable, however, with
Ratings
DirecTV has reported that the season four premiere of Damages was watched by 1 million viewers across its initial four airings. This is comparable to the 900,000 viewers that DirecTV reported for the season premiere of the final season of Friday Night Lights. For additional comparison, the season three finale of Damages on FX was viewed by a reported 975,000 viewers and the overall average of 956,000 viewers for its second season and 928,000 viewers for its third on FX.[8]
References
- ^ Roush, Matt (July 13, 2011). "Roush Review: Rescue Me and Damages". TV Guide. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (July 13, 2011). "Tonight's Best TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ Hinkcley, David (July 12, 2011). "'Damages' review: Glenn Close and Rose Byrne play dueling yet dependent attorneys on DirecTV show". The New York Daily News. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
- ^ Perigard, Mark A. (July 13, 2011). "'Damages' upheld". The Boston Herald. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (July 12, 2011). "Damages". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ Gay, Verne (July 12, 2011). "'Damages' 4th season premiere". Newsday. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ Poniewozik, James (July 13, 2011). "TV Tonight: Damages Comes Back, While Ted Danson Moves on to CSI". Time. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (August 4, 2011). "Variety: DirecTV Subscribers Hardly Interested in 'Damages'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 17, 2011. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
