All fall Down

Season three of FX's Damages opens with a bang! Literally. Patty Hewes
(Glenn Close) is driving through Manhattan, savoring Curtis Sliwa's talk radio rant about her favorite topic, herself when POW someone crashes into her car! The driver then disappears. And oddly enough there are no witnesses. On a crowded NYC street. In broad daylight.

The first episode, filled with the show's signature time shifts and smart character explorations, forshadows an exciting season.

As usual there's also a lot of guest star power in the season that will take on the powerful Tobin family whose patriarch has been nabbed in the biggest Ponzi scheme.Sound familiar? Lily Tomlin plays a desperate and fidgety Ruth Maddoff type. Martin Short is the fallen family's sleazy lawyer. And Campbell Scott is the son Joe Tobin, who--hellbent on proclaiming his innocence-- beats up a guy in the street who wants his money back, or at least a bag of groceries from the so-called straight arrow son.

Oh,Ellen Parsons( Rose Byrne) is still in the picture,though she's ditched Hewes & Associates(which by episode's end is officially renamed Hewes-Shayes and Associates, as long suffering associate Tom--the unflappable Tate Donovan--finally gets his due)for a desk prosecuting drug dealers at the D.A.'s office. Patty-- who can't leave well enough alone-- sends Ellen a $3000 Chanel bag that winds up--in the 6 month fast forward-- in the cart of a homeless man who is somehow connected to Patty's car crash. Oh, yeah, and among his other belongings, there's a dead body. The identity may or may not be revealed, but I'm not giving up the potential spoiler for those who've yet to indulge in this guilty pleasure.

I know some people find the show's time transitions too jarring, the story lines too confusing. But if you stick with Damages, the pay-off is a deliciously thrilling psychological ride. One of the best on television these days. Too bad it now goes head-to-head against the other best show, TNT's Men of a Certain Age. Thank God for cable re-broadcasts. And DVRs. Both Damages and Men of a Certain Age originally air Mondays at 10PM; check your cable guide or station websites for additional airings.

Stay tuned.

Drive safe. Play nice. Think peace.

aba