There’s been an interest in courtroom dramas on television for decades, and it's no surprise why. Given the many different twists and revelations that
There’s been an interest in courtroom dramas on television for decades, and it’s no surprise why. Given the many different twists and revelations that can occur over the course of a single case, legal dramas seemingly have unlimited potential. However, there’s only so much that these legal thrillers can do if they take a purely procedural approach. If they attempt to introduce a fresh case in each episode, it limits the amount of detail that could be included.
Damages changed the way courtroom dramas worked on television because it took an entire season to focus on just one major case, and showed the efforts that all the characters put into crafting their arguments. Instead of feeling derivative, each season of Damages offered a more comprehensive view of how the justice system works in America today. The specific scope of focus also gave the show the opportunity to take advantage of its extraordinary cast, which you can watch on Hulu.
Rose Byrne and Glenn Close’s ‘Damages’ Puts a New Spin on the Legal Thriller
Damages offered a more original depiction of legal culture than what previous courtroom television dramas had portrayed, and the show benefitted from two towering female performances from actresses at different points in their career. Glenn Close starred as the legendarily ruthless lawyer Patty Hewes, who takes on the ambitious law school graduate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) to be her protégée. Even if the characters are tasked with determining the truth in each case, Damages is not so naive about the justice system to suggest that it can’t be manipulated. The convoluted, shadowy relationship between Patty and Ellen over the course of the show’s five seasons offered a thrilling look at how professionalism can be used as a means to mask personal ambition.
Damages’ more intensive study of individual cases made it stand out compared to other legal dramas, but the show had subversion baked into its premise because of how it focused on female attorneys within a male-dominated space. The only way for Patty to stand out within a profession that favors men of privilege was to be above reproach, which is why she comes across as unforgiving and hazardous for anyone unfortunate to be pitted against her. Damages was released at a time in which it was occasional for a major film star to take a sedate role on a recurring television show. Close had given an amazing performance when she joined The Shield for just one season, but Damages allowed her to chart a character arc from beginning to end. Patty becomes a character who earns some sympathies, while also revealing her shadowy side as more details about her past emerge. Even though Close has earned eight nominations from the Academy Awards, Patty is the character she has most thoroughly examined, and it’s the performance she deserves to be remembered for.
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If Close’s star power is what intrigued audiences to check out Damages to begin with, Byrne offered a breakout role, and transformed Ellen into a much more active character than she initially appears to be. It’s thanks to a clever flashback structure within the first season that Ellen is revealed to have been falsely accused of a crime, and needs a defense in order to avoid being persecuted. It offered a sense of vulnerability for her from the very beginning, which meant that Byrne could track Ellen’s personal investment in being the best at what she did. At the same time, there’s a subtext to the series in which Ellen fears becoming the type of frosty, remorseless operator that Patty is. She has become the best at what she does because she refuses to see anything but logic, and Ellen takes a chance on empathy being a useful tool.
‘Damages’ Was Consistently Strong From Start to Finish
Damages finally reached its full potential in the final season, in which Patty and Ellen were on different sides of a case. There’s a possibility that the show could have been dragged out for several more seasons, but offering a collision between the two protagonists was the best way to ensure that Damages ended on a high note. The case doesn’t just decide where their ethical boundaries lie, but how willing they are to attack one another. Both Ellen and Patty are aware of one another’s secrets, which could be used to manipulate the perspective of the jury. While not always considered to be part of the “Golden Age” of television, Damages is the perfect binge-watch.
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