Damages: Because I Know Patty

SEASON 1 FINALE, TUESDAY @ 10PM ON FX

I'm speechless! Well, not quite; but I'm damn close. I haven't seen such incredible work since the early days of "The West Wing." In my opinion, the season finale of "Damages" ranks up there with some of the best episodes of television in history. Now, I know those are some pretty big words I'm throwing around but I wouldn't do so lightly. I understand the place a lot of the shows I like inhabit in the television world and I'm not naive to think that just because I happen to enjoy a show that it's automatically the best on television. But the truth is that tonight's episode (and for that matter, the entire season) is an example to the rest of Hollywood of what quality writing and acting should look like. No one could have predicted the twists and turns this show took. Further, the acting was superb and never once let us down. The most important quality this writing had, as opposed to other shows, is that the answers to all our questions weren't ridiculous, predictable, or generic. In fact, they were the complete opposite and surprisingly unique at every turn.

We went in to tonight with a lot of questions unanswered. I won't go into each question because at this point it doesn't matter; we know what happened! Finally too, I've been dying to know what was going on for so long. The main thing we learned tonight was that Patty tried to have Ellen killed!!! After everything we saw last week with Frobisher sending his men after the tape and Rick (the one with the beard) saying he went to Patty's apartment to look I had no doubt in my mind that it was Frobisher's man who attacked Ellen. But just as we were all wrong so many times this season, I was wrong about this. Apparently, Ellen's remark about regretting what they did a few weeks ago triggered Patty's desire to have her taken out. At the time, Patty did not regret it (and who knows if she truly does now or it's all still a charade) and felt that if she allowed Ellen to remain alive she would be a liability that could possibly get her thrown in jail someday. I just knew that Patty had this in her. She had Katies cat killed, blackmailed another lawyer, used Ellen over and over again, etc. etc. etc. She's NOT a good person even if she represents them. In the end, she's no better than Frobisher.

Surprisingly and not so surprisingly, Patty has a past we didn't know about until tonight. About 35 years ago she gave birth to a still born daughter. Clearly she's still distraught about it and maybe that's even what caused her to be so cold and hard resulting in the person we see today. Either way, it seems she finally came to feel like Ellen was sort of a daughter to her. This would explain why she went to the grave after she put the attack on Ellen into motion and also why she told Ellen that she regretted everything and wanted a second chance with her. It's an interesting twist and at the end of the episode we find out it's a fortuitous one for Ellen.

So Ellen knew all along that Patty tried to have her killed. Personally I thought she used that as an excuse to get her to defend her but man was I wrong. The big news is that this knowledge is useful as Ellen has been recruited by the F.B.I. to take Patty down. Apparently, they've been investigating Patty for years on the suspicion that she uses illegal, unethical, and criminal tactics to win her cases. No surprise there. I'm glad Mr. Nye turned out to be working with them and not for one of the bad guys or Frobisher. As it stands at the end of the season finale, Ellen agreed to work with the F.B.I. because Patty tried to have her killed, Mr. Nye is in on the investigation as well and knew about it before Ellen even accepted the job, Patty wants a second chance to be a good person to Ellen and now she's going back to work for Patty to keep an eye on her, and Frobisher was left for dead in the middle of a field.

It appears that we will be seeing Patty, Ellen, Tom, Pete, Patty's husband and son next season. The question marks are Frobisher (did he die?), Katie, and Lila. I have to believe Lila's storyline isn't over. She went to all that trouble to stalk David and sneak in and out of the apartment, so how could him throwing her out be the end? Granted David was killed but she may go after Ellen, who knows. I just don't think that could be the end to that storyline.

How ironic that the videotape incriminating Frobisher and the one he had his men kill David for was actually hidden in the murder weapon. Extremely ironic and a testament to the genius of this show. Exactly how things will play out from here who knows. I have a feeling this year's case will be over next year and Frobisher may actually be dead. In that case, the District Attorney will have no leverage against him and may help land Patty in jail instead. My one disappointment in the whole episode was the twist about Rick being a detective in the NYPD and removing the flashlight from the crime scene before Ellen could find it. That went a bit too far in my opinion and the writers were trying to get too flashy and creative.

The two best scenes of the season were in tonight's episode. First, was the scene with Ted Dansen and Glenn Close in his New York apartment when she came to show him the videotape that Gregory left behind. As Patty was leaving Frobisher asked her in a quiet, desperate voice "Why do you hate me so much?" Patty turned, looked at him with almost a sly sort of smile and walked out. Second, was Ellen's attendance at David's funeral. After everyone left she broke down and knelt beside his coffin as if she were sitting next to him on a bed. She gently pushed her hand against the wood and sat there crying. These two scenes were incredible and really hit home with the emotional undertones the writers were trying to convey.

If you haven't watched this season or only saw a few episodes you must rent, buy or netflix the season as soon as it comes out. I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment and I can't wait for the second season. Hopefully we won't have to wait until next July. Until next season, keep leaving comments and let me know if you find out any spoilers I may be interested in.

Damages: There's No "We" Anymore

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

So that's how they went too far! Ellen and Patty blackmailed Ray and then after he killed himself they removed the evidence of his insider trading from the office before calling the police. To be honest I thought the truth would have been a bit more outrageous but nevertheless it's all starting to come together now. We learned a lot tonight including David's killer and Ellen's attacker. The only problem is that even with all this information there's much to be resolved and much that's still a mystery.

In the end Frobisher turned out to be responsible for everything. He told his men to do whatever it took to recover the video tape Gregory Malina made and this precipitated all of the days events. First, his man that used to work with George Moore (the bearded man with the glasses) walked right into Ellen's apartment after Lila left the door open. She snuck in with her key and woke David up from a deep sleep to tell him they should be together. After throwing her out, Frobisher's men attacked David for the Statute of Liberty bookend. Much ensued after which resulted in David laying dead in the bathtub. Frobisher's men, however, did not find the tape. So they went to Patty's hoping it might be hidden there but they only found Ellen. This surprised them and as we saw before, she killed one of the men.

In the end, the man who said he wouldn't cross the line to killing because you can never go back did so in a haze of drugs and hookers. We're really starting to see Frobisher unravel and Ted Dansen has done an amazing job. His switches from a caring, family man to an egomaniacal drug-addicted, ruthless business man have been brilliant. As for his character, I think we're seeing the downfall of a billionaire. At this point he has no idea where the video tape is and has very little chance of ever getting it back from Ellen before paying out his fortune first.

The questions about Patty's motives and involvement in everything were also answered last night. Patty didn't go to the beach house or leave the state because she's guilty but rather because she's scared and feels responsible for Ray's death. Ellen figured this all out and only pretended Patty was guilty to get her back to the city so she could be her lawyer in exchange for the videotape. Very smart thinking by Ellen; now she just has to make sure Patty doesn't double cross her before getting her off for the murder of David.

Speaking of David, that last fight with Ellen was terrible. I understand his nervousness about her sneaking off to help Patty and murders take place left and right but I think he overreacted by telling her it was him or the job. I don't know if that was really necessary just yet. Anyways, the terrible thing for Ellen is that for the rest of her life she's going to hate herself for fighting with him the last time they were together. As for Rose Byrne, she has also done an absolutely amazing job this season. Her break down when she reentered her apartment for the first time since finding David dead was incredible and so believable. She's been fantastic and I for one hope they find a way to bring her back next year.

We are left with two very big questions though: 1) What is Mr. Nye up to? He's supposed to be Ellen's friend and lawyer but now he's talking about taking care of it. Does he mean Ellen? Is he connected to all of this also? Is he a "bad guy" as well? This could flip everything that happened this season in its head. 2) Will Patty be able to get Ellen off on the murder charges and will they be able to hold Frobisher and his men responsible? They did leave the flashlight in Ellen's apartment after they killed David so maybe this could be just the thing they need. But will Patty double cross Ellen before she is acquitted or the charges are dropped?

The season finale has shaped up to be one of the best of the year and I'm psyched for next Tuesday night. Keep the conspiracy theories coming and I'll see you all again next week!

Damages: I Hate These People

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

Unbelievable!! If you've never watched this show before last night's episode is why this show is so great. Just when you think you have a handle on things they throw about twenty curve balls at you and turn the story upside down. This was probably one of the best episodes of television I've seen in a while and next week could be even better.

Ray killed himself! There's no possible way to know that the blood spot on Patty's shoe could have come from that and thus it turned every conspiracy theory from last week on its head. Although, now that I think about it there were definitely signs that Ray was heading down this path. For weeks now he's been losing it and slipping deeper into a depression. I think the last straw was Gregory's murder and the fact that everything they did was finally coming out. For Patty's part I think it's pretty obvious just how horrible she can be. She gets the information on Ray's insider trading and instead of revealing it (which would have been the right thing to do) she tries to blackmail him into subverting justice by tanking the trial. More than that, she tries to hire him after he does this.

The problem now is that if the blood on Patty's shoe wasn't from David, Ellen's attacker, or Ellen then who was involved? I think the way it's shaping up we're going to see that David was killed by Lila or by one of Frobisher's men. The scenes for next week show David watching Gregory's video tape and if Frobisher finds out he has it he'll probably do anything to get it back and silence whoever watched it. This could be how David ends up dead and it could also explain the attack on Ellen. Maybe Frobisher sent someone there to silence Ellen but more likely he wanted to kill Patty if he thought she saw the tape too. Don't forget about Lila though. She continuously enters the apartment and stalks both Ellen and David. She could very well be the killer especially since we saw David yelling at her on the phone to leave him alone.

I think the end of the case and whether Frobisher is involved in the attacks/murders are intertwined. I don't know if we're ever going to see a courtroom conclusion to the case. Maybe that's for season two. Maybe though something will happen to him before the end of this season if he ends up being involved in everything.

You have to applaud Ellen for sticking up for herself. She's had so many opportunities in this episode to go back to work for Patty but thankfully she's smart enough to realize who Patty really is. She turned down the job offer and the money; very hard to do but smart. You don't want to be in Patty's debt. I question her helping out with the case because it keeps her near Patty but I guess if she was the only one who could talk to George Moore it made sense. She is very idealistic when it comes to lawyers and clients. Honestly though, did she expect Mr. Nye to give her a job when she walked out of the job offer at the beginning of the season to work for Patty? Ellen may be brilliant but when you do that to a law firm they won't welcome you back with open arms any time soon, if ever.

Next week should be amazing. It's all going to come together and I can't wait to see how it all fits in the end. The best part is that next week is NOT the season finale! There are two more episodes left in the season, so we should be getting a lot more before we say goodbye to season one. Throw down some conspiracy theories and let me know how crazy mine sound. See you next week.

Damages: Sort of Like A Family

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

WOW! Huge revelation at the end of this episode!!! Patty had a blood spot on her shoe and this can only mean one of two things: 1) She was there during the attack on Ellen or 2) She helped remove the body and clean up the apartment. Which one is it? I'm banking on the second but it could very well end up being neither of those and something else entirely. Still, this was a huge revelation and it left me with my mouth hanging wide open as the credits began to roll. I knew Patty had something to do with the attack on Ellen, she had to have been involved. Though I didn't think she would be involved to the point that she was present at the apartment.

Anyway, we learned a lot about some of the other mysteries this week as well. A big deal has been made about Gregory Malina's connection to Frobisher and the fact that he sold 1000 shares of Frobisher's stock the same day as him. Last night we found out that Gregory had received the stock from Ray and Ray was also the one who tipped him off to sell it. Now we know for sure where he got the stock from and we are 100% sure that Frobisher knew what was going on and intended to defraud everyone. Before this it was still speculation since we didn't have any admissions or direct evidence to link Frobisher to any intent. But with Ray, his closest confidant, tipping off Gregory we know that everyone in Frobisher's camp knew what was going on and when it was going to happen.

Throughout the rest of the episode pieces started to come together as we're approaching the night of the murders. This was by far one of the best episodes of the season and is setting us up for an amazing season finale. I have nothing bad to say about this show. The writing is top notch and the acting just as good. The big names and the new faces are both showing the world that this is one of the best shows on cable.

David's dream in the beginning of the episode really creeped me out. I think I had nightmares about Glenn Close after that one. I wonder why he had such a random dream like that except maybe he believes Patty is going to screw him and Ellen over. Later in the episode, Patty meets with Ray and Gregory's murder comes up. She really shouldn't be judging him for being involved. Granted its a horrible thing he did but Patty is no better. Just because she hasn't committed a human murder yet doesn't make her actions above reproach. She is the last person that should be judging anyone. Case in point, her treatment of Ellen. She uses her, treats her like a prize employee, and then as soon as Gregory is out of play tosses her aside like a rotten piece of meat. Except, not only has Ellen never done anything wrong, but quite to the contrary she has been an extraordinary attorney. She even found the new witness who used to work for Mr. Moore at the SEC. Patty is just an evil person and I have a feeling that one day it's going to catch up to her when she least expects it.

I have to say that Rose Byrne (Ellen) is doing a great job alternating between the past-Ellen and present-Ellen. In the present, she is very dark; nothing like she was before everything starting going down hill with Patty and the case. It's great to see a different side to Ellen's character and Rose has been incredible. I'm actually enjoying the dark-side of Ellen. She very assertive and seductive. It's a very interesting change to watch.

The big question of the night though is who is tailing Ellen? It could be any number of people but my money is on Uncle Pete. Patty seems to be stepping up her tactics and I wouldn't put it past her to have Ellen tailed so she can control her even more. Whoever it is probably has a big role to play in the events to come. The other big question, who was the service man that came up stairs? Apparently there's a service elevator and that's probably how the attacker got to Patty's apartment but that doorman seemed very odd. Maybe he's involved somehow.

Yet again another amazing episode of "Damages." I absolutely can't wait for next week. Leave some comments and tell me what you think is going on.

Damages: Do You Regret What We Did?

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

Now we're talkin! Tonight's episode was great!! This is what we need more of; back-stabbing, secrecy, mystery...this is what makes this show the biggest hit of the new year so far. By the way, I realized tonight where I recognize the front of Patty Hewe's building from. I actually lived around the corner from it in New York City for a year. At first I wasn't sure but they showed it enough tonight that I'm positive now. It's kind of awesome noticing something like that. Makes it more real almost.

Tonight revealed a lot but actually left me with more questions than answers. The big thing for me was that we got to see Patty crying in her backyard at the beach house. I thought maybe this showed she didn't set up Ellen and try to have her killed. But then why did we see her driving out of New York at the end of the episode? More than this, Ellen and Patty were referring to something they had done and wondered if they went too far. Patty looked very distraught when Ellen asked her this and I wonder what exactly they did. Also, if Patty did set up Ellen then why did she tell her the truth about where she was going? Patty told her she went to the beach house and she actually did, so it makes me think that maybe Patty didn't do it. It could be Moore who tried to kill Ellen just like he disregarded everyone else and tried to take out Gregory Malina.

I was actually very surprised that Ray gave up Gregory considering how much he cared for him. Then again the idea of jail or worse is enough to make most people do just about anything. I wonder how long it will be until Katie realizes what's on the tape he put in her purse. That could be the nail in the coffin for Frobisher if she can get it to Patty (and keep a copy for herself, remember you can't trust anyone).

Speaking of Frobisher, Dansen gave another great performance. I'm more and more impressed every episode he's in as to how great of a job he's really done this year. He adds such a creepiness to the show that makes it very unique and gives it a feel that no other show has, except for maybe Lost.

As for "The Stalker," Lila, I'm really just shocked at how this has come about. This girl came out of nowhere and has really jumped into the lives of Ellen and David. Although after hearing about her background from the check Ellen did it's not all that surprising. This woman has some major issues and it seems she'll be the end of everything David and Ellen know and love in their lives. I still don't get why she made a second set of David's keys and made the chain to look exactly like his. She had his and no one knew so why did she need to make the new ones? Maybe so after she killed David then Ellen couldn't think about someone having the keys since they found his? It was also pretty ballsy of Lila to come to Ellen's office and tell her she was sleeping with David. She had to know that wouldn't work especially with all that stuff in her past.

Moore is even more involved than anyone could have thought but I did point out in last weeks' review that his involvement is the key to everything. If Patty knew the truth about him everything could come crashing down on Frobisher. I have a feeling that in a couple episodes they may just start to learn about Moore, especially if they get Gregory's tape. Frobisher should also be rechecking who his friends are as Moore is doing everything he can to save his own ass now even at the expense of Frobisher. Frobisher needs to take charge of what's going on around him or else he'll find himself in broke or dead.

Excellent episode this week. I can't wait until next Tuesday!

Damages: Blame The Victim

ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

Fine, I was wrong last week when I said that the police should test the blood on Ellen and they would find out it wasn't David's thus she couldn't be the murderer. But in my defense they didn't show Ellen hugging David until this week, so I had no idea that his blood also got on her. With this admission out of the way (and my girlfriend is probably laughing because I never admit when I'm wrong), let's discuss this week's episode.

This week we learned a lot more than we did in the last episode. There was significant progress in the case and we also got some new storylines thrown in. A quick recap on what we now know: David and Ellen decided the night of his murder to break if off because she couldn't decide between her life and her job and that's when Ellen left her ring at the apartment which the police later found; Ellen chose her job over her life (which I can't believe by the way); and Mr. Moore who works for the SEC is Frobisher's inside man AND his hitman!!.

This last piece of information was HUGE!!! Obviously none of the characters have any idea but we know that Mr. Moore had been the man Frobisher has doing all the dirty work. Plus, he showed up at Gregory Malina's place in Florida the night he was with Katie. Then on top of all this we find out that Mr. Moore works for the SEC. This is how Frobisher was able to pull off the fraud; he had a man on the inside. Apparently, the government did not do a great job in its criminal case or else they would have discovered this information in all the interviews they conducted with Mr. Moore in that trial. Exactly how Frobisher and Moore pulled this off is yet to be seen but it will definitely be interesting to watch.

As for a new storyline, Ellen's parents come into the picture in a big way. Although not connected to the Frobisher case (at least so far), Ellen's father ran over a crossing guard with his car and Ellen has to help him navigate through the lawsuit so that he doesn't lose everything. However, Ellen's father is a straight shooter who can't help but own up to his mistakes. Unfortunately, this isn't how the law works and the crossing guard's attorney gets her father to admit he was distracted while driving. As we find out when Ellen is arraigned, her parent's end up settling for a sizable amount of money which prevents them from being able to post bond for her.

Overall, this episode was significantly better than last week. It was thrilling, suspenseful, and fast-paced. AND Frobisher came back, which in my opinion is a good part of what makes this show so good. His character plays an important role and the good/bad dichotomy we see in many of the characters; and when he isn't there it seems like something is missing from the show. Speaking of which, I honestly believe Patty is worse than Frobisher. Granted I wouldn't invite either of them over for the holidays but Frobisher at least hesitates when a suggestion of killing comes up or even when someone might get hurt (like when his bodyguard pushed Larry to the ground). But Patty never flinches, not once; and more than that she has no problem killing dogs, manipulating people, using force, or apparently trying to murder another person (it seems she tried to have Ellen killed). So who really is worse here? To me the answer is easy...Patty. Everything you need to know about Patty is in her response to Ellen's description of her fathers accident and the fact that he wants to tell the truth, "just blame everything on the victim."

The show is really starting to pick up some steam and it should be a great second half. I can't wait to see what's next.

Damages: We Are Not Animals

SEASON 1 ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAY'S @ 10PM ON FX

I'm not really sure how I feel about this episode. I sat down to write this review the night of the airing and I just couldn't do it. While I liked it, I'm not sure I loved it as much as the previous episodes. Most of all, it did not live up to the hype from last week's previews. The previews made it feel like we would have these amazing revelations after watching the episode. Although some things were surprising I didn't feel like it was groundbreaking or earth-shattering. Worst than that it just wasn't as exciting as usual. While it answered some questions it left many more unanswered and I felt like I would at least have one or two of the big questions answered.

We find out that Patty had something to do with the attack on Ellen at her apartment; or at least it seems that she did. Ellen gets attacked, her fiance' killed, and the very same day Patty is missing. Then Ellen points out for us that only Patty knew she was at her apartment that night which means Patty will either have a great story to tell or she is very guilty. Personally I think she was involved just the same way she was involved in the murder of Katie's dog earlier in the season. And at the end of the episode we find out that Tom may be involved too!! Now this I didn't see. I had a feeling he would betray Ellen but I didn't think he would ever have had anything to do with the attack. Now my gut is telling me that he and Patty for some reason set it up together. Tate Donovan has done an amazing job on the show this year. I was afraid I'd see Jimmy Cooper (The O.C.) all season but he really has developed this character nicely and changed some of his mannerisms.

A big moment in the beginning of the episode revealed that Ellen did not kill her fiance' David. Not that I ever really believed she did or could, but we now know for sure that she didn't which reinforces my theory from last week that the stalker Lila (the daughter of David's patient) is the one who murdered him.

One of the things I like the most is the dynamic between Patty and Ray. They're on opposites sides of this massive case and yet somehow they sort of show respect for each other even if it's never said. Patty doesn't respect anyone except for herself but when she's in scenes with Ray I get the feeling that she respects his abilities as a litigator. I like that there's at least one person who she feels is a worthy (or somewhat worthy) opponent.

The one thing that kills me is the stupidity of the police (and possibly the writers) in this episode. They decide to arrest Ellen officially based on her fingerprints on the murder weapon, the fact that she's covered in blood, and was found near the scene. The problem is that if they tested the blood on her they would find out it wasn't David's and she was at her apartment because it's her apartment. And OFCOURSE her fingerprints were on the murder weapon, IT WAS A GIFT TO HER AND IN HER APARTMENT!!! You can't arrest someone based on fingerprints alone being present on the murder weapon when the weapon was in the person's own home and was a possession present in the home before the murder; there is no way based on that to prove she used it to kill him since its equally as likely that she just held it other times. You would need a lot more than that for an arrest and the writers dropped the ball on this one.

The whole Patty/Tom/Ellen triangle baffles me. I still don't understand what the big deal is between them. Patty wants Tom to herself and Tom likes Ellen but can't say no to Patty. But I don't get why Patty is so anxious to screw over Ellen. She used her to get to Katie and I understand she may need to use her again but I don't see why she feels its necessary to screw with her life. She could just as easily get what she needs from Ellen without doing that. I guess we'll find out sooner or later what exactly her motivations are.

I have to tell you that I think Ellen is amazing. I wish I were as smart as she is. As a lawyer myself I know how impossible it is to write a perfect brief on any topic and she was able to do it on the first shot earlier in the season. And now she so easily sees through Tom's rhetoric and is able to set him up to get to Patty. It was great to see her get a little revenge against the people that underestimate her.

I can't wait to see where Patty is hiding out and what actually happened that day. On a side note I was a bit disappointed that we didn't have any appearances by Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) this episode. He brings such a great and creepy feel to the show that he really should be there every night. In the meantime, leave some comments and theories on what will happen, I'd love to read what you think.

Damages: She Spat At Me

SEASON 1 ORIGINAL EPISODES, TUESDAYS @ 10PM ON FX

I guess the starting point of this review should be a plea to everyone reading it to start watching this show immediately. It had a small amount of promotion the month before it's premiere in July but other than that it's relatively unknown by most people. I started watching it mainly because of the great cast (Glenn Close, Ted Danson, Tate Donovan, etc.) and thankfully I did. It is by far the best new show in a couple years. It combines the best of all worlds: suspense, thrill, mystery, drama, and controlled intensity. It constantly surprises you and keeps you asking "what the hell is going on?" (It's similar to "24" and "Lost" in those respects)

This episode was no different. We're at the point where we know enough to know that whatever we think is going on is not what actually is going on. But what we do know is that Ellen was attacked at Patty's apartment and the body was removed by someone. Everything else is still up in the air. You may be thinking we know that Ellen didn't kill her fiance', Noah. While I think that too, looking at it objectively, we just don't know for sure that she didn't yet. And that's what's so great about this show. Every time you think you know what's going on and who the bad guy is you're surprised to find out you were very wrong. The heart of the show lies in the fact that no one is all good and all bad; that everyone is some mix of both. We don't usually get that in TV shows; we usually get one or the other in the characters. So when you watch this show you love it even more because you never know who to trust and it makes it that much more interesting.

So when this episode starts we don't find out much more about the missing body in Patty's apartment. The police confirm that there was no body which begs the question, where'd it go and who took it away? My bets on the guy helping Frobisher control the evidence in the case. Unfortunately, this episode doesn't really give us any new direct clues in the way of what happened the day of the murder. We do get a few indirect clues but that's about it.

Ellen and Noah start having relationship problems which turns out to be a big storyline. At first it's not really apparent why and what connection it has with all the events. I do have a question to throw out there (semi-rhetorical but I'm curious anyway), how come someone in a relationship always runs into the arms of another whenever there's a few bumps in the relationship road? Noah and Ellen haven't even been fighting for very long and he's already willing to go too far with Sarah (his patients VERY flirty granddaughter). The truth is though, that Ellen is pushing the limits of her relationship too far. She is blindly following Patty without questioning anything. For such a brilliant girl she certainly is very naive. I guess people always see what they want to see. Obviously this is going to be a big factor in the Ellen's problems later on.

I was actually a bit shocked at Ray's dreams. That storyline really came out of nowhere. That's probably the only negative I could bring out about the series so far. They should have brought his issues and possible involvement in everything out before, even if a little at a time. It felt like they were forcing is role on us very quickly, too quickly. Not only that but they're freaking gross. I don't mind odd stuff but watching blood and a tooth spill out of Ray's mouth multiple times is not my idea of fun. But anyway, we find out that he clearly had a homosexual relationship with Greg, which is somehow leading to the nightmares he's having. How this all played into the case and the murder's who knows, but it'll be interesting to find out what happened in Florida between them and how it's connected to everything.

Meanwhile, we were thrown a major curve ball tonight. Sarah probably had something to do with Noah's murder. I totally did not see this coming. I would have bet anything that the murder had to do with the case. I may be wrong but it seems like Sarah is a psychotic, stalker and the murder of Noah was an unfortunate coincidence in all this. Clearly she was in that apartment when Noah was killed otherwise she wouldn't have stolen his keys and told the police they were hers. Also, the police had said there was no forced entry a couple episodes ago and this would explain why. I also want to point out an interesting fact. In the first couple episodes when the cops went to Ellen's apartment, a pigeon flew out of the bathroom because the window screen on the fire escape was open. But when Ellen and Noah first moved into the apartment we see the screen was closed and the pigeon standing outside. So how did that screen get open now? Did someone come in through that way? Interesting...

I have to say though that Noah cheating on Ellen with Sarah shocked me. Or at least that's what Sarah said happened, so I have to take it with a grain of salt considering she's psychotic. In all this though, the most interesting character is Patty. At times she seems like a normal person with great intentions (even though she's obviously pretending at times) and then she is willing to murder dogs, have witnesses followed by men with guns, etc. I'm really curious to see exactly what her intentions are because I can't believe it's simply to win the case or to make money. She's deeper than that.

In the preview for next week we're told all the pieces are going to come together. I CAN'T WAIT! It's going to be great. My money's on a big revelation about Patty...