To mark the fourth season coming to DVD, we've decided to take a look back at the first three seasons and preview what to expect in season four.
The Premise
Damages centres on two lawyers, bright and intelligent Ellen (Rose Byrne) and her ruthless boss Patty (Glenn Close), who is willing to do whatever it takes to win a case without remorse.
Each season is comprised of two timelines. Though most of the show is set in the present day as Patty and Ellen get involved in a season-long case, flash-forwards are prominent throughout and used to brilliant effect - keeping viewers on their toes with some great twists.
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Season One
Patty, Ellen and Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan) work together to take down Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), a billionaire who is accused of embezzling from his former employees. Meanwhile, flash-forwards six months into the future show Ellen discovering the body of her fiancé David (Noah Bean) and being accused of his murder.
Having the two timelines converge at the end of the season was an extremely satisfying payoff, as was seeing most of the mysteries answered, like who killed David and who wanted Ellen dead - all as a result of the high-stakes Frobisher case. In addition, the way Frobisher's lawyer Ray Fiske (Željko Ivanek) departed from the show remains one of the most powerful scenes in the entire series.
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Season Two
The second season involved Patty going against Ultima National Resources run by Walter Kendrick (John Doman), but was also heavily focused on the identity of who killed Daniel Purcell (William Hurt)'s wife, the mysterious Wes Krulik (Timothy Olyphant) and Ellen - now aware of Patty's true nature - acting as an FBI informant to dig up dirt on her boss.
The future timeline mostly revolves around Ellen shooting an unknown person in a hotel room, and the season culminated in some insane twisty double- and triple-crossing as the UNR case and Ellen's desperation to get revenge on Patty come to a head.
© Rex Features / FX Network/Everett
Season Three
Season three concentrated on the downward spiral of Joe Tobin (Campbell Scott), a man who begins with morally good intentions but is corrupted by money when his father stashes a bulk of hidden cash from a Ponzi scheme. He is aided by his family's lawyer Leonard Winstone, played by an exceptional Martin Short.
It was also a deeply personal run as flash-forwards showed the death of the affable Tom. In the present day, the events leading up to Tom's death - beginning with the lawyer being bankrupted as a victim of the Ponzi scheme - and Joe's descent into evil fall into place.
© Rex Features / FX Network/Everett
Season Four
The brand new season, ten episodes long, resumes a couple of years later with Ellen wanting to go after private security firm High Star, suspected of carrying out an illegal and ultimately costly mission in Afghanistan.
Damages has always attracted high-profile stars (for instance, Danson was a revelation in the role of Frobisher) and season four is no different, with veteran actor John Goodman stepping in to play Howard Erickson, the patriotic CEO of High Star. Meanwhile, Dylan Baker is superb as Jerry Boorman, Erickson's fixer with perhaps a hidden agenda.
Though the fourth season is slightly different in tone - it's grittier and less dependent on flash-forwards - the show continues to be gripping. Details surrounding the mysterious mission are gradually leaked out, while it's fascinating to watch Ellen take charge of a case for the first time, with the possibility that she will become the next Patty.
All of this climaxes with an intense and unmissable finale, in which there's also a brilliant scene shared by Patty and Ellen that sets up an interesting dynamic for the fifth and final season.
Damages season four is out on DVD on Monday, July 16.
