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Special Features
- Deleted Scenes
- The Shield - Final Season Tease
- Willful Acts: The Making of Damages
- Understanding Class Action: Interactive Guide
- Trust No One: Insight from the Creators
- Episode Commentaries
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Smart, sleek, and more than a little wicked, the Golden Globe-winning series Damages proves that legal programs don't have to follow a well-worn formula in order to prove completely addictive. In fact, the show (from Todd and Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman, whose credits include The Sopranos) steers clear from nearly all courtroom drama clichés over the course of its 13 episodes, and hews closer to classic film noir with the slowly-spun web of deceit that is woven around fresh-scrubbed lawyer Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne). After joining the legal firm headed by uber-powerful litigator Patty Hewes (Glenn Close, who won a Golden Globe for her performance), Parsons lands a career-making case--a class-action lawsuit against millionaire Arthur Frobisher (Golden Globe nominee Ted Danson)--but discovers that digging deeply into the case not only reveals layers of corruption, cover-up, and potential scandal, but places her own life in jeopardy as well. Smart, mature writing and note-perfect performances, most notably by Danson as the perverse and complex Frobisher, but also by Tate Donovan, Zeliko Ivanek, Peter Facinelli, Philip Bosco and Peter Reigert, make Damages a genuine pleasure for law and mystery show fans, but also those craving a challenging series that delivers water cooler chat material in every episode. The three-disc set includes all 13 episodes as well as deleted scenes; among the featured extras are two choice commentaries, one with Close, the Kesslers and Zelman, and the other with Ivanek and the creators, both of which are chock-full of production and technical insights. A 30-minute making-of featurette, discussions about the characters by the creators, and a guide to class-action lawsuits rounds out the fine supplemental features. --Paul Gaita
Product Description
Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Ted Danson. Ellen Parsons leaves law school as one of the sharpest students in the bunch; but her new hard-hitting mentor offers a much rougher brand of education. The first lesson? Win at all costs. Includes She Spat at Me" (9/4/07) and 12 others for a total of 13 episodes on 3 DVDs. 2007/color/9 hrs., 41 min/NR.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
133 of 135 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
One of the biggest treats of the 2007 television season was "Damages," a wicked and wonderful legal thriller from FX. Headlined by Glenn Close, I expected to enjoy this show--but I wasn't prepared for the level of sophistication, complexity, and intelligence it offered up from its first twisty, and twisted, moments. Made for adults, this drama demands attention and may not be for the casual viewer. With its intricate plotting and structure, the story is told from different time periods interwoven throughout each episode. Essentially, snippets of the story are presented in each time frame, so the audience is left to speculate about the full truth in any given instance. However, as the season progresses, the pieces start to connect in unexpected ways that can both surprise and frustrate. I'd compare the narrative flow of "Damages" to that of a fine novel--telling you just enough so that you are tantalized to stick around for the next chapter.
The plot of "Damages" is a knotty web that is difficult to describe briefly. Ostensibly, the show revolves around a naive young lawyer played by Rose Byrne. The opening scenes show a bedraggled and bloodied Byrne stumbling down the streets of New York--apparently the victim (or perhaps the perpetrator) of an act of violence. Cut to six months earlier and a proper introduction is made. Byrne is seduced and recruited by a major law firm run by Glenn Close. Close seems to have a hidden agenda, but Byrne is quickly overcome by the trappings of success and acceptance. The firm is handling an enormous class action lawsuit against one of the town's most prominent businessmen, played by Ted Danson, and Byrne ends up squarely in the midst of much legal intrigue. What follows includes lying, blackmail, corruption, and even murder--no one in this story remains an innocent.
While I actually think the plot is the real star of "Damages" (I don't think I've ever said that about a TV show before)--it certainly doesn't hurt that the cast is uniformly excellent. Don't be surprised if you see Close front and center come awards time. Her thinly veiled menace and cutting remarks make for classic villainy, but Close pulls it off in a way that you can't help but love! Byrne and all the key supporting players are solid and believable. I particularly liked Zeljko Ivanek and Peter Facinelli, but the real revelation to me was Ted Danson. Honestly, I've followed Danson since he was a bit player in "Body Heat" and I think this is by far his best role. Mixing equal parts charm and bile, this is a great actor in a beautifully written role.
Again, I don't recommend "Damages" to everyone--I only wish I could! If, however, you love sophisticated drama--give this a shot. The DVD format is the perfect way to watch this show at your own pace and enjoy all its subtleties, surprises, and delights. But, be reminded, if you sit down to watch this show--WATCH IT! Otherwise, you might not appreciate how intricately put together "Damages" really is. KGHarris, 12/07.
The plot of "Damages" is a knotty web that is difficult to describe briefly. Ostensibly, the show revolves around a naive young lawyer played by Rose Byrne. The opening scenes show a bedraggled and bloodied Byrne stumbling down the streets of New York--apparently the victim (or perhaps the perpetrator) of an act of violence. Cut to six months earlier and a proper introduction is made. Byrne is seduced and recruited by a major law firm run by Glenn Close. Close seems to have a hidden agenda, but Byrne is quickly overcome by the trappings of success and acceptance. The firm is handling an enormous class action lawsuit against one of the town's most prominent businessmen, played by Ted Danson, and Byrne ends up squarely in the midst of much legal intrigue. What follows includes lying, blackmail, corruption, and even murder--no one in this story remains an innocent.
While I actually think the plot is the real star of "Damages" (I don't think I've ever said that about a TV show before)--it certainly doesn't hurt that the cast is uniformly excellent. Don't be surprised if you see Close front and center come awards time. Her thinly veiled menace and cutting remarks make for classic villainy, but Close pulls it off in a way that you can't help but love! Byrne and all the key supporting players are solid and believable. I particularly liked Zeljko Ivanek and Peter Facinelli, but the real revelation to me was Ted Danson. Honestly, I've followed Danson since he was a bit player in "Body Heat" and I think this is by far his best role. Mixing equal parts charm and bile, this is a great actor in a beautifully written role.
Again, I don't recommend "Damages" to everyone--I only wish I could! If, however, you love sophisticated drama--give this a shot. The DVD format is the perfect way to watch this show at your own pace and enjoy all its subtleties, surprises, and delights. But, be reminded, if you sit down to watch this show--WATCH IT! Otherwise, you might not appreciate how intricately put together "Damages" really is. KGHarris, 12/07.
41 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Machiavellian characters dominate this complex legal drama featuring terrific performances
January 27, 2008
Format:DVD
There aren't any eccentric characters that make you laugh like Denny Crane on "Boston Legal" nor are there any cases neatly tied up at the conclusion of each episode with a bow on them. "Damages" follows a single case and the follow out from that case from its beginning until its bitter end. "Damages" begins with Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne from "28 Weeks Later" and "Sunshine") bloodied and battered walking the streets of New York until she is discovered by the police. From there the series takes a trip back in time six months earlier a case that Ellen worked on as a new attorney at Patricia Hewes (Glenn Close) & Associates. It's a civil case where Hewes is suing multi-billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) for hollowing out his company and robbing 5000 employees of his company of their pension plans in the process. Having escaped the prosecution of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Frosbisher now must defend himself from claims that he benefited by selling his stocks before his company collapsing and getting away scot-free. Frobisher of course insists that he is innocent and was as much a victim losing the company he cared for as the employees. We see the entire case unfold before our eyes, the double dealings, double crosses and underhanded attempts by both the Hewes and Frobisher's attorney to gain the upper hand in this litigation.
"Damages" is compelling, fascinating and well written featuring a wide variety of characters with their own agendas. No one truly is an angel here although the naïve Ellen comes mighty close as she finds herself dragged into Hewes' world and manipulated as much by her boss as she is by the opposition in the case. A personal connection between Ellen and the case is uncovered which also makes Ellen suspect that the only reason she got the job was so that she could be used to gain the upper hand in the case. In the process Ellen sees her ambitions and dreams pull further and further away from her reach just as she thinks she is climbing the corporate ladder of success. Hewes tells Ellen at one point, "trust no one" and the same could be applied to everyone involved in the case.
Academy Award nominee/Emmy winner Close, Emmy Award winner Danson, Bryne, Tate Donovan, Peter Riegert, Michael Nouri and a host of film/TV/Broadway veterans bring these characters to life with a vibrancy rare in series television. If the story sounds like it was ripped from the headlines, the Enron, Worldcom and other scandals where corporate CEO's betrayed the public trust and manipulated the market inspired the series but it's the compelling characters and drama that will make you stick around to the conclusion of this 13 episode FX series.
The opening had me scratching my head in puzzlement--it looked like crappy low-rez video. It's a façade like everything else here as it is simply a sequence showing us the raw reality that Ellen finds himself trapped in. As the show jumps back six months in time to the beginning of the case, we get a beautifully rendered video image. There are a couple of problems with video noise that occur.
Audio sounds marvelous with a 5.1 mix that uses the format quite well. The 5.1 format is nicely used given that this is primarily a dialogue driven show with nice ambient effects captured in the surround channels.
I was surprised that we only get two audio commentaries on this set as I had hoped for more but both are effective and insightful. Glenn Close, writers/producers Todd Kessler & Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman and director Allen Coulter appear on the pilot episode discussing issues they ran into shooting on location in New York during a nasty winter, issues they ran into with trying to bring the series in on budget but short shrift the quality of the show. I would have loved to hear close and her co-stars on a separate audio commentary track discuss the craft of acting, their approach to the material and some of their thoughts during their performances but what we do get is quite good.
The second audio commentary features actor Zeljko Ivanek front and center dominating the discussion with the Kesslers and Zelman joining in with technical tidbits from time-to-time. Ivanek has long been one of my favorite character actors and he has largely been underused in many TV shows and movies so its nice to see him get a character as juicy as defense attorney Ray Fiske to sink his teeth into southern drawl and all.
"Willful Acts" is a half hour behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the series. "Trust No One" clocks in under fifteen minutes and focuses more on the characters in the series. We also get a variety of deleted scenes. The really cool feature of this set is that the disc is enabled so that the player can remember which episodes you've watched and jump right back to the one you had next in rotation if you choose the "play all" feature.
"Damages" is a terrific, compelling legal drama. All 13 episodes of the series plus the extras are on three Blu-ray discs and you also get an insert that gives you the title of each episode, a brief synopsis and credits for each one as well.
"Damages" is compelling, fascinating and well written featuring a wide variety of characters with their own agendas. No one truly is an angel here although the naïve Ellen comes mighty close as she finds herself dragged into Hewes' world and manipulated as much by her boss as she is by the opposition in the case. A personal connection between Ellen and the case is uncovered which also makes Ellen suspect that the only reason she got the job was so that she could be used to gain the upper hand in the case. In the process Ellen sees her ambitions and dreams pull further and further away from her reach just as she thinks she is climbing the corporate ladder of success. Hewes tells Ellen at one point, "trust no one" and the same could be applied to everyone involved in the case.
Academy Award nominee/Emmy winner Close, Emmy Award winner Danson, Bryne, Tate Donovan, Peter Riegert, Michael Nouri and a host of film/TV/Broadway veterans bring these characters to life with a vibrancy rare in series television. If the story sounds like it was ripped from the headlines, the Enron, Worldcom and other scandals where corporate CEO's betrayed the public trust and manipulated the market inspired the series but it's the compelling characters and drama that will make you stick around to the conclusion of this 13 episode FX series.
The opening had me scratching my head in puzzlement--it looked like crappy low-rez video. It's a façade like everything else here as it is simply a sequence showing us the raw reality that Ellen finds himself trapped in. As the show jumps back six months in time to the beginning of the case, we get a beautifully rendered video image. There are a couple of problems with video noise that occur.
Audio sounds marvelous with a 5.1 mix that uses the format quite well. The 5.1 format is nicely used given that this is primarily a dialogue driven show with nice ambient effects captured in the surround channels.
I was surprised that we only get two audio commentaries on this set as I had hoped for more but both are effective and insightful. Glenn Close, writers/producers Todd Kessler & Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman and director Allen Coulter appear on the pilot episode discussing issues they ran into shooting on location in New York during a nasty winter, issues they ran into with trying to bring the series in on budget but short shrift the quality of the show. I would have loved to hear close and her co-stars on a separate audio commentary track discuss the craft of acting, their approach to the material and some of their thoughts during their performances but what we do get is quite good.
The second audio commentary features actor Zeljko Ivanek front and center dominating the discussion with the Kesslers and Zelman joining in with technical tidbits from time-to-time. Ivanek has long been one of my favorite character actors and he has largely been underused in many TV shows and movies so its nice to see him get a character as juicy as defense attorney Ray Fiske to sink his teeth into southern drawl and all.
"Willful Acts" is a half hour behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the series. "Trust No One" clocks in under fifteen minutes and focuses more on the characters in the series. We also get a variety of deleted scenes. The really cool feature of this set is that the disc is enabled so that the player can remember which episodes you've watched and jump right back to the one you had next in rotation if you choose the "play all" feature.
"Damages" is a terrific, compelling legal drama. All 13 episodes of the series plus the extras are on three Blu-ray discs and you also get an insert that gives you the title of each episode, a brief synopsis and credits for each one as well.
28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Machiavellian characters dominate legal drama "Damages" featuring terrific performances and a top notch Blu-ray transfer
January 27, 2008
Format:Blu-ray
There aren't any eccentric characters that make you laugh like Denny Crane on "Boston Legal" nor are there any cases neatly tied up at the conclusion of each episode with a bow on them. "Damages" follows a single case and the follow out from that case from its beginning until its bitter end. "Damages" begins with Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne from "28 Weeks Later" and "Sunshine") bloodied and battered walking the streets of New York until she is discovered by the police. From there the series takes a trip back in time six months earlier a case that Ellen worked on as a new attorney at Patricia Hewes (Glenn Close) & Associates. It's a civil case where Hewes is suing multi-billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) for hollowing out his company and robbing 5000 employees of his company of their pension plans in the process. Having escaped the prosecution of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Frosbisher now must defend himself from claims that he benefited by selling his stocks before his company collapsing and getting away scot-free. Frobisher of course insists that he is innocent and was as much a victim losing the company he cared for as the employees. We see the entire case unfold before our eyes, the double dealings, double crosses and underhanded attempts by both the Hewes and Frobisher's attorney to gain the upper hand in this litigation.
"Damages" is compelling, fascinating and well written featuring a wide variety of characters with their own agendas. No one truly is an angel here although the naïve Ellen comes mighty close as she finds herself dragged into Hewes' world and manipulated as much by her boss as she is by the opposition in the case. A personal connection between Ellen and the case is uncovered which also makes Ellen suspect that the only reason she got the job was so that she could be used to gain the upper hand in the case. In the process Ellen sees her ambitions and dreams pull further and further away from her reach just as she thinks she is climbing the corporate ladder of success. Hewes tells Ellen at one point, "trust no one" and the same could be applied to everyone involved in the case.
Academy Award nominee/Emmy winner Close, Emmy Award winner Danson, Bryne, Tate Donovan, Peter Riegert, Michael Nouri and a host of film/TV/Broadway veterans bring these characters to life with a vibrancy rare in series television. If the story sounds like it was ripped from the headlines, the Enron, Worldcom and other scandals where corporate CEO's betrayed the public trust and manipulated the market inspired the series but it's the compelling characters and drama that will make you stick around to the conclusion of this 13 episode FX series.
The opening had me scratching my head in puzzlement--it looked like crappy low-rez video. It's a façade like everything else here as it is simply a sequence showing us the raw reality that Ellen finds himself trapped in. As the show jumps back six months in time to the beginning of the case, we get a beautifully rendered high definition video image. There are a couple of problems with video noise that occur. It isn't a perfect presentation on Blu-ray but it looks extremely good.
Audio sounds marvelous with a TrueHD 5.1 mix that uses the format quite well. It isn't compressed and has terrific dynamic range. The 5.1 format is nicely used given that this is primarily a dialogue driven show with nice ambient effects captured in the surround channels.
I was surprised that we only get two audio commentaries on this set as I had hoped for more but both are effective and insightful. Glenn Close, writers/producers Todd Kessler & Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman and director Allen Coulter appear on the pilot episode discussing issues they ran into shooting on location in New York during a nasty winter, issues they ran into with trying to bring the series in on budget but without messing with the quality of the show. Close is a bit quiet during the commentary it would be fun to hear her let loose on one by herself or with a moderator. I would have loved to hear Close and her co-stars on a separate audio commentary track discuss the craft of acting, their approach to the material and some of their thoughts during their performances but what we do get is quite good.
The second audio commentary features actor Zeljko Ivanek front and center dominating the discussion with the Kesslers and Zelman joining in with technical tidbits from time-to-time. Ivanek has long been one of my favorite character actors and he has largely been underused in many TV shows and movies so its nice to see him get a character as juicy as defense attorney Ray Fiske to sink his teeth into southern drawl and all.
"Willful Acts" is a half hour behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the series. "Understanding Class Action" is designed with an interfact that gives viewers a background on how class action lawsuits work and a definition of the various phrases thrown around in the series. "Trust No One" clocks in under fifteen minutes and focuses more on the characters in the series. We also get a variety of deleted scenes. The really cool feature of this set is that the disc is enabled so that the player can remember which episodes you've watched and jump right back to the one you had next in rotation if you choose the "play all" feature.
"Damages" is a terrific, compelling legal drama. All 13 episodes of the series plus the extras are on three Blu-ray discs and you also get an insert that gives you the title of each episode, a brief synopsis and credits for each one as well.
"Damages" is compelling, fascinating and well written featuring a wide variety of characters with their own agendas. No one truly is an angel here although the naïve Ellen comes mighty close as she finds herself dragged into Hewes' world and manipulated as much by her boss as she is by the opposition in the case. A personal connection between Ellen and the case is uncovered which also makes Ellen suspect that the only reason she got the job was so that she could be used to gain the upper hand in the case. In the process Ellen sees her ambitions and dreams pull further and further away from her reach just as she thinks she is climbing the corporate ladder of success. Hewes tells Ellen at one point, "trust no one" and the same could be applied to everyone involved in the case.
Academy Award nominee/Emmy winner Close, Emmy Award winner Danson, Bryne, Tate Donovan, Peter Riegert, Michael Nouri and a host of film/TV/Broadway veterans bring these characters to life with a vibrancy rare in series television. If the story sounds like it was ripped from the headlines, the Enron, Worldcom and other scandals where corporate CEO's betrayed the public trust and manipulated the market inspired the series but it's the compelling characters and drama that will make you stick around to the conclusion of this 13 episode FX series.
The opening had me scratching my head in puzzlement--it looked like crappy low-rez video. It's a façade like everything else here as it is simply a sequence showing us the raw reality that Ellen finds himself trapped in. As the show jumps back six months in time to the beginning of the case, we get a beautifully rendered high definition video image. There are a couple of problems with video noise that occur. It isn't a perfect presentation on Blu-ray but it looks extremely good.
Audio sounds marvelous with a TrueHD 5.1 mix that uses the format quite well. It isn't compressed and has terrific dynamic range. The 5.1 format is nicely used given that this is primarily a dialogue driven show with nice ambient effects captured in the surround channels.
I was surprised that we only get two audio commentaries on this set as I had hoped for more but both are effective and insightful. Glenn Close, writers/producers Todd Kessler & Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman and director Allen Coulter appear on the pilot episode discussing issues they ran into shooting on location in New York during a nasty winter, issues they ran into with trying to bring the series in on budget but without messing with the quality of the show. Close is a bit quiet during the commentary it would be fun to hear her let loose on one by herself or with a moderator. I would have loved to hear Close and her co-stars on a separate audio commentary track discuss the craft of acting, their approach to the material and some of their thoughts during their performances but what we do get is quite good.
The second audio commentary features actor Zeljko Ivanek front and center dominating the discussion with the Kesslers and Zelman joining in with technical tidbits from time-to-time. Ivanek has long been one of my favorite character actors and he has largely been underused in many TV shows and movies so its nice to see him get a character as juicy as defense attorney Ray Fiske to sink his teeth into southern drawl and all.
"Willful Acts" is a half hour behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the series. "Understanding Class Action" is designed with an interfact that gives viewers a background on how class action lawsuits work and a definition of the various phrases thrown around in the series. "Trust No One" clocks in under fifteen minutes and focuses more on the characters in the series. We also get a variety of deleted scenes. The really cool feature of this set is that the disc is enabled so that the player can remember which episodes you've watched and jump right back to the one you had next in rotation if you choose the "play all" feature.
"Damages" is a terrific, compelling legal drama. All 13 episodes of the series plus the extras are on three Blu-ray discs and you also get an insert that gives you the title of each episode, a brief synopsis and credits for each one as well.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
When I Am Through With You....
There won't be anything left!
Ah, the mantra of Ms. Patty Hewes, New York attorney extraordinaire of Hewes & Associates. Read more
Ah, the mantra of Ms. Patty Hewes, New York attorney extraordinaire of Hewes & Associates. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dr. D
Do You Like Suspenseful, Well-Written Drama?
Had heard great things about this series and sampled 5 shows last night. Very addictive series with great suspense.
Love the diverse characters and smart dialogue. Read more
Love the diverse characters and smart dialogue. Read more
Published 2 months ago by L. M. Keefer
stupid, packed with clichès
It's quite offputting to realise most amazon customers who reviewed this show think it is good. Says a lot about how much the average brain is not only getting faster, it's getting... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Author of Eudemonia
Cine noir hits a new level
I'd encourage a reading of some of the other reviews if you want more details about the plot (hey, it's a mystery series, you sholdn't really get the plot details first!! Read more
Published 3 months ago by Douglas Brown
uneven gangster drama
This is supposed to be a legal drama about a class action lawsuit. But rather than lawyers, all the characters are basically gangsters on both sides of the case. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Mark bennett
How do I get word to the writer of Damages
I have never been so intrigued by a television show in my life! Just when you think you have it all figured out, pow! It is exactly the opposite of what you thought. Read more
Published 5 months ago by karla
Hooked!
Excellent show. And I feel like I stole this for the price I paid. Wish they would release the other seasons on BluRay.
Published 5 months ago by riehl1505
Absolutely amazing!
I don't have "good" cable, therefore, I have to check out all of the cable shows when they come out on DVD. Read more
Published 5 months ago by K. Churn
Damages Season 1
This show is like a good book that you can't put down. VERY good, very intelligent. You don't have to like Glenn Close to like the show. Read more
Published 6 months ago by N. E. Vargas
Damages Season 1
We loved this series from the very start. However, our last DVD was cracked so we are unable to view it and it is over 30 days old as was a gift so hopefully working with Amazon... Read more
Published 7 months ago by anabanana
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