Damages: Patty totally didn’t see that coming.
February 2, 2009 by Alana D.
Filed under Television
An awesome episode of Damages wraps up with the revelation that while Purcell didn’t murder his wife, he wasn’t nearly as complacent as I believed. Given that he knew his wife was going to be killed by a UNR henchmen, and that he is getting paid to withhold or interfere with any evidence that UNR is knowingly poisoning the environment with a toxin called aerocyte, the stage has been set for this guy to go down, big time.
But that’s really just the beginning. Because, more importantly, Purcell has ticked off Patty, and more than anything else, this has kicked the season into top gear.
Like so many episodes last season, the plot of “Hey! Mr. Pibb” was essentially a useless goose chase made irrelevant by the episode’s final scene. It begins with Tom and Ellen traveling to West Virginia to look for missing reporter Justin Reston. They pass a bright burning fire in the night they later learn was the burning of the carcasses of dead animals. They talk to Justin’s editor, a man clearly scared crapless by the evil force that is UNR, who offers no helpful information other than “You two be careful down here.”
Later, the two are visited by Justin who passes along that water sample he took last episode. On the way out of W.Va., Tom and Justin are stopped by a sheriff straight out of every small-towns-are-evil movie who searches (illegally, of course) Tom’s car, but does not find the water because Ellen traveled with it separately back to New York.
Patty is happy to take the water, saying that good ole completely trustworthy Purcell is going to analyze it, and testify that UNR doctored his earlier research report to say that the chemical aerocyte was harmless. The thing is, even then I thought that Patty was being a little too trusting of Purcell; why would she put so much faith in this man that she expressly stated she could not trust just one episode ago?
Was it the revelation of the picture from the pawn shop of the stringy-haired, blond guy with the ring? Purcell ID-ed him in a line up, which was enough to get him out of jail. Patty, apparently convinced of his innocence, went so far as to tell her son Michael that Purcell was his father. Father and son then reminisced on a pier, in a calm, relaxing scene that made you feel that just maybe, maybe, Purcell was an innocent victim in UNR’s evil plot.
But later, when Purcell actually is called to testify that UNR committed fraud, he does not. Testifies exactly the opposite in fact. And that water sample that almost got Justin Reston killed, that Purcell was supposed to test? Purcell poured that right back into the water, right as he got word that UNR was transferring money into his bank account. And the stringy-haired, blond guy who pawned the ring? A flashback reveals that the only thing that guy did was allow Purcell to get a good, long look at him so that Purcell could identify him later as the guy who killed his wife. But all stringy, blond hair guy did was pawn a ring for some cash. And now he’s dead – UNR had him killed the minute he was back in jail.
So sad. Patty has got to take UNR down. And judging from the look on her face as she left that courtroom after Daniel’s surprising testimony, she knows it.
So many, many questions. Is the water sample really gone? Why would Daniel hire a reporter, only to later destroy the evidence the reporter uncovers? And, if UNR did not kill Daniel’s wife to prevent Daniel from exposing UNR, why did they kill his wife at all? (Seriously, why is Daniel’s wife dead? Someone tell me!!!!!) And, is the person we see in a new flash-forward visiting Ellen in Room 19 with a briefcase full of cash the same person that Ellen shoots (twice)?
And what in the frak will Frobisher have to do with any of this? Or that guy running the foundation from the first episode? Or Hot Guy from Go?
Man, I am so in.
Season 2, Episode 4: Hey! Mr. Pibb (originally aired January 28, 2009)
For another take on this episode, check out Meet Your Murderous Daddy by Kaitlyn Edsall.
For more on Damages, click here.
Wednesdays at 10pm E/P on FX
