Damages: See ya, Pete!

This week on Damages, Ellen was involved with blackmailing yet another old man into committing suicide. First, she and Patty blackmailed Ray Fiske into desperate measures, and now Uncle Pete takes the bullet (or more like the pills) for Patty Hewes.

Ellen, who knows Pete is on to her conspiring with the Feds, discovered that Pete has a record that stretches back half a century. The Feds decide that one of the best ways to get to Patty could be through Pete – who certainly knows all the dirt. Plus, Pete’s got a sick wife at home, so he’s easy to exploit. How is it that I’m starting to feel bad for the criminal here? Oh wait he tried to kill Ellen – all better now. Go on, FBI…

So the FBI watched two of Pete’s “business partners” make a deal for some bootleg DVDs in a parking lot. They bust the bootleggers, and then watch as one of them passes the money from the deal off to Uncle Pete. Nabbed him! They bring Pete in and offer him 10 years in prison – meaning his sick wife will die alone – or he can tell them what he has on Patty. Eventually Pete gives in – after some heavy persuading involving the missus – and he tells the cops he has some evidence on Patty in a storage locker that will put her away for a long time. He just has to get the key from his house.

Strangely gullible, the cops escort Pete to his house, make small talk with his wife – revealing that they are new clients of Patty’s (yeah, sure) – and then they let him go by himself to the bathroom. Come on, guys, first day on the job? Pete returns from the bathroom and takes the guys to the storage locker. The Feds open the trunk, and it’s empty. Pete starts convulsing and falls to the floor, foaming at the mouth. Back at Pete’s house his wife goes to the bathroom for more medicine, discovers a bunch of empty bottles of pills and a note, saying “I’m sorry.” Wish I could say the same, Pete.

Speaking of killers I don’t feel sorry for, Patty announces publicly that Frobisher is her new client. Then she invited Ellen in to a meeting with Frobisher, without warning Ellen that she’d be walking in on the guy who killed her fiancé. What a super surprise! Ellen is furious, but Patty plays it off by telling Ellen that she’s keeping Frobisher close so they can figure out if he was involved in David’s murder. I guess that’s not a conflict of interest? But Patty does keep her promise, and she discovers that Frobisher had a private security firm on retainer – the same firm the missing cop that was stalking Katie Connor worked for. Looks like Patty actually helped Ellen out. Weird.

They are certainly on the right track, because dirty cop, Detective Messer is putting the pressure on Sexy Wes. Messer isn’t too happy with Wes’ progress with Ellen. Wes thinks the best thing is to back off a bit. Messer suggests that if Ellen isn’t talking, maybe Katie Connor will. Then lo and behold, Wes accidentally runs into Ellen and Katie in a bar. As Ellen takes a phone call from the FBI, Katie and Wes flirt. There’s nothing like a little green eyed monster to spark Ellen’s interest. Looks like Wes might be getting something more than information from Ellen very soon.

Kendrick, however, is still having a bad week. A financial guy he’s using to move some money around – surely not legally – gets caught doing some blow with a hooker. Nice! Tom then figures it out when he witnesses Claire Maddox defending the call girl, Susie, in court. He looks into it, and the John’s name was blacked out on the police report. Tom then tries to reach Susie, but gets a different call girl instead. But for some extra cash the working girl reveals the name of Susie’s client: Finn Garrity (Kevin Corrigan). And then she reveals her bra. Bad Tom, I hope you walked away. I sort of doubt he did.

Cue Finn Garrity in a hotel room with Susie, snorting some more coke and finalizing a transaction online. Legal? I doubt it.

Next Week: Pete’s alive! Or in a coma at the very least. Darn. Killer lives to plot another day.  

Season 2, Episode 7: New York Sucks (originally aired February 18, 2009)

For another take on this episode, check out Awwww, Pete. by Alana D.

For more on Damages, click here.

Wednesdays at 10pm E/P on FX

Photograph courtesy of FX and IMDbPro