http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/09/12/DAMAGES----We-Are-Not-Animals.aspx If you want to reduce the core themes and concepts of DAMAGES to a one-liner, you need look no further than the advice chief legal piranha Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) gave her new associate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) an episode or two ago: “Trust no one.” Ol’ Pappy Niccolo, he of the glory that was Florence in the time of the Borgias, would be tickled pink by Hewes’ intense grasp of realpolitik and the importance of acting decisively and surreptitiously. But, even superhuman manipulators like Patty have weaknesses, things they try to keep hidden from the kryptonite of their enemies, and in Patty’s case, that weakness is her son Michael (Zachary Booth). As the episode opens, Ellen is relating her side of what happened in Patty’s apartment, where she was staying due to friction with her fiancé (not that kind, more’s the pity), while in flashback, Patty is trying to extricate her son from the boot camp she sent him to. However, he doesn’t want to go because, as he points out to her, getting away from her is good for him. Too bad Michael’s the only character to figure this out so far, other than the kind attorney (Philip Bosco) that tried to hire Ellen first. Meanwhile, Gregory Malina (Peter Facinelli), who looks like he may be the star witness that Patty needs, is getting the full-court press from all sides. Patty’s subpoenaed him, Arthur Frobisher’s lead attorney Ray Fiske (Zeljko Ivanek) has got him in seclusion and may be hitting on him, and a certain mysterious bad-ass (Peter Riegert) keeps popping up, even around Fiske. On a side note, Riegert manages to look grandfatherly and evil at the same time; I’m not sure just how he does it, but he’s definitely making a play for scariest character on the show. Granted, he’s got a lot of competition, but he stands out in a crowded pack. en-US Critics Rant info@criticsrant.com Subtext Version 1.9.4.0 http://www.criticsrant.com/images/default_gravatar_bullhorn.png http://www.criticsrant.com/archive/2007/09/12/DAMAGES----We-Are-Not-Animals.aspx 77 60