Damages (2007-2012) is a legal thriller that preferred to stay out of the courtroom. Behind closed doors, in office spaces, opposing legal teams worked profusely to outmaneuver the other. Across five seasons, secrets are exposed and homicide turns up bodies. As morally corrupt litigator Patty Hewes, it wasn’t the first time actress Glenn Close took on such an intense role. It sure wouldn’t be the last. In Tehran’s second season on Apple TV+, she plays an undercover spy who controls those around her with relative ease. The careful manipulation is a method Patty would approve of. Fifteen years since it premiered, Damages should be remembered as a unique entry within prestige TV. Alongside rapid-fire plot twists and consistently bringing in well-known guest stars, Close’s role offers a rare anti-heroine during a time dominated by flawed men. Ruthless people fight dirty when they want to come out on top. And Patty loves to win.
Before the characters get their due, there are two other important aspects. The visuals of the Damages opening credits show fractured images of Patty and protégé-turned-rival Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne), cut together with gloomy New York City architecture, imbued with authority. It certainly sets the mood. A song by The VLA plays as the theme. “When I am through with you, there won’t be anything left,” are key lyrics. Can it refer to Patty’s way of destroying her enemies? Or the toxic relationship that…
