Finally got to the series Damages in 2021 this was a really great show ! Glenn Close amazing Rose Burns amazing everyone was good ! Great storyline ..someone mentioned Glenn Close character in the blood and the horse ..I think she got on the horse to lose the baby is what I got out of it..Sure wish you were gone on to a six season! Great ending.
John - 5 years ago
What ever happened to Michael’s wife
Longest sentence ever??!
don davison - 6 years ago
Terribly disappointed with the unresolved issues at the end. Here’s my advice to viewers: enjoy it up to the last episode which I suggest you tune out; leave well enough alone. It’s not going to make you happy that everything is resolved as it should in a final chapter. Get this: it ends with a 30 second close up of Patti looking unhappy. What a waste of valuable time!!!
theonlinetroll - 8 years ago
Amazing series. I thought I'd address some of the issues people had above. I should note, before delving in, that given the time constraints of television, it's hard to get in all that good stuff. But, yeah, I would've loved to see more as well. I do feel, however, that we got to focus on what mattered most - Ellen and Patty. Anyways...
1.) Just because Ellen isn't a lawyer anymore doesn't mean she doesn't have a job. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if she did indeed have one. Perhaps she took up her old Season 3 job at the DA's office. Or something else...
2.) Katherine probably becomes isolated from Patty because Patty is tragically flawed in her design. For her, all she has is her next case.
3.) The bits of Ellen's parents were included primarily to demonstrate Ellen taking a stand. Unlike Patty, who stood up to her father on his deathbed, Ellen defied her father early on. It was a tremendous moment for her character. I also loved the depth Rose Byrne gave to Ellen. For example, before Ellen threatening to shoot her father, she told him that she loved him, but that he had to stop harassing her mother. It shows her ability to not hold onto hatred, but also to not let anyone her father break boundaries.
4.) Patty wouldn't go after Scully, unless it was to have him killed. Why? Because if she legally goes after him, he can say that he was hired by her TWICE to kill Ellen.
5.) The point isn't whether or not Patty makes the Supreme Court. I would think that taking a loss in the McClaren case might prevent that. Also, it just seems that she has so much more autonomy if she sees her own clients. But the point was to show how Patty ended up with nothing but her work - something that is tragic.
6.) Helmut and Torbin will probably go unscathed. Without Rutger Simon's testimony, there isn't solid enough of evidence to incriminate them.
Kathryn Zellich - 9 years ago
This is old news, but I'll weigh in: I was enormously disappointed by the finale. Far too many things were inconclusive and/or unresolved. I particularly disliked that viewers had no idea whether Ellen would return to the law in the future. And--despite what the creator say--I feel the audience was owed at least one lengthy, incendiary courtroom clash between Ellen and Patty. When I thought a Season Six in the works, I was okay with the ending...but as the final installment of such an intense drama, this was a bust for me.
janet - 10 years ago
Didn't anyone else think that Ellen had turned into Patty when she threw that soldier under the bus for her case? I was appalled. I didn't think she would have ever gotten back with Chris after doing that!
N Sullivan - 10 years ago
There was too much unnecessary repetition of flashbacks, they became just filler.
As Dorothy Parker famously said about Katherine Hepburn: "Her emotions run the gamut from A to B". Well, in my opinion, Mrs Parker would probably say about Rose Byrne that her emotions run the gamut from A to A! She is a terrible actress. (The same could be said about the actor who played Michael.)
The main reason to have watched all 5 seasons, which I did, was because of Glen Close, who as Patty, I was rooting for. As for her being left with nothing, she still has her son's child. I don't think, regardless of what the directors say, that she is left with nothing but her work. And even if that was true, her work meant everything to her. A+ for Glen Close, C- for other leads.
Barbara Sollinger - 12 years ago
This has just been the best TV Series ever, IMHO!! I have been an avid fan from the beginning. Although I prefer straight line storytelling to jumping around, it grew on me. The writing, acting, editing was just superb. I hope Emmys are in the future for this crew, especially Glen Close, who brought Patty Hughes to life. The scene at the beside of her dying Father was mesmerizing
I do wish they had tied up a few more loose ends such as the fate of:
1) Ellen's career - If she "doesn't do that anymore, just what does she do? Daddy Chris is a veteran with PTSD. Did she just throw it all away? Hard to believe with a daughter to raise and a Mother to support.
2) Kathleen's fate-Probably off to boarding school by now, but Patty is not completely alone if she has her.
3) Patty's appointment to the Supreme Court - scary thought, so I choose to think that failed.
4) Ellen's parents - Is her Mom OK? Independent? Free of the bully husband or dead at his hand?
5) What happened to Patrick Sculley? Surely Patty would have him hunted down, if he did not go to trial for Micheal's murder. BTW, I thought his confronting Sculley very stupid and out of character.
Not sure I would have given that evidence back to Patty. I would have put it in a safe deposit box to be opened in the event of my death and made sure Patty new that. ie, insurance as Patty ( a loose end) still posts a threat to Ellen as she tries for the Supreme Court appointment.
Thanks again for a great series. Patty and Ellen will be with me for awhile.
Cynthia LaRochelle - 12 years ago
What happened to Michael's daughter, guess she was stuck with Patti. Who did Ellen marry Chris? Where's Scully??? and the rest of the creeps, still on Wall Street?? What happen to Ellen's mom and dad?? I guess the viewer will have to make up his own ending . I loved the series but felt very let down at the end, I feel I'm missing the last chapter..... and Davids' killer never brought to justice. I know all can't be " and they lived happily ever after", but too many loose ends, so disappointed,,,
Michele Nichols - 12 years ago
The last episode was a disappointment. It was paramount to tie up loose ends, and it didn't. We never found out for example about Patty's first child. Did Patty have twins, and was Ellen the surviving twin that Patty gave up for adoption? Who was the father ? Why did Patty keep having the nightmare about the white horse with blood on it? Also, it did not seem plausible that Michael would reveal to Scully, that he witnessed the murder attempt against Ellen. Even with the unresolved ending, 'Damages' ranks up there with 'Carnivale', 'The Wire, 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'House of Lies', 'Mad Men', and 'Boss', as some of the best television,writing and acting I've seen.
Carrie - 12 years ago
I was hooked to Damages since season 1. Glad it's over, now I can concentrate on Suits hehehe. Kidding aside, I never, for a moment believed that Patty would have Ellen killed. I mean, what for? I'm sorry, did I miss the reason why she wanted Ellen dead? Can somebody please enlighten me?
For me, the final episode, although with twists and revelations which are, as usual, unexpected (kudos to the writers), was just like something fading out...leaving me with some unfinished business...hanging...empty...
Kristin - 12 years ago
I was very excitied for the season finale after watching all 5 seasons. But was left unsatisfied and with some questions. Wasn't Ellen adopted? Last two seasons touched on her having dreams about a different mother maybe I missed an epsiode that gave that answer but those weren't her real parents. I was feeling like it was Patty. And what did her father say in her dream at the begininng of the finale what about her other daughter.
What about Catherine who did she end up with. With micheal dead wouldn't she have still been with Patty so she wouldn't have been alone. I was happy that Ellen wasn't dead.
Gonna miss this show. Didn't go out with a BANG more like a crash
Georgeann Morris - 12 years ago
N
ever has a series captured my attention like this one. I could watch it over and over and was sadden to see it come to an end but I knew it had to. The story line, the characters, all of it.. just riveting. I don't think any other story will ever come close to "Damages"...
Jared - 12 years ago
Great finale. I think most viewers would agree that with something like this, which is the absolute last episode in a series, the most important thing is closure. Nobody likes to have questions running through their head when the finale ends that will never be answered... that's the most annoying thing to viewers, I think. Damages did a fantastic job of tying those loose ends and leaving only very few minor unanswered questions - like is Patty on the Supreme Court now or is she still a lawyer? What was Ellen and Chris getting back together like (how did it go down)? What ever happened with Ellen's father and mother? What is Ellen actually doing now since she's not a lawyer (besides taking care of her child)? What happened to Skully after he shot Michael (did he ever get caught again or did he run off somewhere scott free)? Did Herreshoff and Helmut (sp?) get off scott free? Etc... these are minor questions with loose ends, yes, but the big ones are resolved and left me (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) very satisfied with the ending.
Maxine Martin - 12 years ago
I'm so glad that I stuck with this series for the past five years. I have the DVDs of the first two seasons. I would most likely at some point get the other three. I think that it's a good character study of how someone's choices help to shape who she is. And also someone's past, as well. You see how Patty and Ellen had similar family backgrounds (with the domineering fathers).
I liked also how the 4th series took us out of the U.S. more (i.e., the back and forth story line with Afghanistan) and then brought us back to the U.S. in the 5th series culminating the friction between Patty and Ellen.
Finally got to the series Damages in 2021 this was a really great show ! Glenn Close amazing Rose Burns amazing everyone was good ! Great storyline ..someone mentioned Glenn Close character in the blood and the horse ..I think she got on the horse to lose the baby is what I got out of it..Sure wish you were gone on to a six season! Great ending.
What ever happened to Michael’s wife
Longest sentence ever??!
Terribly disappointed with the unresolved issues at the end. Here’s my advice to viewers: enjoy it up to the last episode which I suggest you tune out; leave well enough alone. It’s not going to make you happy that everything is resolved as it should in a final chapter. Get this: it ends with a 30 second close up of Patti looking unhappy. What a waste of valuable time!!!
Amazing series. I thought I'd address some of the issues people had above. I should note, before delving in, that given the time constraints of television, it's hard to get in all that good stuff. But, yeah, I would've loved to see more as well. I do feel, however, that we got to focus on what mattered most - Ellen and Patty. Anyways...
1.) Just because Ellen isn't a lawyer anymore doesn't mean she doesn't have a job. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if she did indeed have one. Perhaps she took up her old Season 3 job at the DA's office. Or something else...
2.) Katherine probably becomes isolated from Patty because Patty is tragically flawed in her design. For her, all she has is her next case.
3.) The bits of Ellen's parents were included primarily to demonstrate Ellen taking a stand. Unlike Patty, who stood up to her father on his deathbed, Ellen defied her father early on. It was a tremendous moment for her character. I also loved the depth Rose Byrne gave to Ellen. For example, before Ellen threatening to shoot her father, she told him that she loved him, but that he had to stop harassing her mother. It shows her ability to not hold onto hatred, but also to not let anyone her father break boundaries.
4.) Patty wouldn't go after Scully, unless it was to have him killed. Why? Because if she legally goes after him, he can say that he was hired by her TWICE to kill Ellen.
5.) The point isn't whether or not Patty makes the Supreme Court. I would think that taking a loss in the McClaren case might prevent that. Also, it just seems that she has so much more autonomy if she sees her own clients. But the point was to show how Patty ended up with nothing but her work - something that is tragic.
6.) Helmut and Torbin will probably go unscathed. Without Rutger Simon's testimony, there isn't solid enough of evidence to incriminate them.
This is old news, but I'll weigh in: I was enormously disappointed by the finale. Far too many things were inconclusive and/or unresolved. I particularly disliked that viewers had no idea whether Ellen would return to the law in the future. And--despite what the creator say--I feel the audience was owed at least one lengthy, incendiary courtroom clash between Ellen and Patty. When I thought a Season Six in the works, I was okay with the ending...but as the final installment of such an intense drama, this was a bust for me.
Didn't anyone else think that Ellen had turned into Patty when she threw that soldier under the bus for her case? I was appalled. I didn't think she would have ever gotten back with Chris after doing that!
There was too much unnecessary repetition of flashbacks, they became just filler.
As Dorothy Parker famously said about Katherine Hepburn: "Her emotions run the gamut from A to B". Well, in my opinion, Mrs Parker would probably say about Rose Byrne that her emotions run the gamut from A to A! She is a terrible actress. (The same could be said about the actor who played Michael.)
The main reason to have watched all 5 seasons, which I did, was because of Glen Close, who as Patty, I was rooting for. As for her being left with nothing, she still has her son's child. I don't think, regardless of what the directors say, that she is left with nothing but her work. And even if that was true, her work meant everything to her. A+ for Glen Close, C- for other leads.
This has just been the best TV Series ever, IMHO!! I have been an avid fan from the beginning. Although I prefer straight line storytelling to jumping around, it grew on me. The writing, acting, editing was just superb. I hope Emmys are in the future for this crew, especially Glen Close, who brought Patty Hughes to life. The scene at the beside of her dying Father was mesmerizing
I do wish they had tied up a few more loose ends such as the fate of:
1) Ellen's career - If she "doesn't do that anymore, just what does she do? Daddy Chris is a veteran with PTSD. Did she just throw it all away? Hard to believe with a daughter to raise and a Mother to support.
2) Kathleen's fate-Probably off to boarding school by now, but Patty is not completely alone if she has her.
3) Patty's appointment to the Supreme Court - scary thought, so I choose to think that failed.
4) Ellen's parents - Is her Mom OK? Independent? Free of the bully husband or dead at his hand?
5) What happened to Patrick Sculley? Surely Patty would have him hunted down, if he did not go to trial for Micheal's murder. BTW, I thought his confronting Sculley very stupid and out of character.
Not sure I would have given that evidence back to Patty. I would have put it in a safe deposit box to be opened in the event of my death and made sure Patty new that. ie, insurance as Patty ( a loose end) still posts a threat to Ellen as she tries for the Supreme Court appointment.
Thanks again for a great series. Patty and Ellen will be with me for awhile.
What happened to Michael's daughter, guess she was stuck with Patti. Who did Ellen marry Chris? Where's Scully??? and the rest of the creeps, still on Wall Street?? What happen to Ellen's mom and dad?? I guess the viewer will have to make up his own ending . I loved the series but felt very let down at the end, I feel I'm missing the last chapter..... and Davids' killer never brought to justice. I know all can't be " and they lived happily ever after", but too many loose ends, so disappointed,,,
The last episode was a disappointment. It was paramount to tie up loose ends, and it didn't. We never found out for example about Patty's first child. Did Patty have twins, and was Ellen the surviving twin that Patty gave up for adoption? Who was the father ? Why did Patty keep having the nightmare about the white horse with blood on it? Also, it did not seem plausible that Michael would reveal to Scully, that he witnessed the murder attempt against Ellen. Even with the unresolved ending, 'Damages' ranks up there with 'Carnivale', 'The Wire, 'Homeland', 'Boardwalk Empire', 'House of Lies', 'Mad Men', and 'Boss', as some of the best television,writing and acting I've seen.
I was hooked to Damages since season 1. Glad it's over, now I can concentrate on Suits hehehe. Kidding aside, I never, for a moment believed that Patty would have Ellen killed. I mean, what for? I'm sorry, did I miss the reason why she wanted Ellen dead? Can somebody please enlighten me?
For me, the final episode, although with twists and revelations which are, as usual, unexpected (kudos to the writers), was just like something fading out...leaving me with some unfinished business...hanging...empty...
I was very excitied for the season finale after watching all 5 seasons. But was left unsatisfied and with some questions. Wasn't Ellen adopted? Last two seasons touched on her having dreams about a different mother maybe I missed an epsiode that gave that answer but those weren't her real parents. I was feeling like it was Patty. And what did her father say in her dream at the begininng of the finale what about her other daughter.
What about Catherine who did she end up with. With micheal dead wouldn't she have still been with Patty so she wouldn't have been alone. I was happy that Ellen wasn't dead.
Gonna miss this show. Didn't go out with a BANG more like a crash
N
ever has a series captured my attention like this one. I could watch it over and over and was sadden to see it come to an end but I knew it had to. The story line, the characters, all of it.. just riveting. I don't think any other story will ever come close to "Damages"...
Great finale. I think most viewers would agree that with something like this, which is the absolute last episode in a series, the most important thing is closure. Nobody likes to have questions running through their head when the finale ends that will never be answered... that's the most annoying thing to viewers, I think. Damages did a fantastic job of tying those loose ends and leaving only very few minor unanswered questions - like is Patty on the Supreme Court now or is she still a lawyer? What was Ellen and Chris getting back together like (how did it go down)? What ever happened with Ellen's father and mother? What is Ellen actually doing now since she's not a lawyer (besides taking care of her child)? What happened to Skully after he shot Michael (did he ever get caught again or did he run off somewhere scott free)? Did Herreshoff and Helmut (sp?) get off scott free? Etc... these are minor questions with loose ends, yes, but the big ones are resolved and left me (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) very satisfied with the ending.
I'm so glad that I stuck with this series for the past five years. I have the DVDs of the first two seasons. I would most likely at some point get the other three. I think that it's a good character study of how someone's choices help to shape who she is. And also someone's past, as well. You see how Patty and Ellen had similar family backgrounds (with the domineering fathers).
I liked also how the 4th series took us out of the U.S. more (i.e., the back and forth story line with Afghanistan) and then brought us back to the U.S. in the 5th series culminating the friction between Patty and Ellen.
Thanks for a great story.