We reported that critically acclaimed FX legal thriller Damages returned yesterday for a heavily anticipated sophomore season 15 long months after it wrapped up its maiden voyage.  As you may know, Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) just won in rather exceptional fashion over billionaire Arthur Frobisher.  She feels as though the legal world is at her feet, so to speak.  On last night's episode, Patty was taking a break from the law and pouring her energies into her new charitable foundation.  Yet her world was once again thrown upside down when she got a call from Daniel Purcell, a man from her past.  Now this case is different, because it has both personal and professional repercussions for her.

In other news, Damages star Rose Byrne, who plays Ellen Parsons, is said to shed her good girl image this season and transform into a manipulative, back-stabbing vixen who's touted to give her boss some competition.  Back in season 1, we learned that Parsons is a bright law school graduate who was able to become the new protégée of Patty.  Of course, Parsons' relationships with Hewes is not as simple as it looks, especially after Parsons becomes convinced that Hewes might have tried to kill her Instead of running for the hills, Ellen opts to stay put and instead quietly scheme to take Patty down.

“But the character most worth watching is Byrne's Ellen.  She has gone from the naive lamb of early last season to a fierce lion.  Byrne handles the startling transformation with aplomb,” a review says of her character.

For those who'd like to know some personal things about her, Byrne, 29, is in a five-year relationship with fellow Aussie and locally known writer, director, and actor Brendan Cowell.  Her most notable credits include Troy and Wicker Park, on which she has had love scenes with both Brad Pitt and Joseh Hartnett respectively.


- Glenn Paul Diaz, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: FX, Mercury News
(Image courtesy of FX)