"I Lied, Too" picks up very soon after season one left off. Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) is feeling pangs of guilt over how she won the Frobisher case and Ellen Pearsons (Rose Byrne) is still hot on the pursuit of revenge against both Patty and Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson).
The titular piece of dialogue from this episode ended up being spoken by Ellen. The novelty of Damages is it literally could've been any other character in the show saying it and you wouldn't bat an eyelid, such are the machinations that permeate every scene of this show. Lies are not a new theme for Damages, however. If you hadn't guessed from the pilot, it was enforced at the end of the first season episode "Tastes Like a Ho-Ho" when Patty imparts three very wise words: "trust no one." In "I Lied, Too" the ante is definitely upped. Perhaps this is because the one honest character from last season, Ellen, has now joined the ranks of the liars and the manipulators.
The unease and tension created for the audience due to not knowing who's lying is compounded by the fact that even the characters' actions and appearances lie. Patty Hewes appears to have softened throughout the episode, looking to redeem herself by opening a foundation. We later learn she's as underhanded as ever, using the cokehead daughter of a business associate to manipulate him into actually support her new venture. Likewise, the FBI and Ellen are so desperate to bring Patty down that not even dead infants escape being used as pawns. Da Fro (Ted Danson) refuses to shave in a bid for pity from his estranged wife. And they want me to believe Wes Krulik (Tim Olyphant) walked fifteen blocks to return something to Ellen just for the sake of being nice? Not buying it. On top of this, new character Daniel Purcell (William Hurt) is so mysterious and hostile towards Patty it makes it impossible to trust him this early in the game.
A key scene of this episode takes place at the end between Ellen and Patty. It is key because even though there are still lies being tossed around it is the most honest we see Patty in a long while; Confiding in Ellen that she went to visit, her deceased daughter, Julia Hewes's grave. This confession provides a lot of insight into Patty's character as we find out she believes she'd be a different person if her daughter was still alive. Does she associate Julia with a more innocent time? Patty also says she wishes if her daughter had lived that she'd grow up to be like Ellen. Is she still viewing Ellen as an innocent? If she is she's very much mistaken as after the events of last season Ellen's as damaged as anyone else on this show. Ultimately, throughout the episode, Patty comes across as a woman full of regrets -- she's too far gone to change her ways, solving every little problem with a lie or manipulation. All the while she's yearning for a more innocent time before the web of lies was spun. David's murder was the catalyst that corrupted Ellen and it is likely Julia's death had the same effect on Patty.
Are Patty and Ellen's lives really that similar? If they are I hope we meet whoever mentored Patty at some point before Patty passes Ellen the baton and the pupil surpasses the teacher.
The titular piece of dialogue from this episode ended up being spoken by Ellen. The novelty of Damages is it literally could've been any other character in the show saying it and you wouldn't bat an eyelid, such are the machinations that permeate every scene of this show. Lies are not a new theme for Damages, however. If you hadn't guessed from the pilot, it was enforced at the end of the first season episode "Tastes Like a Ho-Ho" when Patty imparts three very wise words: "trust no one." In "I Lied, Too" the ante is definitely upped. Perhaps this is because the one honest character from last season, Ellen, has now joined the ranks of the liars and the manipulators.
The unease and tension created for the audience due to not knowing who's lying is compounded by the fact that even the characters' actions and appearances lie. Patty Hewes appears to have softened throughout the episode, looking to redeem herself by opening a foundation. We later learn she's as underhanded as ever, using the cokehead daughter of a business associate to manipulate him into actually support her new venture. Likewise, the FBI and Ellen are so desperate to bring Patty down that not even dead infants escape being used as pawns. Da Fro (Ted Danson) refuses to shave in a bid for pity from his estranged wife. And they want me to believe Wes Krulik (Tim Olyphant) walked fifteen blocks to return something to Ellen just for the sake of being nice? Not buying it. On top of this, new character Daniel Purcell (William Hurt) is so mysterious and hostile towards Patty it makes it impossible to trust him this early in the game.
A key scene of this episode takes place at the end between Ellen and Patty. It is key because even though there are still lies being tossed around it is the most honest we see Patty in a long while; Confiding in Ellen that she went to visit, her deceased daughter, Julia Hewes's grave. This confession provides a lot of insight into Patty's character as we find out she believes she'd be a different person if her daughter was still alive. Does she associate Julia with a more innocent time? Patty also says she wishes if her daughter had lived that she'd grow up to be like Ellen. Is she still viewing Ellen as an innocent? If she is she's very much mistaken as after the events of last season Ellen's as damaged as anyone else on this show. Ultimately, throughout the episode, Patty comes across as a woman full of regrets -- she's too far gone to change her ways, solving every little problem with a lie or manipulation. All the while she's yearning for a more innocent time before the web of lies was spun. David's murder was the catalyst that corrupted Ellen and it is likely Julia's death had the same effect on Patty.
Are Patty and Ellen's lives really that similar? If they are I hope we meet whoever mentored Patty at some point before Patty passes Ellen the baton and the pupil surpasses the teacher.
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