Season 1

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Season 1 of Damages premiered on July 24, 2007 on FX.
==Overview==
The show begins at what appears to be the end. A young woman, Ellen Parsons, is found running through the streets half naked and covered in blood. Investigation by the police reveal that her fiancee, David, has been bludgeoned to death in their apartment, and Ellen is quickly arrested.
The scene shifts to 6 months earlier when Ellen Parsons, a newly minted lawyer, is being courted for prestigious jobs. She turns down an offer to work with the defense attorney Hollis Nye in favor of working for notorious lawyer Patty Hewes. When Nye finds out about this he warns Ellen that working for Patty will change her.
Ellen soon becomes engrossed in the major case which Patty's firm, Hewes and Associates, is pursuing. Hewes and Associates has been retained in a class action suit by the former employees of billionaire Arthur Frobisher. In a case reminiscent of Enron, Frobisher is accused of insider trading and lying to his employees about the health of his company even as he unloaded his stock.
Early on in the series Patty shows that she is willing to go to extreme, even unethical and illegal, lengths to win her case. One such instance is when she has the pet dog of a witness killed in a manner which makes it look like Frobisher is responsible. This action only emboldens the witness to testify.
As the season progresses Ellen becomes more and more involved in the case, and in the shady dealings which Patty engages in. Part of this is due to Ellen's personal connections to the case. Her fiancee's sister turns out to be an important witness in the case. For most of the season Ellen skirts to edge of what is unethical, but eventually comes to cross that line.
As Ellen becomes more and more devoted to the case, her relationship with her fiancee becomes strained. The situation is not helped when Patty betrays his sister. Eventually Ellen and David tire of Patty and Ellen publicly leaves Hewes and Associates. However, she still has an interest in the case and soon becomes embroiled in it again.
Throughout the first season, the series plays with time. The narrative switches back and forth between a traditional linear narrative of events happening in "the past" and a more temporally disjointed narrative of events happening in "the present." The main plot focus of these flashes was the murder of Ellen's fiancee David and the apparent attack on Ellen that same day when she was staying at Patty's apartment. The flashes served to increase speculation among viewers since the audience was privy to information about the future which the characters were not. Until the final episode speculation over the identity of the murderer switched between a whole host of characters including Ellen, Patty, Frobisher, and a stalker who David acquired.
By the end of the first season the main narrative of the show had "caught up" with the flash forwards and most of the questions raised by them had been resolved. Ellen was acquitted of murder charges, the identities of David's murderer and Ellen's attacker were revealed (at least to the audience), and the Frobisher case was resolved.
==Episodes==
# 	Image	Title 	Airdate
01	 	Get Me a Lawyer (Pilot) 	July 24, 2007
01	 	Recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons fields job offers as renowned attorney Patty Hewes manipulates an opposing attorney to get the settlement offer that she wants for her clients. Patty hires Ellen as she tries to take down billionaire Arthur Frobisher, accused of a shady stock sale that bankrupted his employees.	Recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons fields job offers as renowned attorney Patty Hewes manipulates an opposing attorney to get the settlement offer that she wants for her clients. Patty hires Ellen as she tries to take down billionaire Arthur Frobisher, accused of a shady stock sale that bankrupted his employees.
02	 	Jesus, Mary and Joe Cocker 	July 31, 2007
02	 	Ellen convinces Katie Connor to testify against Arthur Frobisher, which has him considering drastic measures. Patty begins to question if Katie is giving honest and accurate testimony. 	Ellen convinces Katie Connor to testify against Arthur Frobisher, which has him considering drastic measures. Patty begins to question if Katie is giving honest and accurate testimony.
03	 	And My Paralyzing Fear of Death 	August 7, 2007
03	 	Patty is in a race against time to submit documentation that will allow her and her associate to continue the war against Arthur Frobisher. In the midst of all this, she receives a mysterious threat at her office that could test her limits, while also having to deal with her out-of-control son. 	Patty is in a race against time to submit documentation that will allow her and her associate to continue the war against Arthur Frobisher. In the midst of all this, she receives a mysterious threat at her office that could test her limits, while also having to deal with her out-of-control son.
04	 	Tastes Like A Ho Ho 	August 14, 2007
04	 	While down in Florida for business, Katie partied the night away in one of Florida's hippest nightclubs and saw something she should not have: Arthur Frobisher with an unknown man in a parking lot. That one night, five years ago, has left Katie right in the center of the class-action lawsuit. 	While down in Florida for business, Katie partied the night away in one of Florida's hippest nightclubs and saw something she should not have: Arthur Frobisher with an unknown man in a parking lot. That one night, five years ago, has left Katie right in the center of the class-action lawsuit.
05	 	A Regular Earl Anthony 	August 21, 2007
05	 	Arthur Frobisher pushes his lawyer Ray Fiske to take a more aggressive approach with Patty, who is on shaky ground with the clients. The problem is, Frobisher and Fiske do not see eye-to-eye. Tom Shayes, feeling disillusioned by his current working arrangement with Patty, considers other options. 	Arthur Frobisher pushes his lawyer Ray Fiske to take a more aggressive approach with Patty, who is on shaky ground with the clients. The problem is, Frobisher and Fiske do not see eye-to-eye. Tom Shayes, feeling disillusioned by his current working arrangement with Patty, considers other options.
06	 	She Spat At Me 	September 4, 2007
06	 	Patty cautiously pursues Gregory Malina, eager to learn his secrets before it is too late. Following an incident at his son's basketball game, an emboldened Frobisher attempts to salvage his legacy with an unconventional strategy. 	Patty cautiously pursues Gregory Malina, eager to learn his secrets before it is too late. Following an incident at his son's basketball game, an emboldened Frobisher attempts to salvage his legacy with an unconventional strategy.
07	 	We Are Not Animals 	September 11, 2007
07	 	The Frobisher case now hinges on the deposition of Gregory Malina, which has Patty committed to keeping him safe from the nefarious forces of the opposition. Ellen and Tom are keeping something from Patty, who they fear might be manipulating them. 	The Frobisher case now hinges on the deposition of Gregory Malina, which has Patty committed to keeping him safe from the nefarious forces of the opposition. Ellen and Tom are keeping something from Patty, who they fear might be manipulating them.
08	 	Blame The Victim 	September 18, 2007
08	 	Patty must find a new strategy for the case with the key witness missing. Ellen gets blindsided when her parents show up with troubling news. 	Patty must find a new strategy for the case with the key witness missing. Ellen gets blindsided when her parents show up with troubling news.
09	 	Do You Regret What We Did? 	September 25, 2007
09	 	The mystery behind the disappearance of Gregory deepens. Frobisher and his team bring on a secret weapon as his depositions nears. Ellen unearths information that could impact the case. 	The mystery behind the disappearance of Gregory deepens. Frobisher and his team bring on a secret weapon as his depositions nears. Ellen unearths information that could impact the case.
10	 	Sort of Like a Family 	October 2, 2007
10	 	After Frobisher quashes Patty's only lead against him ahead of the deposition, Ellen proposes to contact George Moore again for further information, but Patty forbids her. 	After Frobisher quashes Patty's only lead against him ahead of the deposition, Ellen proposes to contact George Moore again for further information, but Patty forbids her.
11	 	I Hate These People 	October 9, 2007
11	 	Patty offers Ellen her job back. Ellen declines but volunteers to keep helping Patty with the Frobisher case. Lila DiMeo is back and bringing more havoc into David and Ellen's lives. Patty uses the newly acquired evidence to blackmail Ray Fiske and offers him an ultimatum. 	Patty offers Ellen her job back. Ellen declines but volunteers to keep helping Patty with the Frobisher case. Lila DiMeo is back and bringing more havoc into David and Ellen's lives. Patty uses the newly acquired evidence to blackmail Ray Fiske and offers him an ultimatum.
12	 	There's No "We" Anymore 	October 16, 2007
12	 	Ellen's incarceration for David's murder converges with the tumultuous events surrounding Patty's effort to bring down Frobisher. 	Ellen's incarceration for David's murder converges with the tumultuous events surrounding Patty's effort to bring down Frobisher.
13	 	Because I Know Patty 	October 23, 2007
13	 	Ellen is cleared of murder charges. Frobisher agrees to settle with his former employees. A surprising flashback reveals why Patty went to the cemetery. At David's burial, Ellen and Katie talk. Hollis Nye plays a role in Ellen's returning to work for Patty. 	Ellen is cleared of murder charges. Frobisher agrees to settle with his former employees. A surprising flashback reveals why Patty went to the cemetery. At David's burial, Ellen and Katie talk. Hollis Nye plays a role in Ellen's returning to work for Patty.
==Cast==
*Glenn Close as Patty Hewes
*Rose Byrne as Ellen Parsons
*Tate Donovan as Tom Shayes
*Ted Danson as Arthur Frobisher
*Željko Ivanek as Ray Fiske
*Noah Bean as David Connor
*Anastasia Griffith as Katie Connor
Category:Season 1
Category:Seasons