We're still in the primordial soup of the season, trying to ascertain how various characters connect and get a handle on how the storyline is playing. The writers certainly appear to have cast a wider net than last year -- what with the FBI sting being orchestrated for Patty (Glenn Close), the Daniel Purcell (William Hurt) situation with the evil energy company, and dual lurking subplots off Wes (Timothy Olyphant) and former-billionaire Frobisher...Patty is distracted from the infant mortality case by the murder of Daniel's wife, so she instead puts Tom Shayes (Tate Donovan) on the case. It's not what the FBI hoped for, but Ellen (Rose Byrne) is content to let the entrapment go ahead with Tom's head on the chopping block. It's another example of how toughened Ellen has become; last year's doe-eyed idealist now willing to sacrifice the career of expectant father Tom, the only man who played straight with her last year. Fortunately, Tom's by-the-book principles hold him in good stead, as he comes close to breaking the law (by giving the Fed's fake plaintiff $60,000 to tide her over until the trial), but steps back from the edge.
Meanwhile, Daniel is grieving the loss of his wife Christine, but refusing to tell detectives that his company may have killed his spouse to scare him into keeping quiet about the toxicity of a chemical compound they're developing. So, he remains the prime suspect. Of course, his decision not to involve the police keeps the storyline ticking over much easier, particularly now Daniel's also less keen to go into details about his findings with Patty. It's played a little stiff, but thankfully a twist-ending has us reassessing Daniel's motivations entirely.
Wes Krulik, Ellen's acquaintance from grief support, is revealed to have an unhealthy interest in the Frobisher case: the inside of his wardrobe is adorned with newspaper clippings, together with an assortment of firearms. A ridiculous hard-rock musical sting at the reveal is eyeball-rolling stuff, but it's fun to speculate on what Wes' motivation is. A would-be assassin with an unhealthy obsession with Frobisher? An illegitimate child with a score to settle? Or has he been mistreated like Ellen, and is using her to get close to Frobisher to mete out the revenge she can't?
Interestingly, it feels like Patty is who we should be championing, as her intentions appear honourable and decent -- drawn into helping an old friend take on a billion dollar energy company with blood on its hands. It's Ellen who's the snake in the grass this time, in many ways -- trying to entrap her boss, no matter what the collateral damage. A role-reversal of season 1 seems a smart move -- if they can pull it off -- but I'm not sure the writers intend to make Patty the undoubted heroine. Close is too enjoyable as a villain to have her play the victim, attacked from all sides by friends and associates with hidden agendas.
Claire Maddox (Marcia Gay Harden) also makes her debut; a devious, snub-nosed lawyer who manages to get the evidence back from Patty by flirting with a judge who harbours a grudge against Patty's company. Interestingly, what seems to be a defeat for Patty is actually a small victory, as she's now able to see who commissioned the report Daniel wants to expose. Or is it? The episode's final sting shows Daniel and Claire together in a car (apparently lovers), and the outro flashback finds Daniel digging and burning something (assumedly beneath that tree he planted to honour his dead wife?)
The "6 months later" timeline is returned to throughout the episode, as is customary. We discover that Ellen and Wes will become lovers (no surprise there), but also that it's Tom who gives Ellen the gun she uses to shoot, and presumably kill, her unseen hotel visitor.
22 February 2009
BBC1, 10pm
Writers: Daniel Zelman, Todd A. Kessler & Glenn Kessler
Director: Jean de Segonzac
Cast: Glenn Close (Patty), Rose Byrne (Ellen), Tate Donovan (Tom), Marcia Gay Harden (Claire Maddox), Timothy Olyphant (Wes Krulik), William Hurt (Daniel Purcell), Zachary Booth (Michael Hewes), Glenn Kessler (Agent Werner), Mario Van Peebles (Agent Harrison), Brett Cullen (Wayne Suttry), Tibor Feldman (Judge), Timothy Hampton (Deputy Sheriff), Delaney Muro (Erica Percell), Tom Noonan (Detective Victor Hardley), Michael Pemberton (Intimidating Man), John Rothman (Earl Jacoby), Paige Turco (Christine Purcell) & Sharon Washington (Monique Bryant)
