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Everything is heating up and the conspiracies run vast and deep, much like my love of Lester Freamon. And love on ya’, casting people, for picking up two of the free agents from The Wire, even if their evilness is slightly disconcerting. But let’s go back a bit. After last week’s courtroom showdown, Patty is even more determined to bring down Ultima National Resources. She tries to join forces with an energy regulator, but Ultima’s evil president beats her to the punch (literally, I’m thinking) and the federal energy guy just can’t help Patty. Come on, fed! What are you paid for except to put your personal safety at risk in the face of environmental destruction? Doesn’t the EPA have a SWAT team?
But don’t think it’s all work and no play over at Hewes & Associates. It’s Tom’s ten-year anniversary at the firm, and Patty is hosting a party in his honor at her apartment. She invites Ellen, because what says "party" more than post-traumatic flashbacks from visiting the scene of your near-death? Aw, heck -- they can just cover Ellen in glitter and streamers while she twitches. In fact, Patty may have invited her just to watch her fidget, because Patty is on to her double-crossing ways. After Patty grills her about where exactly she picked up the infant mortality case, Ellen starts to think the gig is up, but she tries to cover, claiming the FBI has pictures of her leaving the office after last season’s suicide. Her blackmail spiel might work, or Patty may try to kill her again. And what Ellen doesn’t know is that somebody followed her to her meeting with the FBI. And that Uncle Pete is a criminal mastermind. A frail, senior-citizen mastermind, like an Uncle Junior who doesn’t look so much like that freaky guy from the Six Flags ads. And it seems that no one knows what he is up to and what he has done and what he will do in the future. Speaking of people who you don’t know what they're up to, let’s look at Wes. He is definitely reporting to someone, and he is definitely well-armed, but who is directing him? Uncle Pete? Patty? Frobisher? Or someone else entirely? And why does he care that Ellen is meeting with the FBI? And why is he so chummy with the homicide detectives? And who is he murdering in the back seat of the town car? And when is he growing his moustache back? So many questions with so few answers.
Purcell has sold his brownstone and turns down Kendrick’s job offer. He is out of the business, despite Kendrick’s promise that he is personally cleaning up West Virginia, one Skoal can at a time. Purcell doesn’t care right now. He is too busy flashing back to his dead wife telling him that if he doesn’t call the EPA about the impending environmental disaster, she will. Purcell is so wrapped up in his thoughts that he doesn’t notice Kendrick’s pants are on fire. He has Lester Freamon strong-arm the environmental regulator to make sure that no one notices he is poisoning the earth. He can’t have that going on while he works on his merger scheme. He also can’t have Patty’s husband poking around into his company’s financials. No one needs to know that the merger makes no financial sense. That’s funny, because no one needs to know that Patty’s husband is sleeping with some smokin’ hotress. Maybe the two can work out some sort of deal?
Discuss this episode in our forums, then see what vlogger Sean Crespo thinks Patty's move should be in No Prior Knowledge! And check back week for the full recap!
Want more? The full recap starts right below!You remember that one time when Patty told Ellen that she was like the daughter she never had? Well, Patty is like the boss I never had. I'm also starting to think that Patty should probably be seeing someone about her massive mood swings. One week she is arranging for Ellen's death, the she is inviting her out for drinks. Last week she put her in her place over going to West Virginia, this week she and Ellen are getting side-by-side spa treatments. Why? I don't know! Who does that with their boss? I mean even if your boss was nice enough to give you a spa day, who would expect you to go with them? Any time you see your boss's toes is...awkward. I've worked in a fair number of offices and even when I worked in fashion and you would sort of expect spa treatments to happen, it still didn't happen. Anyway. Patty and Ellen sit in matching white robes at some day spa and I have to interrupt here because I am excited to report that I am vacuuming while I write this recap. How is this possible? No, I do not have a laptop stand on my vacuum cleaner, nor do I have a cleaning lady. No, I got a Roomba! Seriously it had been on my Amazon wish list for, like, three years and someone finally bought it for me. Best Christmas present ever. Robot vacuuming is completely mesmerizing and if I didn't have the willpower of a founding father I would be staring at it right now as it makes its little figure eights around the house. Currently the little robot is in the bedroom cleaning under the stairs, under which reside a collection of dust bunnies so grandiose in scale that I once thought my dog was hiding under there, but he wasn't. It's just too hard to reach under there and vacuum because you have to lie on the floor and stretch and it's far too close to a push up for comfort. Luckily the robot does not share my compunction about exercise. I think it's moving the chairs out of the way now. Now if I could only find a robot that could do the laundry. Anyway, Patty and Ellen are wearing matching robes, begging the question did they get undressed to each other? Isn't that taking this just a bit too far? Patty asks Ellen if she ever told her how she picks a case. Apparently Patty's brand of righteous justice all starts with a seed of anger. She cultivates that seed until it blooms and grows into a full-blown rage. (Anyone else just get "Edelweiss" stuck in their head?) Once that blooming and growing happens, Patty has to take the case because anger unpunished causes wrinkles. And we all know how she feels about wrinkles. Ellen hails the nearest aesthetician to upgrade her facial to include an anti-wrinkle algae scrub, because she has a lot of unresolved anger. Patty is going after Ultima National Resources and if Daniel Purcell is a casualty, so be it.
Speaking of Daniel Purcell, he is selling the scene of the crime. He doesn't care about the price, he just wants the place gone. As the realtor goes about her realting, Daniel takes a moment to flash back to the time he locked his wife out of the house. Remember? Five weeks ago? When their house had been broken into and she sat on the stairs and told him he had to make a choice? And then he yelled, "I know," and then shut the door on her? That's what he is remembering. Then he flashes to the night of the gala and the start of their fight. I don't think we've seen this before. Daniel and his wife sit in the car and he tells her that he is not blowing the whistle on UNR. He made a deal with them so that they would leave his family alone. Christine is not happy about the choice. Once they are inside the house in the kitchen where her body will be found, she tells him that if he doesn't call the EPA, she will. I still can't believe he had her killed. Or allowed her to be killed. I mean, I know he is/was having an affair with Claire Maddox, but he still seemed to like his wife. And if he is concerned about his daughter's wellbeing, wouldn't he be concerned about the psychological harm of having her mother strangled to death in her own house? Wouldn't that be concerning? Anyway.
Walter Kendrick, CEO of Ultima National Resources, is on the television, no, not with Regis and Kelly, but some talking heads show that has guest CEOs on to talk about their mergers. I don't get that channel -- it must be on Fox's extended cable offerings. Oh wait! That must be MergerTalk the new FOX primetime series where old white guys talk about their mergers and acquisitions and everyone throws things at them. What you haven't heard of it? It was included in the House bill to bail out the financial institutions. It's supposed to make the nation feel better. Kendrick wants to merge corporate philosophies and create synergy. The computer that helps Jem and the Holograms? Awesome! Go Mr. Kendrick! Of course Patty, Tom and Ellen are determined to stop him. I knew they were working with the Misfits! Mr. Kendrick's television appearance explains why he was so determined to cover up the Aricite contamination in West Virginia. A giant class action would have blocked the merger and then synergy would never have been created. Ellen can't figure out what they are going to do now...unless they can figure out a way to block the merger! You know those V8 commercials where the baby doinks the mom on the head for eating French fries instead of drinking salty tomato spinach water? That's what Patty does to Ellen: Doink! Just shut the hell up, Ellen. Of course they are going to try and block the merger. Patty sends Tom to go find the legal and financial history of UNR. Ellen can obviously not be trusted to do anything even that menial. Tom heads off to actually work, but pauses and asks Patty if she invited that girl sitting right there to that thing they were talking about. Ellen is all "um, guys, I'm right here." Tom leaves Patty to explain that in honor of Tom's ten years of hard labor she is throwing a party in his honor. It's at her house because some how that is nicer than a restaurant or bar? Or just giving him a bonus and not making him spend more time with his co-workers? Patty is aware that Ellen hasn't been back to her house since she was almost knifed to death, but she is invited. She'll have crackers! Ellen looks uncomfortable, but agrees to think about it.
Mr. Kendrick is meeting with the last honest man in Washington. No, not Steny Hoyer. Okay I actually have no idea if Steny Hoyer is honest or even a man actually, but I just like writing the name Steny Hoyer. I also like to picture his (or her!) mother cradling her newborn and saying, Aw... Let's name him (or her!) Steny! And little baby Steny was born. This honest man is an energy regulator and he is concerned about the environmental impact of the merger and he has no qualms telling Mr. Kendrick that. So he will most likely be dead or blackmailed by the end of the episode. Mr. Kendrick has brought Daniel Purcell with him to the meeting as an independent environmental consultant. Mr. Kendrick barely manages to avoid making air quotes around the word independent. Purcell swears that he had full access to all of UNR's sites and can attest to their clean living and environmental purity. Mr. Kendrick almost snorts as Purcell convinces the regulator that UNR has a clean bill of health. It's funny 'cause it's not true! When asked point blank, Purcell swears that UNR's global operations pose no risk to the environment. Mr. Kendrick stifles a giggle.
Ellen is hosting the FBI agents in her hotel room. They ask if she is going to the party, but she swears that she never wants to step foot in that apartment again. The FBI agent who is not Mario Van Peebles, but somehow manages to continue to exist, says that if she doesn't go to this party she'll have to go to the apartment some time. Ellen agrees, but I don't. Why the heck would she ever have to go to her boss's apartment? It's pretty easy to avoid. The Feds tell her that if she decides to go, they want her to tape it. Because listening to five hours of small talk is a great use of government resources? Or because they think Patty is going to stand up, tap her knife on her glass, and announce that she blackmailed Ray Fiske into killing himself? Ellen pops open a beer and stares at herself in the mirror for an uncomfortable amount of time. Seriously, the scene should have been cut way earlier. There are more pressing mysteries to be solved than whether Ellen can make eye contact with herself for two minutes straight without blushing.
Back at the energy regulatory committee, Patty meets with the same energy regulator. She presents the evidence she has gathered thus far against UNR and the regulator is impressed. Sort of. Patty doesn't have hard evidence yet; everything is speculative. Patty explains that it is up to him to block the merger because the West Virginia state court is in Kendrick's pocket and they won't do anything. She adds that she only needs a little more time to come up with something substantive. She needs him to stall. He gives her until the end of week. I can't stop staring at her forehead. It is just so vast and smooth and never moves. It's truly impressive.
In Ultima National's meeting room (complete with dais with microphones so you know they are serious), Kendrick meets with his number one creep, Darrell Hammond. I wonder why he accepted this role. It is obviously quite a new genre for him and maybe he wanted the challenge and maybe he just got tired of being moderately humorous. But I still think this supporting role as corporate henchman is an odd choice, because he doesn't get to act so much as stand around stone faced. Well, I guess the same could be said about Glenn Close. Also, I keep expecting him to break into Bill Clinton and it is confusing to my brain. Darrell is wearing a suit and has corporate hair and the weird perma-sneer that makes up the bulk of his "acting" and is admiring the view when Kendrick walks in. Kendrick knows that the energy regulator is stalling and he wants to know what can be done about it. How does he know the guy is stalling? He hasn't even had a chance to stall yet. Darrell is sad to report that the energy regulator has no "extracurriculars" and is untouchable by blackmail. Kendrick just can't believe it, but he doesn't want Darrell getting wacky on the guy. Not yet. He is a deputy director of a federal agency and someone might start paying attention if something happened to him. Darrell shakes his head in disappointment and his perma-sneer deepens. Kendrick tells him to keep in touch.
You know how rich white guys are the root of all evil and their vast rich white guy conspiracies date back to their desire to put a Mancave in the Temple of Solomon and their shrill wives said "Oh hells no" and they had to form the Freemasons to get a little sympathy and drink their lite beer and watch the game in peace? So, obviously Kendrick, being rich, white, and old, is a member of a secret society that allows cigar smoking despite the ban and makes him wear a dress because it is funny and because the only thing that frat boys know how to do on Halloween is go in drag and then call everything "gay" and beat some people up and roofie a girl to prove they are still men despite the fact that they are wearing pantyhose. And frat boys are the most likely to grow up and join a secret society thus the tradition continues. Kendrick is getting roasted before he ascends to the presidency of said secret society and he should be careful ascending anywhere in those heels. The man roasting him tosses out some (air quotes) hilarious material hitting all the safe crowd-pleasing numbers of homophobia, misogyny, incest, and West Virginia bashing. Everyone laughs appreciatively. In the men's room, the toastmaster and Mr. Kendrick engage in simultaneous urination and Kendrick says he thinks the guy had some great material. The guy thanks him a little too soon, because mid-wee Mr. Kendrick hikes up his skirt and kicks the crap out of the guy, knocking his head into the urinal and, ew, that is just gonna get infected.. As Kendrick fixes his lipstick, freakin' Lester Freamon walks into the bathroom. Lester!! He looks at Deputy Commissioner Lou Rawls in his silly Walter Kendrick attire and I can't help but really wish there were more seasons of The Wire in the works. I am so happy to see these two on this show! Please bring McNulty on too! He could replace the FBI agent who isn't Mario Van Peebles! Pretty please! Lester looks at the man bleeding on the floor and remarks to Kendrick that he agrees that it wasn't funny. But he is here to help Mr. Kendrick with his Patty Hewes problem. Kendrick sics him on the energy regulator.
Ellen closes her eyes for the elevator ride to Patty's apartment, breathing deep and remembering her happy place. Aww poor Ellen I bet she doesn't have a happy place any more. As the elevator doors open, she clicks on her recording device and takes a deep breath. A very buttoned up Phil greets her at the door with a glass of champagne. As Ellen nervously looks around the very small party, Tom sees her and brings over his wife to say hello. As soon as the pleasantries are done, Ellen starts having flashbacks to that time when she was almost killed by a hitman in the apartment. She really should have considered a Xanax or twelve before coming. Uncle Pete interrupts her waking nightmare and then Patty does. She asks if Ellen is okay and Ellen blinks a few times and says yes. They toast to each other and stare into each other's eyes. I still don't believe scrawny little Ellen thinks she can play ball with Patty, but it is fun to watch her try.
Cut to a shooting gallery...er, that's not right. Oh it is called a firing range. Ellen is learning to shoot a gun, but she might as well learn at a shooting gallery since she totally sucks at it and her paper target is entirely unscathed by her vicious assault. Wes giggles at her ineptitude and she gets flirty fake-angry. As they pack up from their lesson, Wes asks about her sudden interest in firearms and she confesses that someone tried to kill her the same day her fiancé was murdered. She doesn't ever want to feel that helpless again. She thanks him for the lesson and heads off. When she is barely out the door Wes pulls his phone out of his pocket and speed dials a number. He tells the callee (?) that she wants to learn how to use a gun and he doesn't know if the callee is safe. Flash forward to Ellen in her hotel room answering the door to Wes. She tells him that he can't be there today. He apologizes and then sheepishly says that he just needed to see her. She asks if he is okay and he starts kissing her. Even though those two are totally fucked up in the head and are most likely going to kill each other by the end of the season, they would probably have pretty babies. Also, really loving the fact that the casting director here at Damages has no qualms about taking actors from every HBO show that ever finished a run. It's fun to see characters from The Wire, Deadwood, and The Sopranos in new roles. Now if they could just steal a certain someone from Rome away from the quagmire of Grey's Anatomy, we would be all set.
Patty's husband is leaving a business lunch (you can tell it's a business lunch because he is wearing a suit and talking about the inflated yen) when he is stopped by Lester who is sitting in the back of a limo. Lester starts the conversation by saying, "I only have a minute." Which is kind of bad ass, if you think about it. Then again I am very partial to Lester. Phil stops and leans into the car to say hi to "Dave." Who the heck is Dave? Oh, he means Lester! Lester wants to give Phil the heads up about something, but Phil didn't hear it from him, nudge, nudge, wink, wink. It's about Patty. Later that evening (11:11, to be precise) Phil waits for Patty to come home. He needs to talk to her about some rumblings he has heard. There are CEOs who don't like her and they are using their influence to pressure Washington. There might already be an investigation into her activities. He's not sure, but if there is anything out there that could hurt her she should take care of it. How weird to have to tell your wife to clean up her trail of fraud, murder, bribery, forgery, perjury, and god knows what else before she gets indicted. I kind of don't think that is a conversation I will ever be having. Patty pours a big old glass of wine.
The day Patty has a meeting with Uncle Pete. Not since Cocoon has an old person had such a feisty role! Don Ameche's got nothing on Uncle Pete. Well, wait, hold the emails. Uncle Junior was pretty feisty. I just love that Patty has her aged Uncle Pete do all her dirty work. He's just cute! And I also love thinking that he is still Carmela Soprano's dad and Patty is his niece and they are all related and involved in the family business. I mean Carmela's dad didn't spend all day building houses did he? He had to have another line of work. And why wouldn't he want to help out his niece? Okay enough pretend. I'll just go write some fan fiction. Patty is concerned about loose ends. If the Feds are investigating her, there could be any number of things they could use against her. Uncle Pete swears that she's always been protected and insulated. Except for one thing: Ellen. The only thing that can touch her is Ellen Parsons. Patty frowns as Uncle Pete reminds her that Ellen brought in the infant mortality case. He presses Patty about why, after everything that happened to her, Ellen would come back to work. Why would she come back to work? Geez Uncle Pete, what are you a communist? Work is the American dream! Even if the office is populated by sociopaths and pederasts and lawyers, a girl still needs to work. Patty sighs. And then takes action. She marches to Ellen's office and asks her point blank where she got the infant mortality case. Ellen looks tense and wide-eyed at the mention of the bait case. She claims someone in grief counseling referred the plaintiff to her, but she can't say who because of privacy issues. Patty nods slowly and then suggests that someone may have been trying to set Ellen up. Ellen gets even more wide-eyed trying to imagine why anyone would want to set her up. She looks seriously bobble-headed. Patty leaves her with the thought that something about that case was never right. Ellen is so tense it looks like she is going to snap her Bic in half. Oh wait, she's a lawyer. It looks like she is going to snap her Cross in half. Patty stops at the door, leans back and tells Ellen that it was wonderful having her at dinner the other night and she really hopes Ellen had fun. Mood swing much? Patty looks like she is about to eat Ellen for dinner and she is incredibly ominous and louring and yikes! Ellen smiles that she had a lovely time. As Patty turns to go, Ellen looks like she might barf. A little. But not enough to fan the flames of those bulimia rumors. The ones I am now instigating.
Uncle Pete makes a hurried phone call on the elevator. He announces that his boss is getting nervous about the girl and they need to take action. If you were arranging someone's demise wouldn't you wait until you were somewhere just a bit more private? And does this mean that Patty didn't know about the hit? Or that Pete was lying about loose ends?
Ellen hurries across the street from her office to meet up with the FBI and alert them to Patty's suspicions. The g-man who is not Mario Van Peebles gets a phone call. It's his wife again. And, okay already! I get it he is going to be a dirty cop who sells Ellen out to Patty or will murder Ellen for the money to build a mancave and escape his shrill wife. I get it! As Ellen and the FBI walk and talk they are followed by a man in a fedora and a cardigan who looks like he just rode a time machine from Seattle in the 90s where he was a bass player in some alt-emo band that played at the Crocodile a lot. He has a soul patch! Just kill him now and be done with it.
Oh, hello robot, sure I'll move my feet so you can keep vacuuming. Don't let me get in your way! Patty asks Phil to look at UNR's financials. She would really like his take on it. He takes the file and kisses her goodbye. He is off to London. I think this is more Phil than we have ever had before. Have we had our fill of Phil? Not hardly.
Patty has called a meeting of more than just Tom and Ellen. Wait. There are other people who work at the firm? Other lawyers who may be more qualified than Ellen? Impossible. Ellen sits at Patty's right hand. Or left hand. Whatever. They are in yet another conference room. This one with garish red brick wallpaper with oversized Ionic columns (spray?) painted on it in some shout out to the laws Grecian? Ionian? street? roots. I don't know. It's extremely loud and incredibly ugly. Like really ugly. Like shave your butt and walk backwards ugly. I don't understand it at all. As Patty barks out orders to her staff, Ellen's Blackberry buzzes and she reaches down to check it. A moment later the meeting ends and Patty glares at Ellen and orders her into her office. Patty tells her to shut the door and asks her what the hell she is doing. Ellen is confused and Patty berates her for checking her phone during the meeting. Ellen is perplexed by Patty's mood swing, but apologizes. Patty demands to know what is so important that Ellen had to check her phone. Ellen claims she was late for a counseling appointment, but Patty counters that Ellen quit counseling. Ellen protests that she quit group counseling, but is still doing one-on-one twice a week during lunch. She barks it out like it is well memorized rather than true. Patty eyes her warily and excuses her. And really, I know you are edgy because you're under investigation and you think Ellen will be the cause of your downfall, but Patty, chiding a lawyer for checking their Blackberry? Seriously? That's like snapping at a bunny for hopping.
You know how I was just saying that this is more Phil than we've ever seen before? Well now we're seeing even more Phil. He is in his pajamas and reading UNR's financials aloud to some scantily clad woman who is vaguely interested in his involvement in the deal. She is attractive, but not attractive enough (or young enough) to be a good trophy affair. She also seems too smart to be a bimbo and too old to be a trophy wife. I mean if Patty Hewes is your wife you probably aren't looking for someone to talk shop with in the bedroom. The woman chucks aside the financials and jumps on Phil.
In New York, Patty wakes up and wanders the house in her frumpy pajamas that stand in stark contrast to the little negligee that the fornicator was wearing. So obviously it is Patty's fault that Phil is philandering. If she had just taken some time to wrap herself in cellophane and greet Phil at the door with a bottle of champagne and a smile, he never would have strayed. But, no, she insists on taking down corporations and wearing pajamas. Serves her right. Wait a second...I think I have those pajamas. So, er, nevermind. She finds Michael in the kitchen and he reminds her that Phil is in London. She scratches her head in confusion and wouldn't that be a kicker if Patty were psychic? I have to admit that I have this irrational hatred of Michael. He bugs the fuck out of me. He is just sitting in the kitchen stirring something all hunched over and not making eye contact with his mother and being quiet and I can't help but think that he is a sociopath and about to gun down his school. I just find his very existence extremely annoying. He mentions that Phil is meeting him in Amherst to look at colleges and Patty asks about his college essays. He admits that he wrote his essay about Daniel Purcell. Patty is shocked and asks why and he replies because that is his dad and it is supposed to personal and what is more personal than that? But he mumbles it all together, doesn't stop stirring his goddamned cocoa and just sits there slumped over with his head down. He is such a bad actor. He doesn't move his face or his body and just sits there mush-mouthing his lines. He acts like a high school kid in a school play. A kid who isn't a drama geek, but tries out for a play to impress a girl and is just attractive enough to get a part but sucks so hard but it is too late because you can't fire a kid from a high school production even if you really want to. Instead of slapping him into a normal human being Patty tells him not to have anything to do with Daniel Purcell ever again. The kids whatevers her and tells her to get over it. Patty just fumes over her decision to introduce him to Purcell after so many years of silence. Maybe he can go live with his father!
The energy regulator calls Patty. He has read through all her documentation and is ready to go. He knows this is an opportunity to do some important work. Cut to Ellen walking and talking. She tells whoever it is to meet her at the hotel. She looks around nervously, but fails to see the man from the 90s and his stupid hat and stupider soul patch across the street. Hey dumbass, wear something less stupid! Cut back to the energy regulator's office. Lester walks into the office and starts to tell a joke. The guy isn't in the mood, he wants to know what this is about. He stands up to stare Lester (who is apparently known as Dave Powell around these parts) in the eye. Lester tells him it is about his career. Gulp! Back to Ellen who is pacing around her hotel room in a meeting with the FBI. She thinks she is being followed. The guy who is not Mario Van Peebles asks how she knows. Instead of replying, um, dumbass, this guy in a fedora was following me, she explains she saw a guy twice and it can't be a coincidence. Which requires me to say: ask a stupid question get just as stupid of an answer. Mario Van Peebles wants a written description of the guy (oh, just go look at bass players from Mother Lovebone or Temple of the Dog and you'll get the idea.) Ellen continues her paranoid rant and tells them that Patty questioned her about the infant mortality case again. The Feds stop her right there. If she's been made, the operation is over. Ellen begs for more time, but the agents need to go discuss this with their supervisor.
Man from the 90s and his stupid hat and, oh look, a hoodie, isn't that apt, sits in a car waiting. The car door opens and Wes joins him. Man from the 90s hands Wes a series of prints showing Ellen meeting with some guys in suits. Man from the 90s thinks lawyers, but Wes is going with the idea that they are Feds. Wes looks concerned.
Patty barrels into the energy regulator's office demanding to know why UNR's merger was approved. He tries to defend his actions saying that he went out on a limb, but there were no substantiated claims. She barks, "Bullshit!" And looks so scary that you remember she was a bunny boiler at one point. The energy regulator reminds her that there was a report by an independent environmental consultant (read: Daniel Purcell) who claimed it was all good. Patty leans over his desk and reminds him that he is talking to Patty Hewes and he knows that the report is a lie. He reminds her that there is no evidence and his hands are tied. She challenges him to a staring contest. She totally wins, turns on her heel, and marches out of the office. Gah. You know there is no way that Walter Kendrick, the one-man evil empire, is going to get the best of Patty Hewes, but he really has her in a corner right now.
Walter Kendrick and Daniel Purcell meet on a rooftop in Manhattan to admire the view. Kendrick is through-and-through evil so he is also smoking. Only bad people get to smoke on television these days. Kendrick gloats that the merger is going through. Purcell congratulates him. Kendrick tells him that loyalty goes a long way with him and he sees a bright future for Purcell. Purcell doesn't care about his future, but he does care about his daughter's future. Kendrick swears that Purcell's concerns are his concerns. Purcell asks if now that the merger is through Kendrick is going to live up to his promise to clean up West Virginia and stop using Aricite. Kendrick slaps him on the back and swears it is already done. Once again, pants not catching on fire. He then offers Purcell a job as head of research to oversee the switch to alternative energy. Ah that is so nice that they are going green! They aren't evil at all! Kendrick slaps Purcell on the back again and tells him that whatever happened in the house that night with his wife, it's over. He played ball and they all won. Purcell just looks at him and steps away, leaving Kendrick alone on the rooftop so God can smite him.
Patty is working late again. And oh, look, they have personalized Redwell folders with Hewes & Associates stamped on them. That is a nice touch. Uncle Pete comes in and tells Patty that he checked out the plaintiff in the infant mortality case. Everything Ellen said was true. Patty is relieved that Ellen is in the clear. Uncle Pete stops her. The plaintiff that came into the law firm was African American, but they have a picture of the real Monique Bryant. And she's white. Patty looks grim as she answers her phone. It's Ellen. Patty goes to meet Ellen somewhere. Her hotel room? Wherever it is it is somewhere that the FBI has bugged. Ellen tells Patty that she was approached by the FBI last night and they want her to inform on Patty. They have pictures of her leaving the office the night of Ray Fiske's suicide. Ellen reminds Patty that they never told the police that she was there that night. Patty takes a drink of scotch or whiskey or the refined blood of virgins. (Hey whatever keeps you young!) Ellen says that she told the FBI to go screw themselves because nothing they had was going to stick. Ellen goes on that she thinks the infant mortality case was a set up and that someone else in the office could be approached and turned against her. Patty is quiet during Ellen's speech and you can tell she is thinking, processing, and assessing. She wants to trust Ellen, but she really doesn't. Great acting on Glenn Close's part. You really feel her struggling. Needless to say the Feds are listening and they are pissed that Ellen went rogue. As she tries to justify diverging from the script, she claims that the only way to get Patty to trust her is to fake confide in her. Now that Patty trusts her (maybe) they can proceed. The agent who is not Mario Van Peebles does his typical freak out cursing shenanigans while MVP, cool as ever, sits in the car listening to Ellen's story. He thinks she may be on to something. Then he bitch slaps his partner, just 'cause he can. Well, he should have.
Uncle Pete is dropped off in a garage by some guy driving a brown van, the type that we used to call a MolesterMobile. Pete chitchats with some guy who has started loading boxes into the van. As the guy goes back for more boxes, Pete stops him and tells him that he has to leave town. Things are heating up for his boss and the kid, Patrick, has to go. Patrick asks if it is about the girl. We then take a trip down memory lane you know the street that runs to Hell House? Ellen is getting almost murdered by Patrick with a lot of screaming, wonky camera angles and sepia tones. Patrick is left skewered and bleeding as Ellen runs out. But he is not dead as Ellen told the cops. Uncle Pete has him bandaged up and paid off in no time with the caveat that his boss can never know about it. Which means that either Patty can never know that Pete decided to off Ellen by himself (which is a lot of chutzpah for an old guy) or Patty can never know that Patrick survived the stabbing and could blab. Patrick could be a loose end that Uncle Pete swore didn't exist. Uncle Pete gives Patrick another envelope of cash and tells him to leave tonight. Patrick doesn't look thrilled at the prospect of life on the lam.
Daniel Purcell sold his townhouse and stands outside surveying it one last time. He also takes a trip down memory lane, but this street runs between Bloody Murder Drive and Guilt Ave. He flashes on the night of the gala when he tells his wife that he has made a deal with UNR or Sutry-- His silence for their safety. His wife, obviously some sort of whale-riding, tree-hugging rainbow warrior, doesn't care about her personal safety if the environment is being harmed. Which is noble, but stupid. Just go recycle more, buy some hemp, and save your family. She tells him that she is going to call the police and tell them that she wants to report a rape. Of the environment! In West Virginia! I'm sure the NYPD will hop right on that. Purcell tells her he can't let her do that. Bill Clinton, I mean, Darrell Hammond gets into the car with Purcell. He asks Purcell if he wants his help. He says yes. Darrell gets the details on which house is Purcell's. He gets his house keys and tells Purcell to go park his car. In twenty minutes it will all be over. He leaves Purcell in his car to sob over how unfair it is that he has to have his wife killed just so he can make a decent living on the payroll of Walter Kendrick.
Patty and naughty boy Phil walk their dog down the street and Phil tells Patty that the merger doesn't make any kind of sense financially. Kendrick is smart enough to know that he is grossly over paying, so there must be another reason he wants the merger. Patty just has to figure out what the real reason is. Patty turns to Phil and tells him that he was right and she is under investigation. Phil tells her that if that is true she has to stop all this UNR nonsense because Kendrick is too well connected. He asks Patty to promise him that she won't pursue. Patty doesn't say anything. At least she didn't lie to him.
Cut to a strange vignette of a dead boy in a well? Cell? Stairwell? Barefoot and arms akimbo with a man crouched over him. Some one off camera calls out and the guy looks up. It's the cop who murdered David and stole evidence! Welcome back oh bespectacled bearded bad dresser dirty cop! The person off-camera yells "Cheeseburger!" And he goes running to make sure the uniform cop got him extra ketchup. As the uniform surrenders his cheeseburger and goes back to her day job, the Mr. Cheeseburger notices Wes waiting for him on the other side of the police tape. Wes tells the Mr. Cheeseburger that it is worse than they thought. Ellen's been meeting with someone, could be cops, probably FBI. He shows him the photos of Ellen. Mr. Cheeseburger perks up at the mention of the FBI. Wes asks him what he wants him to do. In response, Mr. Cheeseburger shovels fries in his mouth. Cut to five months later and Wes is loading his arsenal into a duffel bag. Then he sits in a lobby and then cancels a flight out of Newark, due to his inability to get on a flight with his portable arsenal, I gather. He hangs up when he sees Ellen enter the lobby. He calls out to her and she is happy surprised to see him. She asks what he is doing there and he asks if he can stay at her place for a few days while they are doing work at his. She laughs and smiles and readily agrees. They head upstairs. Cut to a parked car. There's a crack, a broken front window, and some blood splatter. Wes gets out of the back seat. Whoa. Also, my vacuuming is done.