"Get Me a Lawyer"[1] (also known as "Pilot"[2]) is the pilot episode of the legal drama series Damages, which first aired on July 24, 2007 on FX in the United States. It was written by series creators/executive producersTodd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, and Daniel Zelman, and was directed by producer Allen Coulter. In the episode, recent law school graduate Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) is recruited to Hewes and Associates, a law firm headed by Patty Hewes (Glenn Close), where she is assigned to the "Frobisher case". Billionaire Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson) is being sued by his former employees, whom he advised to invest in his company while unloading his own stock, and while Frobisher's attorney Ray Fiske (Željko Ivanek) pleads for a settlement price, Patty insists on taking the case to court.
When the Kesslers and Zelman devised the series, they did not specifically intend for Patty and Ellen to be lawyers, wanting primarily to explore the power structures between two strong women—Patty and her protégée Ellen—and choosing a profession afterwards. Close agreed to play Patty so long as the series was filmed in New York City, where she resides. To prepare for their roles, Close, Byrne and Tate Donovan met with corporate lawyers, while Danson met with the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. The pilot was filmed in February and FX placed a 13-episode order for the series in March. Its American airing brought in 3.7 million viewers and it was reviewed positively by most critics. It received two Emmy Award nominations for writing and directing and one win for Close for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. It was also nominated for an American Cinema Editors Award.
Plot
A young woman steps out of an elevator, bloody and half-naked. She leaves the building and runs down a busy street. She is taken to a police station, where two detectives, Dan Williams (Casey Siemaszko) and Rosario Ortiz (Maya Days), find in her pocket a business card for Hollis M. Nye.
In an extended flashback to six months earlier, the woman is revealed to be Ellen Parsons, a recent law school graduate. She turns down a generous salary from Nye's firm to meet with Patty Hewes, head of Hewes and Associates. Later at a bar, Ellen meets Nye (Philip Bosco), who cautions that Patty is dangerous and has her sign a card reading "I was warned." Ellen finds out that her interview with Patty is on the day of her sister's wedding. She declines the interview but Patty, intrigued to have been turned down, finds Ellen at the wedding and hires her.
Patty is the lead attorney in a high-profile litigation, representing the bankrupted workers of a large company run by Frobisher, who allegedly advised his employees to invest in the company while selling his own stock. Patty insists on taking the case to trial rather than accepting a settlement, but on Ellen's first day it is revealed that the prosecution cannot yet link Frobisher to his stockbroker—though both were in Palm Beach, Florida over the same weekend—and thus cannot disprove that the selling of his stock was not pre-arranged. When Ellen returns home, her boyfriend David Connor (Noah Bean) proposes to her and she accepts.
Frobisher's attorney Ray Fiske visits David's sister Katie (Anastasia Griffith), who is opening a restaurant in which Frobisher is investing, and asks her to sign a confidentiality agreement. Frobisher meets with his former custodian Larry Popler (Victor Arnold), who names a settlement price of $100 million, which Ray returns to Patty. Patty persuades her clients to decline the offer, but Larry mentions a previous agreement to accept any offer of $100 million. Patty suspects that her advisor Tom (Tate Donovan) had known about the agreement and fires him. Katie, meanwhile, thinks that she is being watched, and tells Ellen and David that she had catered a function for Frobisher in Florida and that afterwards he had offered to help her open a restaurant. Ellen realizes that Patty hired her to get to Katie, a potential witness. Though Katie is initially hesitant to testify, she finds her dog Saffron dead in her apartment with a note reading "Quiet" pinned to a wall. Assuming that Frobisher is responsible, she agrees to meet with Patty to help bring Frobisher down. Tom meets with Patty, who had only pretended to fire him, and gives her Saffron's collar, which she throws into the ocean.
Returning to the present, the two detectives seek Nye out and he identifies Ellen. They visit Ellen and David's apartment and find David dead in the bathtub. Ortiz tells Ellen to explain what had happened, and Ellen's only response is "Get me a lawyer."
Production
Brothers Glenn and Todd Kessler decided to work with Daniel Zelman because "we have a third brother, but Daniel is kind of like our fourth brother that we've known for over 20 years."[3] When the Kesslers and Zelman devised the series, they did not specifically intend for Patty and Ellen to be lawyers. They wanted to explore the power structures in two strong women—feeling that the male power dynamics had been seen before—and considered a number of professions, including entertainment and pharmaceuticals, before deciding on law.[4] Zelman said that the writers' main motivation to write about the law "was our interest in power dynamics, the dynamics of power in society. We're very much interested in the ambiguity of it. We're just interested in seeing how far we can push these characters."[5] According to Kessler, "One thing that's crucial is that Patty Hewes is on one end of the spectrum and Ellen Parsons is on the other."[5] The relationship the writers were most interested in showing was that between a mentor and a mentee, which is represented by Patty and her protégée Ellen.[6] Todd Kessler called the real life Enron case "a big part" of the inspiration for Patty's main case involving Arthur Frobisher, though Zelman claims that Enron was not used as a basis in particular: "It was more just the culture of all those corporate scandals at the time. There seemed to be one after the other of them, and we became very interested in sort of the characters who were a part of those scandals."[5]
Ted Danson met with powerful CEOs to prepare for his role.
After co-starring on 2004's fourth season of The Shield on cable network FX, Close told network president John Landgraf that she would be open to star in another series, suggesting a spin-off for her Shield character, Captain Monica Rawling. Landgraf pitched Damages to Close, who agreed to play Patty so long as the series was shot in New York City, where she resides.[7] To prepare for her role, Close met New York attorney Mary Jo White and her partner Lorna Scoffield, as well as litigator Patricia Hines, from whom Close learned "some extraordinary things".[8] The producers sought after Byrne to play Ellen, but she was unavailable during the first round of auditions as she was filming 28 Weeks Later. She says the opportunity "came up again, so I went in, auditioned, and got the role".[9] Like Close, Byrne spent time with a female lawyer in New York and read books written by litigators Alan Dershowitz and David DuBois,[10] while Donovan talked to his uncle, a New York corporate lawyer.[11] He visited Manhattan's Centre Street courts, where he "followed the most intense murder trial".[12] Ivanek was so eager to work on the series that he auditioned for two different roles, and was cast as Ray.[13] Todd Kessler said that Danson's 1979 film The Onion Field was "a huge influence on Glenn, Daniel and myself, and that was something that had always stuck in our minds. And when we sought out to cast this role of Arthur Frobisher, Ted kind of came into focus."[14] In preparation for his role, the producers asked Danson to meet with CEOs of Fortune 500 corporations and watch documentaries such as Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, which examines the collapse of Enron.[15] They also suggested that Danson meet with Close's acting coach Harold Guskin.[16] The producers said that David and Katie were the hardest characters to cast. Noah Bean, who felt that he gave "an awful first audition" for the role of David, was called in for a second reading as he was waiting for an elevator to leave the building, and was ultimately cast.[6] British actress Anastasia Griffith's agent informed her of the audition for the role of Katie only two hours before it began. When she met the producers, they were initially concerned about a Brit playing an American, especially since Australian Byrne had already signed on. "To put their fears at rest", Griffith addressed the producers in an American accent from beginning to end of the audition. After being cast, Griffith and Byrne visited New York Universitydialect coach Deborah Hecht to perfect their accents.[17]
The episode was shot in February and edited in March 2007.[18] Filming took place on location at various sites around Manhattan; after the first season had been greenlit, sets were built at New York's Steiner Studios.[19] Byrne said that filming the opening scene on a winter's morning in only underwear and a coat was "very traumatic" and "very hard".[9] The series remained untitled during casting and filming,[20][21] and was named Damages after FX had greenlit the pilot and placed a 13-episode order for the first season in March.[22]
Reception
As the most-watched basic cable show of the night, "Get Me a Lawyer" drew 3.7 million viewers on its initial commercial-free airing, with a total of 5.1 million including the viewers of repeat airings later in the night. 1.2 million people fell into the target demographic of adults aged 18–49, while 1.5 million fell into the 25–54 age bracket.[23] FX president John Landgraf deemed the pilot's ratings "middling" by the network's standards.[24] The Australian premiere on the Nine Network brought in 999,000 viewers, making Damages the thirteenth most-watched show of the night.[25] In Britain, BBC One's airing of the episode was seen by 1.9 million people with a share of 11%.[26]
Most critics reviewed "Get Me a Lawyer" positively. The New York Times' Alessandra Stanley praised FX for choosing another series that "keep[s] the light focused on the dark side of its main characters". Stanley wrote that "Damages is yet another show that requires viewers to tune in to every episode to follow the plot, but it is the most grown-up thriller in the pack [of serialized drama series]."[27] Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that, in the episode, "All the drama is in the writing and the acting." He complimented the "strong cast", stating that "it's Close who makes Damages a series to contend with".[28] Writing for The Age, Robin Oliver called the pilot "terrific-going-on-sensational". She praised Close and Byrne's performances, but also highlighted Danson's role as "a particularly fine piece of casting".[29] Oliver's Age colleague Melinda Houston called Close "delicious – and convincing" as Patty and thought that the script was "fabulous".[30] S. P. Miskowski of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer remarked, "For my money, this is what a 'thriller' is all about."[31]TV Squad's Jonathan Toomey enjoyed the episode's flashbacks, saying that the style of the show "works and it works well".[32] Matt Mitovich claimed in a TV Guide recap of the episode, "What a pilot it was!" He praised the acting from Close, Danson and Byrne, while he felt that "the supporting cast is excellent as well".[33] Stuart Levine, writing for Variety, called the pilot his favorite episode of the first season.[18]
Other critics, however, did not respond well to the episode. Andrew Billen of The Times thought that the episode was "not as stylish, intelligent or classy as it hopes" and "about as subtle as Times Square". He called Close's performance "not remotely credible but impressive in a Norma Desmond way" and labeled Byrne as "particularly unstriking".[34] Brian Lowry gave the pilot a lukewarm review for Variety. He praised the "solid cast" and "smart dialogue", but felt that "the template feels a little too familiar ... moreover, it's fuzzy how long the show's mystery will persist".[35]Entertainment Weekly's Gillian Flynn graded the episode as a C−, criticizing the characters' lack of logic and the "many ludicrous scenes". She thought the storylines to be overcomplicated and called Byrne "bland" and "inexpressive".[36]
Glenn Close is an American actress. In a career spanning over four decades, she has garnered numerous accolades, including three Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. She has been nominated eight times for an Academy Award, sharing the record for most nominations in acting categories without a win with Peter O'Toole. In 2016, she was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame, and in 2019, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Edward Bridge Danson III is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom Cheers, for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. He was nominated for more Emmy Awards for roles in the legal drama Damages (2007–2010) and the NBC dramedy The Good Place (2016–2020). He was awarded a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Mary Rose Byrne is an Australian actress. She made her screen debut in the film Dallas Doll (1994), and continued to act in Australian film and television throughout the 1990s. She obtained her first leading film role in The Goddess of 1967 (2000), which brought her the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, and made the transition to American cinema in the small role of Dormé in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002), followed by parts in Hollywood productions of Troy (2004), 28 Weeks Later (2007), and Knowing (2009).
Mili Avital is an Israeli actress. She built an international career, starting in her native Israel, starring on stage, film and television. She won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1991, moved to New York in 1993 to study theater in English, was discovered by an agent while working in a restaurant, and started acting in Hollywood almost immediately. She has maintained her career in both countries since.
Daniel Luke Zelman is an American actor, screenwriter, television producer, and director.
Damages is an American legal thriller television series created by writing and production trio Daniel Zelman, Glenn Kessler, and Todd A. Kessler. It premiered on July 24, 2007, on FX and aired for three seasons before moving to the DirecTV channel Audience Network in 2010, airing for two further seasons, and concluding in 2012.
Todd A. Kessler is an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer and director.
Glenn Kessler is an American screenwriter, television producer, actor, and director.
Ellen Parsons is a fictional character on the American legal thriller series Damages. The character was created by the writer trio of Glenn Kessler, Todd A. Kessler, and Daniel Zelman.
Patricia "Patty" C. Hewes is a fictional character on the American legal thriller Damages, portrayed by Glenn Close. Being described as "ruthless", "master manipulator" and "brilliant", Patty is a high-stakes litigator managing her own law firm called Hewes & Associates. Conceived as a "woman who commands power and influence in a male-dominated world" the character and its portrayal by Close has garnered significant praise.
Aaron Zelman is an American television writer and producer. He has worked in both capacities on the series Law & Order, Criminal Minds and Damages. He has been nominated for an Emmy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award for his work on Damages. He created Resurrection for ABC. He co-created and serves as co-showrunner of upcoming AMC series Lucky Hank, based on the novel Straight Man by Richard Russo, starring Bob Odenkirk.
"There's Only One Way to Try a Case" is the first episode of the fourth season of the DirecTV legal drama series Damages and the show's fortieth episode overall. It was written by creators and executive producers Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler and Daniel Zelman and directed by Todd A. Kessler. It originally premiered in the United States on DirecTV's Audience Network on July 13, 2011, and was the first episode of the series to air on DirecTV after the series moved from the FX network.
The fourth season of the legal drama series Damages premiered on the Audience Network, an entertainment channel owned by DirecTV, on July 13, 2011 and concluded on September 14, 2011. The season featured 10 episodes, bringing the series total to 49. The fourth season was released on DVD in region 1 on June 26, 2012.
The third season of the FX legal drama series Damages premiered on January 25, 2010 and concluded on April 19, 2010. It consisted of 13 episodes, bringing the series total to 39. Damages was created by brothers Todd and Glenn Kessler, along with Daniel Zelman, each of whom served as executive producer and contributed four scripts for the season, including the premiere and the finale.
The fifth and final season of the legal drama series Damages premiered July 11, 2012 on the DirecTV owned Audience Network concluding on September 12, 2012. The season has 10 episodes, making a series total of 59 episodes. The fifth season was released on DVD in region 1 on July 16, 2013.
The second season of the FX legal drama series Damages premiered on January 7, 2009 and concluded on April 1, 2009. It consisted of thirteen episodes, bringing the series total to 26. Damages was created by brothers Todd and Glenn Kessler along with Daniel Zelman, each of whom served as executive producers and contributed seven scripts for the season, including the premiere and the finale.
The first season of the FX legal drama series Damages premiered on July 24, 2007 and concluded on October 23, 2007. It consisted of thirteen episodes. Damages was created by brothers Todd and Glenn Kessler along with Daniel Zelman, each of whom served as executive producers and contributed seven scripts for the season, including the premiere and the finale.
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