let’s be clear, the show is still good.  the show is still better than 90% of what’s on television these days.  that said, in my opinion they are dropping the ball a bit. 

this stalker/plant woman (Lily i believe her name is), that is after Ellen’s fiance David is a completely ridiculous bit of television.  here’s my argument:   if she is a plant/set up by either Patty or Frobisher then she should not be spying on Ellen & David in their apartment looking all crazy and ready to boil their bunny…because she’s just doing her job…i don’t think she would take it so personally as to look that way (i.e. like he is cheating on her and she’s “super crazy i must have him” in love). 

so, considering her crazy behavior, i have to assume that she is a legitimate stalker that has fallen for David (in about two minutes) and that has nothing to do with the larger picture of Patty v. Frobisher and that this storyline just happens to be occurring in David’s life (something very rare – when was the last time you or your partner had a bunny-boiling level stalker?  yeah, me either) at the same time that major conspiracies and machinations that involve dogs being killed, and people being beat up and shot is happening.  that is too much coincidence, i don’t buy it.  so the writers/creators have either fucked up, or they are far smarter than i am and it will all fit together like a finely worked puzzle in the end and i’ll have to eat crow (i genuinely hope it is the latter).   

more evidence that this is a fuck up and not a finely worked puzzle?  the unnamed blonde woman that (oh so conveniently) hooked up with idiot Gregory a couple episodes ago and ran away when he got jumped on the street, was again conveniently hanging outside his apartment kind of casually hoping to run into him.  are you kidding me?  who believes this?  women don’t hang around neighborhoods that aren’t their own hoping to run into guys that they drunkenly hooked up with and who got jumped in front of their eyes.  the fact that Gregory doesn’t know she is a set up, while he is living inside a nightmarish conspiracy that is threatening his life is ridiculous.  fortunately this charade was quickly ended because the blonde got shot by a stalker/assassin working for Patty. this whole fiasco makes me feel like the Damages team needs a female (or more female) writers (i’m available by the way).  although this does not explain why Patty and Ellen are so well written (which they really are). 

anyway, despite my complaints this is still a great show.  the stuff with Ellen and Patty at the dinner party was fantastic.  Patty is such a great character, she has the incredible ability to confide in Ellen and impart genuine knowledge which you can slowly see winning Ellen over, yet she has this side that is so hard and sharp that it is constantly taking Ellen by surprise.  it is fascinating.  Frobisher’s foray into having a book ghost written about himself, to show “the people” how wonderful he is was delightful and ended/advanced in a hilarious way.  Fiske’s (Frobisher’s lawyer) dreams were telling and horrifying.  great great stuff.