Glenn Close stars as Patty Hewes on the season premiere of “Damages.” Andrew McPherson/FX

‘Damages’
Episode 201
Wednesday, Jan. 7
10 p.m. EST, FX

Grade: A-

FX’s serial suspense thriller “Damages” opens its second season with the same brand of flash-forward storytelling and dark, emotional twists that made this series a must watch.

Glenn Close returns as fiendishly brilliant lawyer Patty Hewes, still basking in the limelight from her latest triumph.

As this season’s legal conundrum unfolds, Close will be paired with her former “Big Chill” co-star William Hurt who portrays Daniel Purcell, a scientist with a conscience.

It’s established early in the first episode that the two characters have a past whose details we can assume will surface as the season progresses. It’s only after someone close to Daniel is murdered, however, that Patty becomes interested in taking him on as a client.

Patty’s protégée, Ellen (Rose Byrne), meanwhile, is now working undercover with the FBI to take down her boss after Patty tried to have her killed. Last season’s villain, billionaire CEO Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson), also has proven to be tough to gun down, although it remains to be seen exactly how he fits into the new plot.

“Deadwood’s” Timothy Olyphant, and Marcia Gay Harden — who shows up in the second episode as a cutthroat corporate lawyer who can’t wait to do battle with Patty — also join the already remarkable cast.

Olyphant portrays a member of Ellen’s grief-counseling group who may appear to be a peripheral character, but we know better.

The additions of Hurt, Olyphant and Harden are brilliant casting choices. They also reflect the commitment to quality we’ve come to expect from creators Glenn and Todd A. Kessler and Daniel Zelman.

The trio make it clear from the first episode that they plan to continue to push the boundaries by providing more plot twists in an hour than some dramas offer in a season.

If we learned anything from the fantastic first season it’s that in the brutal world of “Damages,” you have to think five steps ahead. We wouldn’t want it any other way.

— JDB