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<p>Forgive my preoccupation with some of the stranger virtues of this second  season of <i>Damages, </i>but  its tendency to  continually surprise (and impress) us with unusual casting choices has been one of my favourite reasons to tune in each week—other than this blog, of course. </p>

<p>First we got William Hurt and Timothy Olyphant, then Marcia  Gay Harden, then John Doman and Darrell Hammond, and this week, Clarke Peters (pictured),  perhaps best known for his role as <a href="http://www.hbo.com/thewire/img/castcrew/character_season04/lesterfreamon.jpg" mce_href="http://www.hbo.com/thewire/img/castcrew/character_season04/lesterfreamon.jpg" target="_blank">Detective Lester Freamon</a> on <i>The Wire. </i>He’s not the only <i>Wire</i> alum on board, either—Doman, too,  had a major role in that show as <a href="http://www.hbo.com/thewire/img/castcrew/character_season04/williamrawls.jpg" mce_href="http://www.hbo.com/thewire/img/castcrew/character_season04/williamrawls.jpg" target="_blank">Commissioner William Rawls</a>, a hard-nosed, closeted  homosexual with an aggressive bent. It will be a treat to see Peters and Doman team  up once more, albeit on what appears to be the other side of the law. </p>

<p>Another bit of notable trivia went down at Kendricks’  roast—where the guest of honour himself was dressed in full drag (hello,  Commissioner Rawls). The event MC, whose face would later be caved in by the business end  of a urinal at the urging of Kendricks’ open palms, made a filthy sexual reference  to “throwing a hot dog down a hallway,” which is the very same real-life phrase that once got <i>Damages</i> cast member Ted Danson into hot  water while he was in a relationship with Whoopi Goldberg. (What’s more, he  allegedly said it at a Friar’s Club roast of Ms. Goldberg, <a href="http://www.paunchstevenson.com/photos/ted-danson-blackface-1b.jpg" mce_href="http://www.paunchstevenson.com/photos/ted-danson-blackface-1b.jpg" target="_blank">at which he appeared  in blackface</a>.) </p>

<p>Interesting. But not as interesting, perhaps, as some of the  other developments that went down this week… </p>

<p>Darrell Hammond’s creepy henchman character made another  killer appearance, and all but confirmed his role as Christine Purcell’s  murderer—as arranged by Daniel, who we now know is officially complicit in the whole  thing. Meanwhile, Patty and her <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017651/" mce_href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0017651/" target="_blank">weird janitor/mailman</a> are onto Ellen and the feds, but  Ellen seems to have deftly avoided her suspicion—for now. At the moment, it’s Wes who seems to  pose the greatest threat, especially considering how close he’s become with Ellen, and how many guns he has in his closet full of <strike>Ted Danson</strike> Arthur  Frobisher photos. Oh, and then there’s the last two seconds of the episode,  wherein we learn that five months from now, Wes will move in with Ellen, at which point he will also shoot somebody in the back of the head.</p>

<p>Study questions:<br>
  - Who is Wes going to shoot in the back of the head?<br>
- Will Patty and her janitor/mailman nail Ellen for subterfuge? <br>
- What actor would you love to see in a minor role on <i>Damages</i>?</p>

<p>See you next week, and don’t forget to check out the <a href="http://www.showcase.ca/video/" mce_href="http://www.showcase.ca/video/" target="_blank">Showcase  Video centre</a> to catch up on your missed episodes.</p>