Ellen holds her ground - Damages

5th episode of Damages, season 2. As Marge points out, everyone and everything is suspicious. We see for certain in this episode that someone that Uncle Pete (Patti's henchman) hired tried to kill Ellen; Pete gives they guy getaway money. We see that Pete does not trust Ellen and is trying to convince Patti not to. We see that the guy from group (Wes) who has been interested in Ellen is following her around, with another guy, and reporting somehow back to Patti. We see that Daniel Purcell (Hurt) is taking money from Ultima Resources (energy company), but seems to want to stop. Ultima Resources able to influence government regulators, obviously. Their ceo, played by the deputy chief from the Wire, is a nasty thug. Patti's husband having an affair. All that is on the surface - but what's beneath the surface? In keeping with the style and spirit of damages, only about half of these observations will prove to be accurate by the end of the season. Maybe Uncle Pete is really working for the FBI. Maybe Daniel Purcell is really a spy for the EPA. Maybe Patti's really working for the ACLU. Maybe my television set is really recording my innnermost thoughts. Anything's possible. The mind truly cannot hold in one place at one time all the plot elements of this series - and yet, and yet, it's so compelling and smart, the acting the writing the visual style, that you have to keep watching. Particularly strong scenes in my view are those with just Ellen and Patti, as Patti pushes and tests to see if Ellen is spying (she is), and Ellen shrewdly protects herself with terrific alibis and retorts. You'd think she'd fold and wilt before the unflappable Pattie Hewes, but she holds her ground, so far.