Line #267 Characters/Damages


1	A list of major and supporting characters on {{Series/Damages}}. There will be '''spoilers'''.
2
3	----
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	[[folder: Hewes & Associates]]
7
8	!!Patricia "Patty" Hewes
9	->Played by Creator/GlennClose
10	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/patty_hewes_infobox.png]]
11
12	A brilliant attorney who wins her high-stakes lawsuits by [[BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord any means]] [[PrettyLittleHeadshots necessary]]. Hewes is a tempered-steel IronLady, but still manages to frequently surprise with the depths she'll sink to to PayEvilUntoEvil. Her backstory and true motivations are slowly revealed as the series progresses. Could easily be the poster child for AmoralAttorney, and in any other show, would be the villain.
13
14
15	* AmoralAttorney: She will cross ANY line to win a case.
16	* AntiHero: Walks the line between types III and IV. [[spoiler: Arguably a VillainProtagonist from the start she certainly becomes this as the series progresses]]
17	* BlackmailIsSuchAnUglyWord: Gives one of these to [[spoiler: Ray Fiske.]]
18	* CareerVersusFamily: She had to make this decision once in her Backstory. [[spoiler: Her unborn daughter lost out to her career]]
19	* DeadpanSnarker: Patty has her moments, one particularly humorous one in the pilot:
20	--> '''Lawyer:''' Patty if you were a man I'd beat the shit out of you.
21	--> '''Patty:''' smiling If you were a man I'd be worried.
22	* EasilyForgiven: Averted. Ellen does eventually forgive Patty for being a huge JerkAss [[spoiler: and trying to kill her]] but it takes all of season 2 [[spoiler: and Ellen holding a gun to Patty and almost killing her]] for it to happen. [[spoiler: Arguably, her forgiveness of Ellen after she tried to sell her out to the FBI qualifies.]]
23	* GoKartingWithBowser: Discusses the case in season 1 with RayFiske whilst walking their dogs.
24	* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Played straight. Although [[spoiler:in a {{Flashback}} she is seen to intentionally induce a miscarriage whilst heavily pregnant so that she can focus on her then up and coming career]], she also ''isn't'' good.
25	* GoodIsNotNice: She is a cold and manipulative person who is vicious and merciless to anyone in her path. The only thing keeping her from being outright villainous to the viewer is that she usually targets people who are even bigger and worse than her.
26	* TheHeavy: For the final season, in which the machinations of the actual BigBad take a backseat to Patty and Ellen squaring off against each other.
27	* HighPoweredCareerWoman: Patty is a cutthroat celebrity corporate litigator who owns her own law firm, neglects her tearaway son, and will kill someone (or, more likely, arrange to have them killed) before she'll give up a case. This is deconstructed by exploring just how far she is willing to go.
28	* IronLady: One of the biggest themes in the show is of Patty's willingness to cut out everyone and everything in her life to win. Ellen never knows whether she wants to strive toward becoming her someday or run away at full speed.
29	* ItsAllAboutMe: She is extremely egocentric, which led to the breakdown of her relationship with her son.
30	* JusticeByOtherLegalMeans: Steps in where the legal system fails.
31	* LaserGuidedKarma: Through a complex sequence of events spanning the whole series, Patty's decision to have Pete [[spoiler: send Patrick Scully to kill Ellen]] in Season 1 ultimately leads to [[spoiler: Patrick Scully killing Patty's son]] in the series finale.
32	* ManipulativeBitch: There are several good examples of her [[BuffySpeak magnificent bastardry...]] but arguably the best example is in the resolution to season 2 wherein not only does she win the case but manages to use it as an opportunity to [[spoiler: gain immunity and nullify the case that the FBI and Ellen were building against her.]]
33	* MoralityPet: Her son Michael.
34	* MysteriousPast
35	* PayEvilUntoEvil: Her whole method.
36	* PetTheDog: Gets a few of these moments with her son here and there. [[spoiler: Fails spectacularly when she does this in season 1 to Ray Fiske by offering him a job on her firm to somewhat soften the blow of her forcing him to betray his friend and his integrity as a lawyer]]
37	** Also the series hints that she sees Ellen as a surrogate daughter
38	** She was also [[spoiler: deeply upset by both Uncle Pete and Tom Shayes' deaths.]]
39	* PowerHair: She's a fierce lawyer with fairly traditional short hair.
40	* VillainProtagonist: By the end of the series, certainly, although some may argue that she crosses it when she [[spoiler:sends Patrick to kill Ellen]].
41
42	!!Ellen Parsons
43	->Played by Creator/RoseByrne
44	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ellen_parsons_infobox.png]]
45
46	Begins the series as a fresh out of law school intern to Hewes and Associates, personally hired by Patty, who dreams of becoming a corporate lawer. Initially seeing Patty as a role model, she learns that there is a dark side to corporate litigation and that her new boss has no scruples when it comes to winning. Arguably the true protagonist of the series, [[CharacterDevelopment the entirety of season 1]] shows her gradually learning the stakes and becoming a [[ChessMaster chess master]] in her own right.
47
48	* AmbitionIsEvil: Ellen's entire problem in a nutshell; even though a sane person would have walked away from Patty after season one, Ellen's driving ambition to be the best sadly keeps her in Patty's orbit in order to be used by her. While Patty spends most of seasons two and three trying to get Ellen to embrace her destiny and let herself be groomed to run the law firm when Patty retires, by season four Patty realizes that Ellen will never bow down to her in order to "get her reward" and wants to outdo Patty (hence her taking on not-Blackwater).
49	* BrainyBrunette: A newly qualified but respectable lawyer.
50	* BreakTheCutie: The entire first season is this for Ellen.
51	* BrokenBird: After David's death for sure.
52	* BrokenPedestal: Heavily implied that Patty Hewes is this for her especially after the events of season 1.
53	* CartwrightCurse: As promised from the opening scenes, but gets it even worse throughout.
54	* FakeAmerican: Ellen is played by the Australian Rose Byrne.
55	* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler: SUBVERTED. Her demise is revealed in a flashforward at the end of the season 5 premiere, but it isn't until the last fifteen minutes of the final episode that we see she was actually alive]].
56	* HighPoweredCareerWoman: Ellen becomes Patty's protege right out of law school, and carves out her own successful career, first at Patty's, then at the DA's office. While Ellen clearly has the potential to be an equally ruthless lawyer (showing herself in Season 3 to be just as capable of dirty tricks), she [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope opts to not be like Patty]] and [[FamilyVersusCareer becomes a committed mother, neglecting her career as a result.]]]]
57	* TheMole: In season 2 [[spoiler: for the FBI.]]
58	* NaiveNewcomer: At the start of the series.
59	* NotSoStoic: Although she starts off stoic, she starts to crack.
60	* [[PromotedFanboy Promoted Fangirl]]: Is a big fan of Patty who is a giant in the lawyering world.
61	* SadisticChoice: A milder version. Given these by Patty throughout season 1 to see if she's more loyal to her career or her family.
62	* ShootTheDog: Season 5 is partly about how comfortable Ellen has become with doing this. At one point she has to destroy a bereaved teenager's credibility by subjecting the girl to a relentlessly cruel line of questioning. Season 1 Ellen might have had qualms about it. Season 5 Ellen doesn't flinch.
63	* StepfordSmiler: After the first season finale and up until the end of season 2.
64	* SupportingProtagonist: She's much less active than Patty.
65	* TookALevelInBadass / TookALevelInJerkass: Compare season 1 Ellen to the Ellen of seasons 2 and 3.
66	* [[spoiler: WelcomeBackTraitor:]] After season 2.
67	* WhiteSheep: To the rest of her family.
68	* YouRemindMeOfMe: Patty tells her this in season 2. [[NaiveNewcomer Season 1]] Ellen would have jumped for joy at this. Season 2 Ellen... [[CharacterDevelopment not so much]].
69
70	!!Tom Shayes
71	->Played by Creator/TateDonovan
72	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tom_shayes_infobox.png]]
73
74	Patty's partner in her firm and one of the most moral members of the main cast. Unlike Patty he doesn't get many of the high-profile cases because of his stern moral code.
75
76	* ButtMonkey: Nothing goes right for Tom.
77	* CantGetAwayWithNuthin [[spoiler: For most seasons Tom is the series ButtMonkey. The one time he tries to play [[TheChessMaster chess master]] with the Tobins (whom he despises for suckering him and countless individuals into losing their life savings in a ponzi scheme) ends with his murder.]]
78	* ColdBloodedTorture: [[spoiler:His death.]]
79	* {{Foil}}: He's one to Patty, being a basically decent person working for far less moral employers.
80	* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler: His demise is revealed in a flash forward at the beginning of season 3]]
81	* HappilyMarried
82	* KilledOffForReal: At the end of Season 3, although it's revealed at the beginning.
83	* NiceGuy: Which, Patty argues, is his FatalFlaw.
84	* NoRespectGuy: Despite Patty's numerous insistences that she respects Tom, she doesn't treat him well at all, in fact often valuing Ellen above him, and he also struggles to get any sort of fulfilment from his family or friends, especially after he's a victim of
85	* NumberTwo: To Patty.
86	* UndignifiedDeath: [[spoiler:Drowned in a ''toilet'' by feckless alcoholic Joe.)
87	* TheStarscream: Tries to be this to Patty, but it never ends well for him.
88	* TookALevelInBadAss: Subverted. [[spoiler: It doesn't end well for him.]]
89
90	!!Peter "Uncle Pete" [=McKee=]
91	->Played by Creator/TomAldredge
92	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/41cdffe7be737c7129de64190e4cb2e4.jpg]]
93
94	Patty's right hand man for several years. According to Patty he is her maternal uncle. [[spoiler: When Ellen becomes a liability in Season 1, he is ordered by Patty to kill her. Luckily Ellen survives the attempt.]]
95
96	* BungledSuicide: After he knows the FBI is on to him.
97	* ChekhovsGunman: He's shown in the background for years.
98	* CleanUpCrew: His stated job for Patty.
99	* CoolOldGuy: He loves Patty like his own daughter and will do just about anything for her.
100	* DeadPanSnarker: Like Patty.
101	* DrivenToSuicide: An unsuccessful attempt.
102	* OlderSidekick: To Patty. He'd do anything for her.
103	* SickbedSlaying: Patty does this to him eventually.
104
105	[[/folder]]
106
107	[[folder: Season 1 Characters]]
108
109	!!Arthur Frobisher
110	->Played by Creator/TedDanson
111	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/arthur_frobisher_portal.jpg]]
112
113	A corrupt executive of a major company. Patty represents his former clients who were defrauded out of millions by his schemes.
114
115	* AffablyEvil: Comes off as more of a thickheaded teenager who simply never grew up than really evil, although he transfers into FauxAffablyEvil by the end of Season 1.
116	* BigBad: For season 1.
117	* TheBusCameBack / CommutingOnABus: The latter in season 2, the former in season 3.
118	* ClearMyName: His goal throughout the series, but he did it, so...
119	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: He owes a major company and stole everyone's pensions via insider trading, not to mention the load of crimes he commits once he goes up against Patty.
120	* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler: Initially.]]
121	* FamilyValuesVillain: He genuinely loves his wife and son and claims to be genuinely affected by both Ray's suicide and embodies family value.
122	* GuiltRiddenAccomplice: Ends up having a decent collection of these.
123	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: Of sorts, after the first season.
124	* ItsAllAboutMe: Eventually revealed to be TheSociopath, largely through this.
125	* {{Jerkass}}
126	* JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope: For a while, it's not clear if Arthur is corrupt - then, when it is, he still has some scruples, but [[spoiler:he decays into a destructive, insane murderer.]]
127	* KarmaHoudini: After season 1. [[spoiler: Subverted eventually.]]
128	* MoralityPet: His family, especially his son.
129	* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Doesn't feel this way at first but eventually gives in [[spoiler: and he went JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope.]]
130	* PutOnABus: In the middle of season 2. [[spoiler: Happens more permanently in season 3 when he finally goes to jail.]]
131	* ReformedButRejected: Keeps playing this card in seasons 2 and 3. [[spoiler: Its not true though.]]
132	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: His whole attitude.
133
134	!!Ray Fiske
135	->Played by Creator/ZeljkoIvanek
136	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eljko_ivanek_3.jpg]]
137
138	Frobisher's lawyer and insider trader.
139
140	* AmoralAttorney: One of the milder ones in the series.
141	* AntiVillain: Throughout the season he is haunted by dreams indicated his turmoil over this case.
142	* ArmoredClosetGay: Eventually revealed to be this, though it does seem to be known to some people, specifically to Frobisher.
143	* AteHisGun: How he commits suicide.
144	* BrokenPedestal:[[spoiler: Just as he is about to commit suicide right in front of Patty, he tells her that there was a time when he would have loved to work with her- that is until such an opportunity was offered in exchange for losing the Frobisher case on purpose on top of being blackmailed by her.]]
145	* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's an AmoralAttorney, but he is still one of the more surprisingly moral characters in the series.
146	* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler: Subverted. It seems as if he's about to turn on Frobisher, but he rejects it and commits suicide before Patty can reveal it.]]
147	* FriendlyEnemy: He and Patty walk their dogs together and seem to genuinely like and respect one another.
148	* GayngstInducedSuicide: Kills himself in Patty's office after she blackmails him about his sexual orientation.
149	* IncompatibleOrientation: [[spoiler: Wants Gregory Molina who is actually straight.]]
150	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Relatively, his love for [[spoiler:Gregory]] makes him act a lot more impulsively, results in him revealing Frobisher's insider trading, and eventually to his [[suicide]].
151	* SacrificialLion: It shows how deeply immersed Frobisher is in villainy and Ray is one of his few confidantes.
152	* SouthernGentleman: An identity he attempts to embody while struggling with the limitations of it, both morally and sexually.
153	* StraightGay: He seems to genuinely love his wife, despite wanting Gregory. If he values her outside of being a friend, it might be IfItsYouItsOkay. The storyline isn't explored thoroughly enough to make it clear.
154	* WorthyOpponent: Patty calls him this, and seems genuinely upset by his [[spoiler:suicide]].
155
156	!!David Connor
157	->Played by Creator/NoahBean
158	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damagesdavid_connor.jpg]]
159
160	Ellen's fiance. He is a doctor and initially disapproves of Ellen joining Patty Hewes' law firm.
161
162	* ForegoneConclusion: [[spoiler: His demise, also counts as a FirstEpisodeTwist.]]
163	* FriendlyTarget: His torment and death triggers his fiancee's plot.
164	%%* KilledOffForReal
165	* NiceGuy: Is loyal to Ellen and good to his patients, even when he is the target of a stalker.
166	* SacrificialLion: His death in the first episode clearly kicks off the plot.
167	* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: He is loyal to Ellen, very loving, and a saintly doctor...who gets ''viciously'' murdered at the end of Season 1.
168	* WeHardlyKnewYe
169
170	!!Katie Connor
171	->Played by Creator/AnastasiaGriffith
172	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/katie_connor_portal.jpg]]
173
174	David's sister and Ellen's future sister-in-law.
175
176	* AdvertisedExtra: After becoming a main cast member in season 2 she contributes a whole lot less to the plot than she did in season 1.
177	* [[ChekhovsGunman ChekhovsGunwoman]]: [[spoiler: Had a one night stand with a witness Patty wanted to testify against Frobisher. To get closer to the witness Patty hired Ellen, knowing that she was sister-in-law to be to Katie, and tried to get to the witness through her.]]
178	* DumbBlonde: Subverted.
179	* FakeAmerican: Anastasia Griffith is a British actress playing an American.
180	* PromotionToOpeningTitles: In season 2.
181	* UnwittingPawn: To the Frobisher case.
182
183	[[/folder]]
184
185	[[folder: Season 2 Characters]]
186
187	!!Daniel Purcell
188	->Played by Creator/WilliamHurt
189	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damagesdaniel.jpg]]
190
191	A respected scientist and former friend of Patty in the past. He becomes involved in Walter Kendrick's energy profiteering scam. He has his own secrets that he is trying to hide...
192
193	* CorruptTheCutie: In his backstory with Patty.
194	* HappilyMarried: [[spoiler: {{Subverted}}. He tried to kill his wife when she found out about his involvement with Kendrick. Unbeknownst to him, she was still alive when he left, only for a hitman hired by the Kendricks to come in and finish the job.)]]
195	* LukeIAmYourFather: [[spoiler: He's the biological father of Patty's son Michael.]]
196	* NewOldFlame
197	* NotSoStoic
198	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: William Hurt didn't enjoy the fact that he frequently received only fractions of a script at a time which made it difficult for him to navigate his character's arc as he had never worked on a TV series before. This led to him being difficult to work with and caused his arc to be less prominent, with Marcia Gay Harden's character expanded to fill in his role in the plotline and the creation of a new villain in the form of Walter Kendrick.
199	* SmugSnake
200	* TheOneThatGotAway: For Patty.
201
202	!!Claire Maddox
203	->Played by Creator/MarciaGayHarden
204	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damagesclaire.jpg]]
205
206	* AscendedExtra: Originally supposed to be a minor character, her role was beefed up when Willaim Hurt's role was scaled back due to behind the scenes issues.
207	* PutOnABus
208	* TheRival: For Patty.
209
210	!!Wes Kulick
211	->Played by Creator/TimothyOlyphant
212	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/damages_wes.jpg]]
213
214	* AbortedArc: In the second season finale when he [[spoiler: saves Patty's life]] it seems to hint at the beginning of some sort of storyline more directly involving the two of them. Unfortunately, the potential arc got shelved thanks to Olyphant becoming unavailable for the third season [[spoiler: other than a couple brief scenes in the finale.]]
215	** Similarly, his backstory: implied to have a personal reason to hate Frobrisher and his backstory (which falls under MultipleChoicePast) has him either as a disgraced dirty ex-cop or a crook being blackmailed.
216	* AntiVillain: Starts out like this [[spoiler: until his HeelFaceTurn.]]
217	* BackForTheFinale
218	* TheBusCameBack
219	* TheMole: [[spoiler: For Rick Messer.]]
220	* MultipleChoicePast: One episode implies that he's a dirty ex-cop who owes his freedom to Messer and another implies that he's a criminal that flipped into being his personal slave in exchange for him not arresting him for an unstated crime.
221	* PutOnABus
222	* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler: Facilitates his HeelFaceTurn.]]
223	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: Olyphant getting cast in ''{{Series/Justified}}'' caused the producers to have to shelve any plans they had for the character beyond season 2.
224
225
226	!!Walter Kendrick
227	->Played by Creator/JohnDoman
228	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ef29402bbcd6d4799d594800dd85f62f.jpg]]
229
230	* BigBad
231	* EvilOldFolks
232	* EvilerThanThou: He's this to Arthur Frobisher.
233	* PutOnABus: [[spoiler: To prison.]]
234	* RealLifeWritesThePlot: See this trope's entry under Daniel Purcell.
235
236	!!David Pell
237	->Played by Creator/ClarkePeters
238
239	* BigBad
240	* ManipulativeBastard
241
242
243	!!Finn Garrity
244
245	A whiz-kid mathematician.
246
247	* ChekhovsGunman: [[spoiler:He stabs Patti.]]
248	* HookersAndBlow: The two main components of his SanitySlippage.
249	* NerdInEvilsHelmet: Technically the BigBad...but actually a nerdy child-genius mathematician.
250	* PsychopathicManChild: As shown by his breakdowns throughout Season 2.
251
252	!!The Deacon
253	->Played by Creator/DarrellHammond
254
255	* CleanUpCrew
256	* PlayingAgainstType
257
258	[[/folder]]
259
260	[[folder: Season 3 Characters]]
261
262	!!Joe Tobin
263	->Played by Creator/CampbellScott
264
265	* TheAlcoholic: On the wagon at the start of season 3. [[spoiler: Falls OffTheWagon spectacularly later on which leads to his downfall.]]
266	* AntiVillain: Is a genuinely nice guy who is shocked at his father's misdeeds and just wants to his family out [[spoiler: at first.]]
267	* BigBad: Eventually. It's even him who [[spoiler:kills Tom]].
268	* FaceHeelTurn: Over the course of the season.
269	* LoveMakesYouEvil: His constant attempts to protect his family result in this.
270	* MamasBoy: Kind of. While his mother is a ManipulativeBitch, she also seems to genuinely adore him and goes to great lengths to protect him.
271	* MoralEventHorizon: Killing [[spoiler:Tessa]], who is totally innocent in everything.
272	* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler:Tessa, although he doesn't know she's his daughter. He takes it BADLY when he finds out.]]
273	* ProtagonistJourneyToVillain: Although he isn't as much of a protagonist as Patty or Ellen, he's arguably the most significant Tobin and it results in him turning into a villain by the end of the season.
274	* TokenGoodTeammate: Deconstructed. He's in serious denial about his family's fraud and ''appears'' to be the nicest member by far...which actually results in him falling further when he discovers the truth about his family and goes to serious lengths to hide it.
275	* WellDoneSonGuy: How he feels towards Louis, though it contributes to his SanitySlippage in a big way.
276
277	!!Louis Tobin
278	-->Played by Creator/LenCariou
279
280	* AntiVillain: A lot of what he did, including [[spoiler: secretly keeping Danielle and Tessa Marchetti in his life]] and even [[spoiler: the Ponzi scheme]] began as attempts to [[spoiler: shield his son from the consequences of potentially life-destroying mistakes.]]
281	* KnightTemplarParent: Eventually revealed to be one, as he attempted to protected Joe for ''years''.
282	* ParentalNeglect: Zigzagged. Accused by his wife of making his son feel like "a ghost," but also went to great lengths to protect Joe and clean up his messes.
283	* SmallRoleBigImpact: Only appears in a handful of scenes outside of the episode in which he [[spoiler: kills himself]], but his fraud and his neglect of his son are the causes of most of the bad stuff that goes down during the third season.
284	* {{Ponzi}}
285
286	!!Marilyn Tobin
287	->Played by Creator/LilyTomlin
288
289	* DrivenToSuicide: She jumps off a bridge in the final episode of Season 3.
290	* EvilMatriarch: Ultimately, although it may be more of a case of LoveMakesYouEvil, but [[spoiler:getting Joe to kill Tessa, his daughter and her ''granddaughter'', a fact she knew]] is the [[MoralEventHorizon point of no return]].
291	* FakeGuestStar
292	* IWasQuiteALooker: Mumbles something to this effect during the season finale [[spoiler: just before she commits suicide.]]
293	* MyBelovedSmother: Towards Joe, who she loves more than anyone, but she's also extremely manipulative of him and ends up pushing him even further down the road of SanitySlippage even as she apparently tries to help him.
294	* ParentalFavouritism: Joe. She goes to great lengths to reintegrate him into the family despite his alcoholism.
295
296	!!Leonard Winstone[[spoiler: /Lester Wiggins]]
297	->Played by Creator/MartinShort
298
299	* AffablyEvil: An AmoralAttorney
300	* AmoralAttorney: He's worked for the Tobins.
301	* DeadPersonImpersonation: Leonard Winstone isn't his real name.
302	* TheDogBitesBack: Despite lying about his identity, Lenny was loyal to the Tobins. Until Joe turned on him. [[spoiler:Then he brought them all down and made off with a big chunk of their hidden fortune.]]
303	* KarmaHoudini: He gets away with being a huge part in the Tobins' fraud, but he also pays deeply for it.
304	* MistreatmentInducedBetrayal: To the Tobins. He seems to have genuinely cared for them prior to [[spoiler:discovering what Louis really said about him courtesy of Joe.]]
305	* MysteriousPast: In poverty.
306	* PlayingAgainstType: Martin Short is more known for his comedy work. His serious turn was nevertheless well received by critics and fans alike and even garnered an Emmy nomination for the role.
307	* WhyAreYouNotMySon: He invokes this in an arguement with Joe, saying that Louis trusted him far more than Joe with the secrets of the scheme and the business and he "was more his son than you ever were." Subverted as Joe laughs that his father called Louis "my little monkey" and didn't like him as anything more than an employee.
308
309	!!Julian Decker
310	->Played by Creator/KeithCarradine
311
312	[[/folder]]
313
314	[[folder: Season 4 Characters]]
315
316	!!Howard T. Erikson
317	->Played by Creator/JohnGoodman
318
319	A private military contractor with lucrative US government contracts.
320
321	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Though he's frustrated by the "corporate" part of his job. Howard views himself as a military leader that men are serving due to his own leadership and shared patriotism. In reality, his soldiers are employees, working for Howard purely because he pays well. Howard at one point snaps with rage fuelled physical violence when Chris mockingly points this out to him.
322	* FamilyValuesVillain: Gets some genuine PetTheDog moments with his sons, whom he tries to raise properly.
323	* MyCountryRightOrWrong: Almost outright stated. No one denied his patriotism, only his execution of that patriotism. Well, except for Boorman, but he's a [[JerkAss jerk.]]
324	* PrivateMilitaryContractor: CEO of Blackwater Expy Highstar Security.
325	* [[spoiler: PutOnABus: To prison]]
326	* VillainousBreakdown: Suffers a few of these over the season, most notably when Parsons tricks him into gleefully ranting in a deposition about how his business will always stand to profit from endless war.
327
328	!!Jerry Boorman
329	->Played by Creator/DylanBaker
330
331	A CIA agent who has collaborated with Howard Erikson on secret operations in Afghanistan.
332
333	* BigBad: [[spoiler: Responsible for much, if not all, of the mayhem in season 4.]]
334	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Much of Season 4's plot happens because Jerry doesn't grasp the concept of loyalty. [[spoiler: If he'd just left Chris alone, Chris would have probably kept his mouth shut out of respect for Erikson, and Ellen would have had no case.]]
335	* ItsAllAboutMe
336	* IRegretNothing: [[spoiler: His last words are "I'd do it again!"]]
337	%%* KilledOffForReal
338	* ManipulativeBastard
339	* MoralityPet: [[spoiler: Despite keeping him captive, Boorman is compassionate to the young Afghan boy. The child in question is the son of an Afghanistan female contact Boorman loved, With the season instigated by Boorman pulling one final mission to extract her, but instead finding the boy. It's likely the boy is Boorman's own son, and he's notably the one character that Boorman seems to still care for.]]
340	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: [[spoiler: His efforts to stop Chris from snitching are what make Chris willing to blow the whistle.]]
341
342	!!Christopher Sanchez
343	->Played by Creator/ChrisMessina
344
345	A high school classmate of Ellen's who works for Highstar Security.
346
347	* BeardOfSorrow
348	* HeKnowsTooMuch
349	* TheDanza
350
351
352	[[/folder]]
353
354	[[folder: Season 5 Characters]]
355
356	!!Channing [=McClaren=]
357	-->Played by Creator/RyanPhillippe
358
359	An {{Expy}} of Julian Assange and Edward Snowden who runs a Wikileaks-like website. Becomes Ellen's client in Season 5
360
361	* BeAsUnhelpfulAsPossible: Even though Ellen is his lawyer and required to keep all of his secrets, he can't stop deceiving her to save face, even when it hurts his case.
362	* ChickMagnet: Turns out a lot of ladies are drawn to a brooding rebel and global celebrity who looks like Creator/RyanPhillippe.
363	* MrFanservice: His bare chest and/or his butt makes it into frame almost once an episode.
364	* NoSocialSkills: is bad with social cues and often offends people by accident.
365
366	!!Rutger Simon
367	-->Played by Creator/JohnHannah
368
369	A one-time old-school print journalist who now works as Channing's NumberTwo
370
371	* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: His main role is to make sure the website runs smoothly despite Channing's undiagnosed mental disorder.
372	* NeverFoundTheBody: [[spoiler: The viewer watches him die, but the main characters never find out.]]
373	* OlderSidekick: Rutger sees himself as more of a partner than a sidekick, but this is how most people see him.
374	* TheResenter: [[spoiler: His motive for betraying Channing and getting Naomi Walling killed.]]
375
376	!!Kate Franklin
377	-->Played by Creator/JanetMcTeer
378
379	A mysterious lawyer who joins Ellen's firm after years out of practice. Has a history with Patty.
380
381	* [[TheDutifulSon The Dutiful Daughter]]: Zigzagged. Kate and her sister both see themselves this way, but each was dutiful toward a different parent.
382	* {{Foil}}: To Patty. [[spoiler: Appropriately enough, as they're sisters.]]
383	* TheMaidenNameDebate: The fact that she took her husband's name is significant, [[spoiler: because it hides the fact that her maiden name is 'Hewes,' and it helps underscore the differences between her and Patty.]]
384
385	[[/folder]]
386
387	[[folder: Recurring Characters]]
388
389	!!Michael Hewes
390	->Played by Creator/ZacharyBooth
391
392	Patty's teenage son with [[spoiler: Daniel Purcell]]. He is the closest thing to a MoralityPet that Patty has, although she is not above manipulating him for her own ends.
393
394	* BlackmailBackfire: [[spoiler: What ultimately gets him killed.]]
395	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Tries to kill his mother after she has his girlfriend arrested for statutory rape]]
396	* MoralityPet: He's Patty's only child but her soft spot for him puts Michael firmly in this category.
397
398	!![[spoiler: Detective]] Rick Messer
399	->Played by Creator/DavidCostabile
400
401	* BeardOfEvil
402	* DragonTheirFeet: After the case with [[spoiler: Arthur Frobisher]] is more or less resolved he spends the bulk of season 2 tying up his own loose ends related to the case.
403	%%* CorruptCopy
404	%%* DetectiveMole
405	%%* KilledOffForReal
406	* InternalAffairs: [[spoiler: Messer spent several years working in the NYPD Internal Affairs division, where he used his position to protect dirty cops and create a network of friends who all owed him huge favors which he routinely cashed in for evil purposes.]]
407	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Messer, which is the German word for "knife".
408	* NoodleIncident: His connection with Wes Kulick; one episode implied that Wes was a dirty cop that lost his job but managed to avoid being arrest for an incident that Messer investigated during his time in IAD (hence Wes owing Messer) while another one implied that Wes was a two-bit crook who Messer was blackmailing into being his informant, and ultimately a spy/assassin.
409	* PlayingAgainstType: David Costibale is largely known for playing nice guys, the type who are goofy or eccentric and TheWoobie. Rick Messer is quite the polar opposite.
410	* TheReveal: [[spoiler: In the season finale when he goes into a crime scene to retrieve some evidence while the cops are still around... only for him to pocket it and make his way out the door because he's actually a cop.]]
411	%%* VillainWithGoodPublicity
412
413

Context Characters / Damages