Ugh. I could not have felt hotter, dizzier, or more bloated than I did hours ago. So, I turned up the fan (a fucking fan!!) and poked at my remote in hopes of distraction. But, I've dropped it so many times that only half of the numbers work. And, this TV.. The colors are off. The image is blurry. I have to guess my channel most of the time. That's how I ended up on that confused little MyNetworkTV.

There was a soiled woman running, panting, stopping, freaking, running right into a police station. It looked a little too good to be one of their translated Mexican soap operas for the unwilling. I assumed that today was Thursday -- Movie night. Then, I recognized the scene. A minute later.. Glenn Close.

Ads for Damages have been running non-stop for at least a month. They obviously took the promotion a step further. I'm glad, because I initially wasn't really eager to watch it. I know that F/X shows are really about Scumbags. Their professions are irrelevant -- just a means to personalizing some fucked-up actions. But, sitting through an hour of lawyers scheming and belittling each other in court didn't seem as appealing as anticipating the homicidal moves of an orphaned Ken doll with a scalpel. (It does not get any better than Nip/Tuck's third season finale.) I underestimated.

Sure, there are moments of office cattiness, verbal sparring, client-bullshitting (in the name of greed), and defendant frustration. They are, however, wonderfully accompanied by lots of hideous manipulation, some bodily damage, and an unraveling past. The pilot kept it dirty and very intriguing. (Ted Danson was sooooo good. Who knew?)

Along with AMC's Mad Men, this is probably one of the few things worth watching this summer.

Whedon fans, Vincent Kartheiser (Angel) and Christina Hendricks (Saffron on Firefly) are part of Mad Men's cast. Kartheiser is playing 20-something, but still looks 15.