After the middling second season of complex legal thriller Damages, the onus was very much on season three to recapture the excellent of the show’s first run. Fortunately, this is a real return to form, and frequently finds the programme very much at its best. This time in Damages, Glenn Close’s Patty Hewes remains as ruthless as always, and this time, the programme makers have put her up against a case as tough as any she’s faced. For this time, she’s working for the American government, charged with trying to get back billions of dollars. It’s a tough job, and it’s going to take the best in the business to even attempt it. Which is where Hewes comes in. Once again, Glenn Close is quite brilliant here, anchoring the show with a terrific central turn. Rose Byrne returns too, and again provides a strong foil for Close. And in this third season, Campbell Scott plays Joe Tobin, although he struggles to make too much of an impact. Furthermore, there’s an unwillingness to let go of a character from earlier series, which doesn’t help Damages here. But it’s still a rollicking-good television series. Damages remains one of the most compelling legal thrillers that television has produced in recent times, and the likelihood is that this third season is the last. However, the good news is that it’s going out in fine form… --Jon Foster