'Damages' Premiere Preview: 5 Things to Know

9:00 AM PDT 7/11/2012 by Diane Gordon

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Patty Hewes vs. Ellen Parsons in a do or die court showdown as the hyper-intelligent, twist-filled thriller kicks off its final season.

Glenn Close and Rose Byrne

Damages, one of the most intricately plotted dramas on TV, has been nominated for 19 Emmy Awards since its premiere in 2007, and boggled many minds over the same time span. This fifth and final season is sure to garner more raves as it features a dazzling array of stars and another tightly woven story. Here are five things to know as the season begins:

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1. Ryan Philippe plays Channing McClaren, a computer genius and a man who gives safe haven to government and corporate whistleblowers with his site McClarenTruth.org. Jenna Elfman co-stars as investment bank executive Naomi Walling, who approaches McLaren and deals with his gatekeeper Rutger Simon (John Hannah, Spartacus) when she realizes her company may be involved in nefarious transactions.

2. The personal vendetta between Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons is at the forefront as the season begins as Ellen volunteers to testify against Patty so she won't win custody of her granddaughter over her son Michael.

3. The final season themes revolve around government and corporate transparency, and how the lightning-fast pace of the online world shapes the way in which information is obtained, received and shared.

4. There are incisive callbacks to previous seasons such as last season's high profile Highstar case, and Chris Messina appears in the season opener. The show also continues its tradition of extraordinary visual storytelling as it jumps back and forth in time to give viewers a glimpse of where the story might be going, and to mess with our minds.

5. Janet McTeer joins the show as Kate Franklin, a former colleague of Patty's who knows how Patty operates. Patty hires her but can she trust Franklin to be loyal?

Damages is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with FX Productions and KZK Productions. The show starts its final season Wednesday July 11 at 9 p.m. on DirecTV. Will you be watching? Take a look at the trailer below and hit the comments and tell us who you'll be rooting for.