‘Damages’: Did Daniel Purcell kill his wife?

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If you’re trying to keep track of alliances on ‘Damages,’ don’t. Not yet. Ties are still being revealed. Everyone is double-crossing everyone. Triple-crossing in some cases.

Take Daniel Purcell. You think he’s all crushed over poor Christine, but nooooooo. He was cheating on his wife. He had physically assaulted her. He does have a rotten temper. And he is lying to Patty Hewes.

Is Patty really not holding any of the strings this time? That can’t be right. Or can it?

One thing at a time, much was revealed about dear Daniel tonight. What is his deal? His real deal? Help me (in vain) piece it together, gentlereader. Here’s the little we know so far:

• Daniel and Patty used to be a thing. And it must have been hot because 10 years ago during Patty’s first big case, he threw his testimony so she’d win. Soon after, Patty rewarded him with the news that they shared a son -- we knew it! -- and he was not happy about it.
• Daniel had physically assaulted his wife, an incident that had been sealed in family court until the investigating detective somehow managed to unseal it. The revalation caused Daniel’s temper to flare.

• He is now involved, and has been for some time, with Claire Maddox, who represents the big bad energy company UNR. (Daniel, you’ll remember, works for the firm that conducted the toxicity study for UNR.) Daniel lied to Claire when she asked if his murdered wife knew about their affair; he said no. Daniel on his own in leaking the toxicity study to Patty, but when Claire advised him to run, he ran.
• Daniel’s working with some reporter in West Virginia on looking for evidence of what I can only suspect are the effects of the chemical compound that UNR paid Daniel’s firm to study. Apparently it’s infected the water of there and has killed at least one prize winning pig.
• The missing ring seems to be really missing. Patty remembered having seen it on or the scary Nordic man, who apparently pawned the ring. Is he working in cahoots with Daniel? I’m not even going to hazard a guess yet. I will have nightmares about that final scene though.

So did he kill his wife? That would be too obvious. Or is it so obvious that it’s not really obvious and he did do it? Let’s swap ideas below.

-- Denise Martin

Related:
Ep 2: ‘Damages’: Patty can’t catch a break
Ep 1: ‘Damages’: Who is Ellen pointing the gun out?