Ray Donovan 6.8: Down

An uglier than usual episode of Ray Donovan last night - 6.8 - in which at least a quarter or more of the hour was devoted to seeing one of the Donovan brothers suffering a beat down.  Or at least it felt that way.   I'm a fan of the show, but not especially of violence, and it sometimes gets a little too much.

Violence and retribution always lurk behind Ray - he antagonizes a lot of people - and last night was more than that.  Bridget broke with him after she loses her job in the political campaign that Ray unhinged last week after revealing that the attack in the park was a set-up.  As did Lena, for the same reason (the revelation that the attack was fake, and the consequent real suicide of phony attackee). At this point, there's not a soul who wants to do business with Ray - certainly not Sam, who fires Ray.  Actually, the cops do want to do business with Ray, but not the kind of business Ray wants.

If past seasons are any guide, Ray will figure out a way to get on top of this, but he's more bereft of resources than usual.  Not only does Mickey hate him, but it will take a while for Bunch to forgive him for taking the money Bunch wanted to give to his daughter.   Speaking of Mickey, he's in the unusual position for this series of being the only Donovan man who looks good.  Walking around New York City, in and out of disguise, he looks more like Jon Voight's Midnight Cowboy character than ever before.

New York is definitely a better place for the Donovans than LA.   The location even allows Terry to take a quick trip to Boston and get a roll in the hay.  I'd have liked that thread a lot better if it didn't conclude with Terry getting beaten to a pulp back in New York - but, hey. no point in repeating myself, and I'll see you back here next week.

See Ray Donovan 6.1: The New Friend ... Ray Donovan 6.2: Father and Sons ... Ray Donovan 6.4: Politics in the Ray Style ... Ray Donovan 6.6: The Mayor Strikes Back ... Ray Donovan 6.7: Switching Sides

See also Ray Donovan 5.1: Big Change  ... Ray Donovan 5.4: How To Sell A Script ... Ray Donovan 5.7: Reckonings ... Ray Donovan 5.8: Paging John Stuart Mill ... Ray Donovan 5.9: Congas ... Ray Donovan 5.10: Bunchy's Money ... Ray Donovan 5.11: I'm With Mickey ... Ray Donovan 5.12: New York

See also Ray Donovan 4.1: Good to Be Back ... Ray Donovan 4.2: Settling In ... Ray Donovan 4.4: Bob Seger ... Ray Donovan 4.7: Easybeats ... Ray Donovan 4.9: The Ultimate Fix ... Ray Donovan Season 4 Finale: Roses

And see also Ray Donovan 3.1: New, Cloudy Ray ... Ray Donovan 3.2: Beat-downs ... Ray Donovan 3.7: Excommunication!

And see also Ray Donovan 2.1: Back in Business ... Ray Donovan 2.4: The Bad Guy ... Ray Donovan 2.5: Wool Over Eyes ... Ray Donovan 2.7: The Party from Hell ... Ray Donovan 2.10: Scorching ... Ray Donovan 2.11: Out of Control ... Ray Donovan Season 2 Finale: Most Happy Ending

And see also Ray Donovan Debuts with Originality and Flair ... Ray Donovan 1.2: His Assistants and his Family ... Ray Donovan 1.3: Mickey ... Ray Donovan 1.7 and Whitey Bulger ... Ray Donovan 1.8: Poetry and Death ... Ray Donovan Season 1 Finale: The Beginning of Redemption


 

It started in the hot summer of 1960, when Marilyn Monroe walked off the set of The Misfits and began to hear a haunting song in her head, "Goodbye Norma Jean" ...