Ray Donovan 7.7: Back Story

Tonight's episode 7.7 of Ray Donovan provided another reason for me to like this season the best.  In the case of this episode, it offered one of the best backstories I've seen on any series, period.

Especially the acting.  The guy (Bill Heck) who played young Mick had his (Jon Voight as Mickey's) mannerisms down pat.  His voice even sounded so much like Mickey's, it could have been Voight's overdubbed - for all I know, it was.  And the story this young Mick brought us finally gives us some crucial missing pieces in what makes the family Donovan tick.

In our present time, Mickey played by Voight tells us near the end of the episode that he's finally grown up - that everything we've seen him go through and do in these seven seasons has profoundly changed him.  Made him a, well, more responsible adult, even if that responsibility entails murder and whatever it takes.

And we get Ray's story, too.  The young Ray, wanting to kill his father.  This Ray (played by Aidan Pierce Brennan) is also given an excellent performance by someone who literally has a lot of Ray's (Liev Schrieber's) ways of looking at the world.  And our present Ray is changing in significant ways, too.  Under Molly's good influence, he refrains from killing someone who, at least in Ray's world, would have been better off dead.

A lot of this season, especially in the unpacking of those prior lives that bring the lives of our current characters into clearer focus, has the feel of a final season.  I'm very glad that it apparently isn't.  Because knowing what we now know of Mickey, and Ray, it will be more riveting than ever to see where there are next season, after this one concludes.  And we haven't even seen what else this current season has to teach us.

See also Ray Donovan 7.1: Getting Ahead of the Game ... Ray Donovan 7.2: Good Luck ... Ray Donovan 7.3: "The Air that I Breathe" ... Ray Donovan 7.4: Claudette and Bridget ... Ray Donovan 7.5: Bing! ... Ray Donovan 7.6: Phone Booths and Cellphones

See also 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 ... Ray Donovan 6.8: Down ... Ray Donovan 6.9: Violence and Storyline ... Ray Donovan 6.10: Working Together ... Ray Donovan 6.11: Settled Scores and Open Questions ... Ray Donovan Season 6 Finale: Snowfall and Mick

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" ... Marilyn and Monet

Ray Donovan 7.2: Good Luck

Showtime was good enough to put up Ray Donovan 7.2 ahead of time On Demand, so I figured, why not see it and review it, which I did, but of course there'll be spoilers below.

It was no surprise that Mickey survived the explosion, because we saw the back of his head, still attached to the back of his body, standing and alive, in the coming attractions last week.  And, as far as I know, the four-leaf clover which Mickey put in his wallet and then saw all over in all kinds of signs last week means only good luck not bad luck, right?  And then there's the fact that we all would have known had Jon Voight been leaving the show, which I'm very glad he is not.

But it was still great to see the various scenes of the brothers finding out about Mickey's death and grieving.  The final scene of that, in the house, with Ray turning from laughter and jokes to tears and everyone raising a glass to Mickey was one of the most memorable of the series.  Mickey's apparent death was well worth it, just for that.

He also can now really lead a charmed life.  As a dead man, no one will be looking for him.  Any number of crimes committed before his presumed death can be pinned on him, with no adverse effects to him or the rest of the Donovan family.  That's good luck indeed.

As for other characters, it was great seeing Bunch being the hero in the drugstore.  Lena was in typically good shape, too, and I'm hoping she delays her plans to return to LA, indefinitely.  Terry's path is one we've seen before, but Mickey's survival shows the vision Terry had was just that, an imaginary vision, which is good to know, too.  The Bridget story is getting more interesting, too, especially with the flirtation she's having with that guy in the recording studio.  Looks like we're in for an excellent season of Ray Donovan this year.

See also Ray Donovan 7.1: Getting Ahead of the Game

See also 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 ... Ray Donovan 6.8: Down ... Ray Donovan 6.9: Violence and Storyline ... Ray Donovan 6.10: Working Together ... Ray Donovan 6.11: Settled Scores and Open Questions ... Ray Donovan Season 6 Finale: Snowfall and Mick

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" ...

Ray Donovan Season 6 Finale: Snowfall and Mick

An outstanding season 6 finale tonight for Ray Donovan, in which just about everybody gets their just deserts, except, maybe, one.

I won't go over the body toll, in case you haven't seen this episode yet.  I will say it was good to see them go.

The one ambiguous note was a biggie.  After Ray gets Bunch out of custody, Bunch tells Mick that although Ray made some deal to get Bunch free, Ray couldn't make that deal for both of them.  The big implication is that Mick will have to turn himself in, after all.

But there's also a big question mark hanging over that.  Why didn't Ray tell Mick that Mick had to turn himself in?  Why didn't Ray take Mick to the police himself?   Why did they let Ray take Bunch away, without Mick right there for the exchange?

All of which leads me to think there's something more going on.  I think we haven't seen the last of Mick, and we're not going to see him in prison again.   The snow falling, the remembrance of James Joyce past, all speak to something else. 

Whatever that is, we should be in for another excellent season next time around.  Ray's seeking help.  Lena has gotten her revenge and should be up for working for Ray again.  Bridge has really come into her own.  And as I've been saying for weeks, Mick has come into his own in this story, too - with an astonishingly good performance by Jon Voight.   Mick's finally acting like a father - to all of his children.  He says all the right things, and they're truthful, to his kids.   There's nothing in this show like seeing all of the Donovans together.   Even if Ray intended to bring Mick in, I'm thinking that snow changed his mind.

Yeah, there's nothing like the Donovans all together, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of that next season.

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 ... Ray Donovan 6.8: Down ... Ray Donovan 6.9: Violence and Storyline ... Ray Donovan 6.10: Working Together ... Ray Donovan 6.11: Settled Scores and Open Questions

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" ...

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" ...

Ray Donovan 5.9: Congas

Episode 5.9 of Ray Donovan was just the way I like it - back to the classic Ray.  Although he hasn't gotten over Abby's death, and never will, he's beginning to focus on some other things.

But, actually, my favorite scene, for some reason, was Mickey playing congas on the backsides of the prostitutes in Ray's home.  Or would bongos be a better analogy?  I don't know.  But Jon Voight, who's been giving Emmy-deserving performances in every episode of this series, was never better than he was last night.

I'm also enjoying the writer's-plight-in-Hollywood story that Mickey is delivering this season.  As I said in an earlier review, it rings true as a bell.  I'm always rooting for Mickey, but never more than about this movie.  I hope we get to see it made the way he likes it.

I wasn't happy to see Natalie dead on the bed.  Lili Simmons deserved a bigger or at least longer-lasting role.  But, hey, that's Hollywood, too.  And we now have the mystery of who killed and her sleaze boyfriend or whoever he was exactly.  As soon as he left his dog in the bar, I figured he'd soon be getting his just desert.  As to who killed them?  I'm betting Samantha Winslow.

Back to Ray - so now he's lost not just Abby but Natalie.  About the only bright spot in this episode for him is that Bridget came home.  And she handled what she saw going on with her uncle and grandfather and those prostitutes pretty well.  Will she forgive Ray for what he did to the boy in New York, depriving him of his life-saving treatment?  Will she understand that Ray did it, yes, out of selfishness but still out of love for her mother?

Ray Donovan has always been about family, so I'm thinking the chances are pretty good.

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See 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

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

Ray Donovan 4.7: Easybeats

An altogether perfect episode 4.7 of Ray Donovan tonight.

First and foremost, the Mickey story, most of which is Ray's plan to get him to a safer haven in prison - the gay ward - before getting him released.  Mickey agrees, and gives the plan his all.  It's a matter of life and death, because the bad guys have put a man on the inside to kill Mickey.  Bunchy and Terry, forewarned, attest to their father's gayness when questioned; Conor, not forewarned does not;  but Mickey comes through with a brilliant spur-of-the-moment move, and he escapes getting strangled by the skin of his something or other.   It's a brilliant set piece, with equal doses of suspense and hilarity, served up with another outstanding Jon Voight performance.

The other fine part of the episode also concerns Mickey, but via Cochran, whom Ray has hired to get Mickey ultimately free.  And the best part of that was hearing "Friday On My Mind" - first sung by Hank Azarian (Cochran), pretty good, and then at the end, even better, by, I'm not sure, it was the same arrangement as the original, great Easybeats, but didn't sound exactly the same, maybe it was a different mix, but listen for yourself to video at the end of this review, and see/hear for yourself.

But, anyway, I've always loved that song and it was great to hear it again.  As I've said in my reviews of Ray Donovan a couple of times this season, the music has been just outstanding.  And, as a special treat, Stacy Keach came on at the end as the Texan, and I was glad to see he was was still breathing, because it will be good to see him back on the screen next week and maybe more.

Ok, I'm going to listen again to Friday on My Mind, and then maybe some Bob Seger - whose music was on a few weeks ago - and then, I don't know, maybe try to predict what they'll play on this show next week.




See also Ray Donovan 4.1: Good to Be Back ... Ray Donovan 4.2: Settling In ... Ray Donovan 4.4: Bob Seger

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


  different kinds of crimes and fixes

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