Ray Donovan: Season 1, Episode 6; Housewarming

This is one of my favorite episodes of Ray Donovan. Last episode Bunchy bought a house. So this episode he decides to throw a housewarming party. The party is about as pathetic and disastrous as you would expect.
Terry is there with Frances, his secretly married to someone else girlfriend. Mickey hires some hookers (of course). And even though they are banned from going to the house Conner, Bridget, and her boyfriend Marvin show up.
There are three absolutely great moments in this episode. One of them is a quiet yet powerful moment between Bunchy and Abby. Abby sneaks over to his new house to help Bunchy decorate. We see now more than ever how much of a man-child Bunchy is. He sits in his new room like a little boy while his ‘mother’ makes his bed, etc. Bunchy reveals his insecurities, fretting that he bought the house and Ray must be mad at him. He also goes on to talk about the sexual abuse he endured from his priest. The moment is touching and very sad as Bunchy blames himself for what happened to him; Terry broke the priest’s hand when he tried to molest him, why didn’t Bunchy retaliate too? Abbey tells him “That’s what monsters do. They make you think you want something you don’t want.” This emotional moment makes Bunchy’s breakdown later on at the party all the more powerful and effective. Mickey encourages Bunchy to ‘christen’ his new house with one of the hookers. The hooker gives Bunchy a blowjob, but as he looks down at her head he suddenly has a flashback to his priest. Bunchy freaks out, she freaks out. Drunk and high on coke, Bunchy lights his Boston Red Sox poster on fire in an attempt to burn away his memories. All he really accomplishes though is ending the party and ruining his new room. This episode makes Bunchy’s pain more palpable and real to the audience than it was before.

Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan.

My favorite moment of the episode comes during the aftermath of the party. Ray has been at the hospital, waiting for Ezra to get through his brain tumor surgery. Terry calls Ray, telling about him about the fire and that his kids are there. Ray flips out quite dramatically and wonderfully. Liev is exceptional throughout the episode, but especially here, showcasing Ray’s anger, pain, and reluctance to pull the trigger. Ray storms up to Mickey, pistol whipping him and nearly shooing him in the head as Ray’s kids look on. I love watching the emotions Ray goes through, especially when he sees that he’s scared the shit out of his kids. Terry is also great here, as the calming voice of reason (although he should’ve known better than to phone Ray like that).
Lastly it is a ‘trip’ to watch Van Miller, FBI Guy, unwittingly ingesting some LSD and hallucinating seeing a monkey in a suit. It’s Ray’s way of gaining evidence to blackmail Van with, to get him to stop investigating Ray. But it turns out Van isn’t going to be that easy to deal with.

Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan and Michael McCrady as Frank.

Tidbits:
• Ray has an FBI connection named Frank. Funny enough, Ray isn’t afraid to drop kick him into the water since, as always, Ray has info to blackmail him with.
• Abby to Ray: “I just don’t get you anymore.” Ray’s answer is to stalk off in silence.

Elliot Gould as Ezra Goldman and Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan.

• Ezra escapes the hospital just before his surgery. Not totally implausible. Ray suddenly finding him on a random street? COMPLETELY implausible. Like wtf, the first place he looks he finds him?
• Terry continues on with Frances, acting as though he doesn’t know she has a secret family.

Devon Bagby as Conner Donovan and Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan.

• Mickey shows this interesting dynamic of wanting to appear cool to his grandkids and putting them in dangerous situations, but at the same time he is fiercely protective of them.
• Bunchy’s roughhousing with Conner feels incredibly inappropriate, showing that he doesn’t know how to act with a young boy. Fortunately Mickey quickly puts an end to it before Bunchy can finish his “Father Nelson” joke. You know it’s bad when even Mickey’s like, ‘whoa, too far.’
• Ray tells Ezra about their FBI problem. Since they can’t make Van go away, Ezra concludes that Mickey has to be killed. In a wonderful moment of vulnerability, Ray replies, “It’s not that simple. He’s still my father.”
• So, who wants Mickey dead more than Ray? Who can be the one to pull the trigger? How about that guy Mickey stole $500,000 from? Hmm…..

Episode MVP is a real toss up between Liev and Dash Mihok (Bunchy)…. I’m going with Liev, only because his last scene with Ezra was so great and subtle.

Ray Donovan: Season 1, Episode 5; The Golem

Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan and Elliott Gould as Ezra Goldman.

This episode of Ray Donovan feels kind of like a filler one. There is some great acting from Liev Schreiber and some really funny moments. But otherwise it just serves to slowly progress the story. It’s necessary, but as a result it isn’t a stand out episode.
Since the beginning of the series we have seen Ezra struggling with his sanity. It seemed lie Alzheimer’s at first, but this episode it revealed to actually be a brain tumor. This isn’t a big shock or loss to the audience, Ezra hasn’t had very many scenes. But this revelation is huge for Ray. Ezra is probably the most important figure in Ray’s life. Ezra is Ray’s true father figure, not Mickey. Mickey has only brought Ray down while Ezra supports Ray and has helped become a success in Hollywood.
So Ray is devastated by this news. And his reaction to the news is really interesting. Ray is a quiet, withdrawn man who rarely shows emotion. Immediately after hearing the news Ray gets shit faced. Then he goes and fucks Ashley. Bat shit crazy Ashley. Of all the girls he picks the one who handcuffs herself to his towel rack. Oh well, I guess she was immediately available. Anyways, Ray has to be in a bad way if he chooses to fuck her. The way they screw is also kind of interesting, it’s from behind and very aggressive, seemingly all about Ray. After this Ray drunkenly staggers into his apartment. As he stares at Marvin Gaye’s blood splattered adoption papers he breaks down, sobbing relentlessly. The Abby, the bitch from hell, appears asking, “Who the fuck are ya Ray?” It’s the question that plagues Ray throughout the series.
Tidbits:
• Terry and Frances are sleeping together now. Also Terry is a “sex god.”
• Bunchy cashes in his $1.4 million cheque from the Catholic Church. All he wants is $50 and a bike. Mickey wants enough money to get some hookers.
• Mickey-ism #1: “Last time I was in a bank I had a stocking on my face.”

• Ashley shows up at Ray’s apartment, telling him, “I’m not leaving here until you fuck me.” She then handcuffs herself to the towel rack in his bathroom and flushes the key down the toilet. Ray’s just like fuck, let her be crazy, I got shit to do and leaves.
• Abby has a little chat with a fellow yoga goer who is concerned because Abby is always crying in class. Yoga Girl observes that “Men are naturally really secretive animals” (has she met Ray???) Abby ends up telling her, “You’re a nosy cunt.”
• The Hollywood divorce that Ray and Lee are helping reach a settlement is pretty funny. I imagine that’s actually how it goes down in real life. One barely used penis pump and all.
• Prisoner Ashley is bored so she tries shaving her legs only to cut herself. She is so bored she tries to write her name in blood on the mirror, but gives up. Ashley proceeds to put on Ray’s deodorant. Craaaaazy.
• Abby’s talk with yoga girl has got her thinking…. She goes and checks out Ray’s ‘cave’ i.e. his office and his apartment.
• Mickey is the Golem of the episode’s title. I’m not sure what Golem means exactly, but judging by how Ezra freaks out it’s not good.
• Mickey and Ezra talk about how Ezra and Ray sent Mickey to jail. It’s a surprisingly decent, calm conversation. Mickey tells Ezra, “My son, he’s my son, he did what he thought he had to do. But you, you’re a piece of shit.”

• Marvin’s (remember him? The neighbor?) mom never sent in the signed adoption papers. Ray investigates and finds that she’s been shot, but she did manage to sign the papers.
• Sex God (Terry) is being brushed off by Frances. But why? Oh, it’s only because SHE’S MARRIED AND HAS A SON. Poor Terry.
• Bunchy decides to buy a house. A shitty one. In the middle of the night. Because he is a functioning, independent adult, goddammit!
• Avi and Ray track down Van’s (FBI Guy) address. They sneak in and find that he’s extremely fond of action figures and has Ray’s picture on the wall, along with Ezra’s, Lee’s and Mickey’s. Nothing creepy there at all.

Kerris Dorsey as Bridget Donovan and Octavius J. Johnson as Marvin Gaye Washington.

• Since Ray and Abby are too busy with their own shit, their kids decide to have a little party with Marvin. Marvin and Bridget make out and Conner pukes all over Ray’s watches. Fun times.
• Lena is given the task of getting rid of Ashley before Abby shows up at Ray’s apartment (having handcuffed girls in your apartment would be a no no). When Ashley sees Lena she says, “You’re hot.” Damn right she is!

• Ashley: “You can’t hit me, I have epilepsy.” Lena punches her anyways.

Episode MVP is Liev Schreiber he does some incredible work here, especially at the end.

Jurassic World (2015) AKA Hey, Let’s Revisit My Childhood Only with Less Magic and Wonder and With More CGI and Starlord

As a child I was a huge dinosaur fanatic. I watched The Land Before Time over and over again and I had a whole herd of dinosaur toys. Speaking of Littlefoot, I think I’ll be revisiting him soon for the Childhood Films Blogathon put on by Let’s Go to the Movies. I watched Jurassic Park, of course, but I was only 2 years old when it originally came out. So it was never a big favorite of mine, I think it was just too scary for me. But anyways, while that particular movie wasn’t huge to me, dinosaurs were and it has carried over a bit into adulthood (my favorite animals are alligators, the modern dinosaur).
So going into Jurassic World I wasn’t actually all that excited. I was really surprised by its huge opening weekend. I wanted to see some dinosaurs and the Pratt, I didn’t have huge expectations. Which was probably a good thing because I was able to enjoy the movie while watching it. But afterward, when I wasn’t looking at the gorgeous dinosaurs anymore, I found the movie to be underwhelming.

The most interesting relationship right here.

My biggest problem with the movie is its characters. You know there’s a problem with a movie when the velociraptor, Blue, is the most dynamic character with the best story arc. Seriously. He is the only one who has to make an interesting choice (mlbradford’s post helped me come to this conclusion). Everyone else is so predictable. The two boys are funny, but otherwise bland, but that’s kind of to be expected. The Pratt is pretty interesting, but we don’t learn all that much about him. Like, how the heck do you become a raptor whisperer and where can I sign up? And of course, as is typical with blockbuster films, the weakest, most disappointing character is Claire as played by Bryce Dallas Howard. I didn’t mind her being a shrew character to start with it’s just that… the film goes nowhere with it. She’s a total bitch who doesn’t care about her nephews until the Indominus Rex is on the loose. Then suddenly she cares (probably only because she doesn’t want to take the blame if they get killed) and she’s also weeping over a dead brontosaur. She goes from point A to C with no in between. And same goes for her relationship with Owen (The Pratt). They’re complete opposites who suddenly make out at the end. WTF?!?!?! But shout out to BD Wong for being awesome as always! Seriously, the guy hardly does anything, but he’s still one of my favorite parts.

BD Wong wins everything.

The plot of Jurassic World is quite predictable, the characters are relatively boring. But the action sequences are genuinely exciting. The final fight was great, definitely my favorite moment of the film. I loved seeing the gorgeously rendered dinosaurs, even if the CGI seems to take away some of their magic. Jurassic World is a fun movie, it’s just not as intelligent as it wants to be. I like some of the themes it explores (what constitutes a weapon, ownership, playing God, animals and their capacity for feeling, etc), but it doesn’t explore any of them at great depth. I give Jurassic World 7/10  6/10(-1 point for the RIDICULOUS AMOUNT of product placements. SERIOUSLY. ENOUGH. I GET IT.) velociraptors simply because I love a good dinosaur fight and I wish I could look as cool as Chris Pratt riding a motorcycle in a herd of raptors. And the answer is yes, I would still go to Jurassic Park in real life, a little Indominus Rex doesn’t scare me!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

If you’re a follower of my blog (which evidently you are) you’ve noticed my header image is from one of the best moments in David Fincher’s American adaptation/remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I chose this image because it is one of my favorite, powerful moments in cinema, it is one of my favorite films, and because I kind of look like Rooney Mara. So my love and admiration for this film is obvious right from the start. So today’s post is going to be a little different. I don’t need to review the film and tell you it’s good, that’s already obvious. I want to examine the film in terms of its place within cinema as both an adaptation of a novel and a remake of a foreign film.
I recently came across Smartling, a translation software company, and since I’m obsessed with movies, I immediately started thinking about movies and their relationship with language, particularly in foreign remakes. David Fincher had a very difficult task when it came to remaking The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. First, he had to adapt the Swedish novel written by Stieg Larsson. This necessitated the challenge of translating the novel into an American screenplay, preserving the themes and Swedish setting of the story, all while making it more appealing and understandable to Western audiences. But then Fincher also had the challenge of remaking a film that had already been very recently made in Sweden. The three Swedish Millenium films were all released in 2009, just two years before Fincher’s. So Fincher had to remain faithful to the novel, make it more cinematic, and differentiate his film from the already successful (even to American audiences) Swedish version.

Rooney Mara as Lizbeth Salander and Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist.

Language is an extremely important tool human beings have for communicating. In today’s internet driven culture different cultures can now communicate with one another seamlessly and more easily than ever before. It is integral to get the best, most accurate translation in order to not misconstrue what someone is saying. The makers of the English Girl with the Dragon Tattoo would have had to rely heavily on translators of the Swedish novel. One key difference of the English and Swedish versions of the novel and films is in its title. In Sweden, Larrson’s Millennium trilogy is known as Män Som Hatar Kvinnor (Men Who Hate Women). This title coveys a strong feminist message and perceives society (particularly Sweden’s) as misogynistic. English publishers decided to discard this title and instead went with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. This title is much blander, free of any social commentary and in no way attempts to convey the message of the novel. This was a conscious choice made by translators and the publishers. It is a good example of how translation can have such a huge impact on a work of art.

The biggest and most obvious choice Fincher and the American producers made when remaking TGWTDT film was to have the characters speak in English. This is essential to adapting a foreign film for American audiences. There are three key actors to Fincher’s film and the relationship each of them has with language is noteworthy. First, there is Rooney Mara, an American actress, playing the heroine Lisbeth Salander. Rooney is a native American speaker, but in the film she speaks English with a Swedish accent. This helps to reaffirm her character’s nationality and the setting of the film while making sure English audiences can easily understand her. Then we have Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist. Daniel is an English actor (helloooo James Bond) speaking in his natural, English voice. He chooses to not affect any kind of accent. Finally we have Stellan Skarsgård, a very famous Swedish actor. Here he speaks English (his second language) with a Swedish accent (his native language). An interesting little soup isn’t it? Why did Fincher allow his actors to make these choices? In order to imbue the film with a hybridity. It successfully straddles both the American and Swedish worlds. It isn’t realistic, but it is effective in communicating the story to English audiences while staying true to the story’s setting.

The setting of the film and its place in Swedish history is integral to its plot. This isn’t a story that you can adapt to an American setting, it would lose much of its commentary, particularly that on present day Nazism. So Fincher keeps the film in Sweden and mixes the two languages together. None of the actors speak any Swedish in the film (apart from the odd Herr Blomkvist), they only speak in English. But the texts that they read are both English and Swedish, enhancing the hybridity of the film. Television news crawls are in English as are store signs and Millennium magazine. But everything Salander reads on her computer is in English, as are most of the newspaper clippings she reads, and the bible. It’s a great way of submerging the viewer in Sweden while still making sure that they understand the integral elements of the story. The things that Lizbeth reads are extremely important to her investigation, thus they are in English while cans of cat food are not so important. This hybridity is one of my favorite elements of the film.

Another example of hybridity is evident in the opening sequence of the American film. This opening is stunning both visually and musically, I remember seeing it in theaters and thinking that it was nearly orgasmic. It is just such a rush, especially on the big screen. The images conveyed are symbols that can be understood no matter what language you speak. But with his choice of music Fincher again emphasizes his films hybridity. “Immigrant Song” is an infamous song, originally done by Led Zeppelin. It is a song about Swedish immigration sung by an English band from their perspective. Fincher twists the song for his opening sequence by making it a cover sung by Karen O, a South Korean/American artist. So Fincher is appropriating the song by giving it a female voice/perspective as well as imitating his own remake with the song cover. It’s a powerful sequence that mirrors the entire film perfectly both visually and musically.

As you can see when you examine David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a little more closely, language, translation, and intention are extremely important to how a remake of a foreign film will be perceived by American audiences. Fincher may tweak the story here and there, but it only serves to strengthen the thematic messages of the novel. He also combats the language challenge by employing a hybridity of language, creating a time and place that is both Swedish and English. This is strengthened by the choices his actors make with their Swedish accents or lack thereof as well as his use of the “Immigrant Song.” The audience and the film itself are both aware of the film’s status as both a translation and a remake. The ways Fincher faces this challenge make this film an incredible cinematic work.
Big shout out to the following video which helped inspire this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNAGsOw8e0M

Ray Donovan: Season 1, Episode 4; Black Cadillac

Sheryl Lee Ralph as Claudette and Jon Voight as Mickey Donovan.

This episode Ray decides to take a break from his job. Well, actually Abby forces him to go to family day at Bel-Air academy, a private school she wants their children to attend. Somewhat predictably the day ends up being a disaster and Ray can’t escape his work. But it isn’t Ray that spoils the day, it’s his son, Conner. Conner seems to have inherited his father’s violent streak.
The Black Cadillac of the title is actually Mickey’s old car. It’s symbolic of the past and his relationship with it. Mickey takes a trip to Palm Springs with Bunchy and Daryll. Mickey wants to catch up with Daryll’s mother, Claudette. Mickey thinks that he can just show up 20 years later and take Claudette back, even though she is now happily married to someone else. Claudette and Mickey have a special bond. Mickey stole half a million dollars for her back in the day from some gangsters. He got in trouble for it. Mickey loved Claudette fiercely and he still does. Claudette is grateful to Mickey, she saved his old Cadillac for him, and she still cares for him. But Mickey learns that “things have changed” and he can’t have his old life back. It’s a notion that the audience knows long before Mickey does, but it still has quite the emotional impact. Even though Mickey can be a total asshole he genuinely cares for Claudette and to see him rejected is truly heartbreaking.
Tidbits:
• Ray has a very disturbing nightmare at the beginning of the episode. It involves Mickey fucking both Ray’s ex-girlfriend and Abby. It is jarring and will emotionally scar you for LIFE.
• Marvin still isn’t in school.
• Mickey is supposed to get arrested for the priest murder today. Ray has Avi stalk him to make sure it actually goes down.
• Palm Springs road trip!
• Ray is pressured by Abby to attend this family day crap because she is so set on being part of upper class society. I find it funny that Abby so fiercely desires this when most of the show is about critiquing the superficial upper class of Hollywood.
• Mickey-ism #1: “Great kids come from great fucks.” i.e. Daryll. Bunchy, not so much, “Your mother was a great cook.”
• The sibling rivalry between Bunchy and Daryll is hilarious. It’s like they’re ten year olds, living out the childhood they didn’t have together. Teasing each other, making fun of each other, Bunchy throwing Daryll into a pool… It’s really touching as well because by the end of the episode they have bonded and come to like each other.
• Bunchy’s opinion on the song Daryll made when he was 16: “You dropped out of school for this shit?”’
• Marvin when he sees Ray: “Hey Mr. Donovan, you buy me yet?”
• Terry’s getting ready for spaghetti night with his nurse, Francis. His buddy, Potato Pie (seriously), gives him this golden advice: “You can’t get pussy from shit from a jar. You gotta make it from scratch.”
• Mickey brings Alan, Claudette’s husband, the gift of a small cactus. Alan already has a huge cactus. Symbolic phallic imagery? Alan is rich and has Claudette. Mickey is…. An ex-con who just got out of jail.

Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan and Josh Pais as Stu Feldman.

• Stu Feldman is at the family day gathering, wearing a wonderfully hideous shirt. His son attends the school and gives Conner a tour. Stu wants Ray to handle Ashley for him, but Ray gets to tell him he’s “not working today.”
• Alan is a dickhead.
• Mickey suddenly encourages Bunchy’s sobriety in order to get more cognac for himself.
• Daryll slings back his cognac. Alan forcefully admonishes him to “Sip it DOWN.”
• To try to look cool, Conner tells the kids at school that he’s friends with Tommy Wheeler, the action movie star. Stu’s kid shits all over this by saying Tommy “is a degenerate pervert” and “He only wants to suck your dick.” Conner is PISSED and everyone laughs at him. Thus later on, Conner whacks Stu’s kid in the head with a foot ball tee.
• Alan is willing to pay back to Mickey the money he stole for Claudette if he promises to stay away from her. But Mickey replies, “It isn’t the money I’m after…” [Enter Claudette]

• Lena’s job seems to be listening to people have sex all day. Except this time the people find one of the microphones. Ray has to sneak out of family day to handle it. But he ends up getting scratched on the face by a “Bel-Air cougar.”

• Stu awkwardly apologizes to Abby while Ray is off fighting cougars (the human kind). He says Ray and Ashley never fucked. Then they sit in awkward silence.
• Claudette gives Mickey back his “other beautiful black baby,” his black Cadillac. They dance and reminisce about old times. Then Mickey plants a kiss on her. But Claudette denies him.
• Mickey, Daryll, and Bunchy go out for dinner. They gleefully enjoy the cognac Bunchy stole from Alan. It’s a hilarious bonding moment.
• Van (FBI Guy) tells Mickey that in order for Mickey to stay out of jail he will have to turn in Ezra, Lee, and Ray to the FBI. This is Mickey’s big chance to get revenge on Ray for putting him jail.
• The spaghetti dinner is awkward because of course, its Terry we’re talking about here.

• Mickey is eager to go to the Buggy Whip bar, not knowing it’s a gay bar. And he doesn’t even care! Mick just wants to dance and snort some coke! He’s free, and happy.
• This episode’s song: “Now that we found love” by Third World.

Ray Donovan: Season 1, Episode 3; Twerk

Elliott Gould as Ezra Goldman and Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan.

“It’s motherfucking Ray Donovan in my motherfucking house. Hell ya!”
“Hell ya, you the man!”
The first two episodes of Ray Donovan were mostly about introducing the main characters and their conflicts. With this third episode the characters are being fleshed out more, so the drama becomes more compelling. The bad influence of Mickey, Ray’s dad, is starting to spread through the show now like a cancer. He seemed kind of likeable and charismatic the first two episodes. He is funny and able to charm everyone around him, except for of course, Ray. But in Twerk his jokes become offensive and obscene. It is also more evident the effect of being in jail for twenty years has had on Mickey. He is from the old school, with a very backwards mentality. Now the audience, and some of the characters, can see a little glimpse of why Ray hates Mickey so much. Mickey is loud and offensive, has to be the center of attention. Ray is quiet, respectful, and prefers to stay in the background.

Dash Mihok as Bunchy Donovan.

The most interesting scene in the episode, at least to me, may seem like a relatively minor one at first. But I think it speaks volumes about Ray and Mickey. It starts with Ray walking into the fight club to get Bunchy as they have a meeting with a lawyer. Mickey is there watching Terry and Daryll box. #1: Mickey’s negative influence on Bunchy is taking hold here. Bunchy is trying to avoid Ray because Mickey is poisoning their relationship. #2 The second Mickey sees Ray enter the club he immediately jumps up and becomes coaching Daryll on, although before he had been sitting around eating Chinese food. Mickey wants Ray to notice him and to specifically notice him being a father to Daryll. But Mickey fucks up. He eggs on Daryll too much, to the point of Daryll injuring Terry. This shows that Mickey is stuck in the past (before Terry got Parkinsons) and also that Mickey doesn’t know HOW to be a father. #3 This is when Ray steps in and intervenes, telling Daryll to stop fighting. This scenes shows how Ray is the responsible, mature one and that he has been more of a father to his brothers than Mickey ever has. By the end of the scene Mickey has only accomplished looking like a complete jack ass. It’s a small, beautiful moment.
One thing I wanted to mention about Ray Donovan last time, but forgot is the great music. Often times near the end music plays to a montage of where the characters are now. It’s always one of my favorite parts. The music is classic 60s/70s music. I love it because the songs always seem like something Ray would listen to or that he grew up with. This week’s montage was all about sex: Ray and Abby fiercely getting it on, Bunchy and Mickey hanging out with hookers, and Bridget and her new ‘friend’ Marvin sending each other pictures. The song is “No One’s Gonna Love You” by Nicole Willis & The Soul Investigators.
Tidbits:
• Ray finally returns home after five days. Only to pack his bags and immediately leave.
• Abby is understandable pissed by this and by Ray trying to buy her off. She epically throws her shoe at him screeching, “You’re gonna treat me like a whore?! I’m your fucking WIFE!”

• Noisy neighbors are still noisy.
• Bridget got a B- on her family tree project because it was ‘vague.’ Of course, she’s Ray Donovan’s daughter!
• The shoe thing has pissed Ray off, so he’s gonna take out his anger on the noisy neighbors. He kicks in the door, unplugs the speakers. But he’s motherfucking Ray Donovan so it’s all good.
• Turns out that conveniently the neighbor has a problem. You see, he’s a rapper named Re-Kon who wants to adopt young Marvin, a kid around Bridget’s age. Marvin is a talented singer, but he needs to be emancipated from his crack head mother. Ray is enlisted to help Re-Kon out.

• Ray asks Marvin, “Where’s your father?”
“Dead, homes.”
“Lucky you.” Ahahaha.
• Apparently Marvin “don’t need no school, I’m gonna be a fucking millionaire.” Your bad grammar says otherwise, Marvin.
• Just as Ray is finally driving away, Abby comes back out screaming about the laundry. Oh shit… Ray just drives off.
• According to Mickey Bunchy has “no real porn” and this is a serious problem.
• I like the small touch of Bunchy stirring his coffee with a fork handle.
• Avi is in Boston investigating that priest Mickey murdered back in episode 1.
• Lena’s girl fling calls her, “I’m lonely.”

• Abby is so pissed she donates Ray’s suits to a church. Well, that solves the laundry problem!
• Mickey to Daryll: “Your mother hits harder than that!”
• Mickey-ism #1: “I could cry thinking about that sweet black ass of hers.”
• Abby “goes to yoga, not church.”
• Avi pays off Mickey’s driver to go to the police and identify Mickey as the priest murderer.
• Mickey-ism #2: Parkinsons “makes jerking off easier.”
• Terry’s nurse: “You know, I used to be a hooker before I was a nurse.” The joke goes way over Terry’s head as most jokes do.
• Mickey’s Father Nelson joke really is terrible.
• Mickey-ism #3 “Smile and the world smiles with ya. Cry and you cry alone.”
• Remember when Ray was smiling at the end of last episode? It’s because Mickey fucked up and killed the wrong priest. He wanted to kill the guy that molested Bunchy, but got his brother instead. Mickey is shocked but recovers with, “So what? Didn’t fuck my boy, fucked someone else’s.”
• Mickey is going with Bunchy to his support group because “that’s what fathers are for.”
• Lee is thrilled to sign Re-Kon. Apparently the guy is always in trouble with the police, so easy to make money defending him. Apparently it even warrants “the best hand job” of Ray’s life.
• Ray: “We’re buying kids now, Lee?”
Lee: “We’ve done worse.”
• Ok, Mickey’s pedophile joke is bad, but funny.
• Ray pays for Terry’s nurse visit. Instead of paying him back, Ray wants Terry to ask her out.
• Abby breaks down during her yoga session, “I’m a terrible person.”
• Mickey’s visit to the support group is a disaster. Case in point: “I could use some oral rape right now.”

Octavius J. Johnson as Marvin Gaye (pause) Washington.

• Bridget meets Marvin Gaye (pause) Washington (aka the neighbor).
• Ray offers Marvin’s mom money for her to let him go. It’s a hard decision for her, but she knows she can’t raise a child.
• Abby takes back Ray’s suits. The priest is very nice, but the bitchy old lady who won’t let them go is hilarious. Abby donates the money Ray had given her.
• Mickey goes to the library…. To look up twerking, “I’m an ass man.”
• Bunchy receives his settlement of $1.4 million. Ray wants to have control of his money, in order to protect Bunchy from himself (and Mickey). But Bunchy refuses the help.
• Mickey reads Moby Dick lol.

Frank Whaley as Van Miller aka FBI Guy.

• An FBI agents visits Mickey at the library. Apparently Mickey got out of jail early because he ratted out a bunch of guys (but not this mysterious Sully…). FBI guy also knows about the priest murder. He does nothing, just gives Mickey money and says he’ll be in touch. ????
• Ezra has a big party for his new foundation. Ray sends a limo for Abby, again, impressing her with money. This time she falls for it.
• Ezra’s mistress gets hilariously drunk, bad mouthing Ezra’s widow in front of everyone.
• Ezra freaks out and starts speaking Yiddish when he sees Mickey in the crowd.

Brooke Smith as Frances and Eddie Marsan as Terry Donovan.

• Terry and the nurse have the most awkward meeting at a diner. It is filled with lines like, “I’m a clean man.” And, “You like spaghetti?” That’s how he asks her out. It’s hilarious and Terry’s grin is so sweet.
• So Mickey should be going back to prison soon…
• Mickey got hookers for him and Bunchy.
• Abby: “I’m still fucking mad at you, Ray.” *proceeds to have hot, steamy sex with him* (can’t blame her).
• FBI guy is shown in his Spartan office. He must have OCD. He has a wall full of pictures, some crossed off. There’s Ezra, Lee, Mickey and of course…. Ray.