Mark Clark reviews the first episode of Ray Donovan season 4…
For those not in the know, Liev Schreiber’s Ray Donovan is a problem fixer in the rarefied heights (and lows) of Hollywood, but the irony is that his personal life, and in particular his family, causes as much trouble as his clients. If you can think of it, Ray has probably had to deal with it, whether it’s murder, extortion, stalkers, corporate back-stabbing, or front-stabbing. Not to mention Mickey Donovan (John Voight), his pimping, drug-dealing, larceny committing father, two and a half variably broken brothers, the implosion of his own little family unit, and a little, personal priest murdering.
That’s not to say Ray is a sociopath; this is a man who doles out harshness and violence with a fair dollop of Bostonian Catholic guilt, and by the end of last season a broken and bleeding Ray had gone the full circle, exorcising a whole host of demons in a hopefully cathartic confessional with his new found pillar of strength, Father Romero. Of course, that was after a murderous shootout with some Armenian gangsters.
Last season as a whole was admittedly a little disappointing – whether that was due to the departure of show creator Anne Biderman, we’ll have to wait and see – but it’s somewhat over-egged plotting and character stagnation is something that sorely needs mending. As a dramatic concept, Ray Donovan has never quite stuck to it’s laser straight premise, becoming less the tale of a Hollywood consigliere, and more the ins and outs of Ray’s attempts at multi-directional fire fighting. Yes, it makes for multi-layered storytelling, but sometimes you just need someone to cut through the fog of the writer’s room.
That, thankfully, is what we get with the Liev Schreiber directed season 4 opener ‘Girl With Guitar’. Maybe it’s just character self-knowledge and confidence, but whenever Mr Schreiber gets behind the camera, Ray Donovan the show steps up a notch (see season 2, episode 7 ‘Walk This Way’).
Still pulling himself together from the violent trials of season 3’s finale, Ray has started attending his brother Bunchy’s group therapy (at the Donovan’s boxing club), taken leave of his drinking habits and even seems to be heading towards reconciliation with his estranged wife Abby. The catalyst to all this emotional healing is the boxer Hector Campos, who took Ray under his wing at the behest of Father Romero in a case of ‘I helped you, you help him’, ensconcing him in his own home in Big Bear, and away from everything.
This being Ray Donovan of course, it’s not long before the wheels start coming off the equilibrium. First up is Detective Muncie, the Donovans’ bete noir with a badge from Season 3, grilling Ray as to his father’s whereabouts. Ray doesn’t know, doesn’t care. He’s just gone.
Mickey, naturally, is never just gone and is in fact fleecing the good and rich people passing through Primm, Nevada, in a low level scam, and a cowboy suit. Mickey D though is never quite low level enough and he’s soon found out, eventually ending up in the grip of Muncie (after whiling away his woes with some peyote).
Ray meanwhile, after escaping from the greek tragedy of his employers last season, the Finneys, is offered a job by a gallery owner, looking to get the ubiquitous Muncie off her back and some impounded art out of police hands. He’s not interested, but he does notice a painting there, the titular ‘Girl With Guitar’.
It seems that Ray is managing to teeter on the edge of his new moral certitude, with work, and home, but as with almost all of his relationships it’s the ones you want to rely on the most that ultimately drag you under. Hector Campus, come on down.
I won’t go into the fine detail of Hector’s, and Ray’s, descent into dark deeds, but immorality definitely takes the driving seat (pun intended), destroying his sober stability but still leaving him able to return thankfully home with some semblance of family cohesion.
It’s a satisfying start to the new season, and perhaps Schreiber should add showrunner to his leading man and director titles, but if there’s a sore point it’s Donovan Snr. I’m not sure the show actually knows what to do with him anymore. I mean, there’s a man in need of a character change-up as without John Voight’s stellar performance he’d just be a two dimensional recidivist with a questionable taste in clothing.
Ray’s own damascene conversion may have been brief but you couldn’t really have it any other way. This is Ray Donovan after all, Hollywood fixer, and if there isn’t anything smashed to pieces, well, what do you need him for.
Mark Clark
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published July 7, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
