S04.E01: Girl with Guitar

[ElectricBoogaloo]

FYI - Showtime has made the season premiere available On Demand and on YouTube a week before the episode will air on tv. If you enter this thread, you may encounter spoilers!

 

Quote

Ray is in recovery mode in the aftermath of the shootout, striving to reconnect with his family and repair his relationship with Bridget. Meanwhile, Bunchy and Teresa face impending parenthood together as Abby receives a medical diagnosis that threatens to upend the Donovan family. Hiding out in Nevada, Mickey plots a heist as Detective Muncie closes in on his trail.

 

Promo:

Edited June 21, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Official promo:

 

Clips:

 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Showtime has released the season premiere on their official YouTube channel:

[paigow]

The writing staff has been watching Game of Thrones...not only for Hector...but "let's hold back important info..." Abby.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

First of all, woooooooooo for Nolan Ross!

For the record, any time you see an MRI machine on tv, you should assume that everything in that scene is wrong. In this case, it was Abby sitting right next to it talking on her cell phone. Uh, no. You can't have anything metal in the room with the magnet because it will fly across the room and stick to the side of the machine. That includes Abby's phone and the metal chair she was sitting on.

If that lady with the giant ugly glasses loves her art so much, why would she put one of them in direct sunlight?

Ha, OF COURSE Mickey had another scam running in Nevada. I wouldn't have minded if the casino guys had had time to beat him up a little before he ran away. But I give him (really, Jon Voight) for being able to run that far at the age of 77.

Maybe I watch too many shows like Person of Interest, but aren't there enough various cameras around LA that would show Ray driving the police car and walking away from the scene of the accident?

Daaaaamn, Hector and Lisa Bonet are going full on Flowers in the Attic! I wonder if Hector's wife knows about the extent of their relationship. In one of the scenes, he told his daughter that her mom was looking for him which I assume means that the three of them (Hector, his daughter, and her mom) live together. He didn't seem concerned that anyone would overhear him telling Ray about his sister so maybe she already knows? I guess that would make her the Dr. Paul of this version of FITA.

For the first ten minutes, I thought I was watching Ray's fever dreams and none of it was actually real. I was shocked that he went to a SNAP meeting and actually talked to people about what happened to him. I guess he is really trying. Good to see he still keeps a bunch of clean shirts in the trunk of his car.

Are Abby and Bridget so desperate to believe Ray has changed that they've become anosmic? How did they now smell all the booze on him when he came home, especially when he hugged and kissed them? It was also really obvious from his body language that he had been drinking. And no one cared that he showed up late for dinner?

[Medicine Crow]

Yes, yes, yes .... Gabriel Mann!!!

[Puddy]

I was just glad to see the dog was back.

[Medicine Crow]

Just now, Puddy said:

I was just glad to see the dog was back.

x 10, thanks for reminding me.

[Puddy]

It was one brief moment and it was on the bed, which made me happy.

You are welcome!!

[TVAddict]

Well, it was a CT machine, not an MRI, so no big magnets.  I don't know enough about breast cancer staging to call foul at the "Stage 0" diagnosis with a bilateral mastectomy treatment plan ("They want to cut my tits off.").  Seems extreme for Stage 0.

The cop car passenger side airbag wouldn't have deployed unless there was someone sitting in the seat.  There would be Ray's DNA on the driver's airbag, if anyone took the effort to look.  

Loved the bedside singing.  Very sweet.

[Loandbehold]

Quote

The cop car passenger side airbag wouldn't have deployed unless there was someone sitting in the seat.  There would be Ray's DNA on the driver's airbag, if anyone took the effort to look.

So long as the cop admits that he was driving, given his prior suspension, there wouldn't be a reason to take DNA. As for the passenger seat, he could say that he picked up a prostitute, who left after the accident. A drunk cop picks up a prostitute is not an unheard of event. I doubt any serious questions would arise. The cop is going to get a lot of money, so, at least for now, he'll go through with his end of the deal. Of course, this being Ray Donovan, I would expect this event to come back later in the season and cause trouble.

Welcome back, Ray.

[tricknasty]

So 5head is a high school dropout? How was she supporting herself before she started panhandling? What happened to Abs' lover from last season? So many questions with no answers in this episode.

[Dobian]

This season opener just left me scratching my head at times.  First off, I don't care for dream or hallucination sequences much.  Sometimes they are okay, but usually they are just lazy time fillers.  This felt like lazy time filler.  Not a strong way to open a season.  So Ray is laid up with a serious gunshot wound, and the priest just shelters him and gets him some back alley medical services?  Even the priests on this show operate under the table.  And when Ray started dealing with that cop in the motel room, his family was just sitting down for dinner where he was expected.  So he spends a long time getting the cop drunk, takes him out for a joy ride, crashes the car - and injuring himself pretty good in the process - and now is on foot somewhere in L.A., but manages to get home while they are all still sitting at the table?  Ray choking up at the dinner table didn't move me, he really hasn't earned those tears.  He's still the same Ray.  The episode also highlighted Ray's gait, which is one of the most awkward looking gaits I've seen on tv.  That one scene at the art gallery, all I could do was keep staring at that woman's glasses, I was mesmerized by them.  Mickey is still up to his shenanigans.  That opening shot of him, the first thing I thought was, Midnight Cowboy 2016!

Edited June 29, 2016 by Dobian

[cattykit]

On 6/25/2016 at 9:14 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

For the record, any time you see an MRI machine anything to do with healthcare on tv, you should assume that everything in that scene is wrong.

Fixed.

I was glad Lena had a small scene.  Avi better be back soon.  And thank dog the kids were only in tiny doses.

27 minutes ago, Dobian said:

The episode also highlighted Ray's gait, which is one of the most awkward looking gaits I've seen on tv.  That one scene at the art gallery, all I could do was keep staring at that woman's glasses, I was mesmerized by them.  Mickey is still up to his shenanigans.  That opening shot of him, the first thing I thought was, Midnight Cowboy 2016!

Funny I was very aware of a gait too, but it was Jon Voight's--and yes, it was totally his Midnight Cowboy gait.

At what point will Ray decide he has enough money not to live a life below the surface of the earth?  Is getting paid big bucks to be a fixer worth all the damage to himself and his family?

Where's Theresa?

Edited June 29, 2016 by cattykit

[Christina]

I see they didn't bother to get the actress who plays Bridgette any acting lessons in the off season. She pulls me right out of the scene. The son and dog are much better actors.

I think one of Ray's addictions is the drama and resulting violence. He needs the physical punishment as much as the alcohol and sex.

[SoCal Mema]

Quote

Well, it was a CT machine, not an MRI, so no big magnets.  I don't know enough about breast cancer staging to call foul at the "Stage 0" diagnosis with a bilateral mastectomy treatment plan ("They want to cut my tits off.").  Seems extreme for Stage 0.

The wife of a guy in our office was diagnosed at Stage 0.  I know she had to have the lump excised and go through radiation.  I am not educated on all of this, so it's the extent of any "real" knowledge.  I felt like it was Abby just being overly dramatic.

[BigDfromLA]

Poor Ray was making major changes in his life and will now be pulled back into all the crap, thanks to the screw up of his boxer friend...and it's Romero's fault for introducing him to Ray. 

Interesting that Ray followed Janet to get to/find Bridget at Venice Beach. Surprised that Bridget and Janet would be hanging out...she's the one that Bridget punched out in class in Season 3 and got in trouble. By the way, Janet/the actress that plays her is extremely beautiful!

"This fucking guy" Mickey screws up again. The most disfunctional character in television...makes Frank from Shameless look like a saint.

Love the geography of this show...Primm, Nevada and the Buffalo Bill Casino are NOT fictional places. Primm is located right on the stateline border with California. It's only about 40 miles from Las Vegas. Mickey should have gone to Reno like he said...much quieter and harder to get into trouble. 

I can see Terry being turned down for becoming a priest, due to his age and his parkinsons. But no way would he not be allowed to be a church lay volunteer...unless it was due to his criminal record.

The art gallery broad had these horrible, Nancy Reagan coke-bottle glasses with billboard sized frames. I hope she loses them for good...they are horrendous to look at. Just as disturbing as Katie Holmes braces from last season!

[cattykit]

Quote

The art gallery broad had these horrible, Nancy Reagan coke-bottle glasses with billboard sized frames.

Broad???  Really????  Because there are no other even mildly unoffensive terms for women?

[jrlr]

On 6/30/2016 at 7:28 AM, SoCal Mema said:

The wife of a guy in our office was diagnosed at Stage 0.  I know she had to have the lump excised and go through radiation.  I am not educated on all of this, so it's the extent of any "real" knowledge.  I felt like it was Abby just being overly dramatic.

Abby is a difficult and unhappy person (with some reason, I admit), but her reaction to the diagnosis was that of an idiot.  First of all, NO doctor is going to tell someone with stage 0 that she has to have her "tits cut off."  Second, the term "stage 0" would have been explained to her in a way that would allay her fears.  Third, I know lots of BC survivors (myself included) who simply refused to indulge in panic and self-pity because those reactions put huge, counter-productive stumbling blocks in the already-scary process of dealing with the illness.   I've always thought Abby was pretty street smart and controlled, but this made her seem both pathetic and annoying.  I hope she recovers her equilibrium and musters up the strength needed to go through treatment. 

Did Bridget drop out of high school?  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Liev Schreiber on Directing the Premiere:

[BigDfromLA]

It looks like Bridget dropped out of school and is living as a street musician in Venice Beach. Though maybe not. In a late episode in Season 3, she told her teacher that she would be turning 18 in six months. Ironically, there was a six month gap between the time frame of Season 3's ending to Season 4's beginning. So Bridget's 18th birthday should be happening at any moment...unless it happened "off screen" right before the season started. If she is 18, she may have graduated. Kids turn 18 either during their Senior year of high school, or in the summer or fall months after. If she dropped out, she would be really close to finishing. 

[nyxy]

Great episode and great season opener.

Thanks for all the context and background info. So Liev Shreiber directed? I did think the style had switched a bit, but don't know if it's the story and narrative, or cinematography. Now I'm thinking it might be the direction.

Was amusing to see Ray get emotional and sentimental. I'm not sure how long that will last.  Hope not too long.

I looked up Stage zero cancer. Had never heard of it before. I feel like the writers got away with something here....not unfairly, but just disturbingly. Basically this could mean that the character can be killed off whenever Paula Malcolmson is done with the show. And that's  a bummer- I like her, but more than that, I like the plots that grow around her, and I think the relationship betweenRay-Abby (I almost typed Trixie from Deadwood) so rich in terms of narrative complications. It's never static, but it always feels organically developed.

-I truly love the show. I think it's plotted brilliantly. Even when a particular storyline isn't fascinating to me (for example, the stories with the kids), I'm always drawn in because I want to find out its impact on Ray. I always filter every event through that question: how will this impact Ray. I don't remember feeling this intrigued by a TV protagonist for a long long time.

-And yaaaaay Lena is back. I love her. I can't think of a character like her on any other show. Avi is great too though I wish he wasn't from the Mossad. Together with Ray they make such a satisfying team. They solve impossible problems so perfectly and unpredictably. I love it when they slip into action. It's like a beautifully engineered machine smoothly purring its way to perfection. Their solutions and strategies are sheer poetry. 

-This show is so good at delivering shocks. I did not see Hector's disclosure about his sister coming. At all. So even as part of me is thinking, wow, I wish they hadn't gone there, the rest of me is thoroughly intrigued with how the story will develop- and, of course, the burning question for me, namely how it will ultimately impact Ray, especially given his own relationship with his sister.

=Poor sweet Ray always in pain, always fighting through it, never needing an audience.  And never recruiting the people around him into listeners. I love his character- or actually not his character so much as his characterization.

-I'm a bit surprised and irritated with myself for still being charmed by Mickey, even though he is such bad news for everyone around him- he'll always find a way to drive everyone else into misery, beaming with great good will all the while, and leaving unbelievable collateral damage on every road he travels.  How can anyone be so sunny and so happy when they do so much damage with every breath they take? I think Jon Voight plays him to perfection. I always disliked JV before this as an actor- well, actually for his politics more than his acting. But I see now what makes him such a standout actor. How he can stand around looking so mildly surprised after starting up major fires everywhere.

- So Detective Muncie is back and she gets to partly repeat one of my favorite lines in the show. Re Mickey in Season , when she grumbled "That gold-chain wearing, saggy-toothed ......" LOL especially because she delivered it after his heavy flirting with her, compliments laid on with a trowel. Poor woman- she's thoroughly immune to him, but then he is equally immune to her sledgehammer and unsubtle response to his irrepressible flirting. They are such opposites as characters- and well-matched as adversaries. Her methods are too direct to have any impact on Mickey. Actually hardly anyone has any impact at all on our blithely oblivious Mickey. But I just find it hilarious that even she, with her imperviousness to sweet-talk, will never put Mickey off his stride. His charm offensive is inexorable, like a machine too, one that will never ever be averted from its path.

-Oh, and I now have one terrible misgiving. I think Hector will probably end up killing that poor baby-faced cop- I think Hector is assuming Ray killed the cop. I don't want that poor cop to suffer any more. He seemed like a sweet guy. Ray obviously didn't want to destroy his hard-earned sobriety, but he did that for Hector. I just hope he doesn't do even worse for the poor cop. Won't the cop lose his job with this second DUI? Will 100 000 be enough compensation for all the lost earnings?

Hector is going to be such bad news for Ray. Great point upthread that it was Romero who sicked Hector on Ray, with the best of intentions of course.

-I can't stand cheating, but Hector's cheating is so utterly appalling it actually takes some of the sting away from Ray's. 

Edited September 13, 2016 by nyxy

[Puddy]

nyxy - Why is it not good that Avi is ex-Mossad?

[nyxy]

HI Puddy, it's just because I don't really want to be thinking politics for this show. And if politics has to be invoked, then I'd want to see not just one position but several.  I also would not be thrilled if he was from any other secret service. I love his character and his abilities and his mom and every single thing about him except this. NO biggie, however- it hasn't stopped me from watching or enjoying the show.

[nyxy]

Quote

First of all, woooooooooo for Nolan Ross!

ohhhhhhh that's who he was. Thanks, electricboogaloo. How could I forget! He was so great in *Revenge.*

 

About Hector: I take back all the mean things I said about him.

Edited September 15, 2016 by nyxy