S04.E04: Federal Boobie Inspector

[paigow]

Ray visits a Hollywood power player in an attempt to get the Russian mob off his back and unearths a secret Ezra shared in the past. Meanwhile, Lena and an ex-girlfriend take Abby out on the town to help her confront fears over a recent health diagnosis; and Mickey offers his boys a job prospect and tries to assimilate back into the family.

[Dobian]

This show has always stretched the limits of plausibility but they seem to be raising the bar this season.  It's like there is always someone either in the FBI or the criminal justice system who can be conveniently bribed or blackmailed into doing something.  And Lena's doctor girlfriend of course takes Abby to a strip club for some breast cancer consultation.  But this episode gets big props for no Bridget or Conor.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Dobian

[crookedjackson44]

Agreed, no kids = better episode.  But does anyone else watch this show anymore?  It ain't Games of Thrones, but there's not much else on Sunday nights in the summer.

[Dobian]

I don't know, they already cancelled Penny Dreadful (they said it was by design but it was because of bad ratings), and that was for me a more interesting show that what Donovan has become.

[Puddy]

Dobian - I hear ya.  The only thing I can come up with?  Ray has done lots of things since moving to California to work for Ezra.  The more he does for people, the more people he has to shake down when he needs it.

I was very dismayed to see the boxer and his half sister 'together' again.  Both are losers now and both need to be written off as losses.

More episodes with no kids, please.

[Randy S]

Abby being a hot head , I really thought she was going to punch out the women for kissing her like that ?? 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Is Steven Bauer well? I just noticed in this episode how thin he's gotten.

"You need a nap, honey?" Mickey's always walking into some mess.

So was that really the FBI sending Ray a signal to back off or was that just the universe giving him a new idea?

Liev better win that Emmy, dammit. He had to sit still while Cranston and Hamm got theirs; now it's his turn.

[Dobian]

The high points of the episode for me were Motel Lady's 1970's Cadillac and Ray singing "We've got Tonight" with a Boston accent.  As for Mickey doing it in a rest stop, okay, but in broad daylight?  Of course, being old he could probably wrap it up in under two minutes before the next car drove in (and wanted to by the look on his face).

[Loandbehold]

No Cannah, no Bridge, and Ray singing a $3M Bob Seger karaoke song. Not bad, show.

Abby still annoys the shit out of me (yeah, worse than either of the kids). Ray didn't tell everyone about your diagnosis, Abs. He just thought it might be worthwhile to get a second opinion and Lena knows an oncologist. How awful of him.

Who had 4 episodes in the pool before Teresa got pissed enough at Bunchy before threatening to move out? The baby is named after Bunchy's mother, and he unilaterally decides to have Ray and Abby be the godparents. Smooth move, guy.

Quote

Of course, being old he could probably wrap it up in under two minutes before the next car drove in (and wanted to by the look on his face).

It probably took longer since he was servicing her orally. Of course, if it's been a while, she might have gotten off quickly.

Edited July 18, 2016 by Loandbehold

[WaltersHair]

Ray singing with his angry-constipated face was worth every minute.

I liked the series when it was just Ray rescuing someone or thwarting someone's plan; the private sperm bank via the champagne bucket was gold.

And no children. Definitely better without the spawn.

[paigow]

Why does Mickey think his former partners are stupid? They were smart enough to betray him and should be long gone from Primm.

[cattykit]

Ok, so who didn't think when Ray pulled the baseball bat out that he was getting ready to bust a head or a windshield?

I like that Ray and Abby aren't fighting this season, but damn, the pace of everything is slow and boring.  Agree with upthread that any spawn-free episode is a huge plus.  How did Ray know where to find Cochran?

On 7/18/2016 at 0:31 PM, Loandbehold said:

It probably took longer since he was servicing her orally. Of course, if it's been a while, she might have gotten off quickly.

They did go out of their way to portray an older woman as gross and decrepit. 

I'm confused.  Hector is having sex with his sister??  What am I getting wrong?

[Bannon]

The downfall of this show, which I've generally liked, is that the humor isn't written sharply enough. Now, it takes real skill to do that, within the confines of this world, with two major characters damaged by being raped as children, and a third with a degenerative neurological disorder, but that is what is needed to leaven the darkness, and to allow you to not mind the repetitive plot implausabilities. Ray Donovan needed Elmore Leonard.

[pfk505]

On 7/18/2016 at 9:31 AM, Loandbehold said:

Who had 4 episodes in the pool before Teresa got pissed enough at Bunchy before threatening to move out? The baby is named after Bunchy's mother, and he unilaterally decides to have Ray and Abby be the godparents. Smooth move, guy.

She basically married a child. I don't have much sympathy for her. Bunchy has been beyond annoying since he somehow hit the lottery with this girl.

I get the criticism but I still enjoy this show every week. Mindless fun, to be sure, but still fun.

[Puddy]

cattykit - Yes, sadly Hector and his half sister are back at it. 

[BigDfromLA]

Theresa definitely suffers from bipolar disorder...she is also now developing postpartum depression to make it even worse. 

Mickey doesn't know how to function as a human being.

[Ailianna]

3 hours ago, BigDfromLA said:

Mickey doesn't know how to function as a human being.

That should be the title of his thread!

[paigow]

7 hours ago, Bannon said:

The downfall of this show, which I've generally liked, is that the humor isn't written sharply enough. Now, it takes real skill to do that, within the confines of this world, 

That's why Mickey is still around...awkward seniors sex...political incorrectness...bungling heists / schemes. Usually the bad guys are funny, but Belikov & Sonia are pretty dull. 

[Bannon]

13 hours ago, paigow said:

That's why Mickey is still around...awkward seniors sex...political incorrectness...bungling heists / schemes. Usually the bad guys are funny, but Belikov & Sonia are pretty dull. 

Yeah, it needs more than Mickey. Belikov & Sonia are tedious, indeed. Perhaps the return of Hank Azaria, if he wasn't a one-off, will help. The writers have missed opportunities for humor from the beginning, however. Think of the possibilities, for instance, with the sadistic motivational speaker from a couple seasons ago. 

[Puddy]

I hope he is still in the trunk.

[scrb]

Ray tries to provide well for his family, moving them to the swanky burbs.

But he has to deal with the underbelly of LA, not to mention his poorer relatives.  Lot of the characters who pass through this show might be out of some California noir fiction, though with a lot of titillation involved, like the swinging FBI director and this season, the prizefighter involved in incest.

Is the point suppose to be that the Donovan brothers may be fucked up but they have to deal with even more fucked-up people all the time in paradise?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

This episode was totally worth it just to see Ray singing "We've Got Tonight." I salute you, Ed! That will always be Kevin and Winnie's song to me.

 

I loved that when Mickey showed up, Daryll was having none of his nonsense and Teresa was stern enough with Bunchy that he suggested that Mickey leave. I was disappointed that Bunchy and Ray both wanted in on Mickey's plan (for different reasons though - you know Bunchy would do it even if there was no money in it for him because he still loves Mickey).

I agree that Teresa essentially married a child. But what I found really sad in this episode is that when Bunchy tried to do the right thing (follow family traditions, be loyal, etc.) he ended up alienating Teresa and hurting Terry's feelings. On the one hand, yes, it was sweet for him to want Ray to be Maria's godfather. But on the other hand, that's something you need to discuss with YOUR WIFE before you make a decision. And when you have more than one sibling, you need to take everyone's feelings into consideration. And what about Teresa? Even if she didn't think Ray was a psycho, why shouldn't the godparents be someone from her family? I also didn't get why Abby automatically got to be the godmother just because she's married to Ray. When I was baptized, my godparents weren't married to each other. They knew each other but they weren't a couple.

No Connor + no Bridget = AWESOME episode!

Hector and his half-sister have such a toxic relationship. Ray was not exaggerating when he said it was going to kill him. Poor Hector was molested by a priest and then he was molested by his older sister who was molested by her father. What a fucking mess.

[paigow]

I can't believe Cochran did not ask for other non-cash rewards...$3Million is a lot for a few minutes of discomfort.