S05.E12: Time Takes a Cigarette

[ElectricBoogaloo]

SEASON FINALE!

Quote

Ray goes to New York to arrange an illicit surgery that will hopefully save Smitty. Sam agrees to help - but only on the condition that Ray commit a brutal act. Meanwhile, Daryll struggles with his loyalties as Mickey tries to get himself out of jail by turning the tables on Ray.

Promo:

 

Clips:

 

[LoveLeigh]

Cliffhanger bullshit ending much? Ray will not be fished out of the East River, the next season's first scene will start as if this last scene never happened and Ray just imagined it. I can seen that coming a mile away. See you soon, Ray! Maybe sooner rather later since the next season will be filmed in my hometown of NYC! 

[CynicalGirl]

That would've been a great series finale. Too bad it's not. 

[TexasGal]

Darryl: We have to be loyal to Mickey.

<here’s a really cool job offer>

Also Darryl: Here’s the gun and a statement naming Mickey.

[yourmomiseasy]

Not a fan of Ray's Jaime Lannister float since we all know he'll be back next season.  I did like how happy Dog was to see him.  I didn't like him just dumping Dog off on Bunch if he doesn't come back for him.  I was almost impressed at how mature Connah seemed and then he ruined it by going off on his you'll be working for me rant.

[Puddy]

23 minutes ago, CynicalGirl said:

That would've been a great series finale. Too bad it's not. 

I think it was written as a finale and then the new season materialized.

[Joimiaroxeu]

OMG, did the kid really need to be awake while they were operating on his brain? He'll never get that memory out of his head unless it was part of what the surgeon cut out, heh, heh.

Yeah, ditto comments upthread, this episode could've been the show finale. Everyone has moved to the next phase of their life except for Ray who has tried to move to the final step of his. I hope when the show does end they don't actually leave us wondering whether Ray's dead or alive. I'm still mad about the Sopranos ending...

[preeya]

Spinoff suggestion: 

The 4 B's

Bunchy, Bar, Baby, & Big dog.

[Puddy]

When I saw the guy in the upper bunk's arm, I thought it was another "suicide".

[scrb]

2 hours ago, DakotaLavender said:

Cliffhanger bullshit ending much? Ray will not be fished out of the East River, the next season's first scene will start as if this last scene never happened and Ray just imagined it. I can seen that coming a mile away. See you soon, Ray! Maybe sooner rather later since the next season will be filmed in my hometown of NYC! 

The whole sequence was beautifully shot, somewhat dreamlike.

Or like a music video.

There are no buildings along that Brooklyn waterfront overlooking Manhattan and the bridges which are right by the water such that Ray could jump off the roof and into the river.  At least not close to those benches where Ray was sitting.

And we know that can't be Ghost Abby because she smoked too much to go up those beautiful set of stairs that easily.

 

The surgery is contrived, that Sam could make that happen.  Well at least it didn't come down to Ray seducing 24 Audrey to get her to do it.

Guess Connah won't be making the cut to next season.  Probably will get killed in Afghanistan or will get PTSD -- which would be an interesting wrinkle since the shrink said Ray has PTSD.

 

Darryl selling out Mickey seems improbable.  For some cheesy producer job?  They can't write Mickey out of the show so they're going to have to come up with some way to get him out.

Meanwhile, Bunchy is going to blow his money, because he's been the punching bag who always gets kicked back down whenever anything good happens to him.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

At this point, I don't care how contrived or superficial Darryl's reason was for finally turning on Mickey. He has been a terrible father to all of his kids, so Darryl's stubborn loyalty was becoming ridiculous. I know that the show will never get rid of Jon Voight but I'd be fine with getting random snippets of Mickey in jail instead of continuing to watch him fuck up things in his family's lives.

Bridget, ugh. Ray has to move heaven and earth for her boyfriend to get surgery and suddenly she's his little girl again, calling him "daddy." Gross.

Am I really supposed to believe that Ray had an qualms whatsoever about murdering Doug? He's killed other people before so what's one more gross scumbag who is obviously abusing his power to keep the casting couch tradition alive?

Bunchy is not known for making the best decisions, and this one was no different. He was willing to leave his family and go work on his relationship with Teresa, but as soon as Ray hands him the bar, he kicks Teresa's ass to the curb. Even worse, Abby, Bridget, Terry, and even Mickey are out of the picture so he really has no one to help him with the baby. I really can't see Darryl or Ray carrying Maria around while they go about their daily routines. Is he going to foist the baby off on Lena?

[preeya]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

At this point, I don't care how contrived or superficial Darryl's reason was for finally turning on Mickey. He has been a terrible father to all of his kids, so Darryl's stubborn loyalty was becoming ridiculous. I know that the show will never get rid of Jon Voight but I'd be fine with getting random snippets of Mickey in jail instead of continuing to watch him fuck up things in his family's lives.

Bridget, ugh. Ray has to move heaven and earth for her boyfriend to get surgery and suddenly she's his little girl again, calling him "daddy." Gross.

Am I really supposed to believe that Ray had an qualms whatsoever about murdering Doug? He's killed other people before so what's one more gross scumbag who is obviously abusing his power to keep the casting couch tradition alive?

Bunchy is not known for making the best decisions, and this one was no different. He was willing to leave his family and go work on his relationship with Teresa, but as soon as Ray hands him the bar, he kicks Teresa's ass to the curb. Even worse, Abby, Bridget, Terry, and even Mickey are out of the picture so he really has no one to help him with the baby. I really can't see Darryl or Ray carrying Maria around while they go about their daily routines. Is he going to foist the baby off on Lena?

2

The Big dog will watch Bunchy's Baby in the Bar.

 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Quote

Bridget, ugh. Ray has to move heaven and earth for her boyfriend to get surgery and suddenly she's his little girl again, calling him "daddy." Gross.

My prediction for next season: Bridget and Smitty will fall in love and she will want a fancy wedding at the Plaza (or wherever the poshest Manhattan weddings are held now). Ray will give some pending bridegroom meningitis so his wedding will have to be delayed. Then precious Bridget can get the ballroom and date she wants.

Quote

Am I really supposed to believe that Ray had an qualms whatsoever about murdering Doug? He's killed other people before so what's one more gross scumbag who is obviously abusing his power to keep the casting couch tradition alive?

I think by the time Ray went to kill Doug he had already decided his life was over. That could be why the vision of Abby reappeared and "led" him to the rooftop. Also, Sam getting the doctor to do the brain surgery on Smitty was in exchange for Ray agreeing to kill Doug. He had to do it.

Edited October 30, 2017 by Joimiaroxeu

[jrlr]

What was that spectacular black and white building with the stairs at the end?

And does anyone know what breed Dog is?

Susan Sarandon finally got something to do in a season that has mostly wasted her presence.  

Does anyone think that Smitty will really recover?

[Mindthinkr]

54 minutes ago, jrlr said:

Does anyone think that Smitty will really recover?

I thought that maybe he'd die during the surgery so that all that effort was for naught. 

Can anyone please explain (unless she was random) who that blond was getting onto the elevator? Or did she appear to remind Ray of his wife in younger years? A new love interest for next season? 

I guess that Terry will be the only brother in NYC with Ray. The others now have solid lives in LA. Bunchy wanting pinball games and fooseball showed that he was going to invest his heart into making the bar work. There's going to need to be some reason that Ray makes the choice to stay in NYC but I can't blame him. Everything in LA went to hell in a hand basket. A fresh start and he might even be brave and wear a shirt that isn't white! 

I thought for a moment that Ray was going to smoke one of Abby's cigarettes or open the pack to find marijuana. 

[Loandbehold]

14 hours ago, CynicalGirl said:

That would've been a great series finale. Too bad it's not. 

I was going to say this. Hopefully next season will have no Bunchy, no Mickey, no Darryl, and, especially, no Connah. Dog can move back to NY and rejoin Ray. Lena stays and she and Ray do what they do best. Terry works with his boxing protege. Bridge's boyfriend survives and so she doesn't angst all over the place. Avi can stop by if he wants.

5 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Can anyone please explain (unless she was random) who that blond was getting onto the elevator? Or did she appear to remind Ray of his wife in younger years? A new love interest for next season?

She was the actress who took over for dead!actress on the movie. And, as with the dead one, studio guy had sex with new actress, thereby needing to dispose of the condom. I guess he did learn something since he wore one this time.

[TexasGal]

1 hour ago, jrlr said:

And does anyone know what breed Dog is?

 

I think he's a Dogo Argentino.  http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/dogo-argentino/

[jrlr]

11 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

I think he's a Dogo Argentino.  http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/dogo-argentino/

Thanks - that certainly looks like Dog (I LOVE Dog but he'd be too much for me to handle).  Sounds like a very tough - in a good way - breed!  

[yellowjacket]

13 hours ago, scrb said:

There are no buildings along that Brooklyn waterfront overlooking Manhattan and the bridges which are right by the water such that Ray could jump off the roof and into the river.  At least not close to those benches where Ray was sitting.

Ray was sitting on a bench at the John Finley Walk in Manhattan, looking at the 59th street (Queensboro) Bridge and Roosevelt Island.  There are a couple building over the FDR Drive near there that are right on the East river (hospitals).  It was a long walk since he went past the Oculus PATH station downtown after leaving the dead guy.

Every time I head David Bowie I start to tear up.

[paigow]

That means Ray is only 12 blocks from the CIA Treadstone Training facility....Bourne made the jump and survived...so season 6 is safe!

[Joimiaroxeu]

I'm sure Ray would appreciate being compared to Jason Bourne. Both of them have more lives than five cats.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Joimiaroxeu

[yourmomiseasy]

2 hours ago, paigow said:

That means Ray is only 12 blocks from the CIA Treadstone Training facility....Bourne made the jump and survived...so season 6 is safe!

A like wasn't enough.  You made me LOL.

[Adultosaurus]

9 hours ago, jrlr said:

Thanks - that certainly looks like Dog (I LOVE Dog but he'd be too much for me to handle).  Sounds like a very tough - in a good way - breed!  

We have a sweet female Dogo - but I take exception to that bullet "Barks when necessary" unless she knows something about the mailman that we don't!

[Dobian]

It was nice to see the season end on a happy note with Ray taking a refreshing dip.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Dobian

[pfk505]

I thought the season ended pretty strong. From "Horses" forward Ray was great TV again. I hope they can maintain that next season and cut the BS.

[BigDfromLA]

1 hour ago, pfk505 said:

I thought the season ended pretty strong. From "Horses" forward Ray was great TV again. I hope they can maintain that next season and cut the BS.

I agree with you completely. A lot of the BS was related to all the Abby flashbacks and everything related to that. The show came back to greatness when all that was done. I think there is huge potential for a great Season 6, with the manner in which the story ended this season.  Though I love how the geography of the Los Angeles metropolitan area (my home) has played such an intriguing role in the show, the setting in New York should be fascinating as well.

[WaltersHair]

Was I the only one screaming for Ray to push dream Abby off the building? Bye Abby for good this time, okay?

I hope Lena makes the move to New York, because that just leaves Bridget as the last of the women in Ray's Life and just NO. Silver lining is Avi being in New York too.

I think Conor will take the place of dream Abby have a few phoned in episodes before he's blown up.

Loved Dog this episode. Literally the only truly happy creature.

Ray just waltzing into a hotel and killing Doug? As The Night Of demonstrated, there are cameras on every single block, hotel, and building in New York.  How are they going to write themselves out that?

As much as I love it, I agree this would have been a great show ender. But who knows. Maybe next year things will be better. Well, as good as the Donovans can get.

[Dobian]

It wouldn't be hard for Mick to get the charges dropped.  All the FBI has to do is look at the position of the footprints at the crime scene to realize that it was Darryl who shot Frank.  I think they were standing on dirt.  If it was asphalt then he's screwed.

Edited October 31, 2017 by Dobian

[roughing it]

On 10/30/2017 at 9:51 AM, jrlr said:

Susan Sarandon finally got something to do in a season that has mostly wasted her presence.  

Does anyone think that Smitty will really recover?

Yup.

Nope.

[roughing it]

I think Ray was dreaming:  was drunk in the bathtub and went under.  Then he will wake up and realize that he does have a lot of shit he needs to work through and will visit a therapist on his terms.  It would be interesting to watch that process evolve next season.

[TV Anonymous]

TIL that a Hollywood producer has that far and wide kind of reach. Finding secret clinic and equip and staff it properly for a specialized brain surgery? Influencing a hospital to rescind Chairmanship without any cause? To cancel funding for an established research program? I can buy it if she just knows those people involved. I can even buy the private jet. But what kind of leverage does she have over them?

[Adultosaurus]

4 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I think Ray was dreaming:  was drunk in the bathtub and went under.  Then he will wake up and realize that he does have a lot of shit he needs to work through and will visit a therapist on his terms.  It would be interesting to watch that process evolve next season.

I wish it could still be PonyBoy though!

[Mindthinkr]

32 minutes ago, roughing it said:

I think Ray was dreaming:  was drunk in the bathtub and went under.  Then he will wake up and realize that he does have a lot of shit he needs to work through and will visit a therapist on his terms.  It would be interesting to watch that process evolve next season.

I'm ok with this as long as it doesn't get Tony Soprano-ish. 

[Utpe]

12 hours ago, roughing it said:

I think Ray was dreaming:  was drunk in the bathtub and went under.  Then he will wake up and realize that he does have a lot of shit he needs to work through and will visit a therapist on his terms.  It would be interesting to watch that process evolve next season.

I hope that's the case.  If Ray did jump from a distance that high, then he probably would've died or, at the very least, broken several bones in his body.

I'm guessing next season will start out with him dreaming that the plunge happened as part of some hallucination.  As his therapist stated, Ray does suffer from PTSD.  That's why he keeps imagining Abby.

Hopefully, NYC will be a fresh start for him.  He pretty much burned his bridges in LA.

Edited November 1, 2017 by Utpe

[Loandbehold]

23 hours ago, TV Anonymous said:

TIL that a Hollywood producer has that far and wide kind of reach. Finding secret clinic and equip and staff it properly for a specialized brain surgery? Influencing a hospital to rescind Chairmanship without any cause? To cancel funding for an established research program? I can buy it if she just knows those people involved. I can even buy the private jet. But what kind of leverage does she have over them?

She's a large donor to the hospital. Or, she's Red Reddington dressed as Sam, acting like Red.

[paigow]

On 11/1/2017 at 0:53 PM, Loandbehold said:

 she's Red Reddington dressed as Sam, acting like Red.

Dembe will be confused by so many "Raymonds".....

[roughing it]

On 11/1/2017 at 10:53 AM, Loandbehold said:

Or, she's Red Reddington dressed as Sam, acting like Red.

OT:  that show, I can't even.  Gave up on it a LONG time ago.  So was it ever determined that "wiggy" was Red's daughter?

[Loandbehold]

11 minutes ago, roughing it said:

OT:  that show, I can't even.  Gave up on it a LONG time ago.  So was it ever determined that "wiggy" was Red's daughter?

Yes. And, possibly no. I'm not being facetious.

[roughing it]

10 minutes ago, Loandbehold said:

Yes. And, possibly no. I'm not being facetious.

OT:  Kind of like the never-ending search for Red John on The Mentalist...  I gave up on that one too.

Edited November 3, 2017 by roughing it

[Puddy]

On 10/30/2017 at 0:36 AM, scrb said:

The surgery is contrived, that Sam could make that happen.

I did not see it as contrived at all.  Hollywood donates millions to places like Sloan Kettering.  One swipe of the pen makes your check out to another hospital.  Do the surgery.  Period.

On 10/30/2017 at 7:52 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

he kicks Teresa's ass to the curb

Cheating ass.

[Puddy]

On 10/31/2017 at 1:49 PM, TV Anonymous said:

TIL that a Hollywood producer has that far and wide kind of reach. Finding secret clinic and equip and staff it properly for a specialized brain surgery? Influencing a hospital to rescind Chairmanship without any cause? To cancel funding for an established research program? I can buy it if she just knows those people involved. I can even buy the private jet. But what kind of leverage does she have over them?

Simple.

Money and connections.

Sam is not Ray's equal.  She is superior.

The "secret clinic" was not a secret clinic.  It appeared to be an un-used or under-used surgery center (much like the place where Joan Rivers met her end).  To find it and rent it is no big deal for a player like Sam.

The "influence" is based on money.  You want the money, you do what I say.

As for it being an established research program?  It still needs big bucks to stay afloat and there are many other places that money could go.  In Los Angeles alone, you have how many hospitals with research programs?  Competition is fierce for that sort of coin.

On 11/1/2017 at 0:53 PM, Loandbehold said:

She's a large donor to the hospital. Or, she's Red Reddington dressed as Sam, acting like Red.

She and/or the studio provide the $$$$.

[Bannon]

Frustrating season, in that the structure was there for a good story. I actually liked the portrayal of how Ray became consumed with grief, through the use of flashbacks, and visions of Abbey. I also understand why they wanted to get the final season set in New York, because the Hollywood fixing has been thoroughly played out. I sure wish they could have done it less clumsily than with the inane fixing of the experimental surgery lottery. Christ, just run Smitty over with a car on a Manhattan street, instead of giving him a slow cancer death.

 

Of course, then we miss out on Bridget meeting Smitty the cancer patient, followed by, surprise, surprise, falling in love with him. Ugh. It would have been better if Smitty had been an a-hole (surely there are a-hole cancer patients, are there not?) with Bridget thinking "better you than my mother, and she's no day at the beach, either!". The entire subplot around Smitty just sucked.

 

Toss in the laziest murder staged as suicide in television history in the finale, the severely underutlization of Susan Sarandon all season, and some really, really, tired plotlines (must it really be shown again that Bunchy is a hopeless eff-up, so Ray has more stuff to do?), and the writers missed a chance at a decent season, kind of through tired complacency. Hope they rebound next season.

[crookedjackson44]

I can only hope this show will go forward without Abby, Connor or Bridget, and somehow bring back Avi and have some fun again.  Oh, also bye-bye to Bunchie's awful wife, and maybe to Bunchie, too, who has usually been a drag on the show.

[Crazydoxielady]

Well Ray Donovan can never be accused of being realistic, lol. The entire forced surgery was so unbelievable...yet such classic Ray. I kept waiting for him to have sex with Susan Sarandon, and was happy when it didn't happen.

I agree with all above, so silly with the jump into the water. We all know somehow he will wake up under water in the tub, or in bed after a bad dream, or somehow miraculously survive the fall. I think with this show one has to suspend actual reality facts and allow for some fantasy. Loved the Bowie music and music video quality of the ending. 

I hope the Abby scenes are done. As a BC survivor, it was hard to watch at times, and I couldn't help but judge that she got so terminal so fast when she decided not to get any treatment when initially diagnosed.

Dog is the best. His playful way of running around just gave me the giggles.

I hope Maria doesn't divorce Bunch, and then  come after the bar (California law states 50/50). I don't trust that girl one bit.

Both of Ray's kids are so spoiled and not fleshed out.  Either give them an actual character and personality or leave them to the background entirely.

Happy to see Mickey back in the pokey.  I will say as a south of Boston girl, he does do a great Boston accent. He is the villain that you can't stop watching.

[SuzWhat]

On 10/30/2017 at 1:02 PM, Loandbehold said:

I was going to say this. Hopefully next season will have no Bunchy, no Mickey, no Darryl, and, especially, no Connah. Dog can move back to NY and rejoin Ray. Lena stays and she and Ray do what they do best. Terry works with his boxing protege. Bridge's boyfriend survives and so she doesn't angst all over the place. Avi can stop by if he wants.

 

I completely agree, except I'm over Terry too.   No more Bridget either please.   Just Ray, Lena and Avi.  Forever. 

[Puddy]

On 11/17/2017 at 9:42 AM, SuzWhat said:

I completely agree, except I'm over Terry too.   No more Bridget either please.   Just Ray, Lena and Avi.  Forever. 

And the dog.

[PreBabylonia]

On 11/15/2017 at 0:47 PM, Crazydoxielady said:

Well Ray Donovan can never be accused of being realistic, lol. The entire forced surgery was so unbelievable...yet such classic Ray. I kept waiting for him to have sex with Susan Sarandon, and was happy when it didn't happen.

 

Dog is the best. His playful way of running around just gave me the giggles.

I hope Maria doesn't divorce Bunch, and then  come after the bar (California law states 50/50). I don't trust that girl one bit.

Both of Ray's kids are so spoiled and not fleshed out.  Either give them an actual character and personality or leave them to the background entirely.

Happy to see Mickey back in the pokey.  I will say as a south of Boston girl, he does do a great Boston accent. He is the villain that you can't stop watching.

Agreed with the first point, although I would have preferred him to get carnal with SS. Much preferable to all the women he gets involved with that look like they're 16 (Natalie etc.) It's just creepy.

Love Dog too. They don't seem to do much with him though - very little walking and who is feeding him With such little attention, I believe that Dog would have trashed the original Donovan mansion several times over.

I actually really like Maria, although I originally couldn't see what he saw with her. Poor woman. She had postpartum depression so she's had a long way to go. He should forgive her and move on. It's not like Bunchy has women lining up to get involved with him anyway. Their emotional issues seemed to mesh well.

I've gone  from hating Mickey to just being fascinated by him. I want to see more. Definitely the standout of the cast.

And I am fine with dropping some of the cast and focusing on Lena and Avi (if he's come back). Haven't forgiven Ray for how he treated him. Those two are more family to Ray than the ones we've been watching over the past several seasons. And I thought Conner was bad but Bridget is a million times worse. I wish she would jump into the river and stay there.

[paigow]

On 10/31/2017 at 1:44 PM, roughing it said:

Then he will wake up and realize that he does have a lot of shit he needs to work through and will visit a therapist on his terms.

He can see Dr. Melfi

[Kbilly]

Hi everyone newbie here, I just binged Ray Donovan seasons 1-5 in like two weeks.

I see I might be in the minority bc I really hated Ray (does he ever wear a simple tee and jeans) and my favorite character by far is Mickey--"What did he ever do to you?" indeed. Have an affair while his wife was dying, um... kind of like you? I also hated Abby until her personality change brain tumor.

It was disgusting to me with Ray and the child actress, gross.

Also I thought Ponyboy was crazy hot with that beard, LOL.

[MrWhyt]

On 10/30/2017 at 5:52 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

At this point, I don't care how contrived or superficial Darryl's reason was for finally turning on Mickey. He has been a terrible father to all of his kids, so Darryl's stubborn loyalty was becoming ridiculous. I know that the show will never get rid of Jon Voight but I'd be fine with getting random snippets of Mickey in jail instead of continuing to watch him fuck up things in his family's lives.

coming in very late (I just finally finished the season) to say: Mickey has become like Frank on Shameless, a character who's sleazyness and bullshit was entertaining for a few season but quickly became "they aren't dead yet cause they're played by a big name actor".