ONE of TV’s most ingenious shows in this pioneering era, Ray Donovan is like the love child of Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos.
At face value, our protagonist Ray is introduced as this impregnable guy, who takes care of his clients and his family. He has that James Bond suaveness coupled with this Mafia-style Sons of Anarchy ruthlessness about him.
Last season creator Ann Biderman, who relinquished her head writer throne on the show for the third season, went full throttle in unravelling the cracks within the Donovan family.
QUICK REPLAY
Ray was forced to confront a demon he buried a long time ago – his abuse by their Catholic family priest. This renders him aberrantly vulnerable – a feeling that doesn’t sit well with him. And, as expected, it impacts on his marriage. His wife Abby not only strays, she has her own meltdown while also feeling like the “ugly duckling” in her new affluent social circles.
That’s not forgetting Bridget’s relationship with a rising hip hop star putting her in harm’s way, while teenage son Conor grows a pair at school with his defiant streak.
Then there is his father Mickey, who raises hell with his degenerate ways. And he does so by recruiting his boys: Terry and his half-brother, Pooch. Of course, this means Ray has to also clean up his mess and save the day, once again.
Amid this volcanic eruption of family drama, Ray had to deal with an overzealous FBI head, a nosy investigative reporter and, at the same time, appease his needy and emotionally unstable boss.
BACK TO BUSINESS
Family time is over! With the deception, disguised fears, animosity, sibling rivalry and illegal ruckuses exposed – it’s time for Ray to regroup.
And he is all about the business this season, while Abby quietly returns to her matriarchal duties.
So, what’s on the agenda?
Ray has a new boss – Andrew Finney (Deadwood’s Ian McShane). And Elliott Gould, who played Ezra Gould, has nothing on him. He is uber mysterious. Insanely wealthy. Think along the line of Raymond “Red” Reddington (The Blacklist) in terms of money and influence. And he comes with his brood – and they are Lindsey Lohan problematic.
SPOILT-ROTTEN DADDY’S GIRL
Katie Holmes has been pegged as this season’s drawcard. She plays the role of Paige Finney. While the creators have been very tight-lipped about the premise, the scope of the new characters and how close Paige gets to Ray, the few pictures that have been released are titillating, to say the least.
Since her break-up with Tom Cruise, the former Dawson’s Creek star has been making a more concerted effort to leave fresh footprints in Hollywood.
Not only has she secured more big screen work, she has been making noticeable inroads in the TV domain.
This role, irrespective of scale, has proved to be a useful publicity bandwagon for her.
Let’s hope she lives up to all the hype around her involvement.
WHERE THINGS STAND
While Terry is paying dearly for his father’s larceny blunder, Bunchy tries to keep things afloat at the gym. And our shamelessly endearing criminal Mickey is on to his next “brilliant” scheme – he is giving the pimp daddy thing a go.
In other words, expect another season of transfixing storylines with the usual anarchy that accompanies it.
l Ray Donovan 3 airs on M-Net Edge (DStv channel 102) tomorrow at 9pm. But, for those who can’t wait, it will be available on Express at 3am.