With a father like Mickey Donovan, who needs enemies?

It's almost difficult to peg exactly what Ray Donovan is trying to be. Definitely a drama, but there's crime involved, and oodles of family issues. The two often overlap and that's where I think it's really going to shine.

The more involved Mickey becomes with his son's family, as well as his own children, and the more he drags them into his own life of crime and into the lives of Mickey's clients, the more sh*t we'll see hitting the fan.

If ever a man had his work cut out for him, it's Ray Donovan. The easiest part of his life is dealing with the dumbass celebrities like Tommy who are sex addicts and constantly need Ray to cover their ridiculous screw ups.

On the other hand, there is his family. It's surprising that he never spoke with Abby about why he wanted to maintain a distance from Mickey. That was definitely a big mistake on his part. Of course, Ray makes a lot of mistakes. But Abby's mistake has been bringing Mickey into her house without discovering something about Mickey's past - and without her husband's consent.

It's 2013. There has to be information about why Mickey was in prison and even starting there would have been a good idea before shoveling his crap head first into her kids' lives only to piss off Ray for having affairs or whatever other problems their marriage suffers. As I watch, I try to empathize with Abby, and, oh, there have been times when smiting seems such a fabulous idea, but at the expense of your children? That's just crazy.

Mickey's jamming money down Abby's bra (totally inappropriate) so I have to wonder if she'd find this kind of exchange to be cute grandfather/grandson bonding or if some alarms would go off...

Mickey: Conor, you a fag?
Conor: I don't think so.
Mickey: I met some stand up fags in prison. Good guys. Tough guys. If one of your little friends wants to give you a blow job, that's fine. "A Mouth is a Mouth" But don't let them f*ck you in that ass. That's how you get sick.
Conor: Thanks Grandpa. | permalink

As Mickey's never spoken about his past with his father to Abby, I wonder if he's ever spoken about his job. I mentioned last week that it seems obvious to me that Ray does what he does because he was unable to protect his family from his father as a child. So now he protects others from people who could suffer similar damage. He did it, leaving his family in the dark, probably because of his expectation that Mickey was in prison for at least another five years. 

Nothing good is going to come of all of this miscommunication. When one of Ray's client's was robbed, Ray discovered it was Mickey and new half brother Darryl who did the job. Ray has no loyalty to either of them, and Avi left a message outside of Fite Club by way of what seemed to be a family portrait stapled to his chest and his bruised body left heaped in the trash. 

With Bunchy overcome with excitement at the return of Mickey, Mickey willing to do anything to get what he wants, Abby seemingly ready to toss Ray aside just to piss him off and the kids completely engaged with their new, crazy grandfather, we can only imagine what else this merging of crime and a man who has tried to keep mishaps out of the public eye will bring.

This whole fish out of water story where Ray is the only person who seems to bridge the gap between his Hollywood life and the Boston family he brought along is riveting to watch. I feel somehow like he's the captain of the Titanic and he sees the iceberg. Will he be able to save the ship and everyone on it this time around? I sure as hell hope so.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.