Ray Donovan Season 3 Episode 2 Review: Ding
Carissa Pavlica
at
.
Holy wow. Paige Finney is a ruthless bitch.
For a good portion of Ray Donovan Season 3 Episode 2, it felt as if Ray was getting back into the swing of things, truly being a fixer again. Trying to get a quarterback out of a situation in which he slept with a Navy Seal's wife doesn't seem all that sinister. Until you get to know Paige Finney.
When you put that storyline together with the others from the hour, we have the classic and fantastic Ray Donovan that makes your spine tingle and brings tears to your eyes.
What did Mickey say? We Donovan's make our money on the fringes. Something like that. How did it escape me that Mick was only killing Gary in Ray Donovan Season 3 Episode 1 to take over his prostitution ring? Giving Mickey credit where it wasn't deserved; shame on me. This fringe Mickey is the more enjoyable to watch, that's for sure.
Check out the Ray Donovan quotes for some of his better lines that I'm not featuring right here on the main page thanks to the f-bomb generously peppering the favorites. It's hard to believe Mickey's grand plan will really work out in the end, but he is so charismatic even Daryll bought into it by the end of the hour, and he had a $70k collateral on the hook for a mere $10k.
I laughed out loud when Daryll tried to get more than the 20% partnership considering what he put into the deal and was told what Mickey's father told him: F you, you, 20% is all you get. It's great these two are digging into the comic relief, because we kind of need it given the other stories.
Despite the knowledge the priest will be digging up dirt on the family during Ray Donovan Season 3, he only appeared briefly at the SNAP meeting, joining Fite Club and generally settling into Bunchy's routine.
Bunchy himself hit a turning point in his life. He finally got the balls to talk to the Mexicans. He learned a bit about Teresa and Lucha Libre, and in doing so decided to allow them to make arrangements to stick around a bit longer.
That wasn't really a surprise, as Teresa is the first person Bunchy has shown interest in for quite some time. Whatever it is, her ability to take care of herself or no nonsense attitude, it really turned Bunch on, and for the first time, he was able to pleasure himself. Let's be honest, it's probably not the best choice to do it standing up inside his Fite Club office, but it's almost impossible not to cheer him on knowing the difficulties he's faced over the years.
Out of his weakness for Teresa came the partnership between the Lucha Libre events and Fite Club, which could turn out to be really great for the business. Why do I have a feeling things will start to go really well for him, and that's when the priest will rear his ugly head?
Terry's stint in prison got worse because people thought he was a Ding (apparently the ding-wing is a prison's psych ward, so the ultra intelligent prisoners associated Parkinson's with mental illness). Terry's never lost the ability to fight, which ultimately proved to be his undoing.
The last thing some tough guy wants is to be beat up by a ding. While we didn't get a medical report on the guy Terry beat with a free weight, it seems a fair assumption he's dead. He's going to be in a heap of trouble from here on out. From a botched robbery he should have never been involved with to becoming a murderer. I can't even. Will Ray be able to help him from the outside?
The shock of that fight scene coming so soon after Paige's revelation about Carl Lafell and the quarterback was a hell of a one-two punch.
Ray working with Paige seemed so normal. The clean up of a quarterback sleeping with a Navy Seal's wife was simple enough. It even hit home with Ray given his experience with Abby. (Even if I still can't give him a pass for being such a whiner about Abby's single indiscretion versus his unmeasurable numbers.)
Ray did what I did with Mickey last week; let the situation get the better of him. He allowed all of Paige's pretty outfits and chatter about sports derail his common sense. He should have taken notice when she said the quarterback wasn't her client. It stood out, but not clearly enough to read between the lines.
Just remember, I didn't break the law, and neither did you.
Paige
The look on Ray's face was perfect. Did you guys know that was coming? I know the blood drained from my face right along with his. Thankfully, Carl did no more than break the quarterback's arm. I don't know that I agree with Paige that they didn't break the law. They set Carl up. Surely there's a crime hidden in that deliberate action somewhere.
What's interesting is Ray can't even bring himself to tell the truth to a client about his decision not to forgive Abby. And he can't seem to forgive himself for any of it, either. The hint of a smile on his face as he goaded Carl into a beat down by holding up that check said it all. He wants something beat into or out of him, but I don't think he knows which.
Other thoughts:
- Oh Conor. At least his strange bedfellow brought Ray and Abby together with laughter for a short moment.
- Abby feeding the dog off of Ray's plate, however, said a lot.
- Mickey treating the hookers like they still walked the streets was pretty funny. But...don't women still walk the streets in LA? Was that really so far fetched?
- As soon as Ray told Lena to go work for Avi, I figured the deal with Finney would be signed. You?
This was a great hour of television. The Donovans are in trouble. That's nothing new for them, of course, but they're all separated this season. That is new. Normally, they have each other to lean on; even when they're emotionally distant, physically they're close at hand. Maybe Terry's troubles will finally bring the family together again.
What do you think? Hit the comments! Let's talk this one out.
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.
