5 things I liked about "Ray Donovan" Season 4, Episode 4

This show has gone from strength to strength due to the screenwriters and ensemble cast. Season 4 could be its best. It's certainly the funniest, thanks to Micky (Jon Voight).

• Dabney Coleman (last seen in "Boardwalk Empire"?) as the movie legend with a secret.
• The motel owner (Diane Ladd) seducing the hapless Micky in the aging Cadillac.
• Ray singing Bob Seger - karaoke. Who knew Liev Schreiber could hold a tune?
• Abby's therapeutic bar session with Deb's "friend".
• Hank Azaria (Ed Cochran) returns!

Is "Ray Donovan" Season 3 better than "True Detective" Season 2?

Both set in L.A., both about crime and corruption.
But "Ray Donovan" has more heart and less pretence. The stunning aerial shot across the Hollywood sign, zooming down to Mickey in the motel pool, to the stains of "On the Good Ship Lollypop", was enough for me to confirm that Season 3 is going to maintain the standard of the rest of the series. David Hollander as the writer is certainly kicking goals. Episode 1 was a ripper.

P.S. That being said, the shootout scene at the end of "True Detective", Episode 4 was f**king amazing.

"Ray Donovan" Season 2 Better than ever? F**k yeah.

You think you had a bad day?
Spare a thought for our hero (anti-hero):
In the first episode: a buried-alive nightmare, angry early morning sex with the wife, followed by marriage guidance/psychologist meeting, his son is suspended from school, hounded by the Feds/daughter arrested for possession, tricky shooting cover-up for a client followed by a quick night drive to Mexico for his boozed, sociopath daddy. At least he had a clean shirt for the Parent-Teacher meeting (which he changed out of before brandishing his baseball bat in Baja).
Cracking season opening. Bonus: Hank Azaria as FBI officer and scrabble/wife swapping fiend. Bit weird seeing Agador Spartacus from "The Birdcage" in this part.
Tequila-soaked Mickey swimming with talking Flipper (Rosanna Arquette) was the cherry on the Showtime cake.
By Episode 3 you realise that family is the core of this show, not sex and violence.  The resemblance between mother and daughter is uncanny. Elliott Gould is a trick in this show, stealing ever scene that he is in.
Nice to see Ann-Margret as the former Hollywood goddess.
Episode 7: possibly the worst 14th birthday party ever, saved by Ray and birthday boy dancing to "Walk this way".
Episode 8 guest appearances by /60's/70's star Richard Benjamin (weird hearing him say "couldn't find a clit in a forest of clits) and Paul Michael Glasser (Starky) as the sleazy producer. Knockout final scenes: bedroom fireworks at Chez Donovan and brutal street slaying. No wonder David Hollander (script writer) has been 'promoted' in Season 3, booting out producer, Ann Biderman.
Episode 12 season finale: series creator, Ann Biderman, wrote this one, lots of loose ends tied up, a classy swansong.

The best episode of "Ray Donovan" so far, "Bridget" Episode 8 review

Ann Biderman wrote this beautifully structured episode. A lot to like this week - revolving around the brothers' yearly toasting ceremony for Bridget's birthday. Loved:

• Lesbian Lena (Katherine Moennig, from "The L Word", is she being typecast?) getting love advice from Ray's Israeli henchman, Avi.
• Mickey (Jon Voight) asking Rosanna Arquette (David's sis, remember her?) whether she would twerk for him.
• The piercing episode with young Bridget (as a parent of a teenage daughter, I can empathise)
• Learning a new way to negotiate price with a real estate agent (using a tazer)
• Bridget and dad ending the ep with a cuddle and a singalong.

More please (oh and some more James Woods, also).

Five cool things about "Ray Donovan" Episode 7 "New Birthday"

1. The recreation of the 90's action movie.
2. The stark Boston graveyard scene, little white dog tramping through the snow.
3. Ray meeting James Woods (Sully) in the chapel.
4. The boozy girls' lunch ("Ruth has a dick!") ending with a spot of impromptu Rodeo Drive shoplifting.
5. In the beauty parlour, Sully's mom (100 year old actress, Connie Sawyer) telling Ray to go f**k himself.

This show is getting better with each episode as Ray's past is slowly unravelling. Liked Lesli Linka Glatter's direction this week. She has directed "The Newsroom" episodes in both seasons.

Why I enjoyed "Ray Donovan" more than "Dexter"

By Episode 6 of "Ray Donovan" I was won over, after a few patchy earlier eps. My reasons:

• Some great Bunchy scenes this week. Dash Mihok is a great actor - to upstage Jon Voight takes something.
• Elliott Gould in a hospital johnny showing his tush on the L.A. streets
• The acid scenes with OCD, "Star Wars" figurine-loving FBI Agent Miller were inspirational
• The 5 star hotel sperm bank. Puts a whole new meaning to 'room service'. 
• Lampshade obscuring the guy's junk in said hotel room. A tribute to Austin Powers' lampshade/naughty bits schtick?
• Introducing James Woods in the final scene. Good move, Showtime.

The final season of "Dexter" was all over the shop. I've stuck with him for eight seasons. Bringing the serial poisoner back into the mix was silly. Dr Vogel became a bore as was ghost dad.
The final episode of "Dexter" was a change in tone and helped to redeem the series. The scenes on the Dexter's boat, heading into the storm were haunting and surreal. The mute, numb lumberjack .... who saw that one coming? I have my doubts about Harrison in Buenos Aires, though. That kid has been pushed from pillar to post ... must be a resilient little tacker.

Whereas "Ray Donovan" Series 1 has been consistently engrossing as well as good fun.

Episode 10, "Fite Night", was dynamite. In Episode 11, the scene in the gym with Ray and the priest knocked my socks off.  The look on Abby's face when she sees the priest said it all. I also liked Conor playing video games with Avi, the ex-Mossad agent.
This series went from strength to strength.
Episode 12, a totally satisfying conclusion to Series 1. The marina shootout was stunning. Final scene on the beach with Ray's family, a delight. What a coup getting Michael Apted (master documentary director - "7 Up" series) to film the final episode.
Series 2 has much to live up to.
Apology: this is the crappiest post I have written, jumbled and haphazard. Written too late at night.

Why Showtime's "Ray Donovan" is good viewing

Just watched the first two episodes of "Ray Donovan". By now you know if a show is a fizzer or not. This is smart, involving, "water cooler" television drama. This show has got it all - juicy Hollywood goss on the surface, but underneath, themes like: regret, guilt, passion, the nature of evil.
Ann Biderman has written beautifully complex characters: the tormented, multi-layered Ray (Liev Schreiber); the charismatic but morally bankrupt Mickey (Jon Voight - normally playing Mr Nice Guy in movies); stalwart, but strident Bridget (Paula Malcomson), trying to hold her family together. Elliott Gould's (who was one of the biggest stars in the early 1970's) savvy but flaky, Ezra, is priceless.
Strange scenes that come out of nowhere: When Ray gives heartfelt advice (and later, cash) to the young transsexual or when Grandpa Donovan gives some prison wisdom to his teenage grandson "...don't take it up the ass". Looks like Conor is being groomed on the internet by the sex addicted movie star, Tommy.
The show looks great, LA locales, the mansions to the seedy gyms. Allen Coulter seems to be the go-to director for classy cable series - "Boardwalk Empire", "House of Cards", "Six feet Under", "The Sopranos". I also liked his work in the under appreciated flick "Hollywoodland" (2006).