Ray Donovan - Irish Spring - Review: "I Love The Way You Lie"

Note: Please be aware that English is not my first language

“Irish Spring” premiered on Sunday, August 10 at 9:00 PM on Showtime.

Last Sunday episode took the show to a whole new place. It was a really important episode in Ray Donovan’s history as it was a turning point in the evolution of the characters and their different storylines throughout the season.

“Irish Spring” written by Ron Nyswaner and Ann Biderman and directed by Daniel Attias (recently known for Resurrection and Extant) is focused on one major storyline that is truly exciting and gripping. For the occasion, they decided to put aside the subplots and some characters such as Ray’s brothers, Bunchy and Terry.

In this episode, the major storyline concentrates on Ray, Mickey, Kate and Cochran. After Tiny’s death that was ordered by Cochran, Ray is kind of pissed and he tries to get some dirt on Cochran with the help of Lena. He soon realizes that Cochran might be having sexual relations with agent Volchek’s wife.

“S.U.C.K.” ended with Mickey’s kidnapping. Kate, desperate to find answers, arrives at his place welcomed by Shorty, his neighbor/friend, leading to this really awesome exchange (Da Vinci Code is one of my favorite books):

Shorty: “What the fuck are you doing?”
Kate: “I’m looking for Mickey Donovan.”
Shorty: “What for?”
Kate: “I’m a reporter.”
Shorty: “Oh, he was waiting for you last night! He had some important shit to tell you. Da Vinci Code-type shit. Now, I don’t know where he’s at. Maybe the Vatican. They’re probably torturing him. He wanted to give you this. Well, I’ll be on my way.”

Well. This episode is very complex but very simple at the same time. What is happening is that Ray is trying to find Mickey after his kidnapping and Ray knows deep down that Cochran is behind his father abduction. The question is why? We soon learn that Cochran won’t forget agent Van Miller’s murder (in the first season) and he kidnapped Mickey not only to keep him from saying anything to Kate but also to make a deal with him: if he signs a statement saying that Ray is behind Van Miller’s murder, he will be able to go back to his life in Mexico. Cochran uses photos of Linda’s body that was found in the woods by kids after dogs dug the ground as a leverage to convince Mickey to testify against his son (Mickey being behind Linda’s murder).
However, Ray is able to get Mickey out of the FBI basement where they kept him as Mickey was under the custody of the LAPD police. Ray gets him out of there and has a plan to keep everyone happy, especially Cochran who is really edgy.

Ray’s plan is to gather himself with Cochran, Mick and Kate to end Kate’s journey in L.A. Not with a bullet but with a huge mountain of lies. They agreed to lie to her so they can get rid of her, as she will finally be able to finish her book on Sully Sullivan. The story they are telling her is that Ray and Mick were working with the FBI on Sully’s case to catch him. That’s why the FBI didn’t reveal the whole story to the public. Kate believes the story because the trio is able to answer all questions. Therefore, Ray accompanies Kate to the airport to get the next flight to Boston. End of story.

The episode was really well structured and well written to give a satisfactory conclusion to Kate’s character. However, I’m a little disappointed that she leaves as soon as she appeared. But I really don’t think that we’ve seen the last of her, especially since Shorty slipped a tape in her pocket when she was at Mick’s place. I can’t wait to see what’s her next move and I really believe that the writers know exactly what to do with her because I was a little afraid in the previous episode that things were going a little too fast and in all directions for Kate, but it’s definitely not the case.
Until she comes back, I’m excited to see what they have concocted for the next episodes.

Otherwise, we witnessed the drastic change in Abby’s behavior. Her arc this season was very interesting as she is trying to establish a sense to her life and to her family. So we can easily understand her distress about Ray’s lack of interest towards her. Therefore, she’s trying to get herself free of her marriage and starts the pleasures of flirting with other mans, especially the cop from the shooting club.
Plus, the house that Ray offered her sooner in the season isn’t a source of happiness to her anymore, which is very significant. The fact that her therapist said that Ray is “bribing” her probably made her open her eyes.


Verdict: 6,5/10. This season offers a very consistent quality and Ray Donovan is turning to be one hell of a show. Last season, the show wasn’t a real enjoyment for me but it’s certainly is now. “Irish Spring” is a game-changer for the first part of this season and Kate is definitely a great character with a lot of potential. Vinessa Shaw interprets with brio this complex personage who I hope will be further explored.

Hit the comments section below and tell us what you thought of this episode of Ray Donovan. Did you enjoy it? Did you hate it? It's your turn !

About the Author - Adil Daoumer

Adil Daoumer is an almost 18y/o Moroccan student living in Paris, France, studying law and economy. He spends the majority of his life watching TV shows, reading books and listening to music. He has a lot of favorite TV shows such as Breaking Bad, LOST, Six Feet Under, Friday Night Lights, Shameless, Fringe, Hannibal, Boardwalk Empire, Game of Thrones, Revenge and more recently, Fargo and The Leftovers. He also enjoys having a good laugh in front of Community, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Happy Endings. This season on SpoilerTV, Adil will review Ray Donovan and Shameless.
Don't hesitate to contact him on one of these social media sites.

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