Ray Donovan

Pilot: To tell the truth, I didn’t enjoy this much; it looks like it’s turning into a classic series about relationships, and I can’t see anything that would make it unusual. The premise isn’t particularly imaginative. I’ll probably still give it a chance thanks to its solid depiction of the L.A. environment. We’ll see. (13/07/2013)

Ray Donovan or in other words "Mr. Wolf, who solves the problems of the averted face of Hollywood" and his moonlighting jobs among the cream of the LA society, when he tries to balance his personal life with not always strictly legal jobs (read drugs, murders, mistresses) for mobsters, security forces, celebrities, porn magnates and who knows who else in the style of "I help you, you help me" and so as a hen runs (i.e. in his case drives Mercedes) from dusk till dawn in LA and sometimes he blackmails, sometimes bribes, oppresses, catches someone red handed, or he kills someone and buries his corpse. If that's not enough, he still has to solve the problems of his large mischievous family, where every family member is a trickster looking for troubles. And to top it all off, his crazy daddy, a longtime prisoner, and a former gangster bumpkin/hopscotch who doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life performed by charming Jon Voight. As long as/if there is at least one of the Ray/Mickey duo present on the stage, it's flawless. There´s enough tension, twists and turns, ideas, character development or pace. The problem (and fundamental one) is that they space covers about two-thirds of each episode. The rest is occupied by the relationship vicissitudes of Ray's brothers, the daughter's first love or the escapades of a naughty son and similar monkey business, which of course can be portrayed in an interesting and meaningful way, that´s for sure, but imagine family scenes filled with padding the last seasons of Dexter or Homeland (when taking about movies from Showtime station). Does it make you feel uncomfortable? So here it's the same, only a little worse, because the relationship segments are presented in such a way that it would not work even in the later faded Beverly Hills 90210 series. And what's worse, they treading water. Not in several episodes or perhaps one series, but even for several seasons. I would like to see the clever fellow that came up with the concept of "we will have a tough guy who every one respects, who is threatening every one with a baseball at and then cut, and we will focus on the daughter and her texting flirts and fondling and all this not only in one episode but for several seasons. The audience will be shocked and they could not wait until they find out if the rapper succeeds or not". But it's not just about the daughter, her brother, their mother. Even Ray's relatives are like two peas in a pod. In other words, about two thirds of the episodes/seasons/series are in the top of their league but the remaining third is way below the average and unbearably boring. Nevertheless, as a viewer I have been getting on with the multitasking Ray for several years, because no matter how annoying the above mentioned is, the genre (initially very fragmented) story line is inevitably worth watching and over time, even more and more. (11/07/2016)

Ray Donovan is not a private eye from classic film noirs and doesn't own a detective agency. Together with his colleagues, he runs a cleaning company that cleans up the mess left by successful celebrities and the wealthy elite of Los Angeles. Given the choice, he chooses the path of law, but it doesn't give him the slightest problem with using a wide range of illegal activities, including extortion, intimidation, manipulation, and sometimes even brutal violence. He is one of the best in his field, and therefore, he enters an environment that is inaccessible to the vast majority of mortals. The series is brilliantly cast, with Liev Schreiber as a seasoned Hollywood project master and perfectly suited for the role of an unscrupulous tough guy who also manages to be a sensitive father and brother. There is not much to criticize about the script either; it rightfully belongs amongst the highest quality that television production currently offers. The environment of the Hollywood elites and the music and sports stars is attractive to the viewer, and the series perfectly captures the decadent notions of their extravagant lives. Corrupt scoundrels and starlets immersed in cocaine and promiscuity everywhere you look. It's true, it's hard to find someone in this environment who you can identify with without reservations. Overall impression: 85%. (28/04/2020)