No lie lives forever…but SPOILERS do…
Season Two, Episode Three: “Gem and Loan”
Written by Michael Tolkin; Directed by Phil Abraham
This week brought on a marriage of Ray’s usual work and his home life as the two intertwined with one another in a way that we don’t get to see very often.
Quick Breakdown
Fade in on a white sand beach accompanied by mariachi music playing in the background. Did Mickey really find his way back to Mexico? Close. Well, sort of. Remember that mystery job his parole officer got him last week? He’s washing dishes in a Mexican restaurant. It could be worse, though. He could be cleaning toilets in a Mexican restaurant.
If Mickey doesn’t somehow cause the whole thing to fall apart, it’s fair to think that ol’ Kate McPherson will. She has arrived in Los Angeles, ladies and gentlemen, and she’s sure to screw something up. Her first scene in L.A. already has her up Cochran’s ass, trying to get more leads on the Sully case. As one might assume, Cochran has the dock story rehearsed and polished. “Frank was a hero; blah, blah, blah.” (OK, that last part was an ad-lib). However, Kate is more concerned about something else at the moment: Mickey.
Meanwhile, Ray and Abby just learned that Bridget is basically too smart for her public school. She wants to go to Bel-Air Academy, yet that’s easier said than done. Stu Feldman (without a doubt the show’s most mind-numbingly annoying character) banned Ray’s children from the private school last season after Conor assaulted Stu’s son with a football tee. (This is why we love you, Conor.) Luckily for Bridget, her father is well-versed in the ways of getting things done. Not so luckily for Ray (and viewers), that means dealing with Stu.
On top of all the Stu bullshit, Cochran is breathing down Ray’s neck again after his meeting with Kate. Now Ray has to find her and intercept her attempts to talk to Mickey. (Quick tangent: Being a fixer can’t be too much fun. Ray is constantly on the run. Plus, he is never home. Seriously. Someone should use some fancy mathematics to figure out how much time Ray actually spends, like, at home with his family.)
So, here goes Ray, marching into Stu’s office to ask for a favor. Of course, Stu is delighted to have the tables turned for once. Keeping with his typical skeeviness , he assures Ray that Bridget’s dream of getting into Bel-Air Academy can be arranged…under one condition. One heinous condition. He wants to have sex with porn star Lexi Steele. See, aside from just being generally loathsome, Stu is a smug bastard with highly self-indulgent behaviors. Apparently he’s tried “50 times” to make it happen for himself, all to no avail.
Just so everyone knows exactly what’s going on here, let’s recap: If Ray gets this famous porn star to have sex with Feldman, Bridget gets into the best private school in L.A. Yep, that covers it.
Mickey gets a surprise visit at his new place of employment from his parole officer, Ronald Keith. And he comes bearing gifts: a GPS monitor for Mickey to wear around his ankle to keep track of his movements. This is going to be an issue, seeing that not even 60 seconds after Ronald setup the device, Mickey was already making plans with Claudette. She calls and says she has to see him, but he doesn’t want her seeing him in that dilapidated apartment of his. Priorities, man.
Ray’s meeting with Lexi’s manager/husband (that’s right, folks) doesn’t go as intended, though it is revealed that the main reason Stu’s attempts have failed is because Lexi is a “professional” and only has sex on camera. Problem solved. Ray leaves Stu to take care of it himself, which he quickly botches — this leaves him begging for Ray to come save his ass.
Later, Kate and Ray meet for the first time at Donovan’s Fite Club after Avi blocks her car in so she can’t leave. She’s still looking for Mickey. The chemistry between the two is evident. I mean, we already see it coming, right? These two are going to be copulating furiously sometime in the near future. (Prediction: It’ll be at the new house in Truesdale.)
We all know how much Mickey hates prison, but it seems he somehow hates it less than how much he loves Claudette. He cons one of his new neighbors into wearing the GPS tracker while he goes to meet Claudette; a plan that falls short once Ronald shows up. Mickey ends up getting a pass when Kate finds Mickey’s address, and Ray orders Ronald to get him out of there before she shows up.
Bridget may be headed to Bel-Air Academy, but some things never change. She’s still got a thing for Marvin Gaye Washington. I mean, she’s got it bad. Like, Usher bad. And while she’s done well to ignore his advances throughout most of the episode, she’s tired of being stuck in the house not having fun, so she gives in.
Kate and Ray meet a second time at Mickey’s apartment, which is quickly moved to a bar after Ray asks her if she wants to get a drink. Now, this is the get-together that really riles my suspicions about these two. While she makes it clear that there’s no chance of her giving up on this investigation and the banter is mainly centered around Mickey, Sully and Ray’s children, there is a casual, flirty air about it all. I guess calling each other “pissah” really does it for Bostonians.
Rating
A
“Gem and Loan” was a great comeback after last week’s episode, which sort of fell flat. We got a good idea on the direction this season will take. Episodes like “Gem and Loan” are when Ray Donovan is at its best because there’s enough action to hold our attention but not so much that things get lost in the shuffle. Everything that happened was pretty cohesive and rounded out the two major plots taking place, making Ray’s circle seem much smaller and intimate.
