No lie lives forever…but SPOILERS do…
Season Two, Episode Eleven: “Rodef”
Written by Ron Nyswaner & Brett Johnson; Directed by Michael Uppendahl
This week’s installment has it all: robbery, deceit and explosions. What more could you ask for? Nothing. You could ask for nothing more.
Quick Breakdown
It looks as if Ray is becoming increasingly aware that it may not be long before he’s possibly behind bars. (I’m sure his services could still be of use on the inside, too. Damn. Imagine that show.) On top of continuing his search for the footage of Cookie Brown murdering Marvin and Re-Kon (which we’ll get back to), Ray is taking stock of his assets and trying to make sure he leaves his family and employees in a good state-of-affairs if he does end up in prison.
Meanwhile, Mickey is preparing for his triumphant return to the world of armed robbery. While compiling all the materials he needs for the heist, he hears Shorty having a coughing fit. His delivery of oxygen tanks is late, and he’s low on air. The misfortune requires Mickey to adjust his plan to accommodate Shorty. After all, Shorty is the most important piece of this puzzle at the moment. Even if Mickey and the rest of his hapless gang of thieves are able to pull this off, he still needs someone who can crack open the safe. So…Shorty is left at home. Instead of robbing the safe inside the store, they’re going to just rob the whole damn safe and crack it on the run.
Mickey’s plan is only further complicated after Conor shows up at his apartment unexpectedly. Abby and Ray discovered a few joints stashed away in Conor’s room that Mickey had given him, and Conor storms off to his “loving” grandfather. Needless to say, Mickey isn’t too thrilled with facing another setback and orders him to stay in his apartment or go across the hall with Shorty until he returns.
Everyone may be scrambling to cover their asses, but none more so than Cochran. After Volcheck’s meltdown and public suicide in last week’s episode, his wiggle room is getting far too tight. His first order of business is firing Frank, though not for the obvious reasons. Yes, he wants to get him as far away from the Los Angeles FBI office as possible, but it seems as if he wants to help him out, too, by making sure he gets his pension and lifetime benefits. The following news conference doesn’t go so smoothly. Approximately two sentences in, Cochran’s wife breaks down and he ends his speech to help her out of the room, leaving Volcheck’s wife alone to mourn in front of a roomful of reporters. Apparently, the couple’s time together meant a little more to her than just sex.
If Cochran has any chance of surviving the media shit storm that is about to spiral out of control, he needs Kate to disappear. The problem is that Ray has his finger on the trigger of that “compromising” video involving the Cohchrans and the Volchecks. What’s his move then? Seek out the only man who has anything close to something resembling control over Ray: Ezra. However, that plan fails royally when Ezra nudges Ray a little too hard to get rid of Kate. In an ultimate display of power, Ray informs Ezra that the body of that Catholic priest he and his brothers killed is buried on the land where Ezra’s Jewish hospital is being built. Not only does that curse the whole project, but if the body surfaces, it’s on Ezra’s hands.
Mickey and company spend roughly half of the episode inside the marijuana dispensary. Moving the safe from the building to inside the moving truck goes off without a hitch, though the security guard wakes up and starts making a bunch of noise. When Ronald goes to shut him up, he learns that the safe is empty and decides to roll on Mickey in exchange for $100,000 out of Ray’s pocket. Since Ronald never returns, Terry decides to go check out the situation only to end up locked in the security room with the guard. The shitty part of it all is that Ronald took the keys, too. With sirens bearing down on them, Mickey and Daryll are forced to make their escape without Terry.
Ray finally gets his hands on the murder tape from Stalkerazzi. Turns out the tape was filmed by some punk kid who was only expecting $20,000 for the footage. (I’m going to assume that Ray pockets the remainder.) The tape confirms Ray’s worst fears: Bridget is clearly seen leaving the scene of the crime. (There are only two determinations that can be made by seeing her walking away from Re-Kon’s SUV after the shooting – either, A: she did it [which we know isn’t the case, but who knows what will happen in this show] or B: she saw who did.)
Sitting around in Mickey’s apartment proved to be too boring for Conor, so he spends his time smoking weed with Shorty instead. Still, being a lightweight, he gets woozy and Shorty tells him he should lie down in Mickey’s room since he believed his own bed to be infested with bedbugs. (Probably for the first time ever, a bedbug infestation saved someone’s life.) Not long after Conor leaves, Shorty lights a joint from a propane-powered cooker and blows himself all to hell.
With merely a broken arm from the collateral damage, Conor calls up Ray to come and get him from Mickey’s. While Conor is being patched up in an ambulance, Ray takes the opportunity to have a word with his father. When communications break down Ray resorts to settling things with his fists, which lands him in the back of a police car. Maybe he and Terry can share a cell together.
Rating
A+
“Rodef” is hands-down the best episode yet this season. I’m continually astonished at how well this show is able to one-up itself without becoming bland or predictable. With only one episode left this season, it’s probably safe to assume there will be no punches pulled next week.
Stray Bullets…
After Ray learns of Conor’s stash the two engage in some dialogue concerning Mickey: “He really cares about us. He’s a really good guy. He gave me a car. All you gave is clothes I don’t even fucking like,” says Conor.
Watching “Jim the Cop” pull over Cookie’s car in an attempt to plant something on him so he can either arrest or kill him is highly entertaining…mainly because ol’ Jim is too timid to do anything. Cookie totally plays him. Jim is a chump.
Shorty’s sense of humor: “How many Vietnam vets does it take to screw in a light bulb?” Answer: “You weren’t there, man!”
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