1.11 Bucky Fuckin’ Dent The shadow of child abuse has hung over Ray Donovan from the outset. We’ve primarily seen the after-effects through the situation of Bunchy, his alcoholism and self-hatred, his abortive attempts at seeking meaningful help from support groups (he can thank his Pa for ruining that one), his inability to engage in proper adult relationships (this week he rather sweetly self-diagnoses as ‘sexual anorexic) and the sheer inadequacy of pecuniary compensation. Although Dash Mihok has been excellent as Bunch, delivering a quivering, busted out performance, his eyes, to borrow a line from Fight Club, ‘shrink-wrapped in tears’, the storyline has bumbled along with little interference in the main thread. Bunchy’s troubles have been ticking over in scenes sometimes ham-fisted and sometimes among the best moments in all the season (Bunchy as a broken man-child, wheeling about on his chopper was a particular highlight). Given the show’s occasionally clumsy treatment of the issue so far (yes, I know some of this was due to Mickey’s characterisation, but that itself is a form of mis-handling), the care with which it handles it here is a welcome surprise. It acknowledges, with some sensitivity, the extent of the fallout of abuse and the misdirection of blame. All three of the elder Donovan brothers were victims, or potential victims (Terry was better able to fight the seedy old sod off) and all three bear the scars. We now see how far their adult relationships have been affected by it, how it seeps into Ray’s marriage and Terry’s nascent affair with Frances. Above all, we learn that some of Ray’s antipathy towards his father is the result of blaming him for abandoning his sons to the Father Danny’s hideous ministrations. Bunchy, like far too many victims of abuse, blames himself. He quite liked it and misinterpreted it as love. ‘There must be something in me. Something he saw’ he says, ‘And he was nice to me’. I suggested last week that Ray Donovan would benefit from a reduction in budget. Bucky Fuckin’ Dent, the nearest the show has come to a bottle episode, seems to confirm it. Stripping out all unnecessary flash, it gave itself more time to focus on the minutiae of its three separate, but connected stories. The Brothers Donovan vs Father Danny, Avi babysitting Ray’s family and Mickey covering his ass in the aftermath of Sean Walker’s killing. It works brilliantly. The show’s biggest strength, by far, is its cast and by leaving them space to perform and interact with one another, it plays its best hand. The additional room meant that we could learn a little bit more about Avi, who, most of all the characters, leaves you wanting to find out more. With the references to Shabbat, kibbutzes and Mossad, and uses of putz and yid (by Conor) it was a little Jewish-by-numbers, and an obvious attempt to paint a slightly more benign view of religion than the one created by the piece of filth on Terry’s floor. Conor’s pointed questions about his father ‘hating religion’ felt a little forced, but they were dealt with in a flash. Read Michael’s review of the previous episode, Fite Nite, here. Follow our Twitter feed for faster news and bad jokes right here. And be our Facebook chum here.
