Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Ray Donovan: Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown June 7, 2015

Only two seasons in, Ray Donovan is already beginning to taste stale. The performances remain excellent and the series' mainstays are compelling, but between the sudden rise in convoluted plotting, the con-n-crime contrivances, crisscrossing motives, thinly veiled Sopranos family melodrama, tiresome side characters (Ambyr Childers's Ashley and Eion Bailey's Steve Knight, just to name two), and alllll the skeletons being dragged from Ray (Liev Schreiber) and his father's (Jon Voight) closets, I wasn't dying to jump into the next episode. I was desperate to take a break and watch another show. Anything to shake things up. Anything that might help wake me up. There are several gripping storylines and carefully penned arcs in Season Two; enough to make watching Ray Donovan bit by bit, an episode a week (rather than binging from start to finish), a reasonably entertaining, occasionally absorbing experience. But stagnation is a series killer, and stagnation sets in early and often, tainting those moments and performances that work so hard to set the show apart.

Ray Donovan (Schreiber), Boston bouncer turned Hollywood fixer, can protect just about anything except the unity of his family. As his estranged ex-con father, Mickey (Voight), dodges the law, Ray's lonely wife Abby (Paula Malcomson) finds herself in the arms of a police officer. Ray's son Conor (Devon Bagby) may be too close to home, while his daughter Bridget (Kerris Dorsey) is slipping away. Can he hold the pieces of his family together while going to bat for celebrities in crisis and cleaning up messes from his past that threaten to land him in prison? In the series' second season, Ray finds that what he wants the most is the hardest thing to fix. The series also features Eddie Marsan, Steven Bauer, Elliott Gould, Dash Mihok, Katherine Moennig, Pooch Hall, and guest stars Hank Azaria, Vinessa Shaw, Sherilyn Fenn, Wendell Pierce, Omar Dorsey, Ann-Margret, Kip Pardue and Brian Geraghty.

What doesn't work? Where to start? Ashley needs to go. As. Soon. As. Possible. Pretty please. Childers does a fine job, but good God, can we be done with this dead-end infidelity subplot? Terry (Marsan), Bunchy (Mihok), and Daryll (Hall) are wasted this season, though for different reasons. Marsan is outstanding, despite his character's decisions making less and less sense as he spirals into self-destruction. Mihok is surprisingly strong; it's the manner in which the writers handle his childhood abuse manifesting in his adult life. It's well intentioned and smartly conceived, sure. But it's poorly executed, and only muddles its message as the discomfort unfolds. Hall, meanwhile, delivers, it's just Daryll, perhaps the most interesting Donovan boy, who gets sidelined in one-note story developments... similar to Malcomson's Abby, whose affair with Geraghty's cop will leave fans cold.

Then there's Azaria and his FBI suit, Ed Cochran, an intriguing antagonist mired in an exhausting wife-swapping tryst that induces more eye rolls than tension. Another solid actor relegated to an overly manufactured role, much like Bailey, whose self-help guru holds the distinction of being one of the most irritating additions to any series in 2014. Even more distressing is the use of poor, poor Steven Bauer, whose mounting run-ins with Schreiber are heartbreaking but out of leftfield. The showrunners are determined to see Ray alienate everyone in his life in the course of a single season, begging the question: where do you go from here?

So, with that out of my system, what does work? Thankfully, there's enough to keep Ray Donovan entirely watchable, even if its second season borders on forgettable. Schreiber and Voight are fantastic, as is the rest of the cast, regardless of the ups and downs of the scripting. Several new characters impress as well -- I'm eager to see Pierce's Ronald Keith return for future seasons -- while Ray faces a whole new string of unfixable crises, which he of course fixes. It's here that the show is at its best, with Schreiber juggling cell phones, clients, evidence, and casework with the nail-biting, last-minute skill of a truer to life Winston Wolfe. Things grind when family drama enters the fray, except when Ray has to add it all to his to-do list, racing to solve every problem without sacrificing those closest to him. (Omar Dorsey's Cookie, Elliott Gould's Ezra and Vinessa Shaw's Kate trap Ray in particularly captivating, multi-consequence conundrums.) And when he can't save someone, as is the case in the wake of a botched heist late in the season, the pain and regret packs real, gut-wrenching punch.

Schreiber and his co-stars have a better handle on their characters than the writer's room. The season closes with class and precision, but only the series' performances exhibit the level of consistency and power the greatest premium cable original shows boast. If the rest of Ray Donovan rises to the bar set by its cast, its third season will be a vast improvement. If it continues to rig its own game with cliché and convention, borrowing heavily from The Sopranos and other classic crime dramas, it will lose what little good will its fanbase is still holding onto.

The Blu-ray release of Ray Donovan: Season Two features twelve episodes spread across three BD-50 discs:

• Yo Soy Captain: Just as Ray's life begins to return to normal, the FBI demands that he bring Mickey back from Mexico, where he is setting up a fight for Daryll. Abby, concerned that he won't face his abuse, forces Ray into therapy with her. Meanwhile Bunchy gets nervous about a job interview, Terry obsesses over his ex-girlfriend and Conor lands in hot water after assaulting a classmate.
• Uber Ray: Ray forces Mickey to return to LA and brings him to Ed Cochran, who holds a press conference taking full credit for finding and killing Sully Sullivan. However, Kate McPherson, a Boston reporter, doesn't believe the story and begins to investigate his death. In a desperate bid to control his father Ray corrupts a parole officer and has him take over Mickey's case.
• Gem and Loan: Ray and Abby are eager to get Bridget into her dream school, but Ray's fractured relationship with movie producer Stu Feldman stands in their way. Mickey has a date with his old flame, Claudette - but first he has to find a way around Mr. Keith, his new parole officer. Kate McPherson heads to the Fite Club to try and get information out of Terry.
• Suck: With her investigation in full swing, Kate zeroes in on Mickey. Meanwhile, the appearance of Tiny, a former member of Sully's gang, jeopardizes Ed Cochran's career. Plus, Mr. Keith sends Mickey to work at a Mexican restaurant, Abby meets a new friend at the gun range and Bunchy encounters a potential love interest at the bike shop where he has gotten a job.
• Irish Spring: Ray gets compromising information on Cochran. Avi follows Kate as she investigates, but Ray will need to give her a new story. Meanwhile, Abby tries to have fun with her prospective new neighbors, and gets closer to Jim, her cop friend. Marvin takes Bridget to a party at the house of ex-con/hip-hop mogul Cookie Brown. And Conor apologizes to Alex - but it doesn't go well.
• Viagra: Ashley asks Ray to go to bat for her friend Steve Knight, a self-help guru who beat up a waiter. Avi and Lena help Ray make contact with Volcheck to seek his aid in taking down Cochran. Mickey gets a stipend from Ray, but hopes for a bigger payday when he meets with movie exec Debra Gerson. And Bridget argues with Ray and Abby about a gift from Marvin.
• Walk This Way: It's Conor's birthday - and both Abby and Ray forgot. When Conor demands a party with Terry, Bunchy and Mickey in attendance, tensions run high as the whole family gathers at the Donovan house. Meanwhile, Ashley's stalker is back, and Ray comes face-to-face with Cookie Brown when the ex-con/hip-hop mogul shows up to take Bridget for a night out.
• Sunny: Lee Drexler returns from his honeymoon, only to be confronted by Cookie Brown, who demands the rights to Marvin's music. Ray arranges the deal, but then Lee reneges on it. Peggy Shaughnessy plants a seed of doubt in Kate's mind about the story that she published; Kate reopens her investigation but is threatened by a pair of Southie thugs on the street.
• Snowflake: Ray tells Bridget how she needs to lie about where she was during the shooting, for her own safety, but Abby brings Jim over to tell her just the opposite. Lee and Ezra are convinced to give Cookie the rights to Marvin and Rekon's music, while Mickey starts to plan a pot store robbery with Shorty. Confronted with Patty's son, Bunchy struggles with his fears. And Kate visits a Walpole inmate to find out what went wrong with her article.
• Volcheck: Ashley's stalker is back and making trouble again for Steve Knight - but when Ray intercedes, he learns that Steve is actually the dangerous one. Cochran gets a call from the President, nominating him for the FBI directorship - and vows to take the necessary steps to protect himself from the vetting process. Kate confronts Ray over the truth about his past, Abby tries to overcome her anxiety for Bridget's safety, and Mickey starts gathering the team for his robbery.
• Rodef: Ray starts to make arrangements in case he gets arrested when Kate publishes her story. Meanwhile, Cookie gives Ray a million dollars to track down a stalkerazzi video of the shooting. Mickey's robbery doesn't quite go as planned when Terry gets left behind - and arrested. Plus, Shorty's oxygen tanks explode while Conor is waiting in the SRO, leading to a confrontation between Ray and Mickey. And Ezra tells Ray and Avi that Kate needs to be stopped.
• The Captain: Mickey and Daryll discover their loot is significantly less than they expected, but Mickey has a plan that sends them to the races. Abby is torn between her two potential protectors, Ray and Jim.

Ray Donovan: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Like the Blu-ray release of Season One, Ray Donovan: Season Two features a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded video transfer. Colors are naturally saturated, with lifelike hues and skintones, deep black levels, and filmic contrast. The series was shot using Arri Alexa digital cameras as well, so the image is clean and crisp, without any grain or aberrant noise to speak of. Detail is terrific from the first shot to the last as well. Edges are razor sharp, yet never fall victim to ringing or aliasing. Fine textures are precisely resolved, revealing every actor's scars, stubble, wrinkles and general wear and tear; more than you ever knew you wanted to see. And delineation is excellent, even though crush is an inherent element of the at-times oppressive shadows and dark palette. All told, fans will be more than satisfied.

Ray Donovan: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Season Two's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track is comparable to its Season One counterpart and that's very good thing. features The series is once again dominated by hushed threats, prickly arguments and a string of rather front-heavy conversations, and dialogue is perfectly intelligible and meticulously prioritized. That doesn't mean the show's sonics aren't involving or immersive, though. The rear speakers offer up first-rate ambient support and subtle directional effects, both of which contribute to a reserved but enveloping soundfield. LFE output is more than capable of flexing its muscle too, despite a tendency to exercise restraint. Even so, the series has its share of action beats and intense encounters, and the TrueHD track is ready, willing and able to throw a punch, crack skulls or knock down doors whenever it's called upon.

Ray Donovan: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentaries: Two commentaries are available: "Yo Soy Capitan," with actors Jon Voight (Mickey) and Pooch Hall (Daryll), and "Walk This Way," with series lead Liev Schreiber (Ray).

Ray Donovan: Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ray Donovan's second season falls short of its first, failing to deliver on a number of promises. It's not unwatchable, just underwhelming... something that fortunately can't be said of the series' performances, which are uniformly excellent and keep the show afloat. Will Season Three right wrongs or wander down the same ill-advised paths? When the series returns on July 12th, I suppose we'll find out. In the meantime, Paramount's Blu-ray release of Season Two is sure to please fans thanks to a strong AV presentation and a decent assortment of special features.