Ray Donovan – “Rodef” Top Five Moments. Murphy’s Law.

Season 2, Episode 11

Airdate: Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“Raymond, do you know about the Jewish principle of the rodef? … The rodef is someone who’s pursuing another, trying to destroy them. They must be warned to stop but if the rodef fails to heed that warning, then according to Jewish law, the rodef should be killed.” – Ezra Feldman

Ray comforts Bridget while she watches Marvin’s funeral on TV.

There are five major points addressed in “Rodef,” as I see it. The first revolves around Ray (Liev Schreiber) and Abby’s (Paula Malcomson) relationship. The next deals with the Sully Sullivan (James Woods) murder case Kate McPherson (Vinessa Shaw) is piecing together and what Ray plans to do, or not do, to contain it. Then, there’s the problem with Cookie Brown (Omar J. Dorsey)—who Abby wants Jim (Brian Geraghty) to put in jail or even worse, kill—and the hunt he sends Ray on to find a supposed tape of the Marvin (Octavius J. Johnson) and ReKon (Kwame Patterson) murders. And, of course, let’s not forget the pot store robbery Mickey (Jon Voight) is planning with his groups of cohorts, Shorty (Stephan Duvall), Terry (Eddie Marsan), Darryl (Pooch Hall), Cherry (Jeryl Prescott Sales), and Mickey’s parole officer, Mr. Keith (Wendell Pierce). Last, but certainly not least, what would a Ray Donovan episode be without Ezra (Elliott Gould) sticking his nose in Ray’s business? Let’s discuss.

Moment No. 5

Ray warns Conor to stay away from his grandfather.

Ray tells Conor to stay away from his grandfather. Conor could save himself from a world of hurt if he heeds his dad’s warning but, of course, he doesn’t, which leads to dire consequences for more than just him.

Ray is making plans for Abby, Bridget (Kerris Dorsey), and Conor (Devon Bagby) to be taken care of should he end up in jail if, and when, Kate releases her story. In typical Abby fashion, she wants nothing to do with anything Ray wants to give her, especially the deed to the beautiful Malibu property he’s transferring to her and the kids. Is Abby that oblivious to Ray’s suffering? Why does she have to be such a bitch? Even when times get tough, a couple usually comes together. But not so for the Donovans. Abby acts like the victim here when really she’s not. She should be thankful she has a husband who cares enough about his family to want to protect them should he go to jail. I know he’s cheated on her but come on! Abby is no saint in that department, either. Nor is Abby a great mother. Instead of questioning Conor about the pot she finds in his room, she tells Ray to do it. Way to hand off your parental responsibilities, Abby.

Moment No. 4

How strange that Donna Cochran (Sherilyn Fenn) is the one to get emotional during the speech her husband, FBI Bureau Chief Ed Cochran (Hank Azaria), gives about the death of Agent Tom Volchek (Kip Pardue). Cochran is such a bald-faced liar with the totally false story he tells! Donna almost breaking down speaks to the seriousness of the relationship she and Volchek had, or at least what she thought they had. I felt sorry for Megan (Andrea Bogart), Volchek’s wife, in that scene. It’s almost as if she’s an afterthought. Needless to say, Cochran will do anything and everything to protect his ‘good’ name so he goes to Ezra, the only person he thinks will be able to convince Ray to stop Kate.

Moment No. 3

Kate and Ray before she leaves for Boston.

Kate is a woman on a mission, willing to go to the ends of the earth to uncover the truth about Sully’s death. Well, not really the ends of the earth but she does track down former FBI agent Frank Barnes (Michael McGrady) on his boat. Yes, you read that correctly—‘former,’ because Cochran fires Frank in oder to “tie up loose ends.” It’s not enough that Cochran is responsible for Volchek shooting his own brains out in the middle of a restaurant last week in “Volchek.” No, he has to fire Frank, who, in a drunken stupor, divulges to Kate who killed Sully! I’m a bit surprised Ray doesn’t try harder to shut Kate down, especially since so much is riding on her story. But after almost choking her to death last week, it’s apparent Ray has come to the realization that (1) he loves Kate, and (2) he’s reached the end of his rope.

Ezra’s statement to Ray, as quoted at the top of this article, is spot on. For further information about the Jewish rodef, click here. Kate certainly fits the bill, doesn’t she? I vacillated between thinking Ezra is delusional and then smart in “Rodef.” He can’t possibly think Ray sees him as the father he never had in Mickey. But how cunning Ezra can be when necessary! He knows Ray won’t stop Kate so he enlists the help of the only other Jew who can—Avi (Steven Bauer). And with Avi not knowing what Ray is up to, he seems more than willing to help. I guess we’ll have to wait for the season finale to find out just how far Avi is willing to go.

Moment No. 2

Last week, Ray approached Marty Grossman (Jay Thomas) about the supposed stalkerazzi tape, and he finally comes through in “Rodef.” Marty is such a sleezeball; he tells Ray it’s going to cost $1M for him to get the tape when the teenager who shot the video only wants $2,000, or $20,000, according to his greedy dad. As we all know, the tape shows Bridget walking away from the scene so what’s Ray to do? Lie to Cookie or give him the tape? He apparently decides to give Cookie the tape but is waylaid by a call from Conor, who tells him he’s been in an accident. Now what? Cookie is getting angrier by the moment when Ray doesn’t show up. Of course, Cookie has no way of knowing about Conor but I doubt he’d care. When Cookie wants something, he wants it NOW. Will Conor’s accident be Bridget’s saving grace or her downfall?

Moment No. 1

Everything is set for the pot store heist; everything, or should I say everyone, except for Shorty. The monthly delivery of his oxygen tank is late and Shorty is coughing like nobody’s business. Mickey realizes Shorty can’t do his part of the job so he changes plans, and man, does everything backfire! Talk about Murphy’s Law! Everything that could go wrong does. I knew Shorty would be the monkey wrench in the whole works but I never expected it to involve his oxygen tank!

Conclusion

As penultimate episodes go, “Rodef” is top class. It takes us a little closer to winding up certain story lines, setting up this season’s finale perfectly. I must say, I’m sorry this is the last we’ll see of Shorty. I truly enjoyed his character, and Duvall is to be commended for his excellent portrayal of Mickey’s cancer-ridden, pot smoking friend. They certainly had a lot of good times together.

With Ray in jail, he can’t possibly get the tape to Cookie, nor can he help Terry. I shudder to think what Cookie will do, although with Abby watching TV with Bridget, gun at the ready, I doubt he’ll be able to get too close to Bridget. I hate to think Terry will be convicted of armed robbery but you know there’s no way Mickey is going to rescue him. Yeah, he’s not that kind of father. And now that Kate has her story, she’s headed home to Boston. Will she truly take down Mickey, Cochran, and the man she loves? I am beyond anxious to see next week’s finale!

What did you think of “Rodef?” Do you agree with my top five moments? Leave me a comment below or tweet me @SeasideTV. Let’s discuss!

Tune in to Ray Donovan, Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.

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Follow the series on Twitter @SHO_RayDonovan. And follow cast mates Ray/Liev Schreiber @LievSchreiber, Daryll/Pooch Hall @iam_POOCHHALL, Bunch/Dash Mihok @dizmihok, Conor/Devon Bagby @DevonBagby, Bridget/Kerris Dorsey @kerrisdorsey, Avi/Steven Bauer @thestevenbauer, Lena/Kate Moennig @katemoennig, and Terry/Eddie Marsan @eddiemarsan.

Stay up-to-date with the series on the official Ray Donovan website: http://www.sho.com/raydonovan.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!