Ray Donovan Recap: Time Takes a Cigarette (Season 5 Finale)

How we marveled at Ray’s logic as he sought to convince Daryll to frame Mickey for Frank Barnes’ murder in the final episode of Ray Donovan’s Season 5 (“Time Takes a Cigarette” 10-29-2017). It wasn’t Ray, however, who tipped the scales against Mickey.

The episode opened with Ray having a hallucination of Abby standing at the edge of a hill overlooking Los Angeles. As he gets out of his car and approaches her, she falls backwards into oblivion. Cut to Ray at the funeral of Natalie James. Doug Landry is attending with his family. Sam Winslow is there, too. After the service, she bitterly complained to Ray that Doug wanted to invite Natalie’s replacement, Lindsey Penn, to the funeral and he never shed a tear for Natalie or his unborn child that died with her. Ray told Sam that he needed a favor. “Anything,” Sam responded. She didn’t even need to know the details, just the name of the doctor Ray needed help from. Ray got a phone call from D.A. Jackson Holt, threatening to lock his daughter, Bridget, back up if Ray didn’t produce the “boom stick” that killed Frank Barnes by that night.

Jackson Holt then went to interview Mickey, who was playing solitaire and drinking a Tab. No mention of their previous encounter when Holt locked Mickey up in Season 4 at all. Holt would already know Mickey’s priors and more– how he made a deal with Ed Cochran to let Mickey out. Mickey reeled off a string of murders and told Holt that Ray committed them all: Sully Sullivan (really Mickey), Sean Walker (that was Sully), Cookie Brown (really Ray), Kate MacPherson (Avi) and Frank Barnes (Daryll).

Daryll was at the bar agonizing over the thought of sending his father to jail for life or worse for a murder he committed. “Mickey’s gonna turn you in,” Ray assured him, “he’s a rat.” We’re just curious… what’s worse? Ratting someone out for something they really did or framing someone for a crime they did not commit? After Ray left, Bunchy advised Darryl to throw the gun in the river. No murder weapon, no case. It’s that simple. Daryll was about to do so when he got a call from Jay White. Jay said he needs Daryll by his side and when Darryl arrived at Jay’s offices, he was shown his own producer’s suite. It was all his if he testified against Mickey in the death of the sensei. Darryl gave the gun to Ray, saying “we’re all going to hell.” Apparently, he wants to try his hand at producing films before he goes.

Jackson Holt revisited Mickey with the news that they now had his gun, the ballistics matched and they had a statement from Daryll. The death penalty would be taken off the table in exchange for a full confession to Frank Barnes’ murder and extorting Jay White. Mickey told him to go eff himself and returned to the solitaire game he thought he was winning in his cell.

Ray finished up his court-ordered therapy with Dr. “How did that make you feel” Brogan. Ray has post-traumatic stress disorder and needs lifelong treatment to learn how to forgive others and himself. “You can be helped,” Brogan said, “trust me.” Those last two words triggered a flashback to Father Danny saying the same words as he exposed himself to Ray as a child. “I’m good,” Ray said, “I think I’ve got my whole anger thing under control so I thank you for that… appreciate it,” and he picked up his file and left. We’re not insensitive. This would have been a very powerful scene if we had not heard Ray say those same words to others throughout the series. Besides, compared to Father Romero, Dr. Brogan didn’t even come close to scratching Ray’s shell.

All Sam Winslow had to do to get Dr. Bergstein’s cooperation was make a few calls and all the funding for her project suddenly dried up. She was plenty angry but this is her life’s work and she caved. Smitty got the surgery (he looked like he was awake during it!) and all he needs is a few days’ home care.

In exchange for this enormous favor, Ray had to do Doug Landry in. When Ray went to Landry’s suite, he ran into Lindsey Penn who was leaving after her.. uh.. audition. Doug, in his bathrobe, was talking to his mother on the phone. Ray crept up behind him and when he put the phone down, Ray strangled him and strung up his body to make it look like a suicide. (So he was the one who killed Tom Minor, too, we suppose).

In other storylines:

Teresa came to the bar with Maria to tell Bunchy they could get out of their lease and move to Pismo Beach and work things out. Ray came in with the dog, Big Boy. He told Bunchy he needed him to look after the dog and that he could have the bar– no charge. Bunchy told Teresa he wanted her to leave Maria with him and he wanted her to go– just go. Later, he alone had Maria as he talked about making improvements with the sometimes manager, Beckett.

Conor went off to the Marines with this message: Ray may think he’s weak and stupid but after the Marines, he’ll see: “I’m gonna be a soldier. When I get back, you’re gonna work for me. That’s who I am.”

The episode ended the same way it began, with Ray having an Abby hallucination. This time, she fell off the ledge of a parking garage roof into the river and he jumped in right behind her. Just think! That might have been how the series ended if it wasn’t already announced that the show has been renewed for a 6th season. Now they’ll just have to fish him out.