Irish Spring Recap: Ray Donovan

The fifth episode of Ray Donovan, Season 2 is “Irish Spring” (8-10-14). It opens up with a group of kids out biking in the oil fields. They scare off some wild dogs that dug up the body of Linda, the lady who sought closure with Mickey but got it from Sully permanently.

Ray Donovan takes his son Conor over to apologize to classmate, Alex, for knocking him down the school stairs and breaking his collarbone after Alex broke his cell phone. It doesn’t go so well because Conor won’t say “I’m sorry,” the two words Alex’ father wants to hear. He calls Conor a little dick and grabs his face. Ray terminates the meeting. Alex’ father calls Conor a menace and threatens a lawsuit. Ray later shows the man who the real menace is.

While LA FBI director Ed Cochran worries over the newspaper’s report of Tiny’s murder, his wife puts some Neosporin on long scratches all over his back. She marvels at what a real tiger he was the night before. Funny, it looked like the tiger was whoever did that to his back. Mrs. Cochran reminds her hubby to “keep his eye on the prize,” their dinner party with Senator Feinstein that evening which will lead to him being named head of the whole FBI.

Out in the car, Ray gets the lowdown on Mickey’s abduction from crooked parole officer, Ronald Keith. Conor overhears part of it but Ray reassures his son, drops him off and pays Frank Barnes a visit at the marina. He puts the hurt on Frank who really doesn’t know where Mickey is. To get Ray to lay off, he reveals the rumor that Cochran is sleeping with his ASAC’s wife. That would be Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Tom Volchek. Ray punches Barnes one more time for Tiny.

Avi has been sent to keep tabs on Kate McPherson all day. The newspaper reporting on Tiny’s demise does not deter her. She finds Barnes at the marina. He tells her to leave him alone and warns her that she is going to get herself killed. She chases after him wanting to know who beat him up. “Ask your bleeping boyfriend,” Frank says. They spot Avi watching and Kate jumps on a charter, giving Avi the finger as she sails off.

Kate goes to Mickey’s room, where she encounters Shorty. Upon learning she is a reporter, he says Mickey had some “Da Vinci Code” shit to tell her. He thinks Mickey may be at the Vatican and breaks out the envelope with the cassette Mickey left for Kate. Just then, Ray shows up. Shorty slips it in her purse and leaves. Ray warns her that she is causing a lot of headaches for some very dangerous people. She mentions all the death threats she got when she was writing about pedophile priests and says not being in control really bothers Ray. He lets her leave.

Ronald Keith is willing to locate Mickey for $7,000 to cover his losses at the racetrack. Ray stops by his office to give Lena her assignments for the day — find out where Mickey is and get the lowdown on Cochran and his ASAC’s wife.

Meantime, Mickey is in a holding cell doing a monkey dance for the camera’s benefit. Cochran comes in, rants about how powerful he is and what a thorn in his side the Donovans are. He smashes the cameras and gives Mickey an ultimatum. Either he goes to jail or Ray does and Mickey goes back to Mexico. Cochran wants Mickey to sign a statement that Ray killed Van Miller and Mickey refuses to do it. He later breaks out photos of Linda’s dead body. Mickey tells Cochran what happened to her and that she didn’t deserve to die like that but he still won’t sell Ray out. Ray has to pull some serious strings to get Mickey out of there before Cochran wears his leprechaun-loving ass down. Oh, in case you forgot, Mickey killed Van Miller.

It makes Ezra “feel dirty” but he gives Ray the name of his judge friend, Irving Salzman, who can get Mickey out of FBI custody. Ezra and Ray get the judge to dance to their tune by downloading some child porn on his computer. Ezra doesn’t feel too dirty — he instructs Ray to squeeze the judge for an extra $20K for the Ruth Goldman Cancer Center.

And presto! Mickey is arrested as a material witness and taken away from the FBI. Ed Cochran is furious but Ray says he will thank him. Ray is brought to Mickey. When Ray reveals his plan, Mickey demands an end to carrot-peeling, a stipend, and he wants to see his grandchildren. He asks Ray why he can’t even do him one simple kindness. “I’m still your father,” he says and reminds his son that what is in him is in Ray.

Ray, Mickey and Ed Cochran have a sit down with Kate McPherson in Ezra’s office and claim that Ray and Mickey have been working with the FBI. They spin a yarn about how Sully came to be killed by Barnes on the docks and send a still somewhat skeptical Kate back to Boston, the cassette tape still in her possession.

Your husband’s a street thug
Abby doesn’t give a shit if Bridget stays home from school or if she has a temperature. She wants to go to the gun range and possibly meet up with Jim Halloran, the LAPD detective she met. He isn’t there and she is about to buy more bullets so she can hang out. She even asks the clerk about police officers. He says a lot come by and asks which one she is interested in. She changes her mind and calls Deb to find out if she can take another look at the Trousdale house. There, Judy Hoffman and her friend Lisa pop in with a peace offering. They drink and laugh as Judy practices a Boston accent. Suddenly Abby feels ill. She says she doesn’t even like the house anymore. Judy Hoffman says they all know who her husband is and Abby goes ballistic. She attacks Judy and threatens to call Ray to come over and kill her and Lisa. So she gets to be with Jim Halloran after all when he rescues her from an assault charge.

Desperate Abby wants him to take her to a hotel to have sex but he declines on the grounds that she is emotional. He doesn’t want to take advantage. Later he texts to check on her status and she thanks him for being a gentleman. He says he won’t be the next time and she sends him a topless selfie.

When Shawty Met Cookie
Marvin Gaye Washington gives Ray’s daughter, Bridget, a real diamond stud to put in her ear and takes her to a party. She is introduced to Cookie who just got out of prison and is sitting there with a Glock 45. Cookie says he and Marvin need to talk business soon. They share some weed and his guardian ReKon shows up to lecture Marvin about neglecting his studies. ReKon warns Marvin to stay away from Cookie and to take Bridget Donovan’s pasty white ass home. Marvin says he doesn’t have to listen. He’s making the money now. But he leaves with Bridget as Cookie gestures for him to call. ReKon shoots Cookie a dirty look that Cookie returns with a cool stare.