Ray Donovan Recap: Hispes (S7 E4)

In Lena’s absence, Bridget stepped up to the plate to handle a problem Ray couldn’t in “Hispes” (Season 7 Episode 4). Ray was forced to placate Mayor Feratti and he enlisted Aunt Sandy’s help. In the process, Aunt Sandy discovered something of great interest to Mickey.

You know, when you first got married, how long did, like, the happy part last? ~ Smitty

Ray was in his office looking at the photo of Bridget and Molly when Mayor Feratti’s henchmen (the cops) busted in, demanded the Kevin Sullivan photo and trashed the place. Smitty was shocked when he arrived, although he had more pressing matters on his mind. He wanted some advice on his marital problems from his father-in-law. Not really the right guy to ask, Smitty!

Molly Sullivan called and said the cops paid her a visit too. Ray said he would fix it and went out to see his car being towed away. On the subway, Ray saw Mickey’s picture on the front page of the New York Post. “COP KILLER,” the headlined screamed, “Dead Convict Murdered 3 of NY’s Finest.” Ray and the Mayor had a cryptic conversation. Feratti remembers the time Ray wore a wire to their meeting even if you don’t, but Ray got the number he needed to fix things.

Feratti’s gonna want the money clean ~ Ray Donovan

Ray met up with Molly Sullivan and told her they needed to pay Feratti $9 million and “he’ll go ahead with the deal at the lower price.” Indicating she would talk to her father, Molly asked how well Ray knows her father. Ray used to work for him doing “collection.” Molly said she forgets sometimes that her father is a criminal. Ray said his father was, too, just not any good at it.

Molly’s father, who would not let her go, gave her a key to Box 44 at the First Central Savings Bank with instructions to Ray to take the brown leather bag. Ray explained that whoever goes in that box will likely trigger a call to the FBI or worse. Ray arranged for Sandy to fetch the brown bag. She put it inside a newspaper and when she came out, Ray was there to switch newspapers with her. The authorities met Sandy at the door and she had a cover story on the ready — she bought the key at a garage sale but the box was as “empty as Christ’s tomb!” Later, we learned that the crafty female version of Mickey took something else out of the box.

How are the Maldives? ~ Sandy Patrick

We saw a few shots of Mickey wandering around a beach community, intended to make you think he went to the Maldives after all. Then Mickey called Aunt Sandy and revealed he was at Rose Beach. He wanted her assistance in setting up a BeachBnB scam and Sandy was all in at first. When she got to Rose Beach, Mickey was already having second thoughts about the scam. Sandy showed him the gold coin “from the heist of ’77” she took from Jim Sullivan’s safe deposit box.

I’m a Donovan. I’m more like you guys ~ Daryll Donovan

Let’s face it, Daryll never learns. No matter what happens, his deep need to be a Donovan resurfaces. Daryll was getting cozy with Jasmine in his crib when Claudette arrived. Claudette told Daryll that she bought him a ticket home and wanted him to talk to his father, meaning her husband Alan. Daryll naturally pointed out that Alan is not his father. Alan called and offered Daryll a creative executive position, developing features and scouting new talent for $75,000 per year. That sounded good to Daryll but he wouldn’t commit, especially after Alan called Mickey a piece of crap. Daryll went to see Bunchy for advice. He would also be giving up the chance to develop a relationship with Jasmine. Bunchy said he’d take a free place to live and a good job from Alan and he doesn’t know why Daryll wants to be like the Donovans. Mickey settled the whole thing for Daryll by showing up and taking him along on his new caper, which also shows that Mickey never learns. Daryll hasn’t exactly been a big asset in Mickey’s capers, has he?

Promise me that you won’t drag Daryll through this.

Mickey also wanted to take Claudette. Mickey showed her the gold coin from Jim Sullivan’s safe deposit box and said if Jim Sullivan hadn’t robbed him of his fair share, they could have been together all those years and he could have been a proper father to Daryll. (Is this “the family” Mickey was actually referring to when he told Ray he was cheated of being with his family those 20 years in Walpole?) Mickey claimed he’d been given a second chance by St. Peter but Claudette simply said that she is not that girl anymore. Against her wishes, Daryll went with Mickey. Claudette called Detective Perry and dropped a dime on Mickey, a not unexpected turn of events. (More on Claudette and Mickey in the Supporting Cast post).

This is Smitty … he’s you today, and you’re him ~ Bridget Donovan

Bridget came up with an ingenious solution to Jonathan Walker Hanson’s problem. Accused of spreading herpes, the superstar’s stock had fallen considerably on social media and there were process servers waiting to serve him with subpoenas the second he emerged from hiding in a locked room. Bridget kicked the door in and had Smitty and Hanson switch clothes. It was very funny that the two guys thought Hanson’s clothes were contagious. Hanson put on a blonde wig and Smitty put on a red one. The process servers served Smitty and the group got together at Tommy Wheeler’s warehouse to take the next step in damage control – a statement from Hanson to “get in front of it.”

Smitty came up with “hispes,” a new word for Hanson’s condition and here’s how they spun it: hispes isn’t a sexist word and doesn’t carry a social stigma. It became a PSA designed to encourage millions to get tested. Ray didn’t say so but his expression showed he was very proud of Bridget. She even found time in the course of these events to tell Adam Rain what happened between them was a mistake and could not happen again. It didn’t look like Adam was ready to believe that.

Other Storylines

Romance may not be in the air for Adam and Bridget, but it looks like it could be for Molly and Ray. Molly’s attraction to Ray seems to be based on childhood fantasies of Ray from his sister’s heroic descriptions. Otherwise, wouldn’t she think he was quite the weirdo when she just wanted to have a normal conversation with him and a drink and he pops out with “I’m in therapy”?

Bunchy was still hanging around the hospital, grappling with his guilt over the condition of the boy he shot. He had a terrible run-in with the boy’s mother. She attacked Bunchy, telling him to get out and screaming that her son would never walk again. A security guard named Shane introduced himself to Bunchy and put responsibility for the boy’s crime on the mother. He invited Bunchy to a meeting of the Knights of Manhattan, a vigilante and white supremacist group. Bunchy threw away their literature after attending one meeting. Bunchy did not lose his job but had to sign an affidavit swearing that he had no choice in firing “his” weapon. He took that gun off one of the kids, but not the one he shot.

Terry was getting nowhere fast at the commune Liberty took him to. He had no interest in chanting “om tare tuttare tare soha” with the cult members. He had the inclination to sleep with temptress Liberty, but not the ability. Terry went to bid the Shaman farewell and learned that, in his “caterpillar” stage, the Shaman was Jerry Goldberg. That little pep talk did nothing to lift Terry’s spirits. He wandered down by the lake, put heavy stones in his pockets and entered the water. A woman named Dolores, who has been fighting cancer, followed Terry and talked him out of drowning himself.