Viagra Recap: Ray Donovan

Last week after Kate McPherson and Ray Donovan mutually admitted that they have trust problems, she went back to Boston for now. This week, in “Viagra”, Episode 6 of Season 2 (8/17/2014), Ashley Rucker returns to complicate Ray’s life again.

We open up to a wife-swapping session at the Cochrans. Megan Volcheck and Ed Cochran are going at it hot and heavy but Tom Volcheck is not reciprocating Donna Cochran’s advances so she joins Megan and Ed.

Abby texts Detective Jim Halloran hoping to meet at the gun range. He has to work. Then she ambushes Bridget with the diamond earring Marvin Gaye Washington gave her. Bridget angrily tells her mother she has no right to go through her stuff or to talk – she is a victim who cries in her bed at night. Enter Ray who says Marvin has real problems and Bridget scoffs, reminding him that the cops planted pot on her because of him and their family is falling apart. She sails off to the beach with Conor. Abby is outraged that Ray kept the pot incident under wraps. Bridget is right, she says, she and the kids are all Ray’s victims.

At the pool, Lena lures Tom Volcheck into the sauna. He doesn’t have the same problem he had with Donna, unaware that Lena works for Ray and is gay. He soon finds out it was a set-up when Ray appears and he is locked in the sauna. Ray assesses the wife-swap situation accurately and says they can fix it.

Ashley’s emergency is Steve Knight, a best-selling author and motivational guru. His book is “Fight For Your Life” and he is leaving his wife for Ashley. But first, he has a 5-hour seminar to conduct and needs Ray to take care of Manuel, a guy he beat and tied up for delivering a sandwich. Manuel wants to sue Steve Knight but he’ll settle for a football team in Guatemala. He and Ray negotiate that down to $350K. Daryll patches up Manuel and Avi sends him off in a private plane in this “Behind the Fix” webinar:

After informing Steve Knight that Manuel will be on a no-fly list after he returns to his homeland, Ray demands $100K a month. Steve obviously wants him on the payroll and says he’ll have his lawyers draft an agreement.

Supporting Cast of Viagra

While Avi is wiring the Volcheck home, Tom invites Ed and Donna over for a Scrabble night, using his wife as bait. But Ed Cochran informs him that hot Scrabble nights are over. Donna was hurt that Tom was not wild about her matronly charms. Tom goes to his house and tells Avi to get rid of the hidden cameras, it’s not going to happen. Ray has to come over and on the way, he leaves Abby an apology message and an invitation to dinner at Sophia’s.

At Tom Volcheck’s, Ray explain the facts of life. Cochran is not going to want Tom around when he no longer has any use for him and Megan. “bleep him before he bleeps you,” Ray advises. Tom cooks up an apology that Donna buys and it’s on.

Abby never shows up at Sophia’s because she is at a bar playing darts and swapping spit with Jim Halloran. Ray watches the Scrabble night action back in his office when his bookkeeper Harriet calls to complain about Terry selling the gym and moving to Ireland. Then Ashley shows up in a black trench coat with only her undies underneath.

The last scene in the episode shows Conor and Bridget watching TV at 12:03 a.m. with neither parent home. It is now Conor’s 14th birthday.

Mickey’s Free Joint Friday
Mickey is still at the flophouse perusing porn when Lena shows up with his stipend: $300 every two weeks. Mickey is outraged, even though it is more than he was making peeling carrots. Shorty drops in on Mickey later with some weed and says they can steal the cash locked up in a Mosler Model 12 safe. Mickey suggests driving up in a truck and ripping the bars off the windows like the cowboy movies, but Shorty wants to go in through the roof. The ever-enterprising Mickey suggests that Shorty take out a life insurance policy and name him the beneficiary since he is dying anyway. That won’t fly because Shorty has pre-existing conditions coming out of his ass. He says Mickey can have his pension if they get married since that is now legal. Shorty answers a call for Mickey from Debbie Gerson from Paramount Pictures.

Mickey goes to see her and she wonders why Sean Walker was ever interested in Mickey’s outline. She suggests that Mickey come up with something else. Shorty still wants to pull off the safe heist and calls Mickey’s script a pipedream. Mickey hurts him when he says it’s as real as Shorty’s cancer. He leaves and closes his door.

Some Changes for Terry and Bunchy
Terry visits his doctor where Frances is still working. Terry wants to tell her the truth about the priest but Frances does not want to know. She later shows up at the Fite Club for a roll in the hay and claims it is a one-time deal. Terry wants to marry her but she can’t condone murder, even after he tells her how the priest raped both his brothers.

Terry and Bunchy watch a documentary about Ireland’s potato famine. Bunchy wonders why the Irish couldn’t just go fishing when they live on an island. Patty calls up with a chicken dinner invitation. Her son will be sleeping over a friend’s. Bunchy worries he may be unable to have sex with Patty. Potato Pie fixes him up with some Viagra. After dinner, Patty washes Bunchy’s hair and they kiss. He goes to the bathroom and summons up the courage to take the Viagra. Just then, little Clifford returns home because he wet the bed. Patty gives him a bath and a very uncomfortable Bunchy watches cartoons with them while the kid puts his head in Bunchy’s lap.

Terry decides he wants to move to Ireland and consults with the embassy. The fact that Terry is a business owner and his lady is a nurse trumps any concerns about medical freeloading with his Parkinson’s Disease. He proposes to Frances who is bowled over but doesn’t say no.