review of Ray Donovan 2.5 

Ray Donovan last night, in which the biggest event in the narrative is the way that Ray, Mickey, and Cochran get on the same page and manage to pull the wool over Kate\'s eyes.

She\'s a sharp cookie, so it\'s not clear how long this wool will be pulled, once she gets back to Boston, or even if she decides at the very last minute not to board the plane.   Cochran\'s presence, and the gravity of his office is what sold the phony story. There\'s no way that Kate otherwise would have believed what Ray and Mickey told her - she has Ray\'s number down pretty well.

That Ray and Cochran could unite for any common cause is itself almost amazing.   It shows that, when it comes to his pursuit of power, nothing will stand in Cochran\'s way, including playing ball with someone who Cochran is beginning to see is his most dangerous adversary, Ray.

At this point, Cochran doesn\'t know the half of it, and certainly not that Ray is moving towards decisive leverage over Cochran with the information about Cochran\'s affair.   That information, if it ever got out, would easily blow Cochran\'s ambitions sky high.  We\'ve already seen that Cochran is more than willing to kill to protect his interests, which means that Ray, everyone in his family, in addition to Cochran\'s agents are at risk if he gets wind of what Ray is looking into.

Otherwise, this was a good Abby episode, not least because of the nude from the waist up selfie she sends along to the cop who\'s her new infatuation.  Ray, as always, is beset by dangers and provocations in every facet of his life.  With Mickey somewhat in tow now - and, again, I have to say this is Jon Voight\'s best performance since Midnight Cowboy, really exceptional (and all acting in this series is top notch) - Ray will sooner or later have to deal with his own marriage, now even more on the verge of spinning out of control.

See also Ray Donovan 2.1: Back in Business ... Ray Donovan 2.4: The Bad Guy

And see also Ray Donovan Debuts with Originality and Flair ... Ray Donovan 1.2: His Assistants and his Family ... Ray Donovan 1.3: Mickey ... Ray Donovan 1.7 and Whitey Bulger ... Ray Donovan 1.8: Poetry and Death ... Ray Donovan Season 1 Finale: The Beginning of Redemption

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