The Bag or the Bat
"The Bag or the Bat" | |
---|---|
Ray Donovan episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Directed by | Allen Coulter |
Written by | Ann Biderman |
Featured music | Marcelo Zarvos |
Original air date | June 30, 2013 |
Running time | 58 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"The Bag or the Bat" is the
The pilot episode introduces all members of the main cast as well as a number of recurring characters. The titular character of Ray Donovan (played by
Plot
In
One of Lee's clients, Stu Feldman, needs Ray to keep an eye on his mistress, Ashley. While spying on her at her
Ray arrives home to find Ashley talking with his wife, Abby. Ray drives Ashley home and warns her to stay away from his family. When driving home, Ray gets a message from Abby telling him not to come home. He stays at his apartment, where he breaks down after flipping through old family photos and seeing a picture of his sister, Bridget, who committed suicide while intoxicated. When he passes out, he has a nightmare where he sees his dying mother being given communion, and relives being molested by a priest. The nightmare ends when he sees Bridget commit suicide. Ray goes home in the morning and, after trying to fix things with Abby, tells her that his father has been released from prison and is coming to California. At a party at Lee's house, Stu tells Abby that Ray had sex with Ashley, and Ray breaks Stu's hand in retaliation. That night, Ray and his brothers wait in the gym for their father. Mickey arrives and accuses Ray of framing him for a crime that put him in prison. Mickey then tells his sons that, after he was released, he killed the priest that molested them when they were children. When Mickey asks how his grandchildren are, Ray threatens to kill him if he goes near the kids and leaves. Ashley sees her stalker on her balcony and Ray severely beats him with a baseball bat. Mickey, after using cocaine with Bunchy, goes to Ray's home and introduces himself to Abby, and his grandchildren, Bridget and Conor.
Production
Casting
The series was
After viewing the pilot, Showtime picked up the series for a 12 episode order in June 2012.[11]
Reception
Ratings
The premiere airing of "The Bag or the Bat" was viewed by 1.35 million people and received a 0.5 rating in adults aged 18–49.
The high ratings for "The Bag or the Bat", in addition to the continued high ratings for the next 2 episodes, led the series to be renewed for a second season on July 16, 2013.[14]
Critical reception
"The Bag or the Bat" received mixed to positive critical reviews after being released. Writing for IGN, Roth Cornet gave the episode an 8.5/10, praising the performances of both Schreiber and Voight in particular.[15] Writing for The A.V. Club, Emily VanDerWerff rated the episode a "C", and wrote that "There are good moments in every episode sent out to critics—five in total—but they’re not enough to overcome the crushing sameness of so much of what happens here, nor are they enough to overcome the sense that this show, ambitious as it is, has absolutely no center." VanDerWerff did note that "At every level of Ray Donovan, it’s evident that talented people are working on the show", and praised Schreiber's performance as Donovan, writing "The strongest reason to watch the show is the cast, which is stocked to the gills with great actors. That starts with Ray himself, Liev Schreiber, who’s long been among the most mesmerizing thing onscreen in any of his films and repeats that performance here, in a role that has enough confidence in its leading man to let him be silent often."[16] Writing for The Boston Globe, Matthew Gilbert called the series "the most vital new series of the year so far."[17]
References
- Showtime. sho.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Tabrys, Jason (19 June 2013). "Showtime's 'Ray Donovan' Series Premiere Now Available on YouTube". ScreenRant.com. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- Showtime. YouTube. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 29, 2011). "Liev Schreiber To Star in Showtime Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 24, 2012). "Paula Malcomson Cast As Female Lead In Showtime's 'Ray Donovan'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 26, 2013). "Eddie Marsan & Dash Mihok To Co-Star In Showtime's 'Ray Donovan' Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 9, 2012). "Jon Voight & Elliott Gould Join Showtime's 'Ray Donovan' Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 20, 2012). "Peter Jacobson Joins 'Ray Donovan', Zach Cregger Cast in NBC's Jimmy Fallon Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 16, 2012). "'Ugly Betty's Michael Urie Gets Lead In 'Partners', Pooch Hall Joins 'Ray Donovan'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 8, 2012). "PILOTS: Kyle MacLaughlin joins 'Big Baby Shot', Steven Bauer In 'Ray Donovan'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 11, 2012). "Showtime Picks Up 'Ray Donovan' and 'Masters of Sex' To Series". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 2, 2013). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'BET Awards' Wins Night + 'True Blood', 'Dexter', 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians', 'Falling Skies' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 5, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 1, 2013). "'Ray Donovan' Delivers Highest-Rated Original Series Premiere Ever + 'Dexter' Breaks Premiere Viewership Records". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 6, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 16, 2013). "'Ray Donovan' Renewed for Second Season by Showtime". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ Cornet, Roth (June 26, 2013). "Don't Let the Wolf in the Gate". IGN. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (June 30, 2013). "The Bag Or The Bat". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ Gilbert, Matthew (June 27, 2013). "'Ray Donovan' brings Southie to Lala land". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
External links
- "The Bag or the Bat" at Showtime
- "The Bag or the Bat" at IMDb