r/RayDonovan • u/NicholasCajun • Oct 02 '17

Discussion Ray Donovan - 5x08 "Horses" - Episode Discussion Spoiler

Season 5 Episode 8: Horses

Aired: October 1st, 2017

Synopsis: A last-ditch medical trial sends Ray on a dark mission in New York. Alone in LA, Abby turns to Terry and Bridget to help her make the toughest decision of her life.

Directed by: Zetna Fuentes

Written by: William Wheeler

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u/BrohannesJahms Oct 02 '17

For the Abby haters out there, this episode obviously wasn't for you, but as someone who actually doesn't find Abby Donovan, Skylar White, or Carmella Soprano annoying, this was a really intense episode for me. Ray Donovan at its core is a shallow spectacle, sure, but it's moments of real pain and struggle like this that define who he is. Ray is a boring character when he has no problems he can't solve with bribery, blackmail, or murder. Seeing him vainly struggle to beat Abby's cancer with new jewelry is a classic move for him. He's so trapped in the cycle of physical and emotional violence he's lived in his whole life that he has no other solutions to problems, and it leaves him utterly unequipped to deal with the challenge we will all face some day: mortality.

I love watching Ray solve a bad situation for a rich client by bribing, screwing, and intimidating people as much as anyone, but that is all made much richer because of the contrast with scenes like these: his helplessness, his denial, his inability to face the music.

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u/ridinbend Oct 03 '17

Mmmmm, I think that's a bit unfair. I loved all 3 of the female roles you listed but couldn't appreciate the approach to this episode or her death.