The essential episodes of Ray Donovan
Watch these 25 in order and you've got Ray Donovan — each pick states its reason.
- 01
Ray Donovan is the man called in to solve the most difficult problems for LA's rich and powerful. The only problems he can't fix are those involving his damaged South Boston family. Ray's life is thrown into turmoil when his father Mickey unexpectedly gets out of prison five years early and arrives in LA, vowing to take revenge on Ray for framing him.
- 02
Avi drives Sully from Boston to Los Angeles. Conor wants to go to an awards show with Tommy Wheeler. Mickey works with Van to get incriminating evidence against Sean Walker.
- 03
Ray and the family attend fight night at Terry's club. Meanwhile, Ray's plan with Sully is put into action. Mickey has a rendezvous. Bunchy encounters someone from his past, sending him into a tailspin.
- 04
Mickey hatches a new plan. Abby is torn between Ray and Jim.
- 05
Abby and Terry finally tell Ray the truth about Bridget. Season finale.
- 06
Searching for a way to get Mickey out of prison, Ray turns to an old opponent to secure a bartering chip in the form of a less-than-wholesome family comedy star. A long-buried scandal leads Ray to an unexpected confrontation with a slick Hollywood agent and a former fixer of Ezra's. Meanwhile, without the protection of the Russians, Ray must help Mickey secure his own safety and gain admittance to the secure K6G prison wing.
- 07
Ray attempts to play his adversaries against each other. Season finale.
- 08
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.
- 09
Ray searches for Frank Barnes in an attempt to get Bridget out of jail. Meanwhile in New York, Terry deals with the return of Damon's father and then takes care of Smitty at Bridget's request. Back in LA, Bunchy is hit with a heartbreaking confession from Teresa.
- 10
No matter how much he wants it to go away, Ray isn’t done cleaning up the fallout from his jump. People are asking questions, and there’s a witness willing to give answers that could rock Mac and Ray’s worlds. Across the country, Mickey’s heart attack behind bars forces the family to wrestle with what could be their father’s final days.
- 11
Ray is officially back working for Sam, and with Anita behind in the polls, they have to make a splash at the first mayoral debate. Daryll struggles with his leading man on the set of Mr. Lucky. Terry discovers a brutal new gym hidden in a warehouse in Brooklyn. And three generations of Donovans make their way from California to New York. Mickey’s coming, and no one knows what he has planned for his sons who betrayed him.
- 12
Mickey kidnaps movie star Jay White, and Ray has to get 3 million dollars from Sam Winslow to get Jay back in one piece. Mickey and Bunchy plot a future for themselves. Mac finds himself backed into a corner as Internal Affairs comes after him. Terry steps into the ring for the first time in twenty years. Smitty has to confront the secrets of his past and ends up calling on his future father-in-law for help.
- 13
Hoping to make up for lost time, Ray plans a day with Conor in New York before he ships out overseas with the Marines. Sam and Ray put together a fix to give Anita a bump in popularity. Sam tries to strike a deal with Mayor Ferrati. Mickey devises a radical plan to recoup his losses. Bunchy asks Terry for a favor.
- 14
Ray works to make things right with Sam, but she has her own ideas about controlling damage. Bunchy comes back to New York with some missing goods. Terry spends the night with someone from his past. Bridget pays the price for her father’s actions.
- 15
Ray struggles to get the help he so desperately needs, causing Bridget to learn some hard truths about her father. Ray makes a move to save both Novak’s campaign and Mac’s life. Mickey sees an opportunity to recoup some of his losses. Darryl and Sandy find common ground.
- 16
With Ray on the run, Radulovic and the Staten Island cops take a drastic measure: a move that sends Ray on a warpath. Mickey confronts his son. Sam makes her final move to win the election.
- 17
It’s all-out war between cops and family, as the Donovans band together to save one of their own. Running out of options, Mac faces a difficult decision.
- 18
Ray settles his final scores and revisits the past with his father. The Donovans clean up their mess. Smitty gets a crash course in what it means to be a part of the family. Season finale
- 19
Ray must find a new way to get Detective Perry off his trail while reckoning with a personal loss. When Bunchy’s pharmacy is under attack, he takes matters into his own hands and is catapulted into the public spotlight. Daryll’s isolation mounts as he struggles to find his place in the Donovan family.
- 20
Ray gets closer with Molly Sullivan when he realizes their family connection. Claudette comes to New York and discovers that Daryll is on Detective Perry’s radar. Bunchy tries to leverage his heroism for a pay raise. Bridget gets closer with her music producer boss, and Terry goes on a trip with his new spiritual guide.
- 21
Things heat up between Molly and Ray, but their families get in the way when Bridget, Bunchy, and Jim Sullivan all need Ray to fix their problems. Terry and Smitty help Ray with some detective work and Ray struggles to stay on Mickey’s trail, while at the same time keeping Detective Perry off of his own.
- 22
Mickey finally learns the truth about the botched heist, and he’s out to get his fair share of the money. Ray reflects on his early memories of Jim Sullivan while he and Molly track down Sandy and Mickey by any means necessary. Smitty is questioned by the police and confronted with the consequences of his actions.
- 23
Ray and Smitty must cover for their own actions. Daryll calls Jasmine with an opportunity that lands them face-to-face with Declan Sullivan. Terry and Bunchy head back upstate to settle some unfinished business with the Shaman.
- 24
With his back against the wall, Ray turns to Judge Scholl to clear his name with Det. Perry. Daryll is pushed to the edge by the Sullivans while Mickey continues to chase Jim's money. Terry makes an unexpected friend at physical therapy.
- 25
Ray finally learns the truth about his sister Bridget's death; Terry reckons with the death of a friend and his own mortality; Mickey's quest for the money he's owed leads to a deadly face-off between the Sullivans and the Donovans.
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