Well, not quite switching sides, but in Ray Donovan 6.7 Ray is persuaded to take the Mayoral candidate that he helped with that false attack in the park "down a notch" so the incumbent can get back in top.

How that happens is a case study in how Ray operates.  He resists going along with this - including being brutalized by the NYPD - until he is really given no other choice.  His family is at risk if he doesn't undo what he's done, and Ray is assured that the Mayor won't serve long in office, anyway.  In the end, Ray, notwithstanding his violent loyalty, goes along with what is rational.

Of course, life being what it is - Ray's in particular but also life in general - Ray's undermining the candidate doesn't satisfy the Mayor after all.  He wants Sam taken down, too.  Understandable, since it was Sam who hired Ray to take down the Mayor, and everything he did towards that end was at Sam's behest.  The net result is that switching sides is not only not advisable, but it can get you in even worse trouble.  Loyalty is always what counts most in Ray's world.

The rest of the family - or, at least, the brothers, especially Terry - already know this.  If I had to choose whom I would rather have in my corner, Ray or Terry, I might well go with Terry.  Ray is more agile and resourceful, but sometimes too smart for his own good.  In contrast, Terry is nothing but rock-solid reliable.

The Donovans on the East Coast continue to make for an appealing season this year.  I'll see you back here next week with more.

See Ray Donovan 6.1: The New Friend ... Ray Donovan 6.2: Father and Sons ... Ray Donovan 6.4: Politics in the Ray Style ... Ray Donovan 6.6: The Mayor Strikes Back

See also Ray Donovan 5.1: Big Change  ... Ray Donovan 5.4: How To Sell A Script ... Ray Donovan 5.7: Reckonings ... Ray Donovan 5.8: Paging John Stuart Mill ... Ray Donovan 5.9: Congas ... Ray Donovan 5.10: Bunchy's Money ... Ray Donovan 5.11: I'm With Mickey ... Ray Donovan 5.12: New York

See also Ray Donovan 4.1: Good to Be Back ... Ray Donovan 4.2: Settling In ... Ray Donovan 4.4: Bob Seger ... Ray Donovan 4.7: Easybeats ... Ray Donovan 4.9: The Ultimate Fix ... Ray Donovan Season 4 Finale: Roses

And see also Ray Donovan 3.1: New, Cloudy Ray ... Ray Donovan 3.2: Beat-downs ... Ray Donovan 3.7: Excommunication!

And see also Ray Donovan 2.1: Back in Business ... Ray Donovan 2.4: The Bad Guy ... Ray Donovan 2.5: Wool Over Eyes ... Ray Donovan 2.7: The Party from Hell ... Ray Donovan 2.10: Scorching ... Ray Donovan 2.11: Out of Control ... Ray Donovan Season 2 Finale: Most Happy Ending

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


 

It started in the hot summer of 1960, when Marilyn Monroe walked off the set of The Misfits and began to hear a haunting song in her head, "Goodbye Norma Jean" ...