Ray Donovan is an odd beast. Very early on in the show you get confronted with themes that put the viewer right on the edge. Not because they are interesting or original. More because of how far fetched and unrealistic all of it is. Strange enough it is what it gives it's appeal.
At first Ray Donovan makes it seem like you get a look of the life of a professional fixer called Ray Donovan. It was a concept that intrigued me since it's always fun to get a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes in Hollywood. However soon it becomes apparent that this is more about all the members of the Donovan family. And basically is a soap opera that features all the story lines that you could expect in one. These only are compelling because of good actors like Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight who give their roles an intensity that it makes you want to keep watching. Of course some twists and turns help also but to be honest some of them are downright ridiculous and hard to take serious at all. Ray Donovan is a surreal world where almost all of the characters are guilty of immoral behaviour including the kids and where everybody lives according to their own code. Or lack of. While at times very intriguing it often will get on your nerves since real people simply don't act like they do. And yes, I can already hear people saying. But Chrichton TV is not real. Of course I am aware of this. However most TV shows do approach to be as real as possible. In this show most of them act completely stupid and illogical. But even in a surreal world you have to have a balance of good people and bad. If all of them are bad how do you know who to root for? Just because Ray is the lead does not mean I like him. Problem is I do like him sometimes even when he is quite despicable. I have no problems him being a thug or criminal. But damn can't the guy keep his penis in his pants whenever he meets a beautiful woman? He is married with kids and he sleeps around like it is the most normal thing to do and still claims to be completely in love with his wife. The reason given for his immorality could explain it to a degree but even then it's so far fetched that it becomes laughable and aggravating. Don't get me started about Mickey Donovan. How anybody could like that son of a bitch is beyond me.
Despite the aggravation there still is something about this show that keeps luring me in. I guess it appeals to one's darker self. Or it simply is fun to see how far they will take it. It's hard for me to recommend this show since I do feel that a lot of viewers won't accept the soap opera antics. However it is a show that is perfect as guilty pleasure.
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