Ray Donovan recap: Jon Voight gives powerhouse performance in ‘Pudge’

Jon Voight’s performance as Mickey on the latest Ray Donovan was electric, from menacing kidnapping mastermind to lovable grandfather and protector of art.

This recap contains spoilers for Ray Donovan season 6, episode 4.

Jon Voight showed his masterful versatility and why he’s an on-screen legend on the newest Ray Donovan. Voight imbued Mickey Donovan with moments of being fiercely “psycho” as Jay White called it when he asked him to “baaa” like a sheep, to falling asleep on the couch and whimsically couple dancing like a fun grandpa. Not to mention, his relationship with son Ray is a work of art even on the phone, when Ray knows instinctively to ask “How much?” after hearing White’s been taken, “You think like me kid!”

Voight simply brought his a-game and the scene where he threatens Jay White for destroying his script, looking like he’s about to pull the trigger while dressed as a priest is a lasting visual. A multilayered piece between the seriousness of Mickey explaining what happened to his brother was real and how White sullied it, then the dark humor of having to be pulled back by Bunchy from killing the man for destroying his art. After all, what is a man but the art he creates to this world?

The viewer is left with the lingering question of “was he really going to do it?” after Bunchy stops his father too. Bunchy seemed unsure of himself when he promised Ray that Mickey wouldn’t kill Jay White when they meet up with the $3 million dollar bag, as requested by Mick. One of the best parts of the series is that doesn’t keep any older character confined to a set of restricted rules, they are fully capable as fans see when Sandy Patrick (a seemingly harmless older widow) robs Mickey and Bunchy blind.

Fully enjoying herself in the aftermath, Mickey blaming himself for letting his guard down, “she played me kid” after warning Bunchy when they first come to her house. People don’t just lose their ability to be “bad” or do certain things in age, and Showtime’s Ray Donovan doesn’t keep Sandy to being a pure soul just because of appearance alone. Outside of stealing the $3 million dollars on the table when Mickey falls asleep, she constantly hits on Bunchy in a prior episode. A very non-grandma thing to do to say the least.

“You’re no better than Mick to me if you take this money, Bunch”

Ray lays out his feelings directly to Bunchy, if he takes the bag of money he’s brought from Sam Winslow, he’s no better than Mick to him, to which Bunchy replies, “If that’s the way you feel Ray,” before taking it. Ray tries to reason with Bunchy, telling him that Teresa hasn’t even gone to the cops yet about Maria being taken. That even if does go to jail for freeing Mickey it’ll be for two years tops, while this is for life. He explains to Bunchy that they’ll have to live in some other country forever, which is further indirectly elaborated on later when Mickey tells Bunchy they should go to Vietnam, there’s no extradition there.

Bunchy tells Ray he would do the same thing if his child was taken away from him when they were little. What Bunchy (and Mickey and Sandy) don’t know is the bag has a tracker on it courtesy of Lena, and they know where the money’s going. After Jay White is freed he tells Ray about the appearance of a lady and what Mickey told him about her being his deceased brother’s (fallen in war) ex-wife. Ray immediately realizes it’s Sandy. When Bunchy returns to the house to find Mickey asleep with the passports, he and Mickey discover the money gone.

Terry fights, wins

Terry has a change of heart about the underground fighting game after sitting at an Irish bar and telling him he’s worse than a has-been, he’s a never-was. He requests a fight that very night, despite being told there’s some truly bad cats there on the card, replying, “Do I look like I give a ****?” Terry is warned by another fighter pre-match that the person he’s about to fight was in the Polish Special Forces and literally “killed people for a living.” He tells Terry, “better you than me.”

Despite getting initially pummeled, Terry eventually gets the upper hand and eventually knocks out his opponent as he’s cheered on with one shut eye. Terry would later get a call from Bunchy, telling him he was the best big brother he could have asked for then hanging up.

Meanwhile, Bridget’s fiancee was in bad with loansharks after giving away his drug stash for free after learning of his cancer. Ray helps him sort out the mess, takes a wooden bat out of his car trunk and takes on the whole gang. Smitty joins in after realizing Ray is winning the fight despite being outnumbered. After the “bonding experience,” Ray tells Smitty that if he ever brings that stuff around his daughter again, he’ll break his arms.

Anita meets Bridget Donovan and tells Ray how beautiful she is and how she looks like him. She discusses how seemingly impressed she is that Ray made her whole problem disappear, barely a news blurb. Anita seems very attracted to Ray as he tells the mayoral candidate, “You knew what you were getting into.” So did Ray apparently, as Sam Winslow tells him he “owes her three million dollars” after the Jay White kidnapping incident by his father.

Finally, Mac is confronted while eating at a diner on the down-low about disappearing drugs post-arrest. He’s about to leave and tells Emerson Lake to call his lawyer, when Lake says he’ll throw him in jail instead. Mac sits down and is offered a deal, to wear a “wire” or rather recorder behind his badge.

Check out FanSided’s interview with Jon Voight on season 6 of Ray Donovan at the Tribeca TV Festival prior to the premiere.