After airing for seven seasons on Showtime, fans were devastated when Ray Donovan was abruptly cancelled. The seventh and final season left so much unresolved, fans felt they at least deserved some closure to make so many years spent watching the show worth the emotional investment.
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In one of those rare cases when fans actually got what they wished for with a canceled show, Showtime confirmed that it had commissioned a Ray Donovan movie to tie up all the loose ends. And that, the movie did.
Ray Framed His Father For Murder In The Past
One of the biggest reveals of the movie was the origin of all of Ray's animosity towards his father as well as his tremendous guilt. While fans knew Mickey wasn't the greatest father nor person, there was a lot that Ray was clearly still holding inside.
It was known that, after actor Sean Walker accidentally shot and killed Ray's sometimes girlfriend in a bar after hours, Mickey was the one who went down for the murder. But the true extent of Ray's involvement was never revealed. As it turns out, Ray took charge of the situation, helping Sean and leaving his father to be blamed. It was this incident that led to Mickey being sent away, a pivotal storyline in Ray Donovan, one of the best Showtime dramas, according to IMDb. While Ray seemingly despised his father, he also felt guilty over what he had done.
Bridget Killed Mickey
Bridget was grieving through the entire movie following the death of her boyfriend Smitty. She seemed to have come to an epiphany about life and the family, mostly realizing that Mickey was to blame for everything that was wrong about her father and uncles and the way they saw the world.
Following this realization and believing someone needed to put a stop to the constant suffering and pain, she shot Mickey in the head, ending his life once and for all. Ironically, the bang came right when Mickey was finally having a touching father-son moment with Ray.
Mickey Didn't Take The Money
Mickey was always portrayed as a selfish, greedy man who was only ever out for himself. But there always seemed to be a special relationship with Ray. He was often willing to give up his freedom, wealth, or anything else to make his son happy.
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He proved this in the end when, after running away with a briefcase full of stocks, Mickey returned the briefcase to Molly and told her it was for Ray. After going through so much trauma to get it, including blackmail, Mickey was willing to give it all up to make peace with his son.
Molly Shot Ray
Molly is played by Kerry Condon, who fans might recognize for her role as Mike's daughter-in-law Stacey Ehrmantraut on Better Call Saul, one of the best shows currently on AMC. She had a major role in the movie, desperate to learn what happened to her father. Ray never said outright that he was dead, but he didn't have to say the words – she knew by the look on his face and his gentle nod of affirmation. She also thought, based on Mickey's decision to leave the money, that Ray had been doing everything for the money the whole time.
While Molly was seemingly going to let Ray go after realizing her father was gone, and Ray had something to do with it, she reacted impulsively grabbed a gun, and shot him in the gut. Ray was fighting for his life at the end, but it is presumed that he did not die.
Young Ray With Abby
Fans got to see a sweet interaction between a young Ray and Abby, before they were dating. Ray was hanging around a drug addict and Abby questioned what he saw in her. As she tended bar and poured him drink after drink, she talked about his father and how he was a romantic and loved being alive.
The question Abby asked Ray after that haunted him, as he mentioned to his therapist Dr. Abiot during their call. She wanted to know if he loved being alive, too. It was a powerful moment between two young kids that fans know ended up falling in love, getting married, and having a wonderful, albeit tumultuous, romance.
The Origin Story Of Sean Walker
In one storyline in the original series, Ray is commissioned to help an actor named Sean Walker, and mentions to Walker that he "owes him." Fans learn that Sean was the one who actually murdered the young woman that Mickey was accused of killing. But they never find out more, including what exactly Ray did for Sean that would make him owe him for so long.
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It's revealed in a flashback scene that, during a night of debauchery, Sean takes method acting too far and accidentally shoots and kills Colleen while high on drugs. Rather than see the promising young man's career and life ruined, Ray decides to help him and frame Mickey for the murder. It's safe to say Sean's career would have been over had it not been for Ray's decision to punish his father instead.
The Other Brothers Got Second Chances
While Daryll's life seemed to be all but over after shooting Decan, he got a new lease on life through a passport and plane ticket. It was implied that he should never return.
Meanwhile, Bunchy was finally making headway with Teresa, with potential to get his family back, while Terry seemed to be in a good place, even having a happy "family dinner" with the ghosts of his family members, clearly remember the good days of his youth. While the Donovan brothers could rank among TV brothers with a horrible relationship, there were a few sweet scenes that proved no matter what happened, they would always be there for one another.
Ray Took The Blame For Mickey's Murder
In an interesting twist of events, in what he believed to be his dying moments, Ray called his therapist to confess to killing Mickey, even though it was Bridget who killed him. He was doing it to protect his daughter, which is in stark contrast to anything Mickey would have done for Ray as a child. It might also have been a way to resolve his own guilt.
If Ray survived, he could have ended up in prison, charged with Mickey's death. Interestingly, right before hanging up the phone with Dr. Amiot, Ray tripped up his words in a way that tipped the therapist off to the fact that Ray was likely covering for someone else. What Dr. Amiot might have done with that information, however, was never revealed.
Ray Finally Forgave Mickey
It took the entire series and a near-death experience, but Ray finally forgave Mickey in his final moments. They shared a sweet moment, Mickey, played by Jon Voight, who has been inmany great movies, singing and dancing while Ray smiled and laughed on the bed, suffering from a bullet wound.
It was the first time Ray had ever been seen smiling with Mickey and recalling good memories. Juxtaposed with flashbacks of Mickey catching a young Ray as he jumped in the water, it was touching. The end was ambiguous in terms of whether Ray lived or died. But it was clear from the scene of Ray emerging from that same pool he had jumped into as a child, now as an adult wearing his suit, that he had been "reborn" in a sense. Ray was finally free from the guilt and anger he held against his father, and that held him back, his entire life.
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