The Bag or the Bat - Recap
Next Episode -->Ray's father, Mickey Donovan, is being released from prison in Massachusetts. He seethes while being driven through the city, looking over the changes since he's been away. His destination is a large cathedral, where he sneaks into the priest's residence and draws a gun. He shoves the gun in the priest's mouth, killing him.
On the other side of the country in Los Angeles, NBA star Deonte Brown awakens to find the woman in his bed has overdosed. Her face is covered in blood. Ray and his wife are woken by their neighbor's loud music. Deonte calls Ray to tell him of his precarious situation, claiming he didn't kill the stranger and that she was doing cocaine the entire night. Ray tells him to feel for a pulse, but Deonte is worried that if she is dead this will leave evidence that suggests he killed her. Ray assures him this isn't the first dead body he's dealt with. He sends one employee, Avi, to the hotel to deal with it and another, Lena, to meet him at the office. Downstairs, Ray gets coffee with his wife and daughter, looking over his daughter's family tree school project. His son enters sporting a black eye he claims he got from soccer practice. They discuss family history, and it is learned that Ray's brother Terry suffers from Parkinson's disease after years of boxing, while his other brother Bunchy was molested by a priest. Exasperated, Ray says he needs to go to work. He smiles as his wife dances to the neighbor's loud music.
At the hotel, Avi vacuums up hair and other evidence in the bed while Deonte frets. Lena lets on that the paparazzi has no stories up relating to Deonte or the hotel he is staying at. She puts Ray through to a Hollywood agent, Lee, to handle another problem -- film star Tommy Wheeler picked up a transvestite just days after a successful blockbuster film is released. The agent is certain that his career is over, but Ray has an idea to take care of both situations at once. Ray arrives at the agent's office and learns that Tommy has a history with picking up transvestites, though Tommy pleads innocence in every case. He eventually crumbles under the weight of Ray's stare, claiming it is an addiction. Ray drives him to the hotel, calling Tommy's publicist to leak the story about a dead woman overdosing in Tommy's room. Ray makes the switch while Lee plays damage control.
Ray drives to the Paramount Studios lot to meet with executive Stu Feldman. Feldman is clearly agitated and jumpy as he tasks Ray with following his mistress, whom he is convinced is cheating on him. He rambles as Ray is forced to ignore a call from his brother Terry. After leaving the lot, Ray lets Lena know that he will be following Feldman's mistress. She connects him with Terry, who is in the middle of sparring with a boxing student. Terry lets Ray know that their brother fell off the wagon, and we next see Bunchy in the middle of meeting with other molestation victims. He takes a call from Ray, letting him know that he received a settlement from the church, $1.4 million, but appears on edge. Ray tells him he will send someone to pick him up and make sure he's okay, but Bunchy tells him he's not done drinking and abruptly hangs up.
Ray spies on Feldman's mistress at her beach house. He spots a man masturbating as he watches her do yoga on her porch. Avi gets the man's license plate as he drives away from the scene, and Ray walks toward the girl's house to confront her despite Avi's protests. She answers the door and it appears she was a past client of Ray's. He lets her know she has a stalker, also letting on that Feldman is having her followed.
At a bar, Terry confronts Bunchy telling him its time to go home. Another patron mocks Terry's tremors and Terry punches him in the mouth, starting a bar fight with Bunchy jumping to his defense. Back at the actress' house, she attempts to flirt with Ray. She reads his palm, telling him he falls in love easily. He grabs her and the two kiss passionately until she suddenly has a seizure. He takes her to the couch to recover. They part ways, Ray giving her advice on tightening security before leaving.
At Terry's gym, Ray meets with his brothers after bailing them out of jail for the bar fight. Bunchy is embarrassed for falling off the wagon after ten months of sobriety, tearfully hugging Ray. Terry has shocking news as well: their father had a child with his mistress before going to prison, news which he and Bunchy have kept from Ray for some time. Their half-brother, Daryll, enters and hugs Bunchy, but Ray is stand-offish and walks out. Terry stops him before he can leave, telling Ray that their father is out of prison.
Later, a man arrives at his cramped apartment with a pizza. Nude pictures of women with the actress' face pasted over them adorn his walls. He spots Ray sitting on his couch across the room, a paper bag next to him and a baseball bat on his lap. Ray calmly asks for the man, Bob, to choose which one he wants. He picks the bag, which turns out to be green dye. Ray forces him to bathe in the dye, turning his whole body bright green. Ray informs him that his stalking of the actress is finished and leaves the man crying in his bathtub.
Ray arrives home late in the evening and his wife, Abby, chides him for working so late, particularly for once again bailing out his ne'er-do-well brothers. She is unhappy with their neighborhood and feels Ray is neglecting the kids. Later, Ray is unable to sleep, kept up with thoughts about Ezra Goodman, the man who brought him to Los Angeles and set him on his current career path, a man whose wife just passed away. He feels he owes Ezra everything, and his wife comforts him.
The next day, Ray attends the memorial service for Ezra's wife. Ezra is feeling guilty about the things he and Ray have covered up over the years, thinking his wife would have wanted them to come clean. Ray tells Ezra that he is not thinking clearly due to the stress of the situation, and spots another funeral attendee who wants to talk with him. The man is concerned about Ray's father possibly coming to Los Angeles. On a flight to L.A., Mickey winks at a mother breastfeeding her baby.
Later, Ray and Ezra's mistress are concerned about Ezra's erratic behavior. Ray meets with Ezra about his father coming to Los Angeles. Ezra suggests killing him. Ray returns home to find his wife having drinks with the actress from earlier, learning that the two 'unexpectedly' met at yoga class. Ray drives the actress back to her house, upset that she is now apparently stalking him. The actress goes down on Ray, forcing him to pull over. This doesn't improve his mood, however, as he drops her off and tells her to never come near his family again. Driving away, Ray gets a message from his wife, who appears to be onto his adultery and tells him to not come home.
Ray drinks at his apartment in the city, looking over family photos of his brothers as children and his now-deceased sister. He cries while looking at a more recent photo, taking a swig of whiskey. Ray continues to drink heavily, staring intently at a portrait of Marilyn Monroe as it suddenly starts talking to him, begging him to "save her." Ray passes out. Asleep, Ray dreams of his mother being read her last rites while the children play in another room. The dream continues, Ray watching a young Bunchy in a car with a priest, followed by his sister standing at the edge of a rooftop. Ray wakes up with a start.
Back at his house, Ray is confronted by his wife who asks him bluntly if he had sex with the actress. He denies it as she storms out of the room. He follows her to the bedroom attempting to make peace, but she won't hear it. Ray tells her that his father is coming to Los Angeles, which seems to crack the icy veneer. He continues, telling her about his newly realized half-black half-brother, prompting Abby to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.
Lee has a get-together at his beachside house which Ray, Ezra, Abby and other attend. Lee chides Ray for confronting the actress, counter to the interests of their client Stu Feldman. They notice Ezra curiously wading in the ocean and once again acting erratically. Ray then spots his son in a hot tub talking with Tommy Wheeler and tells his son to get out. Abby talks to Feldman about possibly getting her daughter into an elite private school, but Feldman tells her that he is going to make sure she is blacklisted after Ray had sex with his mistress. Ray sees this and chases Feldman down, breaking his hand.
Back at home, Ray shares family photos with his daughter. She asks how his sister, Bridget, died. He tells her that she jumped from a roof while high on drugs. He tells her that Bridget had a great sense of humor and that he misses her, and his daughter breaks down crying. Later, Ray talks to his wife about the actress, telling her that the women he helps in his job are mislead by him protecting them. She tells Ray that he's sick.
At the gym, Ray and Bunchy wait for their father's arrival. Bunchy tells him to go easy, that their father just wants to make amends. Mickey arrives with Daryl and Terry, trying to break the ice with a bad joke about the Catholic Church, but Ray stares at him coldly. He asks Mickey what he's doing in Los Angeles. Mickey hints that Ray set him up to take the fall for a crime, seemingly blaming him for the 20 years he has spent in prison. Ray in turn blames Mickey for the family's various issues, from Bunchy's sobriety to Bridget's suicide. Mickey reveals that he took out the priest that molested Bunchy, stating that he needs protection from anyone who tries to get payback. Ray refuses, lunging at his father when he asks about his kids. Ray storms out.
Ray drives home as a montage shows Mickey sharing cocaine with Bunchy, the stalker once again leering at the actress and getting the bat for his transgression, and Terry taking medication for his tremors. Later, Daryl drives Mickey to Ray's house where he talks to Abby. He has been writing apologetic letters to Abby for years, letters which have perhaps led Abby to believe that he is genuinely seeking atonement and to repair the rift in his family. She lets him in and Mickey hugs his granddaughter for the first time.
On the other side of the country in Los Angeles, NBA star Deonte Brown awakens to find the woman in his bed has overdosed. Her face is covered in blood. Ray and his wife are woken by their neighbor's loud music. Deonte calls Ray to tell him of his precarious situation, claiming he didn't kill the stranger and that she was doing cocaine the entire night. Ray tells him to feel for a pulse, but Deonte is worried that if she is dead this will leave evidence that suggests he killed her. Ray assures him this isn't the first dead body he's dealt with. He sends one employee, Avi, to the hotel to deal with it and another, Lena, to meet him at the office. Downstairs, Ray gets coffee with his wife and daughter, looking over his daughter's family tree school project. His son enters sporting a black eye he claims he got from soccer practice. They discuss family history, and it is learned that Ray's brother Terry suffers from Parkinson's disease after years of boxing, while his other brother Bunchy was molested by a priest. Exasperated, Ray says he needs to go to work. He smiles as his wife dances to the neighbor's loud music.
At the hotel, Avi vacuums up hair and other evidence in the bed while Deonte frets. Lena lets on that the paparazzi has no stories up relating to Deonte or the hotel he is staying at. She puts Ray through to a Hollywood agent, Lee, to handle another problem -- film star Tommy Wheeler picked up a transvestite just days after a successful blockbuster film is released. The agent is certain that his career is over, but Ray has an idea to take care of both situations at once. Ray arrives at the agent's office and learns that Tommy has a history with picking up transvestites, though Tommy pleads innocence in every case. He eventually crumbles under the weight of Ray's stare, claiming it is an addiction. Ray drives him to the hotel, calling Tommy's publicist to leak the story about a dead woman overdosing in Tommy's room. Ray makes the switch while Lee plays damage control.
Ray drives to the Paramount Studios lot to meet with executive Stu Feldman. Feldman is clearly agitated and jumpy as he tasks Ray with following his mistress, whom he is convinced is cheating on him. He rambles as Ray is forced to ignore a call from his brother Terry. After leaving the lot, Ray lets Lena know that he will be following Feldman's mistress. She connects him with Terry, who is in the middle of sparring with a boxing student. Terry lets Ray know that their brother fell off the wagon, and we next see Bunchy in the middle of meeting with other molestation victims. He takes a call from Ray, letting him know that he received a settlement from the church, $1.4 million, but appears on edge. Ray tells him he will send someone to pick him up and make sure he's okay, but Bunchy tells him he's not done drinking and abruptly hangs up.
Ray spies on Feldman's mistress at her beach house. He spots a man masturbating as he watches her do yoga on her porch. Avi gets the man's license plate as he drives away from the scene, and Ray walks toward the girl's house to confront her despite Avi's protests. She answers the door and it appears she was a past client of Ray's. He lets her know she has a stalker, also letting on that Feldman is having her followed.
At a bar, Terry confronts Bunchy telling him its time to go home. Another patron mocks Terry's tremors and Terry punches him in the mouth, starting a bar fight with Bunchy jumping to his defense. Back at the actress' house, she attempts to flirt with Ray. She reads his palm, telling him he falls in love easily. He grabs her and the two kiss passionately until she suddenly has a seizure. He takes her to the couch to recover. They part ways, Ray giving her advice on tightening security before leaving.
At Terry's gym, Ray meets with his brothers after bailing them out of jail for the bar fight. Bunchy is embarrassed for falling off the wagon after ten months of sobriety, tearfully hugging Ray. Terry has shocking news as well: their father had a child with his mistress before going to prison, news which he and Bunchy have kept from Ray for some time. Their half-brother, Daryll, enters and hugs Bunchy, but Ray is stand-offish and walks out. Terry stops him before he can leave, telling Ray that their father is out of prison.
Later, a man arrives at his cramped apartment with a pizza. Nude pictures of women with the actress' face pasted over them adorn his walls. He spots Ray sitting on his couch across the room, a paper bag next to him and a baseball bat on his lap. Ray calmly asks for the man, Bob, to choose which one he wants. He picks the bag, which turns out to be green dye. Ray forces him to bathe in the dye, turning his whole body bright green. Ray informs him that his stalking of the actress is finished and leaves the man crying in his bathtub.
Ray arrives home late in the evening and his wife, Abby, chides him for working so late, particularly for once again bailing out his ne'er-do-well brothers. She is unhappy with their neighborhood and feels Ray is neglecting the kids. Later, Ray is unable to sleep, kept up with thoughts about Ezra Goodman, the man who brought him to Los Angeles and set him on his current career path, a man whose wife just passed away. He feels he owes Ezra everything, and his wife comforts him.
The next day, Ray attends the memorial service for Ezra's wife. Ezra is feeling guilty about the things he and Ray have covered up over the years, thinking his wife would have wanted them to come clean. Ray tells Ezra that he is not thinking clearly due to the stress of the situation, and spots another funeral attendee who wants to talk with him. The man is concerned about Ray's father possibly coming to Los Angeles. On a flight to L.A., Mickey winks at a mother breastfeeding her baby.
Later, Ray and Ezra's mistress are concerned about Ezra's erratic behavior. Ray meets with Ezra about his father coming to Los Angeles. Ezra suggests killing him. Ray returns home to find his wife having drinks with the actress from earlier, learning that the two 'unexpectedly' met at yoga class. Ray drives the actress back to her house, upset that she is now apparently stalking him. The actress goes down on Ray, forcing him to pull over. This doesn't improve his mood, however, as he drops her off and tells her to never come near his family again. Driving away, Ray gets a message from his wife, who appears to be onto his adultery and tells him to not come home.
Ray drinks at his apartment in the city, looking over family photos of his brothers as children and his now-deceased sister. He cries while looking at a more recent photo, taking a swig of whiskey. Ray continues to drink heavily, staring intently at a portrait of Marilyn Monroe as it suddenly starts talking to him, begging him to "save her." Ray passes out. Asleep, Ray dreams of his mother being read her last rites while the children play in another room. The dream continues, Ray watching a young Bunchy in a car with a priest, followed by his sister standing at the edge of a rooftop. Ray wakes up with a start.
Back at his house, Ray is confronted by his wife who asks him bluntly if he had sex with the actress. He denies it as she storms out of the room. He follows her to the bedroom attempting to make peace, but she won't hear it. Ray tells her that his father is coming to Los Angeles, which seems to crack the icy veneer. He continues, telling her about his newly realized half-black half-brother, prompting Abby to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.
Lee has a get-together at his beachside house which Ray, Ezra, Abby and other attend. Lee chides Ray for confronting the actress, counter to the interests of their client Stu Feldman. They notice Ezra curiously wading in the ocean and once again acting erratically. Ray then spots his son in a hot tub talking with Tommy Wheeler and tells his son to get out. Abby talks to Feldman about possibly getting her daughter into an elite private school, but Feldman tells her that he is going to make sure she is blacklisted after Ray had sex with his mistress. Ray sees this and chases Feldman down, breaking his hand.
Back at home, Ray shares family photos with his daughter. She asks how his sister, Bridget, died. He tells her that she jumped from a roof while high on drugs. He tells her that Bridget had a great sense of humor and that he misses her, and his daughter breaks down crying. Later, Ray talks to his wife about the actress, telling her that the women he helps in his job are mislead by him protecting them. She tells Ray that he's sick.
At the gym, Ray and Bunchy wait for their father's arrival. Bunchy tells him to go easy, that their father just wants to make amends. Mickey arrives with Daryl and Terry, trying to break the ice with a bad joke about the Catholic Church, but Ray stares at him coldly. He asks Mickey what he's doing in Los Angeles. Mickey hints that Ray set him up to take the fall for a crime, seemingly blaming him for the 20 years he has spent in prison. Ray in turn blames Mickey for the family's various issues, from Bunchy's sobriety to Bridget's suicide. Mickey reveals that he took out the priest that molested Bunchy, stating that he needs protection from anyone who tries to get payback. Ray refuses, lunging at his father when he asks about his kids. Ray storms out.
Ray drives home as a montage shows Mickey sharing cocaine with Bunchy, the stalker once again leering at the actress and getting the bat for his transgression, and Terry taking medication for his tremors. Later, Daryl drives Mickey to Ray's house where he talks to Abby. He has been writing apologetic letters to Abby for years, letters which have perhaps led Abby to believe that he is genuinely seeking atonement and to repair the rift in his family. She lets him in and Mickey hugs his granddaughter for the first time.
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