Beaverland (8 Aug. 2010)

Jessica turns to Ray for help with a rodent problem that may be imaginary. Rebuffed by Ray in her attempts to add Mike to her stable, Tanya gets guilt-management advice from Charlie, then ... See full summary »

Director:

Lisa Cholodenko

Writers:

Colette Burson (creator), Dmitry Lipkin (creator),

Stars:

Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Eddie Jemison

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Thomas Jane	...	Ray Drecker
Jane Adams	...	Tanya Skagle
Eddie Jemison	...	Ronnie Haxon
Charlie Saxton	...	Damon Drecker
Sianoa Smit-McPhee	...	Darby Drecker
Rebecca Creskoff	...	Lenore Bernard
Gregg Henry	...	Mike
Anne Heche	...	Jessica Haxon
Rhea Perlman	...	Vera-Joan Skagle
Marylouise Burke	...	Lottie
Lennie James	...	Charlie
Roxanne Hart	...	Frances
Merrin Dungey	...	Liz
Carter Mitchell
Keli Daniels	...	Vera-Joan's friend

Storyline

Jessica turns to Ray for help with a rodent problem that may be imaginary. Rebuffed by Ray in her attempts to add Mike to her stable, Tanya gets guilt-management advice from Charlie, then goes to extremes to prove her success. Ray has difficulty thawing a client who is cold as ice.

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Plot Keywords:

library | bare chested male | diamond necklace | beaver | shoe shiner | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 August 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

HBO Entertainment, Tennessee Wolf Pack, E1 Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

User Reviews

Trapping the beaver

Jessica is awakened by a strange sound. Flashlight in hand, she proceeds to check the house. To her horror, the noise is coming from her basement. The culprit is a beaver that has managed to get in. This is a situation she cannot tolerate. If she is about to give Ronnie a child, how safe is it to bring the baby up in the house? To complicate things for her, neither Ronnie, or the children believe her. The twins, visiting Ray, try to explain it to their father the situation; Ray feels he can help. He has kept his own beaver traps and he can give them to his former wife. In conclusion, the children think it might all be in Jessica's mind; they feel Jess is not sure she wants to have another baby.

Tanya meets with Francis. The widow feels the hourly costs for getting a date are way too high. Francis surprises Tanya by declining an offer about a tryst with Ray free of charge. After all, it was Ray's fault that made him send Mike to see the widow. Francis wants a flat rate. A whole weekend with Mike is what she really wants! Tanya feels overwhelmed by the money and the choice. When Tanya tells this new development to Ray, he reacts favorably to the idea of Mike and Francis. Both have hit it off in unexpected fashion.

Lenore has a new prospect for Ray. Liz is a black lady that loves visiting libraries. Her problem is that she gets bored when she has to perform a sexual act. Therefore, she feels doing it with a strange white man, could be the solution for curing her problems. Ray likes her as a date is scheduled.

Tanya goes to Charlie, the friendly pimp, for advice. They meet at a place where an array of gaudy bling-blings can be had. He offers her a necklace, which she is reluctant to take, but ends up getting. Tanya must go to a dinner to honor her mother. Her gift is the bracelet, which is the last one her mother opens. Obviously, it is too much for this conservative woman to even think of wearing. She gives it back to Tanya, who becomes so furious that she calls for the check, which she pays with the money she got from Francis.

Ray keeps the date with Liz. She is not at all enthused in the act, as Ray thought it would be. Liz decides she is not into sex, and tells Ray to forget about the whole thing. Lenore shows up at Ray's door with the intention of perhaps going to bed with him.

Jessica comes to her front door to find Ray, who has brought the beaver traps. They go to the backyard. Ray, perspiring profusely, sets one of the traps on the ground. Jessica notices he is wearing his tee shirt showing the inside and tells him. He takes the shirt off, and an appreciative Jessica cannot help admiring the body of her ex-husband. At that moment, Ronnie arrives at the house bringing humane traps to take care of the pests. Ray tells him those devices are not effective as they tend to break the beavers' legs, but Ronnie is determined to use his traps. That night while Jess and Ronnie are in bed, they hear noises coming from a trapped beaver, obviously stuck with a broken leg.

Another great chapter in this amazing series. This one was directed by Lisa Cholodenko, a lady that has been connected with some excellent films, "Please Give" being the last one we saw. Ms. Cholodenko, working with the fine screenplay by Angela Robinson, does fine work with the episode. The creators of the series, Colette Burson and Dmitry Lipkin, appear to be well connected with some of the top talent working in the film and television industries to enhance their work.

We read something recently in which the character of Ray Drecker was being compared with the difficult economic times the country is facing. It makes perfect sense. In fact, the film that is set in, and around Detroit, gives the viewer that sense of need. Although it avoids getting heavily into social issues, "Hung" is, after all, a comedy, not a social satire. The talent behind the show were blessed with an ensemble cast that makes one await impatiently for a new episode every week, which says a lot about it.