Hung (TV Series) The Pickle Jar (2009) User Reviews

"Men Your Age Need Heat"

[JasonDanielBaker · 10 October 2012]

Former pro athlete/high school basketball coach/history teacher/would-be gigolo Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane) is still lukewarm to the idea of selling his body to women even though his statistician friend Tanya Skagle (Jane Adams) remains insistent they can make money on the side.

Having made contacts through a miserable excuse for a human being named Lenore (who demanded a sexual test-drive of Ray and stole four hundred dollars from him after), Ray has two firm dates with women who have prepaid Tanya for his particular service.

Ray finds the same difficulty performing every guy finds when his potential sex partner is not classically attractive (or however you might want to say it). It doesn't matter that he needs the money as badly as he does (he is living in a tent in his backyard because his house was torched).

The head may even partly be willing but a not insignificant other part of him is required to complete the assigned task. Getting that part to perform without compelling visual stimuli is a chore and would be impossible for a lot of us.

The very concept of gigolo is one a lot of men will have trouble with for the very same one they will have trouble with in having sex with an unattractive woman. Unlikeable (i.e. Lenore)? Haven't we all done it with women we didn't like or even actively disliked? Physically unattractive is different. It just is.

Ray's desperation makes him swallow his pride and put some real work in to not only getting himself able to perform sexually but also set his clients at ease that he isn't going to hurl.

This is the episode where the series makes its transition from long-winded set-up to showing the main character fully engaged and committed to his unconventional sideline.

What makes it compelling is that he can make himself do things others can't. Ray's arc begins to take flight. He has hit bottom and intends to at least try to claw his way back putting his best face forward.

This attempt at taking the formula of 'Weeds' and blending it with 'Breaking Bad' makes for a lesser product than those two unless your someone looking for an extra dose of humiliation (which apparently a lot of men will actually pay for) in your TV programming choices.

Ray's desperation is reflected in the arc of real people's lives now. He is one of the working poor. Whether his day job is fulfilling or not is beside the point. He needs supplementary income to provide a stable home life for his children. If he could do something conventional and legal they wouldn't make an HBO series about it.

The collection for the coach

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 10 June 2010]

Ray Drecker watches a slide presentation of his years as an athlete in Lakefield High School. The students surprise him with a collection to help him reconstruct the home that was almost destroyed by fire. He is move when they present him a pickle jar with $235 they collected for the cost toward the reconstruction. While moved by the gesture, he later realizes when he goes to buy a supporting beam at the hardware store that about a hundred dollars is missing!

Tanya is contacted by Lenore. She finally owns up to the fact that she did use Ray's credit card. Lenore felt it was her right to "try the merchandise" and does not have to pay for Ray's services. On the other hand, she feels generous by giving Tanya three telephone numbers of women that are interested in engaging Ray for sexual sessions.

Jessica and her twins are having manicures in a salon, when Lenore charges in talking on the phone. The language she employs is objected by Jessica, who feels it is offensive. Lenore, by way of getting back at her, hands her a card promising she will change her dowdy appearance. Later, Jessica and her mother are seen watching a infomercial about dogs being offered for adoption. She ends up bringing home an older dog with all kinds of health problems because she felt the need to help.

Tanya has an appointment with Molly, at a coffee shop. They are setting an appointment for a session with Ray. Molly, a woman of a certain age wants to know about the man she will meet for sex; she wants someone with a large endowment because she has never had one. Ray keeps the appointment, but he feels as though he cannot perform with the older woman. He fakes a cold and begs to leave.

Ray goes to Tanya's for a bath in her tub. Tanya is a bit upset by Ray's refusal to go to bed with Molly, something she cannot understand. As they make up for the lost revenue, she informs her she has reschedule Molly and he will have a second encounter with another woman later in the evening. As Ray arrives, Molly feels she should not have hired him in the first place. She complains about her husband. When she asks that he will show her what he has, she is completely taken aback, and Ray, seizing the situation complies with a willing Molly.

David Petrarca directed the episode written by the creators of the series, Colette Burson and Dmitri Lipkin. The guest star of this installment is the amazing Margo Martindale, one of the best character actresses working today. Ms. Martindale's Molly is only a brief part, yet she wins us over with the warmth and her usual charisma she brings to anything she does. Thomas Jane and Jane Adams are excellent as Ray and Tanya. Anne Heche has more to do in this chapter. Rebecca Creskoff, Charlie Saxton and Sianoa Smit-Phelps contribute a lot to our enjoyment.

Refreshing guest star and emotional character ; inspiring Ray backstory and harsh life ; hilarious, smart and unpredictable controversial scenes

[igoatabase · 9/10 · 19 February 2010]

The enlightenment in this episode was definitely Margo Martindale guest and genuine performance as Molly, a lonely and refined mature woman. Some of us still remember her as Camilla Figg in Dexter where she brought depth to the story, emotion to the scenes and just amazed us in the Easy as Pie episode. So it was really nice to have her back and as expected her character managed to surprise us. First her meeting with Tanya was well staged and at the beginning I wasn't sure what it was all about. I soon understood where their chit chat was leading and it was really like peeping at a locker room. Her other scenes should both make you smile and sad considering Molly has issues of her own.

It leads us to Ray because Hung is mostly about him after all. I found the downward spiral metaphor of the pickle jar interesting considering what he's going through. Moreover the students explained why they chose him to be its recipient by showing some slides of past events when he used to shine among his peers and inspire them. But the best part was that despite his financial problems he was still a role model for them, someone they can count on. Of course Tanya happiness consultant concept developed further and she tried her best again to motivate Ray. It wasn't easy considering the Lenore incident. In fact the tornado was back and her appearance was so unexpected and audacious that it left me speechless. It was specially hilarious considering the characters who were on her way.

As for Ray gigolo career I still believe he's on the wrong side of the road. His mother was right to teach him that he should put one foot in front of the other but for the moment he's definitely walking in the wrong direction. That's why I like to compare Thomas Jane character to Michael C. Hall one, Dexter Morgan. They both have a double-life and issues to solve. One is coach Ray the day, but who sometimes feel more like a cockroach, and a man whore at night ; the other a blood spatter analyst and serial killer, who would really like to better control his Dark Passenger. So in their own twisted way they try to live the American dream, be happy and make a difference. So even if they made the wrong decisions or just didn't know what else to do, we have a lot to learn from them.

Will Ray embrace his new destiny ? Will he find a long term and respectful solution to his financial problems ? We got answers but there're still plenty of issues to solve. From the children to the crazy ex-wife this episode was full of interesting elements. It definitely confirmed the maturity I felt after watching the 3rd one. The recipes are ready to cook and the meals we have already tasted nourishing so I can't wait to watch the remaining episodes. Considering its numerous qualities it's not a surprise Hung was greenlighted for a second season.