Ray Donovan (TV Series) Time Takes a Cigarette (2017) User Reviews

Not the best season to say the least, but finale was worth it

[851222 · 9/10 · 24 December 2017]

Greetings from Lithuania.

Time Takes a Cigarette", the final episode of "Ray Donovan" season 5 was a good one. Although there weren't many loose ends tied here, it did enjoyed for its best qualities: acting, and some writing.

This 5th season in my opinion was weakest yet. As much as i enjoyed 4 previous seasons, this one was poorly paced. I did like the idea of how they were set up this seasons main story (Abby), but it was not convincingly shown. Flashbacks did hurt the overall pacing, a lot. They were simply boring. I liked the idea, but not the execution. But there was a key scene in which present and paced collided, and it was great, with Liev Schreiber's acting tour de force. No wonder he was nominated this year for Golden Globe - along with some good writing he is the reason to watch this show. - its hard to root for this character, Ray Ray, and especially in this season.

Overall, i do look forward to next season. This wasn't great, but it wasn't bad neither. A pretty OK season, and kinda good finale.

Best episode of a dismal series

[dierregi · 8/10 · 21 August 2022]

This series was very disappointing, but the ending must have pleased all those who criticised the final episode of season 4. Too much happiness and no loose ends? Here you go, everyone is messed up and unhappy, even tragically so... and for good measure let's add the casting couch and Darryl selling out. I am glad at least Dog got a new family.

Loved the use of Rock'n'roll Suicide, too. One of my Bowie's favourites and so incredibly fitting, so much as to make me forgive the totally unnecessary ass-wiping bit and the super fast surgeon blackmailing scheme that yielded results in less than 24 hours.

Best show evet

[grindstonesbaby · 10/10 · 6 September 2018]

I absolutely love this show and hope that there are more season's to come and a lot of episode's.

Perfect Ending

[logismum · 10/10 · 23 November 2017]

A few spoilers ahead.. I think this was indeed the perfect ending to the series and if anything else is to be added to the story of these people n their lives, it should be a whole new show/series, branched (pun just because they exist) from Ray Donovan.

Any of the other Donovans would do, but let Ray sleep now, anything more to his story would dishonor who he has been made out to be. Spoiler alert: The counselors summary of Ray, and his traumatized mind before the final scene was a perfect lead up to end the series, he made sure everyone was sorted and followed his heart, how more complete can it get? I doubt it can.. The other reviewer has said it all, and I agree.

Loved this show, had me in tears a few times, the family was solid despite the many issues. I was glad the last season explained the lead up to Abbys death and how it all unfolded, we needed that last season to be exactly how it was, to properly conclude the series..

I do hope that this series is over, I doubt I will watch anything more if released, the end was too perfect, don't drag it further than it should be dragged, branch if its vital to tell more story, revamp, rename and carry on, but let Ray sleep.

Did We Really Need To See Jackson Holt Wipe?

[jmaxwell2 · 5/10 · 11 December 2020]

Early in the episode (S05E12), they show Jackson Holt's feet in a bathroom stall. But then they needlessly take it a step further to feature an overhead shot of him on the toilet opening a package of wipes and then a close up of his face as he wipes his ass.

Am I to understand that they had to set up the camera and light three different shots to show this man wiping his ass? I don't expect much from Showtime, but are you kidding me?!

Make This the Series Finale

[asfhgwt-1 · 2/10 · 7 November 2017]

A fitting end to an awful season suffering from five-year-itis. Such laughable unrealism in this episode -- brain surgery in a vacant mall store, for one example. Here's another -- how did Ray manage to get past security in a 5-star New York hotel? How did he magically appear in his victim's room? He certainly couldn't pick a lock with his one good hand (since you need two). Oh, I guess the "bad guy" just left his door unlocked (although every hotel room in which I've ever been has a self-closing/locking door).

After 12 episodes of groaning through Ray's endless cornball visions of his deceased wife, I told my fiancée near the end of this one, "I'll bet we see Abby one more time." I was correct. The ghostly vixen successfully lured a dazed Ray to follow her and jump a slew of stories into the water below. He couldn't possibly survive, so maybe we'll see two wraiths next season.

If there is a next season, I won't be watching. This episode left us with a spate of new beginnings, so that we might speculate about next season and be sure to tune in. Example: Bunchy sends Teresa away because she slept with someone else. (She never said "another man." I wonder why.) So bye, bye to her and now Bunchy is a single dad. How pat can you get?

The first couple of seasons of RD were different and interesting, but season five has degenerated into the glorification of a family of psychopaths. Not exactly must-see TV, IMHO.

Bridget deserved to get thrown in the river

[Fargomoviecritic · 5/10 · 7 January 2021]

Ray Donovan has transporters from Star Trek now, traveling from LA to NYC in mere minutes. Let's leave in the am, get to NYC by Breakfast, travel through time and shave off a 3 hour time difference. Then turn around and fly back by dinner? It takes 3-4 hrs min to fly and not counting the travel to and from airports. Bridget is still a bizzo who ruins everything she touches or is it screws everything she touches? How did she make it more than 2 seasons on this show? Worst character in the series. Agree with all the comments about the surgical situation.