Ray hasn't lost his edge!

On Ray Donovan Season 3 Episode 5, when presented with a perfect opportunity for leverage within the Finney family, Ray used it to his full advantage. Thank goodness they underestimated him and chose to treat him as a hired man. 

While he's back in the swing of things professionally, is he home for more than a temporary stay? Considering the way things are going with Paige, that's difficult to say.

Mickey's still trying to maneuver like a big fish, and it's not working out too well for him. Proving just how little they know about who they've chosen to get into bed with financially, Daryll discovered how vicious the Armenians can be by checking Wikipedia. Yikes.

I'm not sure which hookers handbook Mick's been consulting, but he hasn't been giving the greatest instructions to Daryll about how to handle various situations, either. Floating the Kwip party went a little farther than the $100 for an individual "John" into the $10k mark with little effort.

And unless I completely misread the situation, Conor lost his virginity to a hooker at the party, and nobody batted an eyelash. They seem like great gals and all, but gross.

There's no way this isn't all going to come back and bite Mickey in the ass. You can't run hookers and blow as a business, partnered with Armenians, and expect everything to be hunky dory. I don't know how or when, but it's going to blow up into their faces. I just hope this time Mickey gets hurt instead of one of his kids.

Bunchy's story sure took a surprising turn. First off, Father Romero is inserting himself more and more into Bunch's life. It's disconcerting. I liked the way Teresa noticed it. She really seemed to care about Bunchy (even more than her sexy side let on). It's too bad she's gone now.

Terry: They were gonna rip you off.
Bunchy: What do you know about it?
Terry: I know what I saw.
Bunchy: You know, we don't all have to spend our life fuckin' miserable.

• Permalink: You know, we don't all have to spend our life fuckin' miserable.

The two brothers don't really talk much, but I have to wonder if Bunchy told Terry all that Teresa was going for him if he would have been as quick to shove the Mexican wrestlers out the door. Fite Club is a money laundering front. Making money isn't their thing. In fact, if they lose it on paper, would that even be so bad?

It seems to me what Teresa was bringing back to Bunchy was far more important than any loss Fite Club was experiencing in the process. To rediscover his sexuality after all those years and without fear of being attracted to little boys any longer was such a relief. The scene when Bunch pleaded with Teresa as to what he could do to keep them there was heartbreaking.

I'm hoping we haven't seen the last of them, because at the very least I wanted to see a match. Was I alone in that? 

Ray and Dog were in charge of the house and family while Abby was gone. Ray had been out of the loop so long he even had no idea how Bridget's schoolwork was suffering. Still, he was the protective father when the counselor didn't seem to have anything constructive to say to her.

Being at home and in control again seemed to give Ray the confidence he needed in the business arena, as well. He enlisted Lena's help with a Finney case to get a cell phone back that Verona was using (who in this day still uses a plain old flip phone??), and it was that phone that Ray leveraged to secure a bit of his family's future.

Watching the way Paige interacts with Ray, I don't think she'll take him for granted any longer. She finally realizes the type of man she's dealing with. He should have started out a little higher than 5% for his cut of the NFL team, but he probably still got a good deal, assuming it goes through. It looks like he'll spend a good portion of Ray Donovan Season 3 Episode 6 ensuring it does. 

I was wondering if Ray had lost his mojo when he accepted the position with Finney. Going behind Finney's back to cut the deal with Paige and the way he treats Varick prove he's lost nothing. 

But what about Abby and their marriage?

Abby wants something of her own, and that's not difficult to understand. She shouldn't have offered to buy Kelly's Place without talking to Ray first, but he makes a lot of decisions without her input, and isn't a marriage supposed to be a partnership? If he balks at her business deal, especially considering it's family and his progressing "thing" with Paige, it will be disappointing.

Abby certainly looked happy to see both of her boys at home when she arrived. Will they both be there for long? Did Mickey's chat with Ray about Conor and the counselor's about Bridget make enough of an impact for him to consider moving back permanently?

More likely Ray would move back so that things looked copacetic on the homefront to Finney. It might look good for Ray to have a strong family, even if it's broken on the inside. 

Things are getting back to normal. Ray might be moving home, he's back on his game, he re-hired Lena; who knows what else is coming. It's about time for the Father Romero shoe to drop, isn't it?

What did you think of the hour? Hit the comments, and let's chat about it.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.