While Ray's out in Southie, the mice do play. Marvin Gaye Washington, freaked out by the belated news of his mother's death, gets a lovely "new birthday" celebration from his adoptive father Rekon, which Bridget can't wait to help him celebrate. Abby and Deb get good old-fashioned Sunset Boulevard old-lady drunk, which is adorable and ends with some shoplifting and an arrest. FBI Frank tangles with Van Miller about his investigation, confirming that he's off the rails and looking to bring everybody down. And Mickey threatens Sean into signing him to a development deal, in lieu of the murdering of Sean that he is clearly going to be doing eventually anyway.

Meanwhile, we learn a few interesting facts in Boston. Number one, which I had forgotten, is that Sully is the person Mickey stole the money from in the first place that he gave to Claudette. Sully's FBI's Most Wanted, and has been in hiding and presumed dead for twenty years, but eventually agrees to come to LA and take Mickey out for good. Oh, and the girl Sean killed was named Colleen (of course), and was a momentary rebound during a break Abby's parents forced on the young couple.

So as Ray is working his way through various emotional and mostly violent reunions over in Boston, his household and family are melting down in some predictable but enjoyable ways. (Terry and Bunchy have about five minutes of screentime between them, but at least we get to see Daryll hanging out with them, now that Bunchy can't even stand to be in his house and is shacking up at the gym.) Deb, and Abby plus Deb, continues to be one of the best things about the show, while in Boston, Sully's ancient bitch of a mother is also pretty excellent.

In the end, after picking up Abby at the police station and negotiating a fairly strong peace treaty -- and then home, to get back the trust of his kids after last week's power-meltdown -- it's home to a weeping Bridget, with whom MGW got way too aggressive sexually, and then to grab the kid out of his house, stick him in the car, and drive him to a location that the Donovan women assume will be a murder but I'm guessing is something less permanent but still traumatic, like the house where MGW's mom died or something weird like that.

It's a quiet episode, but one that puts the focus on characters we don't always get to see doing sundry things: Ray dealing with Boston memories and thugs brings out several new colors, we get to see where Bridget's coming from as far as her feelings for MGW (and lovely singing voice), and even Abby gets ample time to explain herself. But between Sully's impending arrival -- and the fact that the Donovans seem to have accepted the violence of Ray's life even more than he does -- one wonders what next week, being the anniversary of Aunt Bridget's death, will bring.

Next Week: Terry tracks down Frances's husband after she shows up with a black eye; Ray and Avi try to reverse Bunchy's bigger purchases; Mickey presumably pervs out on a black woman; Lena has something of a storyline of her own; the war on Van begins in earnest.