Ray Shoesmith (Scott Ryan), mob debt collector and hitman has responsibilities outside his professional life. The people he loves, and who love him are worth his attention though some are less obviously worthy at times and more obviously needy.
Case is in point is his best mate Gary, still recovering from a severe beating/mugging at the hands of his dense brother-in-law Vasilli (Jackson Tozer) and a group of thugs. No sooner does Gary (Justin Rosniak) return home and resumes his enjoyment of gross porn than Vasilli returns and tries to rip him off again whilst Gary's wife, Vasilli's equally boorish sister Tatiana is at yoga.
The lowest of low-level vory v zakone thugs, Vasilli is but one of countless eccentric and exceptionally dumb criminals we see depicted on the series. Ray shows up and he and Gary handle burly Vasilli in a way that will keep him from ripping Gary off again and keep his marriage to Tatiana (Lizzie Schebesta) intact.
But consequences must be faced for the barbarity of Ray's reprisals. Local crimelord Freddy (Damon Herriman, in a consistently hilarious tour-de-force characterisation) informs Ray that the gang he beat on for attacking Gary are in the employ of his son-in-law's brother. He demands a meeting to straighten things out. Ray is of the view that things have already been straightened out.
Attendance at anger management is ordered by a court for Ray. He must attend or face jailtime and the facilitator of the group has the discretion of recommending it. Since he doesn't think he has a problem, and other guys at the session beat women and children, big no-nos to him, his first group therapy session is a disaster that nearly results in a brawl.
We've seen him commit assault and battery outside of his assignments in service to Freddy . He knows to keep his violent ways restricted to his professional life. But under the wrong circumstances he can't control himself. He has a particularly low tolerance for those disrespect him in front of the people he loves. We are not told which instance of violence he is in trouble for. It doesn't have to be any of the instances we have actually seen.
Much needed fulfillment of time spent with his child is juxtaposed with the indignity of seeing the life she lives with her mother and stepfather. Stepdad is handsome, successful and refreshingly normal. Looks of disapproval from his ex, and a face of pure terror from her new fella suggest they frown upon the arrangement but must comply. It's a muck sandwich for Ray every time up he picks up Brittany until his ex, her new hubby and their much nicer house - a Barbie and Ken upper middle-class play-set, are no longer in view.
Ray's romance with classy, hardworking, earnest Ally (Brooke Satchwell) continues along a playful path. They're smitten, though they've made no commitments. She has seen nothing of his dark side yet and he's done a goob job of concealing it. Her naivete serves Ray in this considerably more than his discretion. There is good in Ray. Fortunately for him that is all she is able to perceive.
The writing in the series walks a different kind of tightrope than the title character. With elements including dark satire, melodrama and suspense each could detract from each other. But the sophistication of the writing is able to find a way of squaring that and a big part of how is the truth found in the life experience of hardened criminals. The bad guys have their own issues. But they also have some of the same ones as the rest of us. Audiences see a reflection of themselves in the cesspool.
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