Ray Donovan season 5 episode 3: The life and times of Abby Donovan

Moving into Ray Donovan season 5 episode 3 airing on Showtime Sunday night, there is still a very clear void in the series: Abby. Ray’s wife and longtime loved died of cancer in between seasons, and while you are still seeing Paula Malcomson as the character, it’s not in the same way. She is turning up in flashbacks and potentially some dream sequences, and we will travel through much of the timeline in order to see what her life was like with Ray and why the two cared about each other.

In some shape or form, this episode will continue in this upcoming episode, and could seemingly through the end of the season. While we’re not sure that Abby will remain a fixture of the show in perpetuity, clearly the writers know that there is some value in trying to get closure for this character. She was too huge a part of the show to leave as a gaping void.

We do think the video below from Showtime offers up a number of nice tributes to Abby and Malcomson via some of her co-stars. You can watch it, or if you choose, we’ve written up captions of what many of the major players on the show (including Paula herself) had to say.

Liev Schreiber, Ray – “Big things have to happen on shows like this, and this is a big thing … The impact of that on this family is pretty heavy … On the surface you may not see all of the intimacy and joy that makes them a great couple. All you see is the difficult stuff they go through together. I was happy to have an opportunity to play some of those scenes where you saw the lighter side of them, why they’re still together, why they have kids, and why their life on some level is really beautiful.”

Jon Voight, Mickey – This season is rooted in the death of Abby … Paula is an extraordinary gift to this team.”

David Hollander, showrunner – “It’s probably the hardest creative choice that I’ve ever had to make. What it yields is an opportunity to tell a story with our heart on our sleeve.”

Paula Malcomson – “It’s actually rather great as an actor to know when something’s ending. There’s something really beautiful about that because you can savor it … Despite the crap that they’ve been through together, they’re each others’ true north, really. I think she had been the thing that tethered this family, so her absence is a way to move the story forward.”

The show goes on Sunday, where you’ll get a chance to see more of what is transpiring with one of Ray’s latest clients in Natalie James. Be sure to head over to the link here in order to read more about her.

How are you handling the death of Abby on Ray Donovan, and how much do you think it changes the series? Share in the comments! (Photo: Showtime.)