Did The Makers Of Ray Donovan Steal The Idea From Grand Theft Auto V? – Part II
Ray Donovan & Michael De Santa – Separated At Birth?
Following on from a previous post about the TV show Ray Donovan and the video game GTA5, there are further similarities to consider, adding to my theory that the two could have been conceived together.
Michael De Santa on the couch.
Both Ray Donovan and Michael De Santa/Townley use therapists.
Ray and Michael visit shrinks in an ultimately futile attempt to address their violent and anti-social behavior, with both of them coerced into it by their respective wives. In Ray Donovan, Ray’s wife Abby insists he attends in an attempt to save their marriage in the early stages of the first season. It’s pretty similar for Michael, the only main difference is that his therapy sessions revolve around repairing the damage done to his increasingly dysfunctional family life. Both Ray and Michael are reluctant recipients of the professional services offered. Swearing and dramatic walk-outs occur in both, from family members and the protagonists alike. Like the famous Tony Soprano-versus-psychiatrist scenes in The Sopranos, the couch scenes in both the TV show and the game offer fantastic opportunities for well crafted dialogue. It seems no crime drama is ever complete without a psychotherapy session.
Both seem to spend an absurd amount of time in their walk-in wardrobes.
Ray Donovan’s wardrobe. One of his favourite places to argue with his wife.
The generous wardrobe space afforded both characters serves to show the success they’ve enjoyed. Ray is often seen picking out expensive watches and cuff-links, often while mid-argument with Abby. Likewise, Michael De Santa spends long periods standing in front of closets and drawers, choosing outlandish outfits. The only difference between the two is that in Michael’s case, the player is picking clothes in which to dress the character. I like to keep him in simple dark suits and open-neck shirts, but the game gives the player the ability to make him look ridiculous. Hawaiian shirt and a monkey mask, anyone?
Everyone loves a walk-in wardrobe. Even murderous gangsters.
Both Ray Donovan and GTA5 have storylines involving dodgy film producers.
Being set in Hollywood/Los Santos, both the TV show and the game inevitably get involved in the film industry. Ray is a fixer for producers and film moguls, and his father Micky Donovan even has ill-fated film deals dangled in front him before his past catches up with him, like a corpse floating back to the surface of a lake. Michael De Santa, much like Ray, finds himself working for a film producer after helping to clear up some dirty business for him. In return, Michael becomes executive producer on one of the studio’s films. But in reality, he’s just being exploited. Cue film awards ceremony, car chase, gun battle, and even an escape on a Lear jet (if you play the mission properly).
Both characters spend hours on the phone.
Always on the phone, but never out of signal or having to charge the handsets. To be fair, this is a charge that can be leveled at pretty much any modern film, TV show, or video game. Characters are always on their cell phones. The proliferation of mobile technology is a godsend to story tellers of any medium. No longer do characters need to arrange face to face meetings with each other, or just happen to be within reach of a land-line when an important plot twist crops up. The main difference here is that Michael’s phone is generic, whereas in Ray Donovan, ever the home to product placement, it’s an Apple iPhone. I just hope he has a good talk package.
I look forward to the episode where Ray discovers Apple have foisted an unwanted U2 album on him, and he has to work out how to get rid of it.
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