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***Spoiler Alert***

Episode 9: “All of Us are in the Gutter”

“All of us are in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” – Oscar Wilde

Also known as the episode in which Kevin proves his loyalty to Jenny by saying “I’ll stay”, and you feel in that moment who Kevin really is.

Tommy takes Kate up on meeting her art friend, Munst. Except he doesn’t realize that it’s actually an internship and shows up all prepared to present his work. Poor Tommy. He’s slinging disgusting studio garbage into a too high dumpster and gets a visit from Kate who wants more than to just visit. Munst fairly calls out that everyone needs a benefactor, and it seems like Tommy is just realizing what Kate’s bigger plan is. Again I wonder, would something more have happened between them in future seasons?

Jimmy got a new sign for the Firecracker Lounge, which is literally an illustration of a flame and a Saltine-like cracker. Too literal or so basic its creative? 

Kevin finally admits he still has Louie Downtown’s phone and Nicky bet with him:

Jimmy smashes the cellphone on the bar top in the Firecracker.

Jimmy: That’s how you get rid of a cellphone, Kevin.”

Kevin: “I guess I should’ve done that.”

Jimmy: “You guess?! Ok, Nicky Cottero made a bet with you.”

Kevin: “Yeah, on that cellphone right there, that’s what I’m telling you.”

Jimmy: “That he lost.”

Kevin: “A thousand bucks.”

Jimmy: “And he came to meet you last night to pay off the bet.”

Kevin: “Yeah.”

Jimmy: “But he didn’t pay you.”

Kevin: “Nah, he said he needed another day.”

Jimmy: “That doesn’t make any sense, he should’ve killed you.”

Kevin: “Yeah I know, but I didn’t think it would be a good idea to press the issue.”

Kevin again with the zingers! Another brilliant dialogue scene. 

Dokey gets a talking to from Jack Trevor, and it starts to come together that the city councilman is also in on this taking over the neighborhood for new development plot that Huey and Sal had started years before. The one that got Bobby Donnelly killed.

Jimmy rolls down to Nicky’s bar with Whitey, and brazenly takes the grand Nicky owes out of the register.  With Sean as the driver. Of course this prompts Nicky to call Jimmy, but his real motive is to meet with Tommy to discuss business, knowing that Tommy is the real head of the family. Jimmy’s too brash and irrational to deal with.

Tommy is hours into his internship and gets calls from Kevin in the Firecracker’s bathroom, and then a visit at the studio from Sean. You know its bad when both brothers go behind Jimmy’s back and call for Tommy’s help. And Tommy’s art dreams, so close for a moment, get further away as he leaves the studio to help his brothers. He sets up a meet with Nicky in Brooklyn at Pete’s Downtown (a real restaurant, it closed about 10 years ago), next the Brooklyn Bridge. Sean, now caught between a very angry Jimmy and an annoyed Tommy, gives up the location and Jimmy crashes the meeting, pulling a gun on Nicky, and getting one to his temple. Nicky makes Tommy a deal he really can’t refuse, but he does for the moment. Because Nicky is going to kill Dokey, and would far prefer to work with Tommy in the neighborhood, and Tommy handling Jimmy is the kind of muscle Nicky wants to deal with. 

At the diner, Mr. Reilly’s gone missing, and Jenny starts looking for him, stopping by the Firecracker. Kevin bails on the Nicky meet to help Jenny, and thus leads to some of my favorite Kevin Donnelly scenes. Beyond the Louie Downtown cell stupidity and the bad gambling choices, Kevin shows his loyalty and genuine friendship with Jenny and its interesting to see their particular relationship away from the other brothers.  We know Jenny and Tommy should be together, Jimmy’s in love with her and Jenny kind of hates him, Sean is everyone’s baby brother. But Kevin? A different kind of a friendship. Maybe like a brother?  

Joey’s running the diner solo to help Jenny while she’s looking for Mr. Reilly, living out his dream of being a short order cook. Never thinking he could ask her for a job. Which he realizes while retelling the story in his jail cell. Quintessential Joey Ice Cream.

But the real heartbreaker is Sean and Jimmy meeting back up at the Firecracker, and Jimmy telling Sean he knows Sean doesn’t think much of him.  Jimmy knows his place with his brothers, and its pretty bleak.

Favorite Scene: Jenny and Kevin return to the diner that night, without finding Mr. Reilly. Both are sitting at the counter and Jenny tells Kevin he can go home, and he simply says “I’ll stay”, and keeps reading a newspaper. Something about it catches Jenny’s attention and maybe she realizes he is the most loyal Donnelly brother. He’s in the moment, with her, and isn’t going to leave. I remember it catching my attention the first time, and every time I watch this episode. It’s a deeper moment than it appears, saying a lot about who Kevin really is.

“The Black Donnellys” is available for purchase on iTunes, Amazon, and DVD.  Also available to stream, with extremely annoying and poorly placed commercial breaks, on the NBC app or NBC.com

At the time of posting, the episodes are still out of order on the NBC app and website, so Episode 4 = Episode 2, Episode 2 = Episode 3, Episode 3 = Episode 4. The title of each episode should reference the quote slide within the first 5 minutes of the episode.

Episode Notes: “The Black Donnellys” Episode 10

Episode Notes: “The Black Donnellys” Episode 8

Sleepers: “The Black Donnellys”