'Mr Inbetween' season 2: Ray Shoemith's dark past to his loving fatherly side, here are 5 things to look forward to
Ray Shoesmith oscillates between his life as a hitman-on-hire and a loving family guy in FX's 'Mr Inbetween'. Played by Scott Ryan, the series captures the lead character's dilemma as he juggles between the two. The series came into being when filmmaker Nash Edgerton caught Ryan's half-hour mockumentary 'The Magician' at the Melbourne Film Festival and created a full-fledged show with the actor in the lead.
Season one turned out to be a fresh outlook on the villainous side and viewers seemed to be fascinated by the show. "This show was such a pleasant surprise. It's REALLY f**king good," one user said on Reddit, while another commented, "I lived in Australia 10 years. I love this show. It does a great job of portraying the lives of lower-middle-class Australians."
The first season ended with Ray taking his criminal side as just a "job" and keeping it away from his endearing daughter Brit (Chika Yasumura), girlfriend Ally (Brooke Satchwell), best friend to Gary (Justin Rosniak) and ill brother Bruce (Nicholas Cassim). But how long will he keep his two worlds apart? As the second season premieres on FX with the first episode titled 'Shoulda Trapped' on September 12, here are five things to look forward to!
Will Brittany accept daddy's dark side?
Ray's daughter Brit is a lovely girl, who charges money from her dad and his brother Bruce whenever they swear. "You own me two dollars," he tells Bruce when he utters "s**t" by mistake in front of her. "Is Santa real?" she asks her dad, who tells her that none of the fictitious characters are real. When she asks about unicorns, he doesn't want to break her heart. He lies to her to make her happy and tells her he saw one in "the Blue Mountains". As Ray Shoesmith's life takes a grueling turn with more action and violence, will his daughter find out about his double life in the next season?
Ray's relationship with Ally
Ray tries to get back into the dating zone and meets an almost-perfect girl Ally. She adores him for his caring and nurturing side. However, she still has no clue about what Ray actually does for a living. In the first season, Ally develops a good rapport with his daughter Brit too. What if she finds out that Ray is a hitman for hire? In the second season, their relationship might just have to see a new arc. Good or bad? Time will tell.
Blurred lines between black and white
Ryan masterfully plays the hitman for hire, Ray Shoesmith, who has a heart of gold. In the web series, Ryan is totally charming as he flashes a wide smile no matter what situation he may be in. From acing a deadpan expression to his wide grin, Ryan is remarkable in the role, moving from tenderness to ruthlessness without even flinching. As he shuffles between two personality traits, will he choose his dark side over the good side if a situation comes where he needs to make a choice?
Ray's reluctance to kill
"I wouldn’t say I enjoy hitting people,” Ray says. “If I hit somebody, I generally got a pretty good reason." He takes his criminal business as a "job" and does it only when paid by his boss Freddy (Damon Herriman). Ray may be a hitman for hire, but in his heart, he is a guardian angel for his loved ones. In a couple of scenes, he even blatantly refuses to kill. "Your brother-in-law, you pull the gun," he tells his best friend in one episode. So, in the second season, will he say no to more killings when he realizes it is not who he really is?
Does Ray have a dark past?
In its first season, the show did nothing to explore the "whys and whens" of Ray's life. As the second season premieres on FX, there's hope that it might show a glimpse of what transpired in his personal life that he took to working as a hitman. "Because most people can’t relate to the work side of Ray, it’s important to show the personal side of his life," Ryan told IGN. "His interactions with his friends, partner and family are relatable because we have our own personal experiences in these areas. I think dialogue is very important too. If a character doesn’t speak in a way that’s authentic, then they become very hard to relate to."
Thanks to good ratings and international praise, 'Mr Inbetween' was renewed for a second season on September 12 on FX. While the first season had six episodes, the second season comes with 11 episodes and that also gives the makers more content and space to explore Ray's life. There's a strong hope that season two might make for an intriguing watch.
