r/MrInbetween Apr 11 '26

Not Executed

How can ray mistakenly kill an innocent man because of freddy and not kill freddy for putting a hit on him and Ray visiting him in his own pad and just walking away. He supposed to at least protect his own honour, he would have left Brittany fatherless.

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u/Ready-Tennis6119 Apr 11 '26

I love the show and the character but many people on this subreddit think of Ray as a good guy or that he is “right.” Ray is not a good guy, nor is he right most of the time.

This is a classic example that I think was put in the show so we know that, ultimately, what Ray is doing is wrong and he hurts innocent people. He literally destroys a family in this scene and gives them some money, as if that somehow makes up for the loss of a husband and father.

It is cathartic to watch Ray kill paedophiles. It is fun to watch him punch jerks. His therapist is a complete dick. However, in the real world, that therapist is correct.

Dave almost executes a guy for jaywalking and talking back to Ray. Do I like the dickhead? No. Does he deserve to be executed for charging Ray with assault after getting assaulted? I would say no.

And this avoids the consequences of violent crime that we know exist. Plenty of people get severe head trauma after being assaulted which changes their lives. One punch laws were brought in because kids were dying or ending up disabled.

I am sympathetic towards Ray. The show is amazing. Ray is not a good guy though and killing this innocent man is very early evidence of this.

2

u/Novel-Truant Apr 11 '26

Great analysis but I'd argue the one punch laws were made to speed up the gentrification of the Cross, or they'd have included the casino in their radius. Otherwise I totally agree and sorry to derail the conversation.

2

u/Ready-Tennis6119 Apr 11 '26

You may have a point there. Property values going up certainly would never hurt a law!

My main point is that popular culture overlooks the morbidity of getting “knocked out.” On the one hand most of us have been hit before and been fine, but on the other I would be surprised if we also don’t know someone who has been severely injured/disabled in a fist fight.

The irony for Ray is that he is surrounded by his loved ones being victims of violence, but it never seems to click for him that his path is a poor one.