I wanted to start by asking about the situation Mickey and Ray find themselves in at the beginning of the show. While Mickey was in prison, Ray seems to have taken on his role at the head of the family. Liev, I was curious what you think Ray has learned from Mickey about parenting.

Schreiber: One of the things about doing television is [that it's] unlike theater or film, where you've kind of got a finite narrative arc, and you execute the arc as you understand it. Television, it's got a life of its own, which is exciting. The thing develops in a way that you never could have imagined. And the character in some respects is out of your hands. Every week, the writers--and for that matter, the other actors and the directors and the editors--make crucial decisions about the development of your part and your relationships.

I think the question that you're asking about how Ray feels about Mickey's parenting skills is a pretty straightforward one that we knew--at least I knew--from the beginning when it was handed to me from Ann. Which is as far as Ray's concerned, Mickey is absolutely the worst parent he's ever seen in his life. At least that's the way Ray feels about him at the beginning of the season. I think Ray holds Mickey responsible for everything bad that's happened to his family. And if you asked me what Ray has learned about parenting from Mickey, it would seem that the character's made a very clear decision that he's going to raise his own children in a completely different way.

That's an interesting dynamic, especially now that Mickey's back. Jon, do you think Mickey's angry about Ray's decisions? Is he coming back to reclaim his place in the family?

Voight: Well, I think Mickey's a kind of a fellow who's a survivor and is trying to put his life together. Obviously he's spent 20 years in jail, and a lot of that time's been just surviving physically. His relationship to the family is important to him, but his whole, he's got a lot of things to do with Mickey. Mickey's not a whole person, as one would say. And he's got a lot of demons. And therefore, and a lot of bad habits. He's dangerous to any society, any group in society, and especially his family. Ray identifies that.

That doesn't mean that Mickey doesn't love his family. He does. He thinks he can be helpful. He thinks he can make decisions for others and he knows the right way. But he's a dangerous fellow.

You talk about Mickey trying to survive physically in prison. One of the things I thought was interesting was how Ray and Mickey have different approaches to the sexual abuse that Bunchy suffered. Ray tries to be very sensitive, and Mickey, there's this horrible scene at Bunchy's support group where Mickey tells inappropriate jokes and tells everyone to toughen up. Does that come from Mickey's own response to the prison environment?