Rescue Me – An episode diary

I never kept a daily journal or diary as a kid. I would jot down random thoughts now and again, but it was nothing regular. Nowadays, I find that keeping a running diary is a great way to watch TV shows and sporting events. I’ve used Twitter to comment on episodes of Lost and NHL playoff games. Participating in live chats is another excellent way to watch, or review, episodes of my favorite shows.

Last night, I decided to utilize this technique while viewing the latest installment of Rescue Me. I didn’t jump in on a chat session. It was just me sitting at my computer keeping a time-line. It was a lot of fun and I was still able to adequately cover all the highlights, low-lights and reveals. Here’s the transcript:

10:03 pm – Needles bitches at Feinberg for allowing Damien to ride along.

10:04 pm – Tommy takes the heat for the whole Damien fiasco.

10:05 pm – Needles lets Tommy have it: “You already got one dead kid on your conscience. You really want another?” Needles continues to be a real dick this season. I like it. Adam Ferrara is doing a great job with the character.

10:06 pm – Opening credits. I’m singing along to “C’mon, C’mon” by The Von Bondies. I do it every week. Have they had another hit? Probably not.

10:12 pm - Sean calls his mom and tells her he has cancer. His brother Terrance keeps cutting in on the conversation. The actor playing Terrance looks like Jon Favreau. Is this the first time we’ve seen Sean’s family? Were they at his wedding? I can’t recall.

10:15 pm – Janet shows up at the firehouse wearing really tight jeans. Andrea Roth is damn sexy.

10:16 pm - The Colleen/Bart storyline is resurrected. Bart basically calls her a whore. Oops. Colleen delivers the line of the night thus far: “Pussies run, Gavins fight.” They sure as hell do. Bart is being misused. The writers need to find something substantial for him to do. I’m not sure what, though.

10:17 pm – Janet and Tommy agree to have “no strings sex.” Yeah, this will end well. Old habits die hard in the Gavin clan.

10:24 pm - Dwight confronts Tommy at the firehouse. Tommy lets it slip he slept with Janet.

10:27 pm – Dwight grabs Tommy’s junk. Punishment for banging Janet.

10:29 pm - Dwight still has a grip on Tommy’s package. I’m feeling uncomfortable.

10:30 pm – Dwight lets go. His hand is cramping. “I’m not used to holding something this small for so long.” That might be the line of the episode. Does Tommy ever have a normal day?

10:32 pm - In a break. No sign of Teddy yet. Maybe the writers have taken the hint that he’s useless. If he shows up in the second half, I will be pissed.

10:36 pm - Franco gets knocked down by a 70-year-old man. Lou was right. Franco ain’t ready to step into the ring. I’m not sure where this arc is heading, but I liked Franco’s 9/11 babble a lot more.

10:40 pm - Tommy is guzzling wine while Sheila straddles him on the couch. She wants his kid, bad. The sex as a weapon ploy is her last resort. Tommy should run like hell, but he doesn’t. Side note: Denis Leary must love his job. Sex scenes with Callie Thorne and Andrea Roth. Nice.

10:47 pm - Tommy is alone in Mike’s bar pounding vodka. The Gavin character might be the best portrayal of an alcoholic I’ve ever seen. Leary never plays him over the top.

10:49 pm - Who’s shooting pool?

10:50 pm – The ghosts of Tommy’s fire victims are back. So is Connor. This time he’s a stockbroker, with a kid, who he yells at repeatedly. It seems like Connor is better off dead. His adult personae are train wrecks.

10:54 pm – Mike shows up at the bar and dresses down Tommy big time. Essentially, he calls Tommy a fuckin’ loser. Great scene. Tommy looks pathetic after Mike tosses him to the floor.

10:56 pm – The song “Glory Box” by Portishead is playing. Very appropriate. Tommy Gavin is right back where he was. Torn between the same two women. Haunted by the same ghosts. Off the wagon. It’s a sad portrait of a lost soul.

10:58 pm - After nine episodes, the real Tommy Gavin has returned, more broken than ever. Good episode. Not disjointed like the last two. I think season five is back on track.

Clacked by Scott Tunstall
on Jun 03, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT