Rescue Me – The laughs return

Truthfully, the laughs are never lacking on Rescue Me. However, the last couple of installments have leaned more toward the serious. The latest episode was funny from start to finish (save one section, which I’ll get to later). All the characters got in on the festivities. There’s a lot to cover, so just like Tommy Gavin, I’ll jump right into the flames.

The episode kicked off in fine fashion, as Tommy and Mike got trapped in a smoke filled basement. Mike – who has suddenly become a smart ass – continued to rip “old man” Gavin, but his words came back to bite him in the ass. If not for Tommy’s vast experience, they both might have been cooked. Mike freaked out, while Tommy was his normally cool self. For all of his faults, it’s easy to forget how good Tommy is at his job. He may not technically outrank Mike, but he’s twice the firefighter.

Last week, I asked for an episode dedicated to Sean’s cancer. It wasn’t all about him, but there was enough of his story arc to please. His indifferent mom and dickhead brother are a friggin’ riot; they use Sean’s condition to dump on the poor guy. Actually, the levity is useful to help lighten Sean’s mood. His attempts to open up to his mom are uncomfortable to watch, in that he can’t quite get the words out, and she appears not to care. When she finally does tell him everything will be okay, it makes for a poignant moment. Sometimes all it takes is a little reassurance from mom to make the pain go away.

Tommy’s drinking was once again center stage. His “Who’s on first” routine in the firehouse about who can or cannot know he’s drinking again was the best scene in the episode. Franco, Bart, Mike, Lou and Needles had zero trouble contributing to the idiocy. Mike and Bart’s “coffee” diatribe effectively piled on to the silliness. I’m not sure it’s a good thing to present FDNY guys as dopes, but it’s damn entertaining.

The Sheila/Tommy reconciliation took another turn. The “control your drinking and you get my tits” ultimatum issued was classic Sheila. The pillow talk between her and Tommy was oddly romantic. In my mind, they are perfect together. Each is a walking disaster, but their ability to compromise is what separates from the Tommy/Janet relationship. Tommy and Janet are simpatico in the sack, and oil and water out of it. The only thing keeping Tommy and Sheila apart is guilt.

Now to the bad. I hate to keep beating a dead horse with a broken record, but the Teddy/Maggie scenes are unfunny and pointless. Teddy doesn’t want to kill one of the veterans, and Maggie is having a blast banging all the old codgers. Whoopee fucking doo!! Whenever they show up on screen, I hit the mute button. It takes me completely out of the episode. The Rescue Me writers are better than this. I have no idea where they are going with this thread, nor do I care.

I’m done bitching. It was an excellent chapter in what is becoming the best season since season two. I am eagerly anticipating Sean telling all the guys about his cancer. How will they react? You never know with this bunch. People who face death every day have a tendency to dismiss the mortality topic. A preoccupation with death is not conducive to maintaining an edge. Until next week.

Clacked by Scott Tunstall
on Jun 10, 2009 @ 09:00 EST5EDT