Rescue Me

[shmeep]

It HAS to be Keela! Turns out my idea isn't as original as I thought. I went back to TWoP and all the people over there have suddenly agreed that she's after Keela so so much for me brilliantly figuring out a plot twist. Well, I did think of it on my own last night as I watched. Someone over at TWoP even went so far as to suggest that SS's character might even be related to Keela in some way and that the whole thing was a ploy to get her. She did very specifically single Franco out at the bar and she got him to give away a lot of information about Keela. Also, she has said something about loving kids in each episode, so that--along with what TVGuide says about next week--sort of backs up this whole theory.

[mlm828]

admin said:

From what I'm reading over at TWoP, many loyal viewers were turned off by last night's closing scene. I had read a spoiler about it yesterday at TVGuide.com in which the woman who plays Janet said this:

TVGuide.com: I can't let you go without trying to eke out one final Rescue Me spoiler. Surprise me.
Roth: Well, when Tommy comes over and we have sex, it starts off very violent, and you're not really certain exactly what the hell happened. I read in an article that Denis said that scene actually shows how complicated and strong the sexual pull is between these two people and why they are together and find it so hard to be apart. I haven't seen it, but a bunch of producers have said it's their favorite scene.

Um...I saw it as an obvious rape. Even my husband said, "Oh my God! He's raping her! He's a bad guy..." during that scene. I guess we're supposed to be lulled into complacency once it's clear she enjoyed it. It stopped bothering me so much then and I started to think that maybe in that context, it wasn't such a horrible act. But...then I thought about how she couldn't have escaped had she wanted to and that threw me into confusion all over again.

I'm with you, shmeep. If the rape scene (let's call it what it was) was intended to show the strong sexual attraction between the two characters, it failed, in my opinion. Rape isn't sexy, and it isn't about sex.

On a lighter note, I thought the scene between "Probie" and his roommate about who was "gayer" was absolutely hilarious!

[shmeep]

mlm828 said:

On a lighter note, I thought the scene between "Probie" and his roommate about who was "gayer" was absolutely hilarious!

Heh. I love the way Probie thinks. He said something like "If I'm zero percent gay and you're twice that, how is that gayer? Use your logic!" I'm sure I got the quote all wrong, but that was the gist.

[maggiethecat]

Shmeep, you called the whole Alicia/Keela thing, right down to the ground. Jeez, you should write this stuff!

And speaking of writing -- is it me or has this show really started spinning its wheels? Seems to me they did the stolen kid angst last year with Janet whipping Tommy's kids off to Ohio. It's gotten obvious, which is shocking, to me, since it was always the unexpected that kept me coming back. The minute Jeanie's brother showed up at Whathisname's front door with check in hand, you just knew it was the signal for Kate Burton to come tripping down the stairs in her robe.

For me, the best moments of this week's episode were definitely Uncle Teddy and Patty D'Arbanville (anybody else remember her as Vinnie Terranova's girlfriend on Wiseguy?). That little scene was vintage Rescue Me. Love, love, love Uncle Teddy.


Not that I'll ever bail on the show. I'm too much of a Denis Leary fan for that, plus at its worst the show is better than 99.9% of what's on TV. But it's not the addictive energy burst it was last season. Sigh.

[shmeep]

I don't know. I suspected the Alicia/Keela thing was going to happen, but I didn't know how and I still don't know why. She told Franco she never could have kids but then she told Keela that she had (past tense) a daughter. Is she trying to replace that daughter or does she have a very specific reason for having singled out Franco and wanting HIS daughter? Is she the grandma? And as obvious and angsty as that storyline is, I thought the twist of having her come to the station and talk enough sense to Tommy to get him to grudgingly see that Keela might just be better off with this woman was pretty brilliant. The whole thing about how women in Franco's life always disappear and Keela's a girl so will she disappear too?...the stuff about women choosing men like their fathers (that shook Tommy up, thinking of his own daughters, and it even got through to Franco) and that last kicker about how Keela has never been to a dentist! Everything got all turned around in that scene until it seems obvious to the audience that Keela is not being properly cared for (although the sight of her cute empty little room full of all her girly stuff was touching) and that this woman is right to take her. I like that they somehow managed to turn Alicia into a benefactor with that one scene and that it got me all conflicted. If the show can still do that, it's still fascinating.

There was also a nice little bookend moment within the episode. Tommy, finding Connor's baseball mitt and getting emotional over it, refuses to give in when Sheila tries to comfort him but then at the end, when he suddenly starts seeing ghosts while he's driving--the last one being Connor--he pulls over and breaks down crying. I thought that was very effective. And it was interesting that one of his "ghosts" seemed to be a glimpse of the beat-up face of his brother Johnny. Living people aren't usually his ghosts so that was pretty thought provoking--unless I am mistaken and that was someone else.

For me, vintage Rescue Me happened when they are on their way to a fire and Sean tries to fight Tommy but can't reach him because he's buckled in. That whole scene is great--as is how terrified Tommy is of his sister and how he wants to protect Sean from her. I love the dynamics of the Gavin family.

[maggiethecat]

After last night's episode, I am soooooooo in again. Dramatic, touching, and Sean's sleepwalking was as funny as anything they've ever done on this show and that's saying quite a lot (Lieut and the dip on his face?!).

And of course the idea of three women fighting over Tommy is just plain rich.

Oh, yeah. They're baaaaaaaaaaack.

[shmeep]

Yes, now THAT'S why we fell in love with the show to begin with. Because it's sometimes like THAT! I loved last night's episode from beginning to end--especially all the step-by-step kissing instructions. Oh, and Sean's sleepwalking/shopping/eating/insulting was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on television--especially since it culminated in the theft of a big white bunny. Wha--? Brilliant!

A lot of people (okay...the people at TWoP) are always complaining that Denis Leary writes things that end up making him look like a stud. All the women he attracts...the complements to his--er--abilities, etc. When I saw the preview for next week, I thought that point could be valid. As flawed as his character is, he does manage to slip in a lot about being great in bed, being a good kisser, being irresistable to women...but I don't care. The show is good stuff and Marissa Tomei was adorable and funny and didn't feel like stunt casting at all.

[shmeep]

Another good one last night! I laughed my way through the whole thing. Too many bitingly witty conversations to even remember and an ending that shocked me. Of course awful things have to happen because that's the story of Tommy's life, but to have his brother get shot and the Chief have a heart attack at once...geez! But it makes for some great potential storylines. If the Chief dies, then Lou might take over and not go live on that boat and Franco might still be able to make lieutenant and not have to leave the firehouse. Also, if Johnny dies, then that leaves a lot up in the air about Janet and the baby--and Tommy's slowly-evolving relationship with Sheila.

The nice thing about Rescue Me is that even if a character gets killed off, he can always reappear to torment (or advise) Tommy in his imagination. Really, some of the most interesting characters on the show are the dead ones. I can just see Chief or Johnny haunting Tommy.

[shmeep]

Well, that was...random.

I figured Johnny was a goner, but it was still sad and horrible to see. Almost as sad as the death of Connor last season. I don't know how this show manages to straddle the line between tragedy and comedy so brilliantly, but that opening scene where they showed a montage of everyone finding out...whoa! Very effective. Not a word of dialogue, just the physical reactions. For some reason I was particularly moved by Sheila, who was on her cell phone and had to sit down right there on the sidewalk when she got the news. And old Pa Gavin? That was the hardest of all--and the best. I was so impressed and amazed by how they handled this, but...how much more are they going to force Tommy to endure? Looks like next week he'll have to choose between Janet and Sheila. I have a hunch he'll lean toward Janet, but...what if Sheila managed to get pregnant too? I wouldn't be surprised if that's the way things are heading. Still, if his choice is Janet and staying in FDNY or Sheila and retiring...you know what will end up happening, particularly with the Chief out of commission.

The random part? What? Suddenly there's a long-lost Deaf sister? Um...okay. But did it have to be Deanne Bray? She is the Deaf actress who starred in Sue Thomas, FBEye. Horrible show! Syrupy sweet and terribly written--and not the least bit realistic, although it claims to be based on a true story. I'm glad to see Deanne getting work. She's a friend of a teacher I used to interpret for and seems like a really nice person but...I don't think she can really act and I don't see her fitting in with the Gavins at all. What was the point in having her suddenly show up like that? I get that she's classier and more refined than the others because she wasn't brought up with them, but...why? Her character is living in San Diego, so what was the point of that introduction? When Tatum O'Neal showed up last season as another long-lost sister, Maggie, that made sense because she fit right in. But this one? We shall see. I wish they had found a better actress.

That wedding cracked me up and seemed just right. And Gavin-Garrity...Gavity! That cracked me up. So did the look on Tommy's face when he walked in on Probie and the priest talking in a bedroom. "We were just talking!" Talk about an episode making me laugh and cry almost simultaneously! Johnny had better come back as one of Tommy's ghosts! I'll miss him.

[maggiethecat]

Amen to everything you said, Shmeep!

I had no idea that Rosemary the Deaf sister was Deanne Bray from Sue Thomas (since I'd never watched the show), I just thought she was a pretty syrupy presence taken against the rest of the Gavin clan. But how funny was it that everyone suddenly started signing at the funeral? You sign? Sure -- doesn't everyone? And it did make me giggle that Tommy seems to have an endless supply of longlost sisters.

But yes, the way everyone got the news about Johnny was powerful, especially the way Sheila sank to the ground. And you just knew when Tommy and Lou were futzing around in the kitchen that there would be a message on the answering machine from Johnny . . . and what a message. Heartbreaking. I never thought of Johnny being added to Tommy's cast of ghosts, but I hope they do it.

As for the teasers from next week -- Tee Gavin leave the NYPD? Yikes. He couldn't even take being stuck in Staten Island. This is going to be interesting.

[mlm828]

I, too, thought the opening sequence where everyone got the news about Johnny was very well-done.

The sudden appearance of the long-lost Deaf sister seemed a little . . . contrived, especially now that I read she's the second long-lost sister to appear. (I only started watching the show this season and didn't know that Maggie was also a long-lost sister).

I did find it amusing that the long-lost sister (1) is apparently the least screwed-up of the siblings; (2) wasn't raised in the Gavin family; and (3) is now living happily in San Diego, which is about as far as you can get from the rest of the family in NYC and still stay in the 48 contiguous states.

One interesting detail I noticed is that Tommy's message to Johnny was "unheard" -- in other words, Johnny didn't get the message before he died. I kind of like it that they didn't cop out and give Tommy the comfort of knowing Johnny got his message, but on the other hand, they really are dumping a lot on Tommy, aren't they?

[shmeep]

There's a bit TWoP debate going on right now about when Tommy made that call and what his motivation was. I know the call was unheard, but some people are speculating that Tommy called the cell after knowing his brother was dead and after hearing Johnny's message first in order to be certain that Janet heard it. I don't know if I buy that, but that would be something, wouldn't it?

I didn't see the first season, but I guess Rosemarie (the deaf sister) had been mentioned in passing before as a Gavin sibling. I had no idea. There's another brother who was on briefly too and there may be yet another sibling we have yet to meet. I doubt if any backstory had been developed when Rosemarie was mentioned, but at least it wasn't completely out of nowhere. Anyone out there see season one?

[maggiethecat]

I take back everything I said about the first few episodes of this season not being that great -- the last four or five episodes have been as good as anything they've done on this show and that's saying a lot.

Last night's season finale was amazing. So many wonderful moments: Tommy remembering the old days in the house, the comedy with Janet and Tommy versus what Lou wanted to watch on TV with the girls ("No Big Love!"), the sidetrip to the firefighters' memorial, Franco's scene with Keela, Lou and his sea legs (!), Sean and Maggie on Chief Pecker's desk. But that cliffhanger! Ye Gods, we have to wait now until what? May? June? Aaaaaaaaaaah.

[shmeep]

The wait will be tough, but at least we know there's something to look forward to during the summer next year.

Did you know that Chief Pecker was played by Peter Tolan, one of the writers? That was hilarious, especially the scene when he was sitting right there at the table during the most raucous conversation of the season (if it could be narrowed down to one) listening to his headphones. I wasn't sure if he was catching anything that was going on around him until he started singing.

I thought there would be more closure on more of the story lines, but I guess not. We know Keela is going to France and the firehouse is staying together, but...where was Jerry? That one tiny scene and the flashback?

I'm always a little stunned when I'm reminded that Tommy's dead cousin Jimmy was Sheila's husband. I know it comes up all the time and it was probably a huge deal during the first season (which I've never seen), but every once in a while that fact hits me during a story and I'm surprised all over again. I loved the look on Jimmy's face when Tommy told Sheila he didn't put in for retirement. It was a lopsided "you're on your own now" kind of smile while he shook his head and left the table.

Do we really have to wait until next year? Geez!

[mlm828]

I have enjoyed Rescue Me overall, but last night's episode left me feeling somewhat let down -- in spite of a lot of good moments. The past several episodes set up some story lines that just seemed to fizzle. Maybe they were trying to do too much in a single episode. Or maybe the point, all along, was that these guys can't leave, even if they think they want to.

It's probably me, but most of the women in the series seem just a tad annoying. I realize that a lot of the drama -- and comedy -- in the series comes from Tommy's totally messed up relationships with women, but still . . . .

Janet is waaay too needy and clingy recently. Since I've only watched this season, I don't know what she was like before, but I find myself wanting to tell her, "You're a grown woman, take care of yourself!"

I know Maggie is supposed to be a psycho, but her antics have become predictable and tiresome. And does anyone else want to tell Sean not to be such a doormat?

And then there's Sheila. I don't know how she can even cross a street by herself. I mean, who buys a house sight unseen? And I'll bet you she had no insurance on the house, because there was no lender to make her insure it. So if she survives the fire, she will have lost all or a large part of her assets. Plus, Tommy was sending out all the standard guy signals that it wasn't going to happen, and she just didn't get it. I suppose I should feel sorry for her, but it's really hard to have much sympathy for her when she's such an idiot and brought most of her problems on herself.