peter tolan

(S05E11) "Tom, would you be able to join us for one of our little fire thingies?" - Needles, after discovering Tommy and Janet having sex in a car in front of the 62 house

We're half-way through season five now and we've reached a point that's going to polarize a lot of fans of this show. Creatively, last night's episode of Rescue Me introduced two things that both have the potential to really turn off certain fans, depending, of course, on what they like about the show and more importantly, what they expect from Rescue Me in future episodes.

Denis Leary probably wouldn't like you - that is, assuming you're fat, addicted to "coffee flavored coffee," unable to take a joke ... oh, and American. I'm pretty sure he likes me, but that's only because I recently spent half an hour on the phone with him, and I think he kinda, sorta, got to know me ... a little. His hugely successful FX firefighter dramedy Rescue Me can be described as politically incorrect with a heart of gold, and his best-selling first book, Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid is ... well, the title says it all, doesn't it?

Denis Leary is a man with opinions - wait, let me rephrase that - Denis Leary is a man with lots of opinions and as he points out in his book, most of us seem perfectly content to just let Oprah shame us into doing whatever she wants. With that in mind, it was nice to talk to someone with a wealth of personal passions and as much hate for Heidi and Spencer as I have. See? He got to know me ... a little.

(S05E10) "See? I told you he's got it under control." - Mike

As fans, we've really been rooting for a horrible thing if you think about it. The fact that we've all been waiting for Tommy to start full-blown drinking again is pretty twisted and now that it's been going on for a few episodes, we're starting to see the Tommy we remember - both the good and bad.

The issue of control is an obvious path to explore. We' ve seen Tommy lose it before - when we first met him, his original downward spiral was just beginning. That being said, I don't think any of us ever expected a year of sobriety to do him any good.

(S05E09) "Pussies run. Gavins fight." - Colleen

We've all been raving about Rescue Me's creative resurgence this season. Every episode thus far has been classic stuff - a streak of good writing and acting that we haven't seen since the first season. However, up until last week's brilliant homage to The Iceman Cometh, there hadn't been a truly defining moment for season five. In the wake of that stellar hour, I got worried in anticipation of "Thaw." Would the streak continue or would things now start to meander along, suffering from the weight of 22 episodes instead of 13?

(S05E08) "Here I am. After. Surrounded by booze and dead assholes." – Tommy

This is the episode we're all been waiting for. After Tommy had a drink with Genevieve two weeks ago, it was only a matter of time before this happened – fortunately, we didn't have to wait for it.

Tommy's struggle with 9/11 and his place in history on that day has long been one of the the driving forces behind Rescue Me, but the focus on that has drifted in and out over time. Most everyone has applauded that plot's return this season, but one key element has still been lacking – Tommy's ghosts.

(S05E07) "Yeah ... my wife always has a problem when she's surrounded by douchebags." - Tommy

As much as I've enjoyed the renewed focus on 9/11 that Rescue Me has delved into this season, you have to admit that it has taken away from the other big part of this show: the Gavin family. Tommy's relatives have always been a huge part of what makes this show so great, especially his immediate family. We haven't really seen all that much Gavin family interaction since Connor was killed, but it seems the narrative has finally reached a point where that tragedy is far enough in the past that it's safe once again to put Tommy and Janet in the same room with booze and a bed. Thank god.

(S05E06) "The Vietnam vet in the corner? I mean, what'd he say? He drank 12 Budweisers and three fifths in two hours with one arm? I mean, that's hall of fame shit. That guy should still be out there drinking." -Tommy

You know what else is hall of fame shit? This episode of Rescue Me. It took 57 episodes to get to this point, but 9/11 has finally become the first, last, and only focus of the show. Sure, there are still some sub-plots weaved in and out of the main narrative, but it all comes back to 9/11. It's funny, it's sad, it's depressing, and just like Tommy's AA meetings, it kind of makes you want a drink. Or seven.

(S05E05) "I think that sometimes Tommy wishes that Jimmy had lived and that he had died in Jimmy's place... and so do I." - Sheila

A few months back, when I first started getting ready for Rescue Me's new season, I remember seeing this picture before I screened this episode and I thought for sure it was a shot from a 9/11 flashback. Tommy's had some dreams where he recalled things from that day, but I was hoping for a full blown episode - especially since we found out Jimmy died in the second tower and not the first. There had to be a story there, right? If you think about it though, it doesn't really matter. We know as much as we need to and how this new knowledge is affecting everyone is what's really worth exploring. Besides, the dream Tommy did have was way more interesting.

(S05E04) "Not something you really wanna be lookin' at." - Lou

Just like Dr. Psychodramaturge telling Sheila that half of Damien's desire to be a firefighter is based on her objection, you knew that when Lou told Tommy not to look at the 9/11 footage he would anyway. Forbidden = fun. Of course, having Genevieve whisper lord knows what into Tommy's ear didn't hurt either. Whatever she muttered was probably fun too.

(S05E03) "My daughter turned Amish on me - how is that possible?!" - Tommy

Even though after two stellar episodes this season is shaping up to be possibly Rescue Me's best yet, I'm going to pick on this episode regardless. Not the whole hour, but a fairly decent chunk, mainly because it relates back to almost all of what was bad about season four. In some ways, it almost felt like it was a leftover that Leary and Tolan decided to use anyway.

(S05E02) "People hear juicy gossip, they're gonna spread it around. This is a firehouse. Take away the rig, the gear, and testosterone, it's nothing but a goddamn sorority in here!" - Needles

I'm not sure truer words have ever been spoken on this show before. Needles summed it up pretty good, huh? He might have been making a joke at Black Shawn's expense, but think about what he's really saying. Get rid of the exterior and the interior of a fireman is the same as everybody else - timid, scared, and emotional. Th arrival of Genvieve Lazard, the french journalist penning the 9/11 book, certainly made that clear on a few occasions for the guys of 62 Truck.

(S05E01) "No penalties. No judgment. No fines. Absolute forgiveness. Plus coffee and snacks. " - Mick

If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought Tommy said that line. Talk about an Alcoholic's Anonymous mantra at the most base level - you screw up, it's OK. You can still come back have a cup of burnt Chock Full 'O Nuts.

Rescue Me itself is sort of in the same boat. After a lackluster and critically panned fourth season, the Denis Leary FDNY drama screwed up. Thanks in part to the writer's strike, an extended hiatus has given most fans time to forget and I, for one, have forgiven. Rescue Me is finally back after a year and a half, and I tell you what - burnt Chock Full 'O Nuts never tasted so good.

Hard to believe that it's been over a year and a half since Rescue Me bowed its season four finale. The minisodes that aired last summer served to remind us that the FDNY drama was alive and kicking, but more than anything, they made one other point clear - there ain't nothing like the real thing.

Rescue Me returns to FX this coming Tuesday, April 7th at 10PM ET, and after screening the first nine episodes of the fifth season's 22, trust me when I say that all the bad reviews associated with the mediocrity of season four can be forgotten. Tommy Gavin is back and better than ever.

After several high-profile movie roles in films such as Menace II Society, Dead Presidents, and Crash, Larenz Tate headed to New York City for a regular gig on the FX drama, Rescue Me. Tate plays "Black Sean," the newest probie forced to contend with Tommy Gavin and the rest of the motley crew at the firehouse.

Tate joined in season four, which had its season finale in the summer of 2007. That November, the writers' strike began, which pushed production of season five back, oh, about twenty years or so. Okay, maybe not that long, but I've moved at least twice since I watched Rescue Me last. The series (finally) returns to FX on Tuesday, April 7.

I got to speak to Tate recently about what's in store for his character in season five, including some good dish on Sean's love life and how FX is planning on making it up to the fans who have been waiting so long for Rescue Me to return.

(M6) "I love you." - Janet

Here it is folks - the minisode that actually aired last night. For those just joining the action, I went ahead and reviewed this week's episode after seeing it online. I didn't watch the broadcast. Big mistake - on my part and FX's. They uploaded next week's installment, "Sandwich," by accident. They've also since pulled the wrong video from sites like Crackle and Hulu and they've yet to upload the right one. Oddly enough, I was able to find it on MySpace and I've embedded it at the end. All that being said... I wish "Sandwich" had been the right episode because this one stunk.