tommy gavin

(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.

Rescue Me fans have been waiting far too long for this news. It was announced yesterday that the FX trademark drama will finally begin airing its 22-episode fifth season on Tuesday, April 7th at 10PM ET. And yes, the season will air uninterrupted, with the finale scheduled to air on September 8th.

Season four, which finished back in September 2007, received some of the drama's poorest critical reviews of the series to date. Season five, which has been delayed by over a year because of the WGA Strike, promises to be much better.

FX President John Landgraf said that, "...the quality of episodes...are some of the best they've ever produced," and when I spoke with Denis Leary by phone last June, he said the opening six episodes of the new season was some of the best stuff they'd written yet.

Excited? I sure as hell am. Keep reading though because the news gets even better.

It's been over a year since the last new episode of Rescue Me - a full episode. As enjoyable as those 10 minisodes were, let's be honest - they just didn't cut it. Once again, the writer's strike screwed everything up. Season four ended, we found out that season five got a 22 episode order... and we've been waiting ever since.

(M10) Well, now - wasn't much going on there, huh? That isn't a negative comment though. Other than the 9/11 minisode featuring Jimmy, "Smoke" was probably my favorite one out of all ten. Just the 62 Truck boys doing what they do best - saving lives. No words were spoken (hence, the lack of a quote at the beginning of the post) as the guys rushed through one of the worst fires I think we've ever seen on Rescue Me. Tommy saved a young girl and Lou brought out a dog. Not bad.

(M9) "It's just the same as drinking water... right?" - Mike

All these guys do is eat, sleep, drink, and get laid. Occasionally, they fight fires. Seeing as how they do it so infrequently, I can't say that I'm surprised that Mike (still the Probie in this episode) forgot to fill the cooler with drinking water before going out on a call. All Mike does is eat, sleep, drink, get laid, and forget stuff.

(M8) "The "thing" is the food you would most like to eat after you bang her." - Lou

No joke - I have had this same conversation before with friends. Same premise (person, place, and thing) and we came down to discussing "the Jessicas" too. The Biels. The Albas. The Langes. And yes - The Rabbits. However, the thought of getting crayon on my naughty bits never crossed my mind when I was talking about hopping (no pun intended) in the sack with Roger Rabbit's woman. Then again, I wasn't standing in a burning building while trying to fight off painful shit cramps.