The power of the word “shit” and the ability to bump up against the border of acceptable in the world of afterhours television has allowed FX to develop some great programming over the last six or so years. Starting with “The Shield,” moving to “Nip/Tuck” and now we have “Rescue Me” and “Damages” to enjoy. However, as “Rescue Me” is now approaching its fifth season it is no longer the newcomer. Those that enjoy the show now have expectations. We have gone through a lot with Tommy Gavin and the boys of Truck Company 62 and with the break neck speed the show moves at, it is hard to maintain a certain pace. While the fourth season of “Rescue Me” makes it to the finish line it certainly stumbles along the way.
The typical ups and downs are still present here. Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin is actually better now than he was in the beginning as his character is slowly becoming alcohol free (Thinking back, is he completely dry in this season? I think he was.) The absence of the cigarette and booze diet hasn’t relieved Tommy of his paranoia however. Instead of drunken stupors he wakes from hellish nightmares, and there is a lot to be scared of. On top of the threat of dying in a fire he is living with his wife, of which he is “separated”, his oldest daughter has moved out to live with the lead singer of a rock band and he is left to care for the newborn child of the relationship his wife had with his now dead brother. Yeah, I am wondering how he is managing to stay sober as well.
On top of all this we were left at the end of last season with Tommy passed out after being drugged in a beachside house that was burning to the ground. This was due to Sheila, the wife of Tommy’s dead cousin, who was drugging him with a cocktail that also included Viagra in order to get his dick hard so she could have his baby. Remember that, because the newborn, Sheila and the insurance money from the burned down house all come into play later on down the line. And here lies the problem. [ … ]
