DVD Review: Rescue Me - The Complete Third Season

One of the best and funniest shows you NEVER saw on network TV this decade was The Job. Created by Peter Tolan and Denis Leary and co-starring Leary, The Job was unlike any cop show you had ever seen. Essentially a comedy, The Job showcased Leary as an NYPD cop that while loyal to his job suffered from multiple demons including infidelity, alcoholism and weariness with the society that he has sworn to protect. With Leary’s crackling dialogue and masterful delivery along with a standout cast of supporting actors, The Job was poorly marketed by ABC as a cop drama and scheduled at one of the worst time slots possible. As a result it only lasted two seasons, 2001-2002.

However, Leary and Tolan developed another series somewhat similar to The Job only it dealt much more seriously with New York firefighters dealing with the psychological aftereffects of 9/11. It was edgier, bolder, and much more graphic in terms of language, sexuality, substance abuse and the portrayal of firefighters as something less than heroic men but rather average human beings like you or anyone else. They had already been burned, no punned intended, by network TV, so they took it to the FX cable channel. With the success of such graphic, adult shows like The Shield and Nip/Tuck; FX picked up their show Rescue Me and premiered it in 2004. The result was one of the most original, humorous, painful looks at civil servants that are underpaid, overstressed and constantly face death each day on the job.

While that might seem like something you’ve seen, what made and has made Rescue Me so unique is that it focuses more on the personal lives of these men and women. You see the demons they live with, their imperfections and how it not just affects them but their families. This review will deal with the recent release of all 13 episodes of Season Three released to coincide with the premiere of the fourth season set to air Wednesday June 13 on FX. Much like FX’s banner show The Shield, if you haven’t watched the previous two seasons, you will be COMPLETELY lost as to what is going on. This show is character rather than plot driven which makes it imperative to start with season 1 episode 1.

While the show is an ensemble, Leary’s Tommy Gavin drives the show and really is the psyche through which we identify with. Much like The Shield’s Vic Mackey, Tommy is not your typical TV protagonist that is easily identifiable with. Full of self-loathing and mental deterioration, Tommy is a walking time bomb of rage that can be capable of heartbreaking kindness and vicious cruelty. Tommy has an extremely addictive personality and has struggled with booze and pills as a means of dealing with the guilt and nightmares he suffers as a result of 9/11. The first season used 9/11 primarily as a root cause of his problems but as the show has evolved, the real reasons behind his demons (messy family life, emotionally emptiness, infidelity, repressed blue collar Irish/Catholic guilt) began to show. Tommy is the archetype Leary character; quick-witted, stubbornly Irish, acid tongued, alcoholic, self-deprecating and angry at everything and everyone around him. It is because of Leary’s unique charisma and acting ability that you are able to not just sympathize but root for this tortured shell of a man who you see self-destructing in front of your face. You almost get the sense that Leary isn’t acting but rather exploring a side of his persona that could’ve been. It’s as magnetic and dominant a character role as you’ll see outside of Jack Bauer, Tony Soprano and Vic Mackey. These men are inherently flawed, tortured and constantly in a state of pain or regret. Outside of Jack Bauer, none of the men are overtly heroic, sympathetic or admirable. Tommy’s only salvation is his job and the men he serves with at station house 62 including the gambling addicted Chief Jerry Reilly (Jack McGee who also played a firefighter in Backdraft), the sensitive father of the house Kenny Shea (John Scurti), the macho Franco Rivera (Daniel Sunjata), the dim-witted Sean Garrity (Steven Pasquale), and the Probie Mike Silletti (Mike Lombardi) who is constantly being harassed by the other firemen because of his Probationary Officer status. Each character is given their own story arc while, subsidiary to Tommy’s, are still emotionally vivid and capable of making you laugh out loud or bringing you to tears in an instant.

Then you have Tommy’s real family who is one of the more screwed up but original families you’ll ever NOT want to meet. There is Tommy’s ex-wife Janet (Andrea Roth) and their children Colleen, Connor and Katy, Tommy’s cop brother Johnny (Dean Winters), his cantankerous father (Charles Durning), the screw-up Uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke) and Tommy’s alcoholic, bitchy sister Maggie (Tatum O’Neal). Then you have Tommy’s cousin Jimmy Keefe (James McCaffrey) who died in 9/11 and periodically haunts Tommy in real-life. Tommy, who needless to say doesn’t always think with the big head, compounds the guilt over his cousin’s death by having an on-again, off-again affair with his emotionally unstable widow Shelia (Callie Thorne).

One of the more original factors of the show features Tommy being haunted by survivors’ guilt in the form of people that have died in fires or accidents that he feels he could have saved. The show has pushed the Catholic guilt aspect into another dimension by even showing Tommy talking with Jesus and having sex with Mary. Clearly this is not for mass consumption. Season three, while having its exceptional moments, is not quite up to the standards of the first two seasons. Many of the story lines with the supporting cast are confusing and stilted while a wealth of big name cameos mostly falls flat.

Sheila’s son Damien is having an affair with his teacher who Tommy promptly beds then gets a Chlamydia scare. Tommy tries to one-up his brother by having an affair with his former fiancée Angie (a never hotter Marisa Tomei) and discovers the joys of Viagra. Tommy and Janet still have an emotional connection and attraction that manifests itself in an extremely destructive and violent way that brought the show some heavy controversy and criticism. The episode in question, “Sparks”, drew heavy cries of misogyny and glorification of rape pointed towards Leary and Tolan. This is part of the show’s greatness in that it can bring about such inspired debate in regards to such personal issues between men and women. To be sure, women are not portrayed in the greatest light on this show; most are seen as sexual conquests by Tommy and his firefighting brethren. You have to watch the show in order to decide which side of the fence you fall on. What is true is that the male/female relationships are vividly portrayed and man or woman, you will be able to relate to SOME aspect, whether it is positive or negative. Many if not all of Tommy’s relationships in regards to women are highly destructive and volatile but that fits in with his overall character. He is incapable of emotional intimacy and is almost like a child in arrested development. This particular aspect of the season, like most hot topics that the show touches is resolved through karma, which grounds the show in reality. No good or bad deed goes unrewarded or unpunished and depending on how you feel about Tommy at the end of the “Sparks” episode, he does get his karmic retribution in the “Satisfaction” episode.

The other characters have their own dramas that slowly evolve as the season progresses. Some are more interesting than others. Sean starts seeing Tommy’s sister Maggie and finds that all Gavins are self-destructive, alcoholic and abusive. Uncle Teddy achieves hero status in prison for killing the drunk driver that killed Tommy’s son and even gets a conjugal wife (Patti D’Arbanville), which provides some of the season’s biggest laughs. Franco’s story arc is somewhat confusing mostly due to the cameo appearance by Susan Sarandon (who STILL looks HOT) as an older woman he gets involved with. Next thing you know, she abducts his daughter but since he does not have legal custody, he can’t go to the police. I defy anyone to explain what the point or significance of Sarandon’s character is here and since she is drawn so vaguely and seen so sparingly, you will be confused as to what is going on and why.

Probie, as he nears the end of his probationary status, ponders whether or not to leave the department, as do Tommy and Kenny for their own reasons, and also goes through a sexual identity crisis where he swears he’s not gay but does enjoy getting oral sex from men. While this plot line is also somewhat clumsy, it does provide big laughs when the rest of the firehouse finds out. Kenny is at a low point after having been duped of all his savings by a porn star at the end of season 2 and is drowning himself in drink and self-pity. He has the perfect role model though as he ends up living with Tommy later on. Meanwhile the Chief has his own money problems taking care of his Alzheimer’s afflicted wife and having to find ways to raise extra money.

The extras are plentiful and mostly entertaining. Along with 14 deleted scenes there is a hilarious gag reel, an on-set location tour, behind the scenes clips and a comedy short with the main cast members. The featurettes included are Behind the Smoke, which goes into detail with cast/crew members about season three, Being Denis Leary, which focuses on Leary’s stand-in, and Going to the Gay Place, which details a practical joke played on two of the cast members. Bravest Traditions and Fighting Fires in a Vertical City features interviews with real-life firemen discussing long-time firemen traditions as well as the difficulties of battling fires in a city as large as New York. Also included is an extremely disappointing Season Four preview as well as some unnecessary previews of other Sony DVDs.

While Season Three is not as enthralling as the past two seasons, it is certainly the most controversial as it deals with several hot button issues. The rape storyline arc is handled in a very mature, realistic way and pulls no punches as it demonstrates graphically how both men and women can be guilty of it. Rescue Me remains one of the most compelling and original series on television and is yet another feather in FX’s hat. All of the characters are given a depth and humanity that allows you to relate to them on some level. You might frequently be in disbelief as to how they live their lives but you never forget what they do every day for a living and how 9/11 still lingers in their minds even if the vast majority of the population has seemingly forgotten about it.

In the end, the show lives and dies with Leary’s Tommy Gavin. His tortured psyche constantly fighting between good and evil will make you laugh, cry and at times, make you wish him pain. He is one of the most unique and fascinating characters ever on a TV show, cable or network. You could almost compare him to a more tortured, crueler version of Andy Sipowicz only instead of being a cop; he’s a fireman. You don’t find many three dimensional characters like that on TV and that is what makes this show one of the best out there. Much like The Shield, you wish the seasons were longer. If you haven’t seen it yet, rent the first three seasons and catch the fourth season. Rescue Me - The Complete Third Season is now available at Amazon. As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.