
(S04E03) "You know, with the adrenaline pumping and everything, I could've carried out Jennifer Hudson holding her Oscar... and a sandwich!" - Nona
Wow. Normally I like to get my reviews for a show up on the site as soon as I can after an episode airs. Not this one. After last night's episode of Rescue Me, I had to sit on it for the night. Sleep on it. Digest what I just saw happen. The following line is completely canned, but so what. This is powerful TV. I'll say this. I know a lot of people were disappointed with the past season of The Shield. I wasn't one of them, but if you're looking for a way for F/X to make it up to you then you owe it to yourself to be watching Rescue Me.
The name of the episode was "Commitment" and that's exactly what Jerry needed. People to care about, to do favors for, and to look out for. If he retired or took the H.Q. job, he doesn't have that commitment. He'd have no one and unfortunately for us Jerry knew that. That final sequence as Jerry made his last supper, played with his new golf clubs a little, and groomed himself... it was tough to watch. I'm sure I'm not alone, but once he started chopping vegetables for his salad, I knew it was coming. It ended with it a gun in his mouth, a black screen, and a single shot. I suppose we don't know the outcome since it went black, but I don't see this being some kind of a set-up. Jerry Reilly was a great character and he'll be missed.
Alright. In an attempt to be slightly cheery, let's move on. Actually... it might just be easier to list things that made me laugh...
- Loved that fake ED treatment that Tommy was reading about in the magazine: Hugerophen. Great name!
- Tommy stealing Mike's face cream.
- Lou had some great ones. First he called Colleen's boyfriend Prick Jagger and then he compared Theresa's sex drive to a tsunami that destroys everything in its path. Hilarious.
- I shouldn't have laughed, but I did: Richie's girlfriend bowling. I'm a horrible person.
- Uncle Teddy wanting to go back to jail because he needs a schedule. He said he'd go on a killing spree!















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
6-28-2007 @ 10:33AM
Jim said...
Who was disappointed with the last season of The Shield? I want names.
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6-28-2007 @ 10:33AM
Rodney said...
"...completely averse to the idea of retirement."
Not "adverse," "averse."
'Averse' normally refers to people and means 'having a feeling of distaste or aversion'; ...'adverse' normally does not refer to people but to things that are antagonistic or contrary to someone’s interests.
I know I've said this before, and I'm not going to start another rant, but you guys need a copyeditor.
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6-28-2007 @ 10:34AM
Burge said...
Where did this come from? Totally shocking.Where's he being layed out?
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6-28-2007 @ 10:34AM
ac said...
When they kept cutting to Jerry I thought he was going to have a heart attack or something. I didn't expect him to blow his head off. I think I had a "holy shit" expression on my face all through the commercials.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:35PM
AF said...
Jerry is dead!
http://www.nypost.com/seven/06282007/tv/lights_out_tv_adam_buckman.htm
I was disapoointed with The Shield. Season was too short, and when I found out there was like one episode left, I wasn't like "I can't wait to see what happens" more like "Huh? Really?"
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6-28-2007 @ 3:35PM
khamel said...
when i saw him grooming himself and still fully dressed (looking good) i knew the gun was coming out. its standard tv fare for male suicide.
but saying that, i dont think hes dead. either that or they cut the preview for the next episode to make it seem that way. or they dont know yet. im still confused
and i agree, show me a person upset with the last season of the shield and i'll show you a person who is a complete idiot.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:35PM
khamel said...
guess i was wrong. very wrong.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:35PM
khamel said...
about the chief, not about the shield
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6-28-2007 @ 3:36PM
Josh said...
This is still my favorite show on TV right now. That being said, I really miss the old Tommy. I think a little bit of me died inside when he kept backing down and was afraid of that one guy at the restaurant. Not to mention him watching Oprah and using face cream... I want the old bad ass, dark Tommy back.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:36PM
Mimi said...
I think this episode was mostly about character changes. You see Franco, the man-whore, starting to seriously considering settling down with Natalie. You got Tommy, who backs down from a fight, passes on the champagne (and still not smoking) which is a real turn from his normal character. You also see the Chief moving away from his normal life which results in his death. This whole episode was to show the changes these characters go through as their lives progress. I have a feeling though that we will see a lot more changes but then a return to some old, bad habits. Even Uncle Teddy was having a hard time with change - he can't adjust to life outside the pen. This is by far my favorite TV series and I think it just keeps getting better!!
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6-28-2007 @ 3:36PM
Larry said...
Is anyone else suspicious of Shiela's 'volly'? I'm pretty sure he's working for either the insurance company or the fire department, trying to get information out of her.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:36PM
adm said...
I think Sheila's volly is after the widow money. Maybe he's an investigator, but there's no way Sheila would tell her new boyfriend about the roofies and viagra business with Tommy.
That last scene with Janet and the baby (Pukeface? has there been any other name given?) makes me worried for both of them.
I keep wondering if the Mike/Probie character will get more developed or if he's just for comic relief. There was potential for development after the dinner with Tommy (Mike:"You could call it a bromance if you wanted." funniest line of the episode) and being pushed to respect his mom's final wish, but then he ultimately fails. I can't figure out if this will make him more 'complex' or if it's just another thing he gets wrong as the resident bonehead.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:37PM
publius said...
while the whole scene with the chief screams "suicide coming" in retrospect, i actually thought it was going to be a heart attack, mainly because of the comment from the guy at hq earlier in the show, "you can run a goddamned marathon, then have a heart attack clipping your toe nails." but the suicide makes more sense.
and i hope to god they don't pull some cheap trick and bring him back. he was a great character, but if he can't be "the chief", then let him go with what he considered to be dignity.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:37PM
publius said...
while the suicide certainly makes sense, i actually thought he was going to have a heart attack. especially when he started cutting his nails...the guy at hq told him "you can run a god-damned marathon then have a heart attack clippin' your toe nails". although looking back on the buildup, not realizing that the suicide was coming makes me feel a touch dense.
i certainly hope they don't try some trick to make it an unsuccessful attempt. if the chief can't be the chief, then let him go with what he perceives as dignity.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:37PM
rvkey said...
During that scene with Janet and the baby I thought she was going to start shaking it. I was like, "nooooo...don't do it".
And with Jerry I kept telling my roommate "He's gonna kill himself! He's gonna kill himself!" That was so sad. He will be missed. But I also thought it was strange that they didn't mention anything about it in the previews for next time. I wonder if they don't find him for a while or what. Most likely, they just want to keep us wondering.
I loved when Tommy busts into Prick Jagger's house and his daughter is in her underwear and he warns Garrity NOT to put her in his "spank bank".
I was a little suspicious of the "volly" too. He seemed like he was either digging for information on the fire or he just wants to bang one of Tommy Gavin's women for notoriety.
I too was a little disappointed when Tommy backed down from the jealous guy at the restaurant. I was expecting some loud Irish music to come on and some ass kicking to commence!
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6-28-2007 @ 3:38PM
Amy said...
I just started watching Rescue Me - the season premier was my first episode - and I am so hooked!!! This is some freakin' great television!!!
Rescue Me achieves the same thing as The Riches - shifting effortlessly between dark and light, tragedy and humor, and I think that's what makes both shows so incredibly realistic. And even though I've only seen like 3 episodes, I was SO sad when the chief killed himself. I agree with publius - I think he was the chief or he was nothing.
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6-28-2007 @ 11:30PM
BobbyBuz said...
"How long before Tommy realizes Janet is going through post-partum?"
What are the chances she does an "Andrea Yates" on the baby? I thought it was going to happen prior to the end of this episode.
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7-01-2007 @ 8:19AM
JBCheese said...
i hope they dont go to the post-partum route they already copped out with this whole sucide storyline. Jerry would not have done that. at least no at this point. they should have left him left the show with grace and retired to some depressing AZ retirement home.
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7-01-2007 @ 8:19AM
jeff said...
i am sitting here shaking my head, but not at jerry's suicide. i'm astonished that so many people have been raving about this show. it's flat-out wretched.
there is not one character who talks or acts like an actual human being. the humor is forced and unfunny because it's so artificial. mostly, it's denis leary's ego on overdrive -- we have to sit there for an hour while watching him act out fantasies about getting beautiful woman after beautiful woman and playing fireman in between.
the women are, down to the very last one, shrill and unsympathetic. and leary's character is worst of all: there is NOTHING sympathetic about him.
with tony soprano, you had real complexity. he could do these heinous things, but then do something extraordinarily human. that's what people are really like. shades of gray are realistic.
there is also a pretty good rule of thumb in most good fiction. your protagonist doesn't have to be liked, but he must be likable. that is, make him caddish, make him evil, but make him someone you can actually relate to and care about. that way, when he does something awful, it resonates because you, the viewer/reader, are so torn.
leary has turned his character into a one-note guy -- he lies badly, postures and occasionally throws a punch. he insults and mistreats everyone. there's nothing human there. there's nothing remotely sympathetic. i keep watching, and with each passing episode i just feel he's a bigger prick than in the one before. that's just not enough to build a show on.
archie bunker was a prick but with underlying humanity.
tony soprano and vic mackey, same thing.
the characters on Lost: remarkably shaded/nuanced.
Battrlestar Galactica: this week's villain could be next week's savior. Every character is a mix of good and bad impulse.
Rescue Me is a boy's club. it's a juvenile, one-note cartoon. get over it.
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7-06-2007 @ 12:13PM
OneHoo Knows said...
I'm pretty sure.. that Rescue has 'jumped the shark' with this one. I honestly think that Denis Leary's ego has taken over. C'mon all these beautiful women throwing themselves at this man??.. Alcoholic, maniac, anger issues, has a family, foul mouthed and let's face it.. a little deranged. Not in this lifetime. The man is not scary looking.. but he's no George Clooney either. I believe that poor Denis is just playing out his fantasies.. until the network pulls the plug.
One who knows..
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