(S04E09) "I mean... shit. We got enough drunks in this room to start our own meetings." - Maggie
Well I hope everyone else enjoyed that as much as I did because this was by far the best episode of the season. At this point, it doesn't seem like we're going to get a huge story, other than Elvis... Wyatt... whatever his name is. Character development seems to be the name of the game and even though plenty of us have complained about the quality of this season, it's about par for the course if you think about it. Three seasons down. It'd almost be weird if we weren't getting some new perspectives.
Take the Gavin family intervention. It still bugs me that the "forgotten siblings" (Timo and Rosemary) are never mentioned at things like this, but we still got some great stuff. Maggie is sick of being addicted, Eddie is in denial about his addiction ("I nip!"), and Teddy loves being addicted. This clan covers all the bases. Mr. Gavin finally made an appearance too... and he was drinking the whole time! Maggie's suggestion to have their own A.A. meetings was perfect though. I can't wait to see one of these things go down. They'll all be drunk.
Well, except for Tommy. He's the only one that holds his ground right now. Mick too I guess. Whatever, back to Tommy. Could he have been in any more crazy predicaments during this episode? What was the deal with Valerie (Gina Gershon)? She pulled the ol' "wham, bam, thank you ma'am" before Tommy even had his pants off. She was just some kind of sex freak I guess. While it was funny ("I need a Fresca."), I'm not so sure I understood the point of it.
After that, there was the fight with Feinberg. Besides Tommy's death wish antics, Feinberg was PO'ed that Tommy didn't treat Beth too well on their date. That's crap. She's a nut-job and Sydney knows that. But it's his daughter, so he's obligated to be angry. Why take it out on Tommy though?
What else was there? Oh right... running into a fire, jumping off a building, and playing for the NYPD during the most recent hockey game. Sure he was honoring his brother, but it was still weird to see him in blue and not red. At least Cam Neely (Mungo) was back this time around.
As far as the rest of the episode goes...
- Lou and Franco finally saw Feinberg's cash n' prizes. They shuddered. What does it look like? A third leg?
- Speaking of Franco, was it just me, or was Natalie being a bit harsh with him? Something else is going on here. She's being wacky for no real reason. Franco was honest with her, so what's the deal?
- Janet is officially just as crazy as Sheila. She was always close. They're equals now. How did Tommy put it? Using one kid to steal the other?
- Tommy's new place? Gross. Looked like the apartment he used to have when "Jesus" visited. His Realtor was played by The Daily Show's Samantha Bee though.
- Is Mike going to be OK? I know he's going through a tough time with his mother gone and his leg injury, but is he right in the head if he's faking being drunk (Tommy said the vodka was just water) and making laughable attempts at offing himself? It's all for attention, but still. That's not right.
Best part of the episode? Tommy's monologue at the end. Another rant on 9/11 and losing loved ones. Well written, well acted, and as I mentioned, finished with Tommy jumping from Mike's roof and landing in a fire escape at least three or four floors down. That had to have hurt. Maybe Feinberg is on to something.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-16-2007 @ 10:00AM
Sara said...
Fantastic episode! Denis Leary is an absolute genius. Did you notice how Denis Leary almost cracked up during the sex scene when the woman asked for a sandwich? Is Rescue Me almost finished for the season? Why doesn't this show have more episodes? TV needs more quality programming like this.
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8-16-2007 @ 10:01AM
khamel said...
finally a good episode. i loved the first half of last season as much as anything i've seen on tv and this is the first episode that comes close. it felt weird to see tommy drinking again but when it was 'revealed' that it was water, i knew he would do something crazy. i was actually thinking of the scene in arrested development when GOB throws Micheal off the balcony right before Tommy jumped. Had the same vibe.
Why does Tommy have a new place? I assume he is planning on letting Janet have the apartment and he'll crash in that shithole. 16000 for a year in NY (incl. SD and a generous commission) means it has to be a real crack house. They even played it up by having the loud music blaring.
Hopefully the kinks have been worked out and the show will stay like this until the end. The Franco story is boring so i hope that just ends.
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8-16-2007 @ 10:01AM
Borat said...
Yep, finally a good episode. I think the Franco storyline has gotten boring though.
I doubt Mike was faking anything. It was hard to watch him get all depressed...he has been mostly used for comic relief throughout the show but his trying to commit suicide and then acting as if it was nothing was sad. It was a plea for attention no doubt.
That whole Gina Gershon bit was just weird though.
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8-16-2007 @ 10:01AM
Jim said...
Did Gina drop an F-bomb in the opening scene? I meant to go back and watch it again.
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8-16-2007 @ 10:01AM
Al said...
I think the whole Gina thing was sort of a "grand circle", showing Tommy how he used to be. Even the sandwich line was culled from the first season.
A lot of this season has felt like Tommy seeing himself in others.
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8-16-2007 @ 10:48AM
colby said...
What struck me about the "3rd act" was that Tommy was reaching out for someone just as Mikey was. Also, I saw Tommy as kinda incredulous to Mikey's suicide attempt when comparing what each of them are going through.
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8-16-2007 @ 12:19PM
Jabes54 said...
I'm not getting the whole new apartment thing. Why is Tommy moving? Why did he leave everything behind? I thought he was getting more normal, emotionally, but not when he throws pictures of his dead son and dead brother on the floor (in the duffle bag).
And the Gina Gershon encounter was just so random. Like the hockey game out of nowhere. Like reposessing his truck in the last episode. Like Alicia and Keela coming back for no apparent reason. Like a lot of things this season.
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8-16-2007 @ 1:05PM
observing said...
Did anyone else notice that Charles Durning clearly shot those lines away from the rest of the cast? He was obviously not even in the room when the rest of the scene was shot. He does not appear to be doing well. :( While I suppose it worked, it was a bit jarring to watch him struggle like that as his health has clearly been on the decline since season 1.
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8-21-2007 @ 1:50PM
Lobes said...
Janet threw Tommy out last episode, after he gave the baby to Sheila. Thus, his need for a new pad...
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8-16-2007 @ 1:41PM
Bash said...
@Jabes54: asking for a "reason" in the plot of "Rescue Me" is a bit ridiculous.
If you ask me, they just put one totally incomprehensible episode after the other. It's like "Desperate Housewives" for guys. Easy lays, tense situations, extreme behaviors and no rules. It's a playground for grownup guys.
You either enjoy it and don't ask any questions or you hate it. It's like a big long "Die Hard" movie.
Just look at this weeks question:
Do you think Tommy has a death wish?
- Yes. With a family like that, who wouldn't?
- No, he's just dedicated to his job.
That's a ridiculous question. Tommy is INSANE. He sees ghosts, he just jumped of a roof and three episodes ago he was about to kill his brother's baby because a "ghost" told him so.
Everybody in this series is a f-ing moron. They behave like animals, with no rules, erratic, gut-driven. It's all like a big gang-bang without the actual sex.
And again: either you really love it, or you hate it.
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8-16-2007 @ 2:40PM
NH Gary said...
Well, nobody mentioned the scene in Tommy's new neighborhood with the dog. This is not the first time it's been on the show. In season 2 they made a short film for view online in which there was a loud growling noise at the screendoor at the rear of the firehouse. Sean--then a probie--opened the door to take out some garbage and this dog ran in and throughout the firehouse. Here's the full story:
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-rescuemesetvisit,0,5615678.story?coll=zap-tv-mainheadline
Anybody know the rest of the story?
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8-16-2007 @ 2:40PM
NH Gary said...
Did anyone recognize the dog in Tommy's new neighborhood?
http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-rescuemesetvisit,0,5615678.story?coll=zap-tv-mainheadline
From Season 2. Anybody know the inside story?
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8-16-2007 @ 3:28PM
Sara said...
Jonathan or someone, please let me know when Rescue Me is ending. I think I read that there were only 5 more episodes. If that is the case, is that it until Summer 2008? What a shame, but please post me something so I will know. Thanks.
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8-16-2007 @ 5:04PM
chasbo said...
Oh, for Christ's sake! Just watch the f-ing show and enjoy it.
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8-16-2007 @ 9:48PM
leesad said...
um, i thought the father died??????? am i losing my mind????
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8-16-2007 @ 9:49PM
leesad said...
the blonde cop looks like brett hull..........am i losing my mind again????
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8-16-2007 @ 9:49PM
Parker Lewis said...
I'm pretty sure Tommy emptied the vodka and replaced it with water to prove a point. Mike "faking" it doesn't fit the scene in the least.
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8-20-2007 @ 9:56AM
Sara said...
Chasbo: Did I hit a nerve or something? Thanks for your kind help.
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8-20-2007 @ 12:40PM
Jabes54 said...
Bash -- I'm sorry my questions upset you so much.
Isn't the entire reason for a forum like this to discuss the particulars of a show (either by individual episode or overall)?
If you don't like people asking questions or analyzing the show, why do you log into this forum? Maybe you could take your own advice -- just watch the show and love it or hate it. The rest of us will discuss it.
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8-26-2007 @ 7:32PM
lynne said...
i like franco and nat until she dumped him in this episode. that pissed me off.
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