TVSquad

(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.

Everything that was wrong, bad, unenjoyable, nonsensical, and just generally stupid about season four was erased almost immediately in tonight's season five premiere. That dream sequence as Tommy imagined hacking his father's coffin apart with an axe worked on numerous levels.

It was a way for Tommy to air his frustrations about his father's untimely death, but it was also cathartic for fans. Season four ended with John Gavin, Sr. kicking the bucket, and this was about as emotional a goodbye as we could have asked for. Loved the character, but to season four? Good-bye and good riddance. Besides, everyone knows that dying on this show doesn't necessarily mean you're gone.

While much of the premiere served as set up for what will play out over the coming episodes (Tommy and Valerie's disintegrating relationship, the bar Mike is going to buy, Chief Feinberg harassing Tommy about the Section 8 hearing, Needles not being taken seriously, Black Shawn and Colleen dating), there were still some moments that truly stood out.

Michael J. Fox's turn as Janet's new boyfriend Dwight is easily one of the actor's finest performances ever (trust me when I say that he only gets better over the coming weeks and that this is more than just another "very special apperance"). And I think we can all agree that Robert John Burke stole the episode with Mick's whiskey-fueled breakdown near the end of the hour.

You can't gloss over Tommy's rant about his father either. It was heartbreaking and hilarious as he verbally berated the man he never really got to know. Believe it or not, that was Tommy Gavin being sad.

A few more thoughts -

• Gotta love a conversation about what's more valuable to have - an eyeball or a testicle.
• Sheila's "psycho-dramturgist" is a real creep, huh? "No ... Tommy is staring at your tits."
• I know everyone has mentioned this before, and it was a dream sequence which provides a convenient excuse, but it was John Sr.'s funeral! Where were Timo and Rosemary?!? Yes, I realize that siblings get introduced and dropped from shows all the time, but big family functions like that make it really awkward when they aren't around. Rosemary was at least at Johnny's funeral.
• We all know what Damien looks like. Regardless of whether he makes it through Probie school or not, does he really look like fire-fighter material?
• Here's a small hint for an upcoming plot - if you think Sean's fall and the resulting back injury he sustains is going to be his biggest problem, think again.
• Oh, and if my Early Look review wasn't enough to whet your whistle for the new season, go on over to The Daily Beast and check out this interview with Denis Leary and Peter Tolan by TV Squad's own Joel Keller.

Then there was that final scene. Definitely one of the most jaw-dropping fires they've dealt with yet - raging over the whole building, dry hydrants, and one civilian still hanging out the window, only to be sucked back into the flames. It was set to an equally harrowing tune ("Front Street" by The Gutter Twins), and if the vocals stirred up some past emotions, don't be surprised. The lead singer of The Gutter Twins is former Afghan Whigs frontman Greg Dulli. The last time we heard his voice on Rescue Me? During the classic season three scene when Tommy finds out Johnny is sleeping with Janet and proceeds to kick the crap out of him in the street. The song then? "Bonnie Brae" by Dulli's other frontman vehicle, The Twilight Singers.