TVSquad

(S05E07) "Yeah ... my wife always has a problem when she's surrounded by douchebags." - Tommy

As much as I've enjoyed the renewed focus on 9/11 that Rescue Me has delved into this season, you have to admit that it has taken away from the other big part of this show: the Gavin family. Tommy's relatives have always been a huge part of what makes this show so great, especially his immediate family. We haven't really seen all that much Gavin family interaction since Connor was killed, but it seems the narrative has finally reached a point where that tragedy is far enough in the past that it's safe once again to put Tommy and Janet in the same room with booze and a bed. Thank god.

While I've always been a fan of Tommy and Sheila (as weird as that relationship is), it's always been far more fun to root for Tommy and Janet. This hour was probably one of their finest moments together, despite the fact that it ended so badly - blame Katy for that one.

In an effort to recreate herself and hide her past (which, admittedly, is traumatic) Katy has gone off to boarding school and fabricated her entire upbringing - fashion designer mom, dad is a hedge fund player, parties in SoHo, a house in Montauk, and the list goes on. For a little girl who seems to have so much planned out in her head, it's surprising to think that she never considered whether or not her parents would be able to keep up with all the lies. That's exactly what led to the mess at the dinner while Tommy and Janet stayed at the (once) wholesome Blueberry Inn.

Seeing the two of them handle that uppity crowd of snotty and catty women was mesmerizing. Regardless of the lies (Janet tried to play along, Tommy caved and played the FDNY card immediately), they really did try to be friendly folks. Not easy when liposuction, alcoholism, and dinner etiquette jokes start getting made. Personally, I think some of those bitches got off easily. Janet could have been far more harsh when she reamed them out in her drunken tirade.

All of them clearly thought they were better than the Gavins, but Tommy and Janet quickly shut them all up later on with their incredibly loud sex. The icing on the cake was when that one tubby old bag looked quizzically at her husband and said that she didn't think sex sounded like that. No wonder all those women were miserable.

It's ironic, though, because in her efforts to build her family up as something she wanted them to be, Katy only succeeded in putting them in a position where they had no choice but to be themselves. Her roommate may have an eating disorder, but being a compulsive liar is a problem, too. That being said, I don't think we'll be seeing the youngest Gavin daughter coming home any time soon - at least not until she's willing to accept where she comes from.

A few more thoughts on "Play" --

• The fact that Franco was so easily able to figure out that Sean may have a kidney issue because of his excessive constipation should definitely have Sean worried. If Franco can deduce that something ain't right, what happens if Feinberg catches on? ("This is it! I'm crowning!")
• The sub-plot with Teddy and Maggie was great. It's wonderful what they're doing by volunteering at the V.A. hospital, but I don't think "angel of death" or "masturbatory stimulation" are in the volunteer job description.
• I wonder what Tommy will do when he finds out that Genevieve slept with Lou? After the fights Tommy had with both of them, I doubt he'll care at all.

Hopefully, the whole Katy debacle will lead to some re-examination in the Gavin household. There's obviously still love between Tommy and Janet. The unfortunate thing about realizing that? The timing. Tommy just started drinking again and that means ghosts and that means Sheila - two of the things that helped drive a wedge between Tommy and Janet in the first place. The cycle starts again, but will it end the same?