Rescue Me

Okay, I've read many of the other reviews, mostly from 5-6 years ago, but I'm only seeing "Rescue Me" for the very first time (2012) thru Netflix. I LOVE, LOVE it. I watch episode after episode and am amazed at the truthfulness, the camaraderie between firefighters, the mistakes they make, the grittiness mixed with tenderness . . just too wonderful to shut out, after I've gone to bed. I feel so close to these guys. Having always liked Denis Leary's stand-up, I am now equally impressed at his writing skills, along with Mr. Tolan. I don't know how many episodes I'll be allowed to watch thru Netflix's Instant Streaming, but I know one thing, I'll be bummed-to-the-core when it does end. Why can't other TV shows get smart and take clues from this excellent drama? My next venture, "The Job" . . let's see if he continues to amaze me.

This is one of the most funny, realistic and entertaining dramas around currently (2005-2006). Watch it from the very first episode and see how each firefighter has a background and a story. See how well the firefighters get on as a team get on from day 1. See how September 11th has affected their lives. I especially love Denis Leary's character's brother who works as a New York Cop. Such a cool guy.

Anyway, definitely worth an hours watch every week! And, of course, Denis Leary has written and acted yet another brilliant piece of work again just like his 2001-2002 show called 'The Job'. My Score = 10/10. Let's hope this one doesn't get cancelled folks!

Rescue Me is a show about firefighters struggling with their inner demons in a post 9/11 New York City. Ladder 62 is the crew that the show centres on, and it features, among others, Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin, the main character, whom has, among other things, a drinking problem, a drug problem (at times), a marriage that has fallen apart, and survivor's guilt which resulted from his cousin's (another firefighter) death on 9/11.

The show starts off as somewhat of an ensemble show, although the focus starts to narrow as the seasons wear on. It mainly consists of watching these firefighters deal with their issues, grief, guilt, anger, substance abuse and relationship problems, with some on the job focus as well (a fire scene or two is present in most, but not all, episodes).

The show also features a healthy amount of comedy, which usually consists of antic between the "brothers" in the firehouse, much of it centring around practical jokes and conversations about things like discoloured penises and sexual orientation. Another source of laughs is Tommy's absolute inability to tell the truth with any consistency, and watching him stumble trying to lie his way out of the myriad of situations he finds himself on, often due to either his drinking problem or his rampant infidelity (or both).

The characters other than Tommy Gavin are mostly fellow firefighters, his wife Janet, and his myriad of mistresses, including a long term one who also doubles as his biggest critic, apart from his Janet. Speaking of his Janet, she at first appears to be the utter antithesis of Tommy, but then, as the show moves forward, you come to realize that she is no better, and in some ways is much worse, although she acts as though this is not so, and is adept at playing the victim role and projecting onto Tommy her personal demons. The two of them and their never ending struggles provide a main thread of the story, and, luckily, their every changing relationship and dynamic works well, as it needed to in order to maintain viewer interest.

The other firefighters alluded to earlier include, among others, his best friend Kenneth Shea (who they refer to as Lou), a stocky middle aged firefighter with a good heart and nice disposition who has some inner turmoil he deals with in ways he'd just as soon not have the guys know about; Franco Rivera, the hunky Puerto Rican player, Sean Garrity, the affable and somewhat dumb goof, Mike Silletti, the 'probie' (probationary firefighter); also a bit dumb and struggling with his sexuality, and later addition, Bart (Shawn), the house's first black firefighter and someone whom becomes tied to Tommy in a personal way as the series progresses.

Filling out the cast are Tommy and Janet's four children (Colleen, Connor, Kate and the baby), his brother Johnny, the ghost of his deceased firefighter cousin Jimmy (who he sees and converses with on a regular basis), Jimmy's widow, Sheila, his cousin Mick, a priest and his AA sponsor, Tommy's uncle Ted, his father, sister Maggie, and a few other family members. There are also characters who come and go, many of whom end up being love interests/flings for the guys (particularly Tommy and Franco).

As I alluded to earlier, Tommy regularly converses with his deceased cousin Jimmy, as well as a few other ghosts as the series progresses. This, in part at least, causes Tommy to wonder about the possibility of an afterlife, as well as the existence (or non) of a god. Raised Catholic, he struggles with belief throughout the series, seeming to alternate between belief, non belief, and contempt, depending on events. Religion is also an area of note for a few other characters in the show. The treatment of religion in the show seems to be pretty accurate, and religion provides the backdrop for a few of the more memorable scenes in the series, involving Tommy and his priest cousin, but I won't give anything away here.

As an atheist, I did not find the religious aspect to be at all annoying, as it is not overly prominent, and there is certainly no proselytizing (nor would you expect there to be, seeing as how Leary, the main character, creator and writer, is an atheist). It merely shows that religion is a part of the characters' lives, and a prominent one at times (and not a consideration at all at others).

The fire scenes are actually the least gripping aspect of the show, in my view. They're wholly uninteresting, not very unpredictable, not all that exciting, and visually bland, as they are (of course) dark and smoky, and therefore they come with reduced visibility (understandable, certainly, but a bit annoying at times). They are not a prominent aspect of this show in the least, and I usually find myself slightly disappointed when that fire bell rings. I'd much rather them continue the conversation they were having, especially the really intense or funny ones (both of which there are a lot of).

The acting is almost uniformly great. The writing is mostly good, often great, occasionally magnificent, and sometimes poor/predictable/clichéd/replete with plot holes. It's fairly consistent but sometimes gets lost and takes an episode or two to find its way. I can honestly say that I haven't truly hated any single episodes, and I have loved the majority of them. I have come to genuinely care about almost everyone on the show, and quite often I have come around from dislike to like, hate to love, even multiple times with the same character.

The show is an excellent mix of comedy and drama that deals with infidelity, substance abuse, imperfect parents and children, brotherhood, friendship, family, dysfunction, bravery, fear, cowardice, religion and the struggle with belief, lust, love, lies and lace. Not to mention discoloured penises and lesbians.

I highly recommend Rescue Me.

http://magx01.blogspot.com/

Went back and re-watched. It gets better every time. Amazing writing.

I heard about this show and since I come from NY/NJ and from an Irish catholic family of firemen, of course, I'm watching this. It's authentic, it's gritty, not pretty, but then, you don't know firemen - they're running into burning buildings when everybody else is running out, and are a breed unto themselves, an essence that Leary and Co. have captured.

So, if you ever have an opportunity to go to a 'wetdown' or a fundraiser (See Bayhead NJ crabfest in Aug. -" If you don't' come to our fundraiser, we ain't coming to your fire" )- you see real men, some of them boneheads, some of them rocket scientists, but always for real. This very edgy drama and esp. Leary's character shows the dark side, and his 'secret evil plan' instead of whitewashing every guy as a hero, as competent or even, sober. I love that the moral center keeps shifting underneath their feet, just as in real life. There's a million stories in the Naked City, and "Rescue Me" could tell them all.

I've been waiting for a show like this to come along because I practically grew up in a firehouse, and I know so did a million other kids in America. And, for those people who don't know any firemen, go adopt one or better yet, go volunteer.