Rescue Me is Back: More Smart, Clever, Raw Comedic Drama

“Rescue Me” continues to play on the tragedy of 9/11 and my opinion is that the device is played out. But there’s still a lot of greatness left in this show that ends after next season.

Season six opened this past week with Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) having been shot by Uncle Teddy after Tommy convinced his on-the-wagon drinking buddies to chuck sobriety. Uncle Teddy’s wife killed herself behind the wheel of a car, hence a bullet to the shoulder for Gavin.

Tommy dies and goes to that place in heaven/hell/wherever where all 343 firefighters from 9/11 are still gathered. Of course, the dead cousin whose widow is Tommy’s longtime sex buddy is there to give him advice.

Denis Leary is not dead.  He wakes up, leaves the hospital and revisits all his haunts and the people he was screwing before the shooting - and no one showers him with happiness over his survival. They’re all livid.

Wife Janet, the peach who’s letting one of their daughters drink straight hooch in the house, rants.

Girlfriend Sheila (Callie Thorne) reveals that she almost pulled the plug on Tommy in the hospital. Now, to thank him for “saving” his life, he must get her son out of the fire business. She doesn’t want the kid to follow her husband to the grave, this reasoning being the only sane aspect to this really crazy woman.

The firehouse is also the doghouse for Tommy. The guys are upset with him because the house may be closed, possibly because of all the trouble he’s instigated. Typically, Gavin volunteers to take the fall, but he’s only bluffing, demonstrating the character’s complete lack thereof.

The scenes in the firehouse kitchen are generally the best in the show because the guys are hilarious and attractive as they exude complete stupidity that they perceive as brilliance. Schlumpy “Lou” (John Scurti) steals a scene when he can’t stop talking as the siren calls and calls. Daniel Sunjata (Franco), Steven Pasquale (Sean) and Larenz Tate (Shawn) also shine here.

As with other season openers, the comedy and drama are only set-ups for the future. But, the dialogue and characterizations in the presentation demonstrate that this season will be like the others – smart, clever, raw and hysterically funny. None of these individuals can get out of their own way, and I’ll be sorry when they finally do.