Category: Rescue Me (Page 4 of 5)

Zombies in my neighborhood

July 11, 2006 / Jason Zingale

I’ve been patiently waiting for Denis Leary and Co. to unleash some classic “Rescue Me” this season, and I’m happy to say that tonight’s episode finally delivered the goods. It was nice to forget about all of the serious stuff for a moment – like Franco’s custody debacle and Lou’s mid-life crisis – and just enjoy what made the series so great in the first place. Take for instance the firehouse antics lining the first half of the show, including the street hockey game, the porno scuffle, and the whole subplot regarding Garrity “accidentally” taking four sleeping pills – though I’m not completely sold on the fact that Tommy wasn’t somehow involved in setting him up. This is great stuff. Has been, and always will be.

Anyways, these specific sleeping pills have been known to cause strange sleepwalking patterns for the user, and Garrity experiences the worst of it when he suddenly “awakens” and decides a night on the town is in order – including a quick five finger discount at the corner market and the pet store (hello, free rabbit) – where he acts more like a zombie than a regular person. And because he’s out cold when the alarm goes off, Garrity misses the biggest fire of the entire season; one that Lou and Franco nearly die in after getting trapped in a blazing room that Tommy has to axe his way through just to get to.

And speaking of our leading man, Tommy’s still got some things on his mind – namely the death of his son, Connor, which he’s still learning to cope with. Then again, he’s also got his big date with Marissa Tomei (her character’s name escapes me, and I could really care less), with who he rehearses with before leaving for dinner. Of course, the big plan is for the new couple to stir up the rumor mill with some juicy gossip that will “conveniently” reach Johnny and Janet, but instead, Sheila discovers their little secret and completely FREAKS OUT. Talk about your dependency issues; though I’m still pulling for Sheila (played by the beautiful Callie Thorn) to win over Tommy when everything is said and done. As for Johnny and Janet, we finally got to see a slice of their home life, but it’s not at all interesting (everyone’s a bit too happy, no?) and I can only hope that we’re not force-fed much more in the future. This doesn’t mean, however, that they should put an end to Tommy and Janet’s playful affair. That’s gonna make for some great television by the season’s end.

External TV, Rescue Me, TV, TV Dramas

President I.M. Weasel and First Lady of Crazy get their due

July 6, 2006 / Deb Medsker

In recognition for one of its tightest seasons yet, Fox drama “24” was honored with 12 Emmy nominations today — the most for any broadcast network series. In addition to the obligatory noms for best drama and best actor, the show recognized strong supporting performances from Gregory Itzin as President Buck Buck Brawwk and Jean Smart as the mildly unstable First Lady.

Other nomination highlights:

– In contrast to last year’s near-sweep of the Best Actress in a Comedy category, the “Desperate Housewives” gang was nearly shut out, with only token African-American resident Alfre Woodard picking up a nod for her supporting role as Betty Applewhite.

– Despite winning Best Drama last year, “Lost” was not even nominated in the category this go-round…and neither were any of its regular cast members. Only guest actor Henry Ian Cusick was nominated, for his work as redemption-seeking, six-degrees-of-separation hatch-minder Desmond.

– “House” is one of the five best dramas on television…but that apparently has nothing to do with its Golden Globe winning star Hugh Laurie, who was overlooked in the Emmy nods.

– Cancelled shows are all the rage this year. Nominated shows that are no longer in production include “Arrested Development,” “Huff,” “The West Wing,” “The Comeback,” ” Will & Grace,” and “Six Feet Under.”

– Denis Leary earned a nod for his work in “Rescue Me,” presumably as a result of new nomination rules intended to broaden the field. Leary will likely be whacked by snubbed actor James Gandolfini from “The Sopranos.”

– “Grey’s Anatomy” also received an encouraging number of nods this year, with 11, including Best Drama. Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson will battle it out within the Supporting Actress category for their roles as intern Cristina Yang and resident Miranda Bailey; my money’s on the feisty Bailey for that one.

The awards ceremony will air on NBC the evening of August 27, with Conan O’Brien to host. Click here for access to a complete list of nominees.

24, Actors, Actresses, Desperate Housewives, External TV, Lost, News, Rescue Me, The Sopranos, TV

Having sex with a young, single schoolteacher? Hot. Having sex with a young, single schoolteacher who happens to have Chlamydia? A different kind of hot.

June 27, 2006 / Jason Zingale

So, you’ve just split up with your wife, only to discover that she’s now dating your older brother. What do you do? Track down his ex-wife and plan revenge, of course. Well, that’s what Tommy Gavin would do anyways, and it certainly helps when that woman looks like Marissa Tomei. The chances that Tommy actually stays with her after they’ve had their fun, however? About ten percent. It also doesn’t help that he might have the Little C (“Chlamydia,” as cleared up by Lou, who informs Tommy that the Big C is actually reserved for Cancer), compliments of Ms. Turbity, who’s just been arrested for “raping” a couple of her students; and Damien isn’t even one of the kids mentioned.

Can we all agree that things are getting just a little out of hand? First, Alisha “kidnaps” Keela from right under Franco’s nose. Then, Jerry finally hooks up with his lady friend on the same day that Ginny’s brother agrees to help him out with the cost of assisted living, only to have the check torn apart in his face. And finally, there’s Probie, who may just have the most fucked-up relationship of them all. Aside from getting voluntary blowjobs from his male roommate (despite their claims that neither one is gay), the two engage in random fistfights only to make up several seconds later.

It’s official: the series is digging its own grave, and no one can be blamed except for star Denis Leary, who pulls double duty on the show as the head writer, as well. What else is there to say? After last week’s controversial “rape” scene between Tommy and Janet (which received a good deal of exposure from major publications like the Boston Globe), it seems like Leary and writing/producer partner Peter Tolan are going for pure shock value in order to boost the ratings for the series. What a sad, sad world we live in…

Rescue Me, TV, TV Dramas

Once, twice, three times a man

June 20, 2006 / Jason Zingale

It’s true: every woman in Tommy’s life is crazy. Sheila wants to have his baby; Maggie wants him to stop pestering Garrity (despite his recent claim of love for her); Ms. Turbity wants to be his booty call; and Janet, well, she’s apparently okay with being practically raped by him. No joke. After coming over to discuss their post-marriage financial situation (i.e. who gets what), Tommy throws her down and rips off her shirt. Janet is hesitant at first, and even clocks him a good one, but soon enough she’s moaning along with the good times. Tommy leaves with a wink, and Janet finds a change of clothes just in time before Johnny gets home. Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Oh brother.

Meanwhile, as Jerry struggles to keep awake during both of jobs, and Franco stresses over his rich MILF girlfriend, Probie’s situation at home gets even stranger. Apparently, the two roommates aren’t gay, but Probie doesn’t mind getting a blowjob from his buddy while watching the hockey game, and his buddy doesn’t mind doing the giving. Uh-kay. I’m pretty sure that indicates that they’re both a little homosexual, even though Probie claims he will never be on the giving end. It doesn’t matter dude, and yes, oral sex is considered sex. You needn’t go any further than old Clinton jokes to figure that one out.

This subplot is getting more fucked up by the week, but at least Lou’s depressed drunkard act looks to be coming to a close. Franco finally confronted him about that night he saw him toasted on the street, and after a small chat with a homeless man about who’s a bigger loser, Lou went to Tommy for help. Thank god! Any longer and I would have been officially sick and tired of the series taking chances. Then again, I’m still waiting for this whole Probie thing to get cleared up. Either make him gay or don’t; it doesn’t really matter. What does matter, however, is the careful is-he-or-isn’t-he slinking around that the writers seem so proud of adding as a twist. It’s not clever guys, so make up your minds. Or at least make up his…

Rescue Me, TV

It’s all about the Benjamins

June 14, 2006 / Jason Zingale

As the No Smoking cash kitty continues to grow, Jerry and Lou become more desperate for a much needed financial boost. It’s only a matter of time before someone takes the loot, but I have my reservations as to whether or not it will be one of these men. Jerry’s already taken a part-time gig at the local bar, so his cash flow problems are solved, and though Lou looks worse than ever, I can’t imagine the writers dragging this subplot out any longer than it need be.

And while Jerry and Lou deal with their unwelcome fate, Franco couldn’t be any luckier. He’s hooked up with the very sexy Alisha (Sarandon), and she’s probably got enough money to last them more than a lifetime. She’s also totally into Franco’s daughter, Keela, but I’m not so sure this is going to work out. They’re two very different people, and at the end of the day, that plays a big part in the relationship. Alisha has even gone so far as to treat Franco to a new watch, but upon discovering how much it’s worth (a couple thousand, according to Tommy), he promptly returns it.

Meanwhile, Tommy is having an absolute blast toying with Garrity about his secret girlfriend. It’s obvious that he knows by now (he even let Franco in on the joke), and by the look of next week’s episode, doesn’t really mind much. Garrity, on the other hand, is totally sweating his eventual face-off with Tommy, and makes a point of avoiding him at every possible chance. Of course, none of this is as even remotely jaw-dropping as the final scene of the episode: Probie coming home to his apartment to snuggle up on the couch and watch the basketball game with his male roomie. Yeah, it’s what you think.

Oh, and this week’s funniest moment of the week goes to John Scurti (Lou) for his talk with Probie about the book, “The Tao of Pooh”: “You’re taking life lessons from a semi-retarded bear. And it’s not even a real bear.”