Advance Review: Rescue Me, Season 7 Premiere - "Mutha"

Airdate: Wednesday, July 12, 2011

Rating: ★★★★★

“The thing with “Rescue Me” is that it was never meant solely to honor the 9/11 firefighters…The thing that interested me was how the guys who really fought fires for a living kind of threw it away and acted like it was no big deal…What I found fascinating was the idea of grief and carrying on, about the guys who had to bury six of their comrades in the big Worcester, Mass. warehouse fire and then go immediately back to work. That kind of courage and denial and bravery is what was interesting to me. That, and the mess left behind. I wanted in this show to look at how guys carried on and what happened to their families…So this TV show wasn’t about heroism. It was about redemption.” – Denis Leary

So, will Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) be redeemed in this final season of the critically-acclaimed series Rescue Me? Given the course this show has taken, I’m thinking it’s highly unlikely. But who am I to say? I’ll be watching right along with the rest of you.

Advance Review: Rescue Me, Season 7 Premiere - "Mutha" 1

Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin

When we last saw Tommy, he had come to terms with his nephew Damian’s (Michael Zegan) accident, which left him paralyzed and brain-damaged, and is now helping Sheila (Callie Thorne) with his care. Why, you might ask? Guilt—Tommy’s new/old addiction, now that he’s given up the bottle (presumably). Guilt has always been a recurring theme for Tommy – first over his brother Jimmy’s death on 9/11, which is what drove him into Sheila’s arms in the first place, and now over pushing Damian to continue as a firefighter when he wanted to quit last season. One can only wonder where Tommy’s remorse will take him this season.

As season six closed, Janet (Andrea Roth) and Tommy had patched things up, and Tommy seemingly had saved daughter Colleen from swirling down into the abyss created from her excessive drinking. Or did he? She’s teetering on a very precarious edge that most likely won’t be helped by having Uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke) as her AA mentor. As “Mutha” begins, it’s obvious Tommy hasn’t really come to terms with his role in Damian’s accident, as he is now having hallucinations without the bottle. And after accidentally finding out about Janet’s pregnancy, he questions her about it, saying he wants to have the baby. Janet isn’t sure though.

Janet: “The only way that I will have this kid is if you will promise to be a normal, close-to-home dad.”

Tommy: “We are way beyond god damned normal at this point. All of that shit disappeared after those planes hit those towers – after Jimmy died. After you, not in so many words, but after you told me to get over it and grow up…I got news for you. There’s no growing up. Normal’s dead and buried, underneath Ground Zero. I’m just trying to make sense of what’s left above ground.”

Advance Review: Rescue Me, Season 7 Premiere - "Mutha" 2

Andrea Roth as Janet Gavin outside the doctor's office

While Rescue Me is dark at times, with dialogue that rocks you to the very core (as evidenced above), some of the best—and funniest—scenes have taken place in the firehouse where the guys bust balls and take no prisoners. They have a wonderful camaraderie and their banter illustrates it perfectly. It’s no different for the final season, as evidenced in this season’s premiere. With the guys having no fires to fight for 13 days, restlessness sets in and the squabbling begins. Tommy grumbles about the lack of activity, Mike (Michael Lombardi) and black Sean (Larenz Tate) argue over the racism of Jersey Shore vs. Flavor of Love, and Chief Adam “Needles” Nelson (Adam Ferrara) complains about the mother of all rashes.

But one of the funnier moments in “Mutha” occurs when Tommy comes home from food shopping.

Janet: “Did you get the crudité?”

Sheila: “That’s the broccoli, cauliflower, carrot thing.”

Tommy: “I got it.”

Janet: “And the vinaigrette?”

Sheila: “That’s the Paul Newman thing.”

Tommy: “The one with Paul Newman’s face on the bottle? Yeah, I got it.”

Janet: “What about the extra virgin olive oil?”

Tommy: “The kind with Rachael Ray’s face on it? I got it.”

Janet: “Applesauce?”

Tommy: “Whose face was on that?”

Janet: “No one’s.”

Tommy: “Oh shit.”

Sheila: “Come on! Tommy, that’s Damian’s favorite to have with the lamb!”

Tommy: “I’ll just unload this shit and go back and get it. Why can’t they have someone’s face on the applesauce too? Isn’t Gwyneth Paltrow’s kid named after an apple? I think all the food should have famous faces on it so you can keep track of it. Like Gwyneth Paltrow on applesauce and George Lopez on beans, Nicholas Cage on canned ham.”

Advance Review: Rescue Me, Season 7 Premiere - "Mutha" 3

Tommy and Uncle Teddy having a discussion at the bar about Colleen

The writing is, and has always been, brilliant. That’s quite a feat considering the majority of episodes have been written by only three people (Leary, co-creator Peter Tolan, and Evan Reilly).There’s been a fair share of drama, laughter, tragedies and triumphs, which will undoubtedly continue throughout Rescue Me’s final season. It’s interesting to note that with 9/11 playing such a huge role in the show, Leary and Tolan have arranged for the final episode to run on September 7th to coincide with the week of the tenth anniversary of that terrible tragedy. I think it’s a fitting ending.

Rescue Me, season seven, begins Wednesday, July 13, 2011 at 10:00 pm ET/PT only on FX.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!