Rescue Me: Carpe Diem

Rescue Me is a good show. However, this week, it also reminded me of lots of other good shows and movies. Ordinarily, that bothers me as a cop out in storytelling, but for now, I’m going to let it slide, because at least here, I spent half the episode laughing out loud.

And so! Remember that Tommy received his chip for one year of sobriety, and then shortly thereafter started drinking again. But he’s controlling it this time, so you know. Learn and grow. He shares this news only with Janet. Needles decides that if everyone’s going to think he’s an asshole, then he might as well fit the part. So he starts dogging the guys, and by guys, I mean Tommy. Uncle Teddy’s volunteering at VA hospitals (with Maggie) trying to do his part, and comes up against an old, lonely vet who offers Teddy $3,000 or $20,000 to kill him. It comes down to how well Teddy bargains. I don’t know what my price is, but Teddy doesn’t blink, because that’s not why he’s here. The old vet warns Teddy that one day, it’ll be him in the bed, begging some young-ish stranger to do him in. I don’t know if that’s nail biting foreshadowing for a potentially dying Teddy, or foreshadowing that Teddy might consider the old guy’s offer.

Franco serves up beers and advice this week, first for Lou at the bar (and I swear, it was all the angles and light, but I couldn’t help but think of Paddy’s Pub). Lou still considers himself unworthy of Genevieve, but Franco suggests honesty; Lou tries it, honest about how unattractive he is, how Tommy says he has no shot, and how unattractive he is (really). But wait! Genevieve invites him over to her place. Turns out, Lou is, in fact, not her type. But she hates Tommy so much, she’s willing to sleep with Lou and engage “in a good old fashioned grudge hump.” She also provides him with a note as proof and a cell phone number so that Tommy can call her when he doubts Lou’s story. I really hope he does; I’d like to see that phone call. Remember when all you needed as a trophy were panties?

Franco also counsels Sean to visit a doctor for constipation and other bowel issues. Yes, this week’s story arc for Sean is his inability to poop. Sean won’t visit a doctor, naturally, and explains to his buddies that he’s having difficulty shitting. He’s in serious discomfort, and I for one, was eating when I listened to this conversation about bowel formations and “crowning.” A brief discussion, yes, but I was no longer hungry, that’s for sure. The crew answers a fire call the next day, but as they abandon the building to the fire, Sean’s MIA, and the crew find their presumably injured and/or fallen comrade on the commode, finally taking care of his business. In the middle of a burning building.

Why no one suggested he try a laxative, I’ll never guess, but even I have to admit, this was a funny moment.

In the coming weeks, I’ve no doubt that these set-ups, disguised as character bits and plot, will develop more fully and pay off – Sean’s condition is accelerating, Teddy may or may not be contemplating assisted suicide, and the Lou vs. Tommy Battle of the Broad is far from over – yet the most enjoyable storyline of the night comes courtesy of the Gavins. Tommy and Janet head to Katy’s school to watch her perform in a play. Only, I’m sorry, she’s currently going by Katherine now, and orders Janet to wear a dress and Tommy to wear a polo shirt. That’s how they dress, after all, in their Manhattan loft apartment, where Tommy works for a hedge fund and Janet is a fashion designer. You might not believe this, but make believe doesn’t sit well with Tommy, pride of the FDNY. Janet begs him on the drive to the school to act like an adult, with no cocktails, no arguments, and to remember that everything they do is a reflection on Katy.

This goes pretty well for Tommy, but not so much for Janet. First, she and Tommy are forced to share a room at The Blueberry Inn, which she’s not thrilled about. Then, at dinner with three other couples and parents of Katy’s classmates, Tommy wins over the boys by telling them the truth about his FDNY job, while Janet receives scorn and insults from the ladies for being pretty, thin and a fashion designer. Between the setting, rapid dialogue, and the upper class snobbery, Rory and Lorelei could have walked into the room and except for the cursing and racial jokes, this could have been a scene straight from Gilmore Girls. I never watched the show. Really. Or, I never watched it regularly. But with or without the Gilmores, this scene is hilarious as Janet proceeds to deal with the abuse by drinking too much (FYI, we never see Tommy drink). Eventually, she’s had enough and tells off the Manhattan bitches, and stumbles out of the room with her proud “husband” by her side. Riding the wave of victory all the way to their bedroom, what you knew would happen does, and alcohol + Janet in a tank top and boy shorts + an aroused Tommy = loud, obnoxious sex all around the room. The casualties include a vase, a dresser drawer, and a door, because he bangs her right through it! Helloooooo!

Though the battle against New York City’s better half and a slammin’ good night brings Janet and Tommy closer, Katy learns of Janet’s misdeeds through Gossip Girl – er, from the gossip of pre-teen girls. After the play, Katy launches into a tirade against her parents, and she banishes them from the school, a haven where she feels safe and happy. Wow. This kid has issues. Safe? What the hell have the Gavins done to her? Janet and Tommy leave, feeling defeated, and Katy runs across the school lawn in a ball of teenage angst so great, that if Robert Sean Leonard were on this show, I’d worry about their futures. Imagine if Katy were performing Midsummer Night’s Dream? Yikes!

The episode is not without its faults (Really, Sean? In a burning building?), but as a set-up for later developments, I’m more than okay with the storytelling pace. And it’s rare these days to finish an episode of any show, and still look forward to what happens next week.

Next week: Visions!

Season 5, Episode 7: Play (originally aired May 19, 2009)

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Tuesdays at 10pm on FX

Photographs courtesy of FX and IMDbPro