Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

For the last 2 years my daughter has been telling me to watch the TV series Rescue Me, telling me it is one of the best and, by far, a different kind of show… But, for one reason or another, I just never got around to it…then this summer I decided to give it a try so I watched the third season while it was being broadcast and found it a bit difficult to follow until she told me a few basic facts about each character and plot line and, after only watching two shows, I was hooked. I decided then and there that I would have to see the first and second season on DVD.


The perfect opportunity arose recently while recuperating from my knee surgery and spending quite a lot of time in bed or lounging around in my comfortable chair in front of the boob tube. I was very happy when the first disc arrived from Blockbuster in the mail and immediately started watching this first season.


I had seen Denis Leary on many TV talk shows telling the audience about this show and his connection to fire fighters in the past, even the fact one of his cousins lost his life fighting a fire, so he really is intent on getting the word out about this very unique kind of person who is brave, or crazy, enough to run into a fire to save lives, rather than a normal person who runs away from a fire.


After the tragedy of the World Trade Center, Leary thought of creating a show that would demonstrate this kind of figure…Hero? Yes.. Tormented in many ways? Yes..


Basically the story revolves around the lives of the men who work in the Firehouse Ladder 62 located in downtown Manhattan. They, like all the firefighters in the area were the first responders on that horrific day, September 11th and bear the memories of that day in their minds and hearts…It is their stories we watch on a weekly basis as we see how they cope with their haunting memories as well as how they get on with their lives.


The opening show deals with the confusion and fears they had as they witnessed the destruction while going into the towers in the attempt to rescue whoever they could…Tommy Gavin,(Leary) is shown in close-ups as he watches bodies falling out of windows in one direction, then hears the screams from above and in the stairwells, he just doesn’t believe what he sees and doesn’t know where to go first. When all is said and done, it’s no wonder he, as well as the others in his “house”, are a bit mixed up, to say the least. Their house lost four men, one of whom was Tommy’s cousin, Jimmy, (James McCaffrey), who, though dead, plays a big part in the series as his ghost appears to Tommy on many occasions…Yes, Tommy sees and talks to the dead, which is an intrigel part or the show.

Side note: When Jimmy died, the only part of his body found was one of his fingers, so whenever Jimmy’s in a scene with Tommy, there is no finger on that hand. A rather ingenious way of pointing out that he is a ghost.


Anyway, this series deals with those men left behind and the newcomers into the house. Each and every character has a story to tell and lives a life that is rather difficult and filled with problems of one kind or another. It is a dark story on many levels though filled with many humorous overtones and quite sexually explicit in words and in deeds.


Did you ever wonder what really goes on in a fire station? What they talked about during the periods when they weren’t out fighting fires? How bulky and cumbersome the uniforms are or how heavy the hats they have to wear are? What they feel when they have to confront raging hot inferno’s, falling ceilings, screaming difficult people, as well as all the trivial day to day stuff a firefighter deals with? Well, after watching this series you will have some of those answers. You can feel the tension and watch the action the minute that fire alarm rings in the station...I know I did each and every time.


This particular group of men are, to say the least, an odd lot, constantly obsessing over sex, women and more sex…Money matters are a big issue too, or, their lack of enough of that mighty dollar and since 9/11, dealing with those terrifying memories which play an important part in these stories.


Tommy, is separated from his wife, Janet, (Andrea Roth), but lives in a house across the street to be near his kids. He seems to care for Janet, though not enough to make the changes she would like in order to still be with her, for instance, his problem with alcohol.…He still has a hand in the lives of his children, but is not happy when he sees Janet with another man, he even asks the kids to spy on her and her new boyfriend…Meanwhile, Tommy seems to be sexually obsessed with all women and now has started “dating” Jimmy’s widow, Sheila, (Callie Thorne), who it seems is as compulsive as he is when it comes to sex…She also has a lot of problems with her son, Tommy’s nephew, and calls him often to help out…Needless to say Jimmy’s ghost, is not to happy about that when he finds out. Then again, the men in the House aren't happy about that either when they find out, since it's a big no-no to date a widow of one of your "brothers"


Jimmy can only appear to Tommy in his car or house so Tommy tries to hide the relationship with Sheila by not seeing her in either place, at least for a while…The scenes between Tommy and Jimmy can be touching and very revealing about the torment Tommy is going through….


Tommy also has to deal with his father, (Charles Durning), who has left his mother to embark on his own strange life when he moves in with Tommy's uncle Teddy (Lenny Clarke), and they get mixed up with drugs, hookers and various problems…Always calling Tommy to help them out of situations they can’t handle…it’s no wonder Tommy is as mixed up as he is.


But it’s not just Jimmy’s ghost that Tommy sees, there are other victims of fires he had been unable to save in past years, even a cat comes to him…All seem to be watching him, judging him.


Then there are the men in his House. All of whom have substantial problems of their own dealing with their lives and the haunting memories of 9/11.


There’s “The Chief“, Jerry Reilly, (Jack McGee), who has money problems since gambling seems to be his addiction but not just horse racing, he bets on everyday matters, about things that go on in the House, what the men will do in certain instances, some things that are totally insane when you think about it and extremely funny in a preverse way.


Franco Riviera, (Daniel Sunjata), a woman’s man in every sense of the word, Sex is on his mind constantly, then one day, an ex girlfriend shows up with a little girl..This is your daughter, she tells him…His life then changes, well, somewhat. I still haven’t seen season two so I can’t say to what extent.


Lt. Shea, (John Scurti), so tormented by 9/11 that he writes poetry in order to put on paper the feelings he has, unhappy in his marriage, he goes to group therapy to try to get rid of the demons in his head since he gets no support from his wife in that regard.


Then there’s Sean Garrity, (Steven Pasquale), a real cutie, but not too bright, and because of that is the target of quite a few jokes and pranks in the house. He also gets into a lot of female trouble.


The new man in the House is Mike Silleti, (Michael Lombardi), they call him “probie” since he just got out of training, also a target of their jokes, he too gets into all sorts of trouble with women and even men without even trying…His goal is to be regarded by the men as worthy enough to be a firefighter.


The scenes when they are in the House, discussing sex, women and other issues are as raunchy as anything I have ever seen or heard, and at first I was amazed that this show could even be shown on TV but then I realized that this was the FX cable network so that answered that question in my mind…Network television is not ready for this series.


Then, towards the end of the season, a new character arrives when a women firefighter enters the scene because the city insists on it and boy, the men are not happy about that…This new lady on the block, Laura, (Diane Farr), is thrown all sorts of obstacles in her path, especially when she wants her own bathroom. Chief Reilly unhappily supplies one but decides to play a trick on her…when she realizes just what he has done she reciprocates with her own little prank… Those scenes you wont see on Network TV either. She does prove to have her own merits though.


I have mixed feelings about some of the show and the people portrayed...On one hand I know they are hero’s, our first defense when many tragedy’s occurs…They are as raunchy as any men can be…The show is filled with dark humor, very, very dark at times…yet some of the themes can be very touching, others disturbing…One show features gay bashing, another, reveals older men trying to get back their youth by taking Viagra, snorting cocaine, drinking, smoking pot and whatever they can do to try to feel better about themselves and the sex scenes between the men and their various women could almost be considered pornographic, not quite, but really on the verge of it..


The series displays some of the strangest and most dangerous events firefighters have to deal with...The moment the fore alarm rings in the House, their persona changes, they go into the mode they have trained for, to save lives, forgetting the problems of their own if only for a little while…They are a special breed of men and the show highlights that to the finest degree…You might not agree with their ideas or the way they live their lives but, on the other hand, they have a lovable way about them that can’t be ignored. They can be compassionate and caring, yet, sometimes a scene will demonstrate just how difficult it is for them to keep that up when a truly tricky incident occurs. The final scene on the last disc, as they all appeared on a rooftop, looking out over the space that was the World Trade Center, was remarkable in it's simplicity and the message it had.


Tommy is the key to much of the show, his struggles with alcoholism, his family situation and his relationships in the House, all make for some of the most important and finest television viewing to be found anywhere.


Denis Leary is to be applauded for not letting us forget the 343 fireman who lost their lives on September 11th, by creating Rescue Me, demonstrating that this event has truly affected that first line of defense and, how to this day, the affect it has had in their relationships with people in their lives and with each other. He has done so with humor and a bit of wickedness along with intelligence and I can’t wait to start watching season two!


Oh, and there are no commercials!!


This is a 3 disk set, the first two contain 4 episodes, the third has 5 episodes...There is commentary for first and last episodes with creators Denis Leary and Peter Tolan




Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age