Papacy24
I used to watch every episode of "Rescue Me" back when it was a series on FX. At some point between its initial air date and the third season I became repulsed by the lack of human growth and dignity. It would be a remiss to not mention the full breadth of humanity the show portrayed. There were happy moments, sad moments, cheerful moments, doubtful moments, etc. Humanism for a plot is necessary for ratings yet when darkness overpowers a sliver of optimism as a continuing theme, it becomes sickening. During the presidency of George W. Bush Jr., America was in a turbulent economy in which one day you were living comfortably, the next you were poor. Two years later, the situation is reversed. It is in addition to the aftermath of 9/11 in which our country went to war with Al-Qaeda-ruled Afghanistan and Saddam-ruled Iraq. Our country was joyous and miserable on-and-off from 2000 to 2008. The show did not serve as an escape from our problematic lives, it merely reinforced the suffering we endured through this dark chapter in America's history. Maybe people watched it because drug abuse, rape, depression, suicide and misery as provocative themes gave them something to identify with and then justify their self-entitlement to rejecting any positive approach to better their own lives. Watching the scenes of Tommy Gavin being manipulative and egotistical without regard for the well-being of others was linked to the self-destructive archetype in TV show dramas. There is always the character who is out to harm others because they are not being miserable like him. Janet Gavin was the only character worthy of respect because she made multiple attempts to provide something better for her family regardless of the obstacles she faced. Franco Rivera, like Janet, worked to provide a stable and positive influence for his child, becoming a better person in some ways, though still holding on to his selfish and abusive personality. He was a drug addict and at times abusive towards his daughter when she was crying and complaining. Being associated with the brooding misogyny and pessimism of his unit, he was prone to seeing everything from these lens.I sympathize with Mike Silletti who was young, bisexual, optimistic and vulnerable. When he was being recruited by a different unit, he was receptive due to being fed up with his prolonged probationary status and the constant abuse dealt by co-workers. His co-workers' apparent love for him was rarely shown in ways that were useful to his benefit. In this sense, no one would find happiness being surrounded by individuals who need years of therapy before they finally realize no one wants to love or want them. That is the true message from the show.
magx01
Rescue Me is a show about firefighters struggling with their inner demons in a post 9/11 New York City. Ladder 62 is the crew that the show centres on, and it features, among others, Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin, the main character, whom has, among other things, a drinking problem, a drug problem (at times), a marriage that has fallen apart, and survivor's guilt which resulted from his cousin's (another firefighter) death on 9/11.The show starts off as somewhat of an ensemble show, although the focus starts to narrow as the seasons wear on. It mainly consists of watching these firefighters deal with their issues, grief, guilt, anger, substance abuse and relationship problems, with some on the job focus as well (a fire scene or two is present in most, but not all, episodes).The show also features a healthy amount of comedy, which usually consists of antic between the "brothers" in the firehouse, much of it centring around practical jokes and conversations about things like discoloured penises and sexual orientation. Another source of laughs is Tommy's absolute inability to tell the truth with any consistency, and watching him stumble trying to lie his way out of the myriad of situations he finds himself on, often due to either his drinking problem or his rampant infidelity (or both).The characters other than Tommy Gavin are mostly fellow firefighters, his wife Janet, and his myriad of mistresses, including a long term one who also doubles as his biggest critic, apart from his Janet. Speaking of his Janet, she at first appears to be the utter antithesis of Tommy, but then, as the show moves forward, you come to realize that she is no better, and in some ways is much worse, although she acts as though this is not so, and is adept at playing the victim role and projecting onto Tommy her personal demons. The two of them and their never ending struggles provide a main thread of the story, and, luckily, their every changing relationship and dynamic works well, as it needed to in order to maintain viewer interest.The other firefighters alluded to earlier include, among others, his best friend Kenneth Shea (who they refer to as Lou), a stocky middle aged firefighter with a good heart and nice disposition who has some inner turmoil he deals with in ways he'd just as soon not have the guys know about; Franco Rivera, the hunky Puerto Rican player, Sean Garrity, the affable and somewhat dumb goof, Mike Silletti, the 'probie' (probationary firefighter); also a bit dumb and struggling with his sexuality, and later addition, Bart (Shawn), the house's first black firefighter and someone whom becomes tied to Tommy in a personal way as the series progresses.Filling out the cast are Tommy and Janet's four children (Colleen, Connor, Kate and the baby), his brother Johnny, the ghost of his deceased firefighter cousin Jimmy (who he sees and converses with on a regular basis), Jimmy's widow, Sheila, his cousin Mick, a priest and his AA sponsor, Tommy's uncle Ted, his father, sister Maggie, and a few other family members. There are also characters who come and go, many of whom end up being love interests/flings for the guys (particularly Tommy and Franco).As I alluded to earlier, Tommy regularly converses with his deceased cousin Jimmy, as well as a few other ghosts as the series progresses. This, in part at least, causes Tommy to wonder about the possibility of an afterlife, as well as the existence (or non) of a god. Raised Catholic, he struggles with belief throughout the series, seeming to alternate between belief, non belief, and contempt, depending on events. Religion is also an area of note for a few other characters in the show. The treatment of religion in the show seems to be pretty accurate, and religion provides the backdrop for a few of the more memorable scenes in the series, involving Tommy and his priest cousin, but I won't give anything away here.As an atheist, I did not find the religious aspect to be at all annoying, as it is not overly prominent, and there is certainly no proselytizing (nor would you expect there to be, seeing as how Leary, the main character, creator and writer, is an atheist). It merely shows that religion is a part of the characters' lives, and a prominent one at times (and not a consideration at all at others).The fire scenes are actually the least gripping aspect of the show, in my view. They're wholly uninteresting, not very unpredictable, not all that exciting, and visually bland, as they are (of course) dark and smoky, and therefore they come with reduced visibility (understandable, certainly, but a bit annoying at times). They are not a prominent aspect of this show in the least, and I usually find myself slightly disappointed when that fire bell rings. I'd much rather them continue the conversation they were having, especially the really intense or funny ones (both of which there are a lot of).The acting is almost uniformly great. The writing is mostly good, often great, occasionally magnificent, and sometimes poor/predictable/clichéd/replete with plot holes. It's fairly consistent but sometimes gets lost and takes an episode or two to find its way. I can honestly say that I haven't truly hated any single episodes, and I have loved the majority of them. I have come to genuinely care about almost everyone on the show, and quite often I have come around from dislike to like, hate to love, even multiple times with the same character.The show is an excellent mix of comedy and drama that deals with infidelity, substance abuse, imperfect parents and children, brotherhood, friendship, family, dysfunction, bravery, fear, cowardice, religion and the struggle with belief, lust, love, lies and lace. Not to mention discoloured penises and lesbians.I highly recommend Rescue Me.http://magx01.blogspot.com/
