Rescue Me (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rescue Me | |
|---|---|
 Season three poster featuring Denis Leary |
|
| Genre | Comedy-drama |
| Creator(s) | Denis Leary Peter Tolan |
| Starring | See Characters |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 39 |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 43 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | FX |
| Original run | July 21, 2004 – present |
| Links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Rescue Me is a critically praised American television drama and dark comedy that premiered on the FX Network in 2004. It is produced by the Cloudland Company, Apostle, DreamWorks Television and Sony Pictures Television. Rescue Me focuses mainly on the professional and personal lives of New York City firefighters after the trauma of the September 11, 2001 attacks. The show stars Denis Leary, who plays the role of New York City firefighter, Tommy Gavin, a character whose life is full of torment and chaos.
Tommy has to struggle with the loss of his cousin, and best friend, Jimmy Keefe, who died on September 11th, 2001 and frequently visits Tommy in visions. In the pilot episode, Tommy and his wife have already separated and Tommy moved across the street. He is ill-tempered, self destructive, hypocritical, manipulative, and a relapsed alcoholic. Although he is painted as a largely unsympathetic human being, his character is redeemed through his incredible career as a firefighter. He has also realized how much he has contributed to the breakup of his family and constantly struggles to reconcile with them. He loves his children very much and desires to get back together with his wife; however, despite slowly making steps toward his redemption, tragedy always seems to be right around the corner.
The third season ended in August 2006 and the fourth is set to premiere on June 12, 2007.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
Rescue Me mainly focuses on the Gavin family and the men of the firehouse, but many other characters have been introduced over the three seasons that have stayed on as main characters. The series is also notable for attracting high profile actors and actresses, such as Tatum O'Neal, Susan Sarandon, and Marisa Tomei.
[edit] Season Overviews
[edit] Season One
The first season of Rescue Me began on July 21, 2004. It began by introducing the members of and exploring their lives, both home and in the firehouse. It focused on main character Tommy Gavin as he dealt with the effects of September 11, 2001 attacks, which, for him, include seeing the ghosts of his cousin Jimmy Keefe as well as various people he failed to save. At the same time he and his wife are separated and, from across the street, he has to watch her begin to date again and concocts a "secret evil plan" to get her back and prevent her from taking his children and leaving the state.
In other stories; Chief Jerry Reilly attacks a gay former fire fighter in a bar after he speaks to the press and claims that at least 20 of the 343 men who died during the 9/11 attacks were gay. Sean Garrity begins to date one of Franco Rivera's (many) ex-girlfriends, which leads to Franco finding out that he has a daughter with the woman, whom he takes in after her overdose death. Tommy also gets involved with Sheila, Jimmy's widow and "New" Mike Silletti begins to date a "fat chick", which he keeps secret. Lt. Kenneth Shea deals with 9-11 by writing poetry, and then starts to have an affair.
After Billy Warren dies in a fire the city sends Laura Miles to replace him. She clashes with the guys in general, who don't want a woman on their crew, and with Tommy in particular whom she is watching and believes is growing dangerous as he takes more and more seemingly unnecessary risks on the job. The season comes to a close with a mistake of Tommy's in a fire getting Franco hurt, and his eventual transfer out of the house after the rest of the crew find out he's been seeing Sheila and gotten her pregnant. In the final scene of the final episode he shows up at his wifes house, only to find her and his children missing, along with everything in the house.
[edit] Season Two
The second season premiered on June 21, 2005. It began with Tommy at a new firehouse on Staten Island and his replacement at 62 Truck, Sully, becoming everyone's favorite. Sully leaves, and clears the way for Tommy to return, after the crew find out that he likes to wear womens clothing and freeze him out. Back in the old house Tommy shifts his focus to finding his family and dealing with his father, who took an unannounced vacation and came home with a new (rich) wife, Jenny Ng. Sheila loses the baby, but lies about it to keep Tommy near.
Elsewhere on the show Tommy and Johnny Gavin find out that their father had a long going affair during their childhood, which produced two children. Soon they suspect their newfound brother, a priest, is a pedophile. "New" Mike Silletti stalks his ex-girlfriend. Chief Jerry's wife gradually deteriorates from Alzheimer’s and he is forced to seek help from his estranged son before placing her in a long-term care facility, then has to turn to his brother-in-law to help pay for it. Laura and Franco begin dating, but Laura eventually leaves Franco and the firehouse. Lt. Kenneth Shea is conned by a prostitute, resulting in him losing his entire life savings. Jenny Ng dies, which prompts Maggie, Tommy and Johny's sister, to show up hoping to get a piece of her estate.
Tommy and his family reconcile for a time, but when their only son Connor is killed by a drunk driver it's too much for Janet to handle. It only gets worse when Johnny finds out the driver may not do time, so Tommy's uncle Teddy kills him.
[edit] Season Three
The third season began on May 30, 2006. Tommy and Janet are now re-separated and Teddy is in jail for murder. Janet begins sleeping with Johnny, Tommy's brother. Tommy and Johnny fight it out in the street, and later following an argument, Tommy and Janet have a very physical sex scene. The violence of the act, contrasted with his post-coital attitude and the suggestion that she may have enjoyed it led to much controversy. Many have accused the show of glorifying rape while others have praised the show for portraying Janet's enjoyment as a refreshingly realistic view of the sexual dynamics of relationships. [1]
Elsewhere Shea, still smarting from getting conned, is becoming testy with everyone on the crew and slowly spiraling down. "New" Mike begins a sexual relationship with his (male) roommate and Tommy falls back into things with Sheila, Jimmy's widow. Sheila wants to get Tommy back and begins to drug him to have sex. Maggie soon finds her self dating Sean Garrity, among others.
Janet gets pregnant with Johnny's baby and wants to have it to replace Connor. The crew finds out about Mike's possible homosexuality and Tommy comes to his defense. Franco starts to date Alicia (Susan Sarandon), a rich woman who eventually takes his daughter from him. Shea moves in with Tommy and begins seeing Teresa, a soon-to-be ex-nun with whom he plans on moving to Florida to be first mate on his cousin's boat. Chief Riley tries to meet his wife's increasing health care costs by taking a second job at a bar. Later he suffers a heart attack after having sex with Karlene, an illegal immigrant who cares for his wife.
During a stakeout, Johnny is shot three times through the back and killed by someone who was contracted to kill him to stop his testifying against a powerful drug dealer. During his funeral Sean and Maggie decide to get married at the cemetery. Rosemarie Gavin is also introduced, the long lost sister of Tommy, Johnny, and Maggie (the fourth brother, Timo, has apparently been written out of the show. See Chuck Cunningham syndrome). She is deaf and had been shunned by her parents but reconciles with her father.
With the house seemingly breaking up Tommy decides to retire and move in with Sheila. He changes his mind after talking with Janet about her pregnancy and hearing Mike isn't transferring, Lou has changed his mind about the boat and Franco failed a lieutenant's exam.
While at Sheila's new house he tells her he is not retiring from the FDNY. She drugs him, like before, then accidentally starts a fire. The fire spreads as she attempts to put it out, and the finale closes without making it clear if either Tommy or Sheila made it out of the house.
[edit] Season Four
The fourth season of Rescue Me is set to premiere on June 12, 2007
[edit] Music
The main title theme song for Rescue Me is "C'mon, C'mon" by the band Von Bondies. This song was picked by Denis Leary's son, Jack, who helps pick some of the music used in the show. The underscore and end title theme for the show is scored by composer Christopher Tyng, who also scored Leary's previous show The Job. Rescue Me typically ends with a musical montage.
[edit] Official soundtrack
The official soundtrack was released on May 8, 2006 on Nettwerk records.
- Track Listing
-
- C'mon C'mon - The Von Bondies - 2:14
- Devil - Stereophonics - 4:41
- I'll Be Your Man - The Black Keys - 2:21
- Bonnie Brae - The Twilight Singers - 4:50
- All the Wild Horses - Ray LaMontagne - 3:17
- Shine a Light - Wolf Parade - 3:44
- Karaoke Soul - Tom McRae - 3:53
- Love is Blindness - The Devlins - 3:15
- Fell on Bad Days - Rubyhorse - 3:58
- Wipe That Smile Off Your Face - Our Lady Peace - 4:24
- Open Heart Surgery - The Brian Jonestown Massacre - 4:14
- Oh Yeah - The Subways - 2:58
- Pussywillow - Greg Dulli - 3:40
- Just a Dream - Griffin House - 6:29
[edit] Songs By Episode
[edit] Season 1
- Preview trailer: Queen and David Bowie - "Under Pressure"
- 101: Coldplay - "Don't Panic" (Parachutes)
- 102: Tom McRae - "Stronger than Dirt" (Just Like Blood)
- 104: Tyrone Wells - "When All is Said and Done" (Snapshot)
- 105: Magnet - "Chasing Dreams" (On Your Side)
- 107: Tom McRae - "Karaoke Soul" (Just Like Blood)
- 108: Tyrone Wells - "All I Can Do" (Snapshot)
- 109: The Black Keys - "I'll Be Your Man" (The Big Come Up)
- 112: Griffin House - "Just A Dream" (Lost & Found)
- 113: Rubyhorse - "Fell on Bad Days" (Goodbye to All That)
[edit] Season 2
- Preview trailer: Thirteen Senses - "Into the Fire" (The Invitation)
- 201: Ray LaMontagne - "Burn" (Trouble)
- 202: Ray LaMontagne - "Trouble" (Trouble)
- 203: The Mars Volta - "The Widow" (Frances the Mute)
- 204: Afghan Whigs - "Rebirth of the Cool" (Uptown Avondale)
- 205: Cobra Verde - "I Want You" (Copycat Killers), Ryan Adams - "Hallelujah" (Demolition)
- 206: Alaska! - "Broken" (Emotions)
- 207: The Walkmen - "My Old Man" (Bows + Arrows)
- 208: Sheryl Crow - "I Shall Believe" (Tuesday Night Music Club)
- 209: Greg Dulli - "Pussywillow" (Amber Headlights)
- 210: Snow Patrol - "Run" (Final Straw)
- 211: Ben Kweller - "Make It Up" (Sha Sha)
- 212: Ray LaMontagne - "All the Wild Horses" (Trouble)
- 213: Greg Dulli - "Get the Wheel" (Amber Headlights)
[edit] Season 3
- 301: Stereophonics - "Devil" (Language. Sex. Violence. Other?)
- 302: The Twilight Singers - "Bonnie Brae" ("Powder Burns")
- 304: Screaming Blue Messiahs - "Wild Blue Yonder" ("Gun Shy")
- 305: Wolf Parade - "Shine a Light" (Apologies to the Queen Mary)
- Brian Jonestown Massacre - "Open Heart Surgery" ("Bravery Repetition & Noise")
- 306: Portishead - "Numb" ("Dummy")
- 312: Tricky - "Hell is Round the Corner" (Maxinquaye)
- Season 3 Finale Commercial: The Fray - "Look After You" (How to Save a Life)
- 313: David Gray - "The One I Love" (Life In Slow Motion)
[edit] International broadcasters
| Country | TV network(s) | Premiere | Weekly schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States |
FX | July 21, 2004 | Wednesday 10 pm ET |
 Austria |
ORF 1 | January 2007 | |
 Australia |
Fox8 & W. Channel | September 26, 2005 | |
 Belgium |
Canvas | ||
 Brazil |
FX | ||
 Canada |
Showcase | Tuesdays 10 pm ET | |
 Croatia |
RTL Televizija | Wednesdays 21:40 CET | |
 Denmark |
TV3 | 2005 | |
 Finland |
Nelonen | 2006 | |
 France |
Jimmy | ||
 Hungary |
RTL Klub | March 8, 2007 | Thursday 11 pm |
 Israel |
Xtra HOT | 2006 | |
 Lithuania |
TV3 Lithuania | November 2006 | |
 New Zealand |
TVNZ | November 9, 2005 | |
 Romania |
AXN | November 2006 | |
 Saudi Arabia |
Showtime Arabia | ||
 Spain |
FX | ||
 South Africa |
DStv | ||
 Sweden |
TV6 | August 2006 | |
 Turkey |
Show Plus | November 2006 | |
 United Kingdom |
Sky One, Sky One HD | January 13, 2005 | Thursday 10pm GMT |
[edit] DVD releases
| DVD Name | Release dates by region | Cover | ||
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||
| The Complete First Season | June 7, 2005 | February 20, 2006 | February 8, 2006 |  |
| The Complete Second Season | May 9, 2006 | January 29, 2007 | September 27, 2006 |  |
[edit] Trivia
- Tommy's family name, Gavin, is a reference to his friend and fellow Boston comedian "Father" Don Gavin.
- Many actors on Rescue Me were also on The Job, Denis Leary's previous television series about the New York Police Department. There are also a number of stylistic and comedic similarities between the two series and in episode 2-07, Leary is seen wearing a The Job t-shirt.
- The turnout jacket Leary wears in the pilot episode belonged to legendary New York firefighter Captain Patrick "Paddy" Brown, who died in the World Trade Center attacks.
- In the pilot episode of the show, Leary is also seen wearing a Leary Firefighters Foundation 9-11 memorial t-shirt.
- In episode 1-10, Leary is seen wearing a shirt bearing Garnet "Ace" Bailey's name, number and picture. Ace Bailey was the lead scout for the Los Angeles Kings (also a former Boston Bruin) who was killed on September 11th when Flight 175 hit the World Trade Center.
- Several hockey players have appeared on the show in various roles. Most notably Hall of Famers and former Boston Bruins forwards Phil Esposito and Cam Neely -- for whom Leary has raised money with via Comics Come Home.
- In Episode 2-11 Leary's hockey helmet is emblazoned with a "W 6" logo on the front. W 6 stands for "Worcester Six" and represents and memorializes six firefighters lost on December 3, 1999, in the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire in his hometown of Worcester, Massachusetts. Among the dead were Leary's cousin, Jerry Lucey, and childhood friend, Lt. Thomas Spencer.
- New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had a cameo in episode 3-12 as a mourner at a funeral.
- The replacement Chief in episode 3-13 is played by Co-Creator/Writer Peter Tolan.
- Firefighter Mike Moran's quote "You can kiss my royal Irish ass." is often used in the show.
