This week’s ‘Rescue Me’ had the best opening ever. The guys go into a burning building (nothing unusual there) and come out stoned out of their gourds. As it turns out, the person who’s apartment it was kept their own personal green house chock full of marijuana which was burning bright. The bit ends with Garrity on the sidewalk convinced that the parking meter has a government installed camera in it meant to spy on people. Garrity takes a moment to pose for a picture.
The laughs end quickly after the opening credits as Tommy goes to visit a fellow firefighter, Stackhouse in the hospital. This is the guy who was nearly killed in the fire last episode. He’s covered in bloody bandages and his legs have been amputated above the knee. His wife, Deb is there and looking devastated. She talks to Tommy about her fears of when her husband wakes up and how she has to tell him about his legs. Tommy is visibly shaken by this whole scene.
Once again, I’m going out of order here because its easier to stick with plotlines than go minute by minute.
Franco’s new girlfriend Natalie inquires about his daughter but Franco isn’t ready to reveal much about her. Just that right now she’s being taken care much more than he could. Franco tells Garrity he thinks she might have another boyfriend. She gets a lot of calls and wont take him back to her place. Garrity encourages Franco to confront her. Franco responds with what pretty much sums up this season so far – “Love’s a pain in the balls.” Franco basically calls Natalie out on her secrecy and when he goes over to her place, he meets her brother Richard, who is mentally handicapped. Natalie offers him the chance to “run” but he says he’s staying. Her brother offers him a game of checkers. The game seems friendly at first until Richard eats a checker. When Franco goes to call Natalie, Richard threatens Franco. We learn on their walk home that Richard has a bit of Tourettes syndrome and a taste for the N-word. This is going to be a mess. I love it!
The Chief goes to visit his wife but she’s having a bad day. A woman named Carleen who works at the home tries to encourage him to stop visiting if it’s too hard on him. She tells him that his wife is happy and if it makes him unhappy to visit her, maybe he shouldn’t come so much. At first the Chief is completely offended by the suggestion to which she apologizes and basically re-explains that he shouldn’t allow the disease to take both of them. The next time he visits, he talks to her again and he ends up thanking her. There’s definitely a connection between these two in this scene.
We’re treated to one of Uncle Teddy’s conjugal visits. He’s really enjoying his new wife but not enjoying having the guard call every 10 minutes to make sure he’s still there and that she’s not dead. Teddy makes a fantastically nasty joke to the guard about his bride smuggling him out of there. We get another bit of the “visit” later in which the guards once again, call. Finally we see Uncle Teddy feasting on a bucket of chicken and ignoring the ringing phone.
Lou buys a motorcycle and talks about maybe moving down to Florida. Tommy and Sheila seem strangely back to normal considering what happened two episodes ago. Tommy talks to her about losing Franco (who is taking the lieutenant’s test) and Lou and his frustration there. Sheila tells Tommy that the money she got from when Jimmy died has made a lot in interest. Basically she’s rich and wants to run off to buy a house on the beach with Tommy where they could just relax and watch the kids grow old.
Probie’s roommate/ex-kind-of-boyfriend Chris comes by the firehouse after Probie moves out and gives Garrity Probie’s transfer paper. Chris tries to imply that Probie is gay by telling him how Probie likes ‘Sex and the City’. Little does Chris know, he’s talking to Garrity and with Garrity, subtley doesn’t go down easily (or at all). So Garrity goes to Probie to ask him about the transfer thing but when Probie finds out Garrity talked to Chris, he assumed he told him about the gayness. Probie ends up admitting to the relationship. The whole thing unravels from there and Probie confesses the whole thing to the guys. The guys are equally concerned about the transfer as they are with sharing a shower with Probie now that he’s “confused”. Probie basically says if this is the way it’s going to be, he should just transfer. Tommy stands up for Probie and receives a hug of thanks. The whole confrontation ends with a laugh after that but we know this isn’t even close to being the end of this issue.
The only real Maggie/Garrity stuff we get is when Garrity goes to ask for Maggie’s fathers hand in marriage. He treats Garrity like crap, Maggie treats her father like crap and basically Garrity gets an even better preview of how his life is going to be as Maggie’s wife. Not that we needed to confirm this but Garrity makes it clear that Maggie wears the pants in this relationship when he announces that he’s taking her last name.
Johnny tells Tommy that Janet is pregnant. Tommy gives Johnny an unenthusiastic congratulations and walks away visibly trying to keep his cool. He’s likely wondering the same thing we are, is it Tommy’s kid or is it Johnny’s?
I commented recently about the women in this show being the death of these guys but the writers came through for us girls in the last few weeks with two great women. This Carleen woman at the home where the Chief’s wife is staying is fantastic. I am hoping that she will be the one to bring peace to his life as he deals with the agony of watching the woman he love slip away day by day. The other woman is Franco’s new girlfriend Natalie. Her compassion towards her very troubled brother shows what a huge heart she has and that’s exactly what Franco needs. It will just be a matter of learning to get along with special-Richard and his blurts of racism and threats.
It seems from the previews for the last three episodes of this season that this will truly be a turning point for the guys. Will Probie transfer? What will happen with Janet, Johnny, Tommy and the baby? Will Tommy decide to run off with Sheila and live on the beach with all of her widow money?
