SYNOPSIS
The world continues to close in on New York firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) in the fourth season of this popular series. He’s nearly a year sober now, but as the season begins he’s facing arson charges for the beach house inferno that served as the cliffhanger ending of Season Three.
He’s also living back home in a platonic relationship with his estranged wife (Andrea Roth), helping to care for her still-unnamed 9-month-old baby that either he or his late brother fathered.
If that isn’t enough, Gavin’s cousin’s widow, his former lover, Sheila (Callie Thorne), has taken up with another man and is trying to talk Tommy into giving her the new baby.
The guys of firehouse #62 also have their problems. Kenny (John Scurti) is finding his nymphomaniac former nun girl friend to be a bit much, and Franco (Daniel Sunjata) watches his current romance go awry when his former lady (Susan Sarandon) reappears in his life.
The firehouse also gets a new chief (Jerry Adler), who tries to get Gavin to date his bi-polar daughter.
Two regular characters on the series will “die” this season, plus there are other surprising, sometimes shocking plot twists in the 13-episodes (on 4 discs), but I’m not going to go into any further detail and be a spoiler.
CRITIQUE
This fourth season of Rescue Me is a bit disappointing.
The first several episodes are first-rate, maintaining the gritty. down-and-dirty dark comedy approach that made this show so popular with audiences and critics alike.
Then, about halfway through the season, the writers seemed to run out of story. Established story arcs were “stretched out, treading water” with no real forward movement. They were repetitive and, frankly, none of them were that compelling. The “stakes” were just not high enough for us to care.
I’m also getting a bit bored with all the scenes that have Gavin talking to the ghosts of his late cousin and brother, as well as the hockey and basketball sequences. These moments stop the story dead in its tracks and are nothing more than filler.
On the plus side, the dialogue is consistently witty and actors on the show continue to deliver impeccable performances. It’s nice to see Susan Sarandon back for two episodes, and Jerry Adler (formerly of The Sopranos) is always a strong addition to any cast.
As I said in my review of Season Three, it would be helpful on the DVD if the production company would provide a short re-cap of the previous season, which if other viewers are like me, they watched a year ago when it was first released. Without such a refresher, it takes an episode or two to remember all of the characters and their relationships to each other.
Rescue Me has been renewed for a fifth season. I hope that the producers and writers can come up with some viable new story paths for their interesting and very likable characters to follow. Of course, that’s what I hoped for last year.
THE VIDEO
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen picture is broadcast sharp. There are no noticeable flaws.
THE AUDIO
The Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound is excellent. No subtitles are featured, however episodes are closed captioned.
THE EXTRAS
Walking Thru Fire and Welcome to the Set are “Behind the Scenes” featurettes on how Season Four came together, plus the cast has some fun with star/producer/writer Denis Leary.
This Is Not a Drill is a “Making of” featurette about how the 7th and definitely the darkest episode of the season was developed.
Tools of the Trade looks at the equipment that firefighters use to do their work.
Captains and Burning Embers: Gavin’s Girls is an in-depth look at various characters on the show.
Firehouse contains true stories about the lives of heroic firefighters.
Gag Reel & Deleted Scenes
Previews & mini-episodes of The Shield, Married…with Children and Starsky & Hutch.
FINAL THOUGHT
Fans of the series should purchase this set, as the episodes can definitely be enjoyed for multiple viewings.
