Sunday, July 22, 2007

All Caught Up With...Rescue Me

The third season of "Rescue Me" is a thrilling ride fueled by all-around excellent performances and some pretty intense writing. Denis Leary is once again fantastic as the extremely flawed but somehow likeable firefighter Tommy Gavin. Three Oscar-winning actresses grace this season with their presence in extremely different roles: Tatum O'Neal as Tommy's crazy sister and girlfriend of fellow firefighter Sean, Susan Sarandon as an older woman who becomes a part of Franco's life, and Marisa Tomei as a former flame of Tommy's brother. The real standouts from this season are the two supporting actresses: Callie Thorne and Andrea Roth. I saw the first half of the season and knew that Thorne was nothing short of stunning as the sex-crazed, often fanatical widow of Tommy's cousin from her work in the early episodes. Andrea Roth really came into her own this season, and I had missed her pivotal episode, "Sparks", when it first aired last year, but she really does a fantastic job as Tommy's ex-wife. "Chlamydia" is probably the most fun episode, while "Hell" certainly packs a dramatic emotional punch. It serves well as the series' submission for Best Drama Series for this year's Emmy Awards. I know I am going to have a hard time narrowing my picks for the AFT Award for Best Drama Series down to only five shows after seeing this season. The season four premiere, which aired this Wednesday, is just as good as the third season, if not better, in that it expands to include much more of Tommy's family life (i.e. his daughters). The whole Sheila business is a bit tricky, but I await a satisfying resolution next week.

Season 3: A-
Season 4 premiere "Babyface": A-

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