What I’m Watching: Rescue Me

Rescue Me: Season 7, Episode 7 “Jeter” (B+)

Things are definitely getting turned on their heads in more ways than one in this episode. Lou walks into the firehouse at the start and thinks he must be in the wrong house since there are so many changes afoot thanks to Franco’s efforts as acting lieutenant. This show wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if everyone behaved as they should, so it’s a strange change of pace to see most of the firefighters, save for Tommy and Lou, of course, on their game for once. Seeing all that taken away in the blink of an eye when Franco made the wrong call on the job was quite powerful. This episode was all about Tommy’s post-mortem thoughts, and I’ll admit that I was close to tearing up while both Lou and Sheila read their letters. Lou’s usage of the vodka, or rather the lighter fluid to get the eternal flame effect, set on fire was extraordinarily effective with Sheila, and I loved how it really went up in flames, pun intended, when he tried it again with Janet. Her strong desire for Tommy to quit has unfortunately come so much closer to reality, as, thanks to Lou’s pratfall, everyone now thinks that he’s planning to retire. While Tommy is sure not to give up without a fight, the attention will now be turned to Colleen’s wedding. I’m hopeful that Tommy is going to get his act together and be able to walk his daughter down the aisle, but something tells me that it would be far too happy an ending for this show.