Grid Effect

Well, it was mentioned last week that this episode of Rescue Me was stellar, even exceeded expectations. But I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that while these episodes are entertaining and the stories occasionally, nay, generally entertaining, they offer little in the way of substance. Not to say incredibly dramatic and devastating things do not take place, because they do ever so frequently, but nothing is ever made of them. Outside of Tommy still being on the wagon and Franco cutting back on his womanizing, very little has changed in the way of the characters who are still alive.

This episode maintained my interest because it focused on similar themes stressed in The Sopranos, mainly that of aging, but little will come of it. With Tony Soprano, after he was shot, he was continuously battling with his criminal underlings for the proper respect I imagine a mob boss must command. Tommy is never going to be put in a similar situation, if I had to guess he’s either going to beat the snot out of Larenz Tate or come to the realization that he isn’t as physically impressive as he once was when Larenz Tate smacks him around. Not exactly as introspective as anything I have seen on David Chase’s show. This can’t exactly replicate its blatant inspiration, but it could try and actually delve into the characters psyche for more than ten minutes.

I really hate to keep harping on this series not meeting the criteria of The Sopranos because really, nothing ever has (even The Wire is so starkly different than The Sopranos in subtext and delivery). But the most obvious example I can think of that separates a work of art from just an entertaining show is how Tony dealt with the Feech La Manna (Robert Loggia) situation. Tony, after his (at the time) estranged wife expressed to him how all of his “friends” simply placate his ego out of fear rather than general admiration, harks back to an awful joke he made wherein everyone laughed hysterically except Feech, who was stone cold silent. Realizing this means he is neither amused nor afraid of Tony, he has him framed and sent back to prison so as not to be a threat to his life or freedom a la Richie Aprile. My question is, when has something similar to this ever taken place on Rescue Me? Isn’t Tommy Gavin the same exact person he was in the pilot, sans alcoholism. Maybe he is a little more remorseful (look at his speech in the bar in “Twilight”), but it doesn’t really reflect his actions, at least not off the job. He seems to be a little more reckless on it.

Anyways, now that I am done ranting, this episode featured Tommy angrily protesting the new arrangement with the not-probie who has some basketball skills, as it sort of belittles everything firehouse camaraderie stands for. Garrity burning down Mike’s apartment while discovering his parents were gay, Tommy still trying to determine the length of new chief’s endowment, and Janet continuing her downward spiral in postpartum depression, motivating Tommy to reconsider Sheila’s proposition to essentially buy his newborn kid. Also, Tommy cannot play basketball, and I imagine neither can Dennis Leary. But that is it, nothing else needs detailed and if you missed last weeks episode, you are not caught up to watch in three hours.

Then again, maybe the entire show is a metaphor for the short attention span of the country, or the paradox facing the modern adult male in terms of his traditional role as strong, undaunted provider and emotional stagnation. Either way, I feel like I would be giving it too much credit to use either of these brooding themes to classify the series. As of now I am looking forward to watching tonight, but not expecting anything deeper than surface entertainment, which is fine. I just wish they would stop pretending something more profound is taking place.