Product Description
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The men of 62 Truck are back for a fifth season in Denis Leary
and Peter Tolan’s series. Tommy Gavin is grappling with the death
of his her as the season opens, along with the new man in
Janet’s life (guest star Michael J. Fox). The crew devises a
business plan to open a bar, which turns into a lucrative
venture, but also a temptation to Tommy, who continues to
struggle with sobriety. Sean faces a heath issue with no easy
solution, while Needles struggles to garner respect and maintain
control of the firehouse. Meanwhile, Sheila attempts to purge
herself of Tommy and allows Damian to pursue a future as a
firefighter. Conspiracy theories about 9/11 ruffle more than a
few feathers, brought on by the arrival of an intriguing
foreigner. Under the shadow of a haunting past, the crew
continues to look to the future and realize that salvation often
lies where you least expect it.
.com
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For those disappointed in season 4 (as series cocreator Peter
Tolan candidly admits in a season retrospective included as a
bonus feature), season 5 should rekindle your passion for Rescue
Me. The back of these first 11 episodes is the introduction
of a French journalist (Karina Lombard), who is writing a book in
anticipation of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Her interviews with
the firefighters as well as family members of those who perished
in the attack (Callie Thorne's Sheila is a particular standout)
have the same force as those in the classic M*A*S*H episode "The
Interview." Tommy Gavin's year-long sobriety is put to the
ultimate test when he is rocked by news footage that seems to
show that his cousin Jimmy did not die in the first tower, as
everyone believed. It forces Tommy (an Emmy-worthy Dennis Leary)
to confront what happened that day and how he did--and did
not--respond. "Are you haunted, Tommy?" the journalist asks.
That's an understatement; he falls off the wagon and his ghosts
return. Tommy is further put through the wringer by his wildly
dysfunctional family, including his estranged wife Janet (Andrea
Roth), who is now seeing a belligerent, wheelchair-bound
alcoholic and pill popper (Michael J. Fox in his Emmy-winning
performance); his oldest daughter Colleen (Natalie Distler), who
is secretly seeing Black Shawn (Larenz Tate) and unnerves him
with her precocious sexual prowess; and his younger daughter Katy
(Olivia Crociccia), now attending an elite private school, where
she has created a new identity for herself (and her parents).
Among the other developments that will resonate throughout the
season are the firefighters purchasing a bar; Franco (Daniel
Sunjata) embarking on a boxing career; the return of Candy, who
bilked and deserted Lou (John Scurti) back in season 2; and
Sean's (Steven Pasquale) back pain, which is initially treated as
comic , but takes a more devastating turn. Rescue Me can
turn on a dime between "deep thought and personal wisdom" and
crude, base humor. Its alistic sensibility and close-knit
camaraderie is akin to Howard Hawks's Only Angels Have Wings. As
for Tommy, who is described as "a great fireman, selfish,
spiteful, hit-the-nail-on-the-head kind of guy," he tries
desperately to keep it all together. After he beats his Section
Eight, Deputy Chief Feinberg (Jerry Adler) warns him about
stepping out of line in the future. "Since it's you, it could
happen at any time," he states. Tommy seems to have the luck of
the Irish. How his luck holds out is a matter for the conclusion
of season 5. --Donald Liebenson