CS Weekly Archive > DVD > 06/01/07

Burning Up the Page

by dennis sampson

Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season

Peter Tolan, Denis Leary, Evan Reilly, John Scurti
Created by Peter Tolan & Denis Leary

The problem with season three of Rescue Me is one most television series wish they had—the show had set the bar so high in its freshman and sophomore outings, it was almost impossible to maintain a five-star level of excellence. That's not to say that season three was by any means weak, it was just simply not as great as it had been. Again, the lives of Engine 62's firefighters are examined so acutely that at times the show feels more like voyeurism than drama. As before, the series wasn't afraid to tackle touchy issues—Alzheimer's disease, addiction, confused sexuality—but what it truly excelled at was seamlessly blending bleak drama with sharp comedy. Drawing comparison to The Sopranos, Rescue Me isn't afraid to give realism to its characters and their actions, no matter how appalling or shameful they might be. It's a testament to the show's exemplary writing that despite Tommy Gavin's (Denis Leary) endless self-involvement, he still somehow comes off as empathetic. Perhaps it's because the characters on the show are depicted as more than mere pawns to drive the narrative to a Fade Out. Still, the season didn't quite resonate with the same impact as its predecessors; in comparison to seasons one and two, which both closed on strong character notes, this one ended on a plot-driven cliffhanger, which felt beneath the series. On the extras front, the "Behind the Smoke" featurette offers a number of thoughts from the writing staff (although co-creator/executive producer/lead actor Leary is conspicuously absent from the supplemental), including co-creator/executive producer Peter Tolan's insights on how the show's character arcs are generated. Commentaries (featured on the first two season sets) from Leary and Tolan are sorely missed here.

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Dennis Sampson is a commercial production coordinator and unproduced screenwriter. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his better half, Susan, and their dog Tripp.

Rescue Me: The Complete Third Season courtesy Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

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