Rescue Me - The Complete Second Season - DVD Review

After an odd yet compelling first season, FX returns with a second season of the testosterone-driven, post-911 firefighter drama. Though many agree this season is arguably stronger than the first, I was still left with the same strange aftertaste on the closing of nearly every episode. The writing was a little tighter but the show was still a big mess. My girlfriend told me that might be the point. Hey, maybe she's right.

Let's get the formalities out of the way. Tommy's actions catch up to him as his ex-wife skips town with the kids and his alcoholism lands him demoted to Staten Island after he puts a fellow firefighter in serious danger. He knocks up his dead cousin's wife. Oh, and he's hit the bottle again. Chief Reilly is still dealing with his wife's deteriorating mental state. It's another round of doom for the boys of Rescue Me - but again, with very little of the gloom. This leads me to my next topic.

The black comedy on Rescue Me is the main reason the show sometimes rubs me the wrong way. I'm all for it - and I love the stuff - but when the show goes from making laughs about something tragic to having the most overwrought dramatic moments and ending montages - I'm left a little confused. Let me assure you, this isn't my inability to 'get' the show or deal with a show of this nature - I'm extremely open-minded and can enjoy anything when I understand what the appeal is. It just feels so messy to me, like the show can't work out what it wants to be. Some of the comic situations and dialogue fall flat, while others work fantastically. Part of why all of this this may not work for me is we never get to the see the characters grounded, they are either in a firehouse lunchroom sitcom or an outlandish multi-episode plot. As I make these criticisms, I try to imagine what Tolan and Leary are going for. As per cable drama, all of the characters are hopelessly tortured and unfairly treated by the television gods - their one rule is that regular characters must be constantly punished. These tough men seem to be emasculated at every corner. If you look at nearly every plot-thread, you can see that it usually ends badly for the man, in general, and in the way his masculinity has been completely stripped. On a thematic level, Tolan and Leary could have this in mind. I have finally come to a more concrete criticism after all of this discussion. After every bleak conclusion to every plot and subplot, the character is basically left to hang in limbo until the next outlandish plot-thread begins. Perhaps I yearn for the show to be more delicate, restrained, and thoughtful with its characterisations, and in turn, that would allow me to feel the pain those ending montages so unforgivingly dish out.

On a more positive note, Chief Reilly's arc with his wife's deteriorating mental health was well-plotted and followed through to a satisfying conclusion. As was, to a lesser extent, the smaller plot dealing with him and his homosexual son. The comedic notes were pitch perfect, and the drama from Reilly's angst about his son's sexual preference was very well-played, the two arcs running alongside each other for some of the season was a smart plotting move, and allowed for a great deal of emotional resonance. Half the credit is due to Jack McGee who plays Chief Reilly - his naturalism and ability to slip right into the role must be commended. He delivered the best performance this season and the fact that he used to be a firefighter is just icing on the cake.

Video

1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. No transfer issues I could see.

Audio

We were lucky enough to get this release in Dolby 5.1, which, when you think about how much dialogue comes from all over the place in this show, it was pretty much essential.

Extras

Special Features:

• Deleted scenes

• Blooper Reel

• 6 behind-the-scenes features on the making of the series cover shooting in New York, life on the set, a second season wrap, conversations with the real FDNY and more!

• Sneak peek at Season three

No audio commentary which is a bit of a bummer, and as with a lot of deleted scenes, you can see why they were cut. On the plus side the behind the scene features are very insightful and entertaining to watch. The sneak peek at Season three is a montage of scenes from season two - so as you can probably guess, it's completely worthless.

The season was frantic, crazy, weird, and occasionally moving. My problems with the show still remain, but if you're already a fan, then this is a slightly stronger outing than the first season. If your not, then go back and check the first as this is a heavily-serialized show. For me, the third season awaits, and I'm interested to see where this train wreck (I don't if I mean that in a good sense or bad) takes me. Will the show find its footing on solid ground or just keep leaping into oblivion?