Rescue Me, Season 1 - Part 2

So things are finally starting to pick up. Tommy continues to try and get back together with his ex-wife and she dumped the boyfriend (thankfully), but he's involved with his cousin's widow. Uh oh, I know something's gonna boil over.

The rest of the crew seem to deal with average male hi-jinks which is a welcome retreat from the serious issues Tommy encounters.

We did see a secondary character get killed off after the end of episode 8. I'm beginning to wonder how many will get the ax, could be an Oz like trend of endless characters.

Overall the show is finally starting to gain some steam and I wonder if all the dead people Tommy sees will somehow affect his job status. It has to, right?

Izzy's rating after 8 episodes: 7 out of 10

Was This Casting Justified?

Last week FX debuted it's newest original show, Justified. The premise involves U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant) returning to his rural Kentucky hometown after being reassigned for questionable practices. Once back home, he soon discovers the town has gone to hell in a hand basket. The main culprit of the chaos is a neo-nazi he was once friends with named Boyd Crowder (played by Walton Goggins).

For anyone who has seen Deadwood, you will immediately being to draw parallels to Olyphant's character Seth Bullock who similarly was the law man in a small town. This could be good and bad for the show. Deadwood was an amazing show and Olyphant's portrayal of the historical sheriff of the town is top notch. In that aspect Justified could prove to be intriguing with Olyphant's ability to steal scenes with his intimidation, much like in the pilot where he dispenses an unwanted guest at a lady friend's house. On the other hand, we could be in store for more of the same which would be unfortunate to say the least. Olyphant's character in Justified already wears a 10-gallon hat and cowboys boots, I wouldn't be surprised if he started riding a horse either.

For the show to succeed they need to shed the typecast Olyphant has had placed upon him by myself, or any other viewer of Deadwood. This is not his fault, but he must know that some of those watching the show will get this feel. Goggins is a great bad guy, but I have a feeling his role is not long for the show (Spoiler Alert: He gets shot in the chest in the first episode, but does survive...for now). Who will become the anti-hero? That is what made Deadwood so great; having Al Swearengen (played by Ian McShane) to battle for control of the town against Olyphant's Bullock. We are only 1 episode in so I will continue to hope for the best.

Rescue Me, Season 1 - Part 1

So after 4 episodes of Season 1 of Rescue Me, here's what we got:

Denis Leary plays the show's protagonist Tommy Gavin who is struggling to balance his crumbling marriage, sobriety, apparitions of his deceased cousin and best friend as well as the day to day life of a fireman in New York City. Leary has surprised me thus far with his level of acting.

The other situations involving the rest of the crew of the firehouse haven't really heated up yet. But have involved the typical topics you'd expect (sexuality, male bonding, family issues).

4 episodes in I haven't been completely blown away like I was with The Wire and The Shield.

Izzy's rating after 4 episodes: 6 out of 10

Trying To Rescue Myself

The current TV landscape is mediocre at best and that's being nice. I could give my two cents about Lost as the series' final season winds down, but everyone and their mother has their theories so why bother adding to that mess. While ABC's Modern Family has been a great surprise; NBC's Thursday night line-up has been hit or miss all season long, I can't stand all the formulaic crime dramas that CBS spits out and Fox is in the middle of yet another unexplainable American Idol craze (gasp!)

That's why I was excited to find out that Netflix has recently added Rescue Me to their ever expanding list of instant viewing content available on-line. I've heard great things about the FX dramedy which stars Denis Leary as a New York City firefighter so I thought I'd chronicle my viewing experience all the while hopefully providing as few spoilers as possible.

Each of the first four seasons (13 episodes each) are currently available on Netflix. I will submit an entry after episodes 4, 8 and the season finale for each season. I'm currently only 2 episodes in to season 1, but like what I see so far. I'm most impressed by the acting range of Denis Leary who I've always associated with cigarettes and vulgar comedy routines. Leary, also a co-creator of the show, shines as the protagonist in a relatively unknown cast.

Look for my first review sometime next week and if you have Netflix, join me and see if my critique and comments are on par.