rescue me

now this is a good example of what a pilot episode should be. plot? strong. acting? stellar. characters? SOLID. this pilot puts many other pilots i've watched to shame. i don't know how many times throughout keeping this blog i've had to say to myself, "stick with it. most shows improve after the pilot episode."

luckily for me & sham, this time around was a real treat.

tommy (or, denis leary) begins the show with a whole lot of personality. he's tortured, angsty, nearly divorced, & a relapsing alcoholic. his fellow firefighters are all dealing with 9/11 in their own, fucked up ways. one begins writing poetry to deal with his feelings, only to find out from his wife that his poems are awful & that she thinks he's less of a man for writing them. another goes on an anti-gay crusade. even the two young ones have a few problems of their own.

i love all the characters & i was fully engrossed in the story. does his daughter live!? does his wife divorce him!? does he ever stop seeing the ghosts of his dead cousin, fellow firefighters, & two little children he tried to save? most importantly, is he going to be ok? is he going to survive the fucked up life we're seeing him in?

i certainly hope so. but i really think it's the ride there that's going to be most entertaining to watch.

good for you, denis leary.



& damn, are you foxy.