ON FIRE

Last night's episode of Rescue Me was the best so far in this terrific fifth season. Where this show has been going creatively is nothing less than surprising, engrossing, and brilliant. I find it to be one of the fastest one-hour shows I've ever gotten into; it seems that it's always ending a moment after it started. And with the addition of the sexy French author who is writing a book about 9/11 and the aftereffects of that day on the guys in the fire house, the show is going back to its roots -- this is a show, afterall, that is uniquely framed by the 9/11 tragedy. One of the firemen in the house is of the firm belief that the destruction of the towers was an inside-job; he'd give Oliver Stone a run for his money in the paranoid-conspiracy department. The trouble is, what the character spouted off last night was nerve-rackingly honest and troubling; he made some good points. But beyond this one new story strand, the show just keeps upping the ante. The addition of Michael J. Fox to the cast as a parapelgic recovering drug addict who just happens to be dating Leary's wife's character has so far been played mostly for laughs; that storyline was sadly absent from last night's episode. My guess is that it will pick up steam over the next few weeks. The development of the relationship between "Black Sean" and Leary's daughter on the show has been hysterical, oddly heartfelt, and true to form for everyone involved. Rescue Me is a such a rich, layered show; I've found it to be emotionally rewarding on many levels. I can't wait to see what happens next.