So, after reading all the uproar caused by the recent episode of Rescue Me in which Dennis Leary’s Tommy engages in some very violent sex with his ex-wife, Janet, I finally sat down to watch it. There been a lot of talk about this scene (see here and here). Was it rape, or just two dysfunctional people doing what they’ve always done? For me, it was rape. Anytime a man violently shoves a women down and forces himself on her without consent (even when she doesn’t say no), that’s rape in my opinion. Here’s the thing: while I found the scene distasteful, but was it anything new for a dysfunctional man like Tommy? Moreover, considering what I’ve seen of Dennis Leary’s comedy and interviews, is it surprising that he would write something like this? No. According to someone writing as Peter Tolan, a co-creator of the show, the scene was meant to come off as empowering for Janet. Granted, even though she didn’t say no she fought Tommy and she stared him in the face as he did the deed. Unfortunately, it didn’t come off as empowering for Janet. Tommy left the scene with a smirk on his face and Janet just sat there reading a magazine. Of course, Tommy would smirk. Forcing himself on Janet had more to do with his brother than any animosity towards his ex (well maybe a little). In his sick little mind, I think Tommy believes this shows what a bigger man he is than his brother, Johnny.
Then there was the blow-job scene. I was intrigued when they ended an episode two weeks ago with Mike laying his head on the shoulder on his roommate, and the roommate return this show of affection. I remember thinking this could lead to some interesting story-telling. I have no idea what it’s like for gay firemen, and I have no doubt there are gay firemen, but I doubt seriously that it can be easy for them. Unfortunately, the writers of Rescue Me don’t seem to understand this. Instead, they want to go for the silly jokes. We start off with Mike getting a blow job from his roommate while they watch football. The blow job itself had to be something new for television. I don’t think we’ve seen a man-on-man blow job on television, broadcast or cable, outside of HBO. Unfortunately, the storyline sinks to the level of the stupid when Mike and his roommate get into a fight about who is, or isn’t, gay. Granted, a fight like that could have been something real, especially when you consider both of these men are obviously masculine and athletic in very masculine occupations. However, instead of being real the two men came off like whiny bitches. Hopefully, the writers won’t chicken out as they continue this storyline.
On a positive note, I am loving the Franco and Alicia storyline. The writers are keeping it real and honest and I’m really enjoying that. Best of all, Susan Sarandon is great as the worldly Alicia who seems to be falling for Franco and really likes his daughter. Best of all, Sarandon and Daniel Sunjata have great chemistry together, which makes the relationship more believable. I know the relationship will eventually end since I doubt Sarandon is going to stick around, but it sure is fun to watch.