Product Description The men of 62 Truck are back for a fifth season in Denis Leary and Peter Tolan’s series. Tommy Gavin is grappling with the death of his father as the season opens, along with the new man in Janet’s life (guest star Michael J. Fox). The crew devises a business plan to open a bar, which turns into a lucrative venture, but also a temptation to Tommy, who continues to struggle with sobriety. Sean faces a heath issue with no easy solution, while Needles struggles to garner respect and maintain control of the firehouse. Meanwhile, Sheila attempts to purge herself of Tommy and allows Damian to pursue a future as a firefighter. Conspiracy theories about 9/11 ruffle more than a few feathers, brought on by the arrival of an intriguing foreigner. Under the shadow of a haunting past, the crew continues to look to the future and realize that salvation often lies where you least expect it. .com For those disappointed in season 4 (as series cocreator Peter Tolan candidly admits in a season retrospective included as a bonus feature), season 5 should rekindle your passion for Rescue Me. The backbone of these first 11 episodes is the introduction of a French journalist (Karina Lombard), who is writing a book in anticipation of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Her interviews with the firefighters as well as family members of those who perished in the attack (Callie Thorne's Sheila is a particular standout) have the same force as those in the classic M*A*S*H episode "The Interview." Tommy Gavin's year-long sobriety is put to the ultimate test when he is rocked by news footage that seems to show that his cousin Jimmy did not die in the first tower, as everyone believed. It forces Tommy (an Emmy-worthy Dennis Leary) to confront what happened that day and how he did--and did not--respond. "Are you haunted, Tommy?" the journalist asks. That's an understatement; he falls off the wagon and his ghosts return. Tommy is further put through the wringer by his wildly dysfunctional family, including his estranged wife Janet (Andrea Roth), who is now seeing a belligerent, wheelchair-bound alcoholic and pill popper (Michael J. Fox in his Emmy-winning performance); his oldest daughter Colleen (Natalie Distler), who is secretly seeing Black Shawn (Larenz Tate) and unnerves him with her precocious sexual prowess; and his younger daughter Katy (Olivia Crociccia), now attending an elite private school, where she has created a new identity for herself (and her parents). Among the other developments that will resonate throughout the season are the firefighters purchasing a bar; Franco (Daniel Sunjata) embarking on a boxing career; the return of Candy, who bilked and deserted Lou (John Scurti) back in season 2; and Sean's (Steven Pasquale) back pain, which is initially treated as comic relief, but takes a more devastating turn. Rescue Me can turn on a dime between "deep thought and personal wisdom" and crude, base humor. Its fatalistic sensibility and close-knit camaraderie is akin to Howard Hawks's Only Angels Have Wings. As for Tommy, who is described as "a great fireman, selfish, spiteful, hit-the-nail-on-the-head kind of guy," he tries desperately to keep it all together. After he beats his Section Eight, Deputy Chief Feinberg (Jerry Adler) warns him about stepping out of line in the future. "Since it's you, it could happen at any time," he states. Tommy seems to have the luck of the Irish. How his luck holds out is a matter for the conclusion of season 5. --Donald Liebenson
J**Y
You must LOVE Tommy Gavin to enjoy this series
I have loved this series since it began. Being Post 911 it gives a small glimpse of the lives of the fire fighters and police of New York City who gave their lives to save anyone possible. Denis Leary has been devoted to Fire Fighters on a personal level and it shows.The characters in this show are bigger than life but at the same time... just people living their lives. The banter and the dialogue are witty, fast paced, incredibly intelligent and just downright entertaining. The language and the subject matter are not for the faint of heart. Be prepared to see any and all. This show makes no apologies...
M**S
Season 5 - back on form
Season 5 of Rescue Me ranks right up there with the earlier seasons. Great comedic and dramatic writing and the actors are at their peak in this series. Tommy's past comes back to haunt him and his spiral into alcoholism is directly linked to his actions on the day of September 11 2001. The characters reflections on that day are the most mature pieces ever seen on the show and the writers obviously had a lot of interaction with real survivors to gain those insights. There is more firefighting and action in this series than others, which is great. And the comedy is sharp and insightful. All in all a terrific season.
M**G
The show is still great...
While I was getting worried that Rescue me was getting a little long in the tooth around season 4, those fears were alleviated by season 5.1. The characters remain strong, and the stories are very funny. I liked the direction Rescue Me took with Tommy's kids, with one dating a fireman, and the other at a prep school embarrased to be with her parents. I also must say that kudos to Michael J. Fox for such a great performance, and very out of his usual nice guy persona. While, I haven't seen the second half of the season, I was very happy with this season, and recomend it to all fans of the Rescue Me series.
R**R
Best season yet so far..
GF and I are hooked on this show. We are about 6 episodes into this season and its the best yet. Finally some characters clearing the air and stating things we have been waiting for! Unless this season that we are viewing takes a serious nose dive, we both agree this could be the best writing the series has done yet. Leary admitted in an interview that Season 4 wasn't the best, he's making up for it IMO.Buy used,I always wait a few weeks and buy a factory sealed copy for much less on Amazon!
B**E
Rescue Me: Season 5: vol. 1
Dennis and the boys are back in excellent form. Michael J. Fox is fantastic--a whole new persona for him. He does very well playing a bitter jerk. I think Leary is one of the most underrated actors--he can make me cry and howl with laughter with how tormented he is. I have come to like Shelia a lot more than his wife who tends to get on my nerves. His uncle and cousin, the defrocked priest are also among my favorites. The scripts are sharp, almost painful.
B**S
Why only eleven episodes? Oh yeah...GREED.
Rescue Me is a great show - the ensemble cast is excellent, there's a great combination of comedy and drama and although some situations dabble in the absurd, there are also serious issues that are dealt with in a mature and adult light. I have no problems with the show, it's a 5 star program.But I do have a problem with GREED.This season started late so they could run all 23 episodes during consecutive weeks. The last episode is airing in three days - the same day this set is being released - but has obviously been in the can along with the other 21 for several weeks if not months. SO WHY SPLIT THIS SEASON INTO TWO PARTS??Greed.FIFTY DOLLAR LIST PRICE for eleven episodes?? Assuming Volume 2 does the same for the final 11, that's ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS for a season! Now we all know there will be discounts (as I type this Amazon is selling it for $32) but that's still OVER SIXTY DOLLARS to get the fifth season.I understand that past seasons contained 13 episodes and this one is 22. But would it really have been that much more expensive to add two discs and bump the price a little...instead of creating separate packaging - and passing THAT cost along - and gouging Us? The very people who support the show by purchasing something they already watched faithfully?The 22 episodes were a complete season. The marketing is a complete sham.
F**A
Wonderful show
Excellent series, Was sad to see the series end anyone who is in the fire service or knows someone that is. It's well worth watching each and every season. Recommended for 17 and over.
L**E
Five Stars
Have both parts of season 5 just need to get final season
Trustpilot
1 month ago
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