Rescue Me

Seasons

2004

8.3

TV-MA

Tommy Gavin deals with the fears of his job as a firefighter and seeing his ex-wife dating other men.

Episode List

S1 • E1

Guts

Tommy Gavin is a firefighter and father who's struggling to cope with the daily turmoil of his life. After his wife Janet leaves him, Tommy moves into a house across the street from her to stay close to their three children. However, the proximity of their relationship is difficult. Tommy isn't dealing very well with his estranged wife dating other men and using his kids as spies, paying them to divulge information about Janet's activities. Lifewise, the stress of his job is starting to get to him. Tommy is haunted by the memories of September 11 and even hallucinates the ghosts of the family and friends he lost. His subconscious manifests itself in the images of these former firefighters, predominately his cousin Jimmy who he often confides in. Tommy works hard to conceal his feelings from his firehouse buddies, even though many of them are still suffering as well.

S1 • E2

Gay

Tommy Gavin finally meets his ex-wife's new boyfriend, Roger, and enlists his brother and nephew to help sabotage Roger's financial and computer records. After confronting his ex-wife Janet about her plans to move the kids to California, Tommy grows increasingly frustrated and his drinking gets worse. When Bobby Teff, a firefighter from another house comes out in a newspaper article and reveals that there is a secret society of homosexual firefighters, Chief Reilly is livid. Reilly takes it upon himself to confront Teff and teach him a lesson in propriety. Tommy peeks into a window, only to find Sheila, his cousin's widow, receiving a shoulder rub from another woman. Tommy's imagination runs wild as he suspects Sheila is now a lesbian.

S1 • E3

Kansas

Chief Reilly is facing severe repercussions after beating up a gay firefighter. In a desperate attempt to find a witness who will testify on his behalf, Chief Reilly seeks out a bartender who was present during the altercation at the gay bar. Tommy is growing increasingly jealous of his ex-wife's new relationship. Additionally, he doesn't exactly receive the sympathy he is expecting when he vents to Sheila about his depression in dealing with the break-up of his marriage. Of course Sheila is unsympathetic since she lost her husband Jimmy on 9/11. Lou inquires with a post-traumatic stress group about possibly sharing his poetry.

S1 • E4

DNA

Franco's former girlfriend Nez tells him that he is the father of her five-year old daughter, but only after she sleeps with Sean. Franco decides to take a paternity test to determine if Nez is lying. Chief Reilly is upset about being suspended without pay for the barroom incident he has been implicated in, and wants to fight the decision. Although Mike the Probie is growing increasingly uncomfortable with the frequent visits from Andrew, a guy whose life he saved in a fire, he agrees to have a drink with him. Tommy takes Sheila out for dinner, and she plants a goodnight kiss on him at the end of the evening that leaves him feeling guilty. After being told that she doesn't have permission to go, Colleen is in a car accident while on her way to a concert in the city.

S1 • E5

Orphans

Tommy Gavin hopes that things start to return to normal now that his daughter Colleen has been discharged from the hospital. Unfortunately, still upset over their encounter in the emergency room, Roger makes matter worse when he accuses Tommy of being involved in the recent sabotage to his computer files and credit. Sean gets in over his head when Nez overdoses while the two are out at a bar. When Franco finds out what happened, he seems to be more concerned with Sean's disloyalty than the fact that he might have to care for a daughter he really doesn't know. Chief Jerry Reilly's suspension trial finally gets underway. The Chief is forced to contact his son, Peter, who may be his only chance to salvage his job. Three men, who are looking for revenge on Roger's behalf, confront Tommy.

S1 • E6

Revenge

On a call, the guys convince Sean to ask out a girl who, unbeknownst to Garrity, is a transvestite. Meanwhile, Franco is feeling guilty about abandoning his daughter, and tries to find out where she was placed. As retribution for his attack, Tommy uses his City connections (his cousin) to have Roger arrested. Janet confronts Tommy and asks about the allegations Tommy is making against Roger. Tommy seems to have the upper hand, as he decides whether to press charges against Roger. Janet feels bad about the beating Tommy took from Roger's friends, until Tommy's bootie call unexpectedly shows up at his house and runs into Janet where introductions are not pleasant. Lou finally shares his poetry with people outside the firehouse and his home but their reactions aren't quite what he expected.

S1 • E7

Butterfly

Tommy goes to see a doctor who prescribes him medication for his depression and insomnia, with the caveat that he shouldn't drink while on the meds. Dr. Shinsky, Tommy's neighbor and another psychiatrist, tells him that he should take the pills with caution and try to talk to someone before resorting to the medication. Unfortunately for Dr. Shinsky, Tommy decides that he's going to unload his problems on the good doctor. Tommy then enlists the guys to help him build a deck for Dr. Shinsky, with the Probie doing most of the work. Franco and Sean prepare for their photo shoot for the annual Firemens calendar. And the Probie is confronted by the amorous couple who wanted to have sex with him and is caught in an uncomfortable situation.

S1 • E8

Inches

On a lark, the guys in the house decide to have a contest to determine whose manhood is the longest. Unfortunately, Franco and a girlfriend run into a little trouble as they take his measurements. Tommy's Dad calls looking for something to calm the monkey down. Turns out Uncle Teddy won a monkey over a baseball bet, and now the two grown men don't know what to do with the crazy primate. Janet tells Tommy that Colleen has been suspended from school for making out in the hallway with her girlfriend. Tommy is comforted by the fact that at least Colleen isn't with the Murphy kid anymore. Tommy accompanies Sheila to a party and tries to convince everyone that they're not dating.

S1 • E9

Alarm

Tommy finds a pregnancy test in the trash at his wife's house, and instantly assumes that the test is his daughter Colleen's. Janet is forced to break the news that the test is actually hers. Tommy's Dad calls to tell his son that he is back at home with his wife, and although he is getting the silent treatment he couldn't be happier. Unfortunately, things are not so bright for Chief Reilly, who finds himself in a spot when he's overextended with his bookie. Faced with the possibility of bodily injury, he pockets some jewelry while out on a fire call. Lou also finds himself in a tight spot when his buddy's widow makes a pass at him. The Probie's home life becomes a mess when his girlfriend's teenage daughter Nicole comes to stay with the couple and hits on him. The guys learn that they're getting a female firefighter in the house, and decide to ice her out and alienate her so much that she wants to leave the house.

S1 • E10

Immortal

Now that he is having sex with Sheila, Tommy cannot shake his visions of her late husband's ghost. On top of dreaming about Jimmy, the shaky finances that have him owing Janet four thousand dollars have also led to some angry and reckless driving that gets him cited by a vengeful cop. At work, female firefighter Laura Miles has made it clear that Jerry is in no position to deny her request for a private bathroom. And as Tommy offers to help reunite Colleen and her girlfriend, Jennifer, Andrew apologizes for the beating he gave Mike following their failed three-way with his fiancé and then insists that he move in with him now that Geneva has left.

S1 • E11

Mom

Pressured by his mom into dating a friend's daughter, Mike is disappointed -- but not surprised -- to find that she's overweight. But after forcing him to admit to his ambivalence about their date, Theresa proceeds to give Mike the best sex he's ever had. After insisting that Jerry keep her new bathroom private, Laura watches Tommy defy orders to rescue a dog and wonders how long it will be before his recklessness gets him or someone else... killed. Meanwhile, as Sean frets over how the new firefighters calender makes him seem gay, Kenny tells his wife, Phyllis, about his affair with Sondra, only to learn she is seeing another fireman.

S1 • E12

Leaving

Tommy is warned by the chief to stop seeing Sheila as it would break the code to not date one of the widows and anger the rest of the house. Sean's cousin along with some other firefighters from Fitchburg, MA show up in NYC. They want to stay at the firehouse and create a tribute to the guys lost in 9-11. Franco's father has a stroke which means he now has to care for his daughter himself. He brings Keela to work and the firefighters from Fitchburg watch over her until he gets an ex to babysit. Tommy learns that Janet lied to him about why she needed money. Mike makes a startling discovery about Theresa. Chief Reilly's bookie makes an expensive mistake. Sean hits on Laura which she laughs off and refuses.

S1 • E13

Sanctuary

To make the next hockey game with the NYPD a wild affair, Tommy mends fences with his ex-co-captain, Ryan, who offers to enlist a fireman who is on leave for beating up three cops. As Lou's affair with Sondra heats up, and Mike comes to grips with Theresa's eating disorder, Franco counsels Sean on how to dump Carol, a woman he says is a bad kisser. And after another day at the track with Uncle Teddy and Arlo leaves him with plenty of cash for Janet and Sheila, Tommy is startled when Laura questions his motives and his sanity. Then, after she's the only one who can stop an angry man from attacking the firefighters removing his morbidly obese mother's corpse from her apartment, Laura gains some credibility with the crew.