Rescue Me - The Complete Fourth Season
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment DVD Release Date: June 3, 2008
Cast:
By Ken Shallcross
Rescue Me is an FX Network original series that centers on
the inner workings of the New York City Engine 62 firehouse, and the personal
and emotional battles of its members in a post-9/11 world. As expected, shortly
before the start of the new season, last season gets released on DVD. This time,
the 4-disc Rescue Me: The Complete Fourth Season comes with
another batch of extras that make the set a worthwhile purchase for any fan of
the series.
THE SHOW:
Although I hate using the term
"Dramedy," it is certainly the perfect word to describe Rescue
Me, a riveting show that deals with intense emotional issues, but also
has its laugh-out-loud moments. Denis Leary and Peter Tolan serve as writers and
executive producers for the critically acclaimed show that has amassed an
impressive fan base, which includes just about every firehouse in New York City
and across the country.
The fourth season of Rescue Me continues from a cliffhanger
at the end of season three: Tommy (Emmy-nominee Denis Leary) and Sheila (Callie
Thorne) were rescued by firefighters, but are now on trial, accused of arson and
insurance fraud. Janet (Andrea Roth) has given birth to a baby and Tommy has
come to accept it as his own. Unfortunately, the baby's hair finally comes in
and it is "jet black" in color, leaving them to now believe that it is late
brother Johnny's son instead. The tangled mess that ensues between the baby,
Sheila, Janet and Tommy is like an episode of Dawson's Creek.
Fortunately there are the other characters to keep us interested: Teddy (Lenny
Clarke) is released from prison and immediately abandons his new wife out of
panick; Maggie Gavin (Tatum O'Neal) and Sean Garrity (Steven Pasquale) are
married, yet continue to be "on and off" throughout the whole season; Lt. Kenny
"Lou" Shea (John Scurti) has recovered from depression and is now having "too
much sex" with a former nun; Franco (Daniel Sujata) is ready to commit to
Natalie (Sherri Saum), but is shaken when he loses custody of his daughter; a
new firefighter, "Black Sean" (Larenz Tate), joins the house in a skillfully
planned move that will hopefully increase the house's chance at winning
inter-league basketball games; and finally, after suffering a stroke and then
being told that he can no longer serve in active duty due to his poor heart,
Chief Reilly (Jack McGee) shocks everyone by taking his own life. We are also
introduced to two more new characters: a new chief, Feinberg (Jerry Adler) and
Battalion Chief "Needles" Nelson, played by Leary chum, Adam Ferrara.
THE EPISODES:
The fourth season of
Rescue Me debuted on June 13, 2007 and ran through the
beginning of September. Episodes are: "Babyface," "Tuesday," "Commitment,"
"Pussified," "Black," "Balance," "Seven," "Solo," "Animal," "High," "Cycle,"
"Keefe" and "Yaz."
SOUND + VISION:
Rescue Me is
presented in 1.78:1 (16x9) Anamorphic Widescreen. Only an English Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround track is present and only English Closed Captions are available -
no official subtitles. Same as last time, even though the box says "Remastered
in High Definition," the transfer isn't all that great. I have a feeling
Sony saved the special treatment for the Blu-ray edition. Not bad… just
not all that impressive.
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT:
Rescue Me: The
Complete Fourth Season is packaged the same as the previous three sets:
two slim cases, housed in a cardboard slipcase, hold the four DVDs. Each
slimcase has episode descriptions on the back for quick reference. There are two
inserts: a double-sided advert for Damages Season 2 and
The Shield "The Final Act", both coming to FX this
fall, plus a rather thick booklet for other Sony TV properties on DVD.
Menus are simple to navigate; you can "Play All Episodes," select them
individually or go to "Special Features." Disc 1 contains the first four
episodes; the other discs have three episodes apiece. Bonus features are spread
out pretty evenly across the four discs.
Rescue Me: The Complete Fourth Season runs 560 minutes, not
including bonus features. Individual episodes run anywhere from 42 to 45 minutes
and are split into 6 chapters, which thankfully include a break after opening
credits.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Bonus features on
Rescue Me: The Complete Fourth Season are very good. There are
no audio commentaries, but there are about 30 minutes of deleted material and
about 2 hours worth of featurettes and other extras. This time around, the
extras are in Anamorphic Widescreen. Here's a detailed look at what's included:
Disc One:
- Welcome to the Set (13:51) - This is a compilation of home movie
style footage from the set and during the filming of certain scenes. Actors do
talk to the camera, and it gives a cool fly-on-the-wall look at the series.
- Walking Thru Fire: The Stories of Rescue Me Season 4
(29:50) - The standard annual behind the scenes piece, this
mini-documentary includes interviews with cast and crew and looks at the
storylines and plots contained in the fourth season. It's a great recap and
definitely a worthwhile watch.
- Deleted Scenes (2:38) - One from "Babyface" and one from
"Pussified" - give them a look, "Play All" option included.
Disc Two:
- This Is Not a Drill: Breaking Down "Seven" (11:49) - This
featurette does two jobs: giving a look at the fire special effects and
looking at the deeply emotional storyline behind episode "seven." Pretty cool.
- Tools of the Trade (5:41) - Niels Jorgensen gives us a tour of
the truck and look at some of the tools used in firefighting. Generic but
interesting - 'short & sweet.'
- Deleted Scenes (13:21) - Three from "Black," two from "Balance"
and three more from "Adopt." Use the "Play All" to view the longest batch of
deleted scenes in the set.
Disc Three:
- Captains (8:25) - This is a profile of two of the series' three
"regular" directors: Jace Alexander and John Fortenberry. It's a great piece
and nice to see the spotlight on people who don't seem to get enough credit in
the TV world: directors.
- Burning Embers: Gavin's Girls (10:40) - This is really the only
piece I would consider a "throw-away." Basically, it's a character profile of
Tommy's ex-wife, daughters and love affairs of season four.
- Deleted Scenes (10:34) - Five from "Solo," three from "Animal"
and one from "High." They're worth watching and you can breeze through 'em
with a "Play All."
Disc Four:
- Burned Out: Gag Reel (3:52) - I've said before that EVERY DVD
should have one of these, be it TV show or movie. This reel has some funny
moments in it… But it's even shorter than last season's, which was short and
sub par to begin with.
- Firehouse: Real Stories from America's Bravest (35:28) - One of
the most interesting pieces is also the longest and has nothing to do with the
show. A collection of firefighters share stories and reflections on a variety
of topics, including their first fire, firehouse camaraderie, being a probie,
women in the firehouse, coping with tragedy, fighting fires, cooking, house
pranks and hanging out with the "second family."
- Deleted Scenes (2:53) - One from "Keefe" and two from "Yaz."
- The Shield: The Final Act (:36) - A freaking
joke. A 30-second MTV-fast-choppy-cut style promo for the coming
season. Reveals and shows NOTHING.
It should also be noted that there is a section for previews (other
Sony and FX DVDs) and two Minisodes, which are nothing more
than classic TV episodes condensed into 5 minutes. It's basically a commercial
for the website that does them. In this set are a Married with
Children and Starsky and Hutch minisode.
PLAY WITH FIRE, YOU GET BURNED:
Bottom line
here is that all fans will do well to pick this one up; it'll fit nicely on the
shelf next to the other three seasons. Season four was good, but I am hoping the
coming 22-episode (ordered) season five brings things back up to a more comedy
and less drama level. Season four was basically the epitome of a soap opera for
guys. But I digress… Selling for $33 on Amazon.com is a bit high for my taste;
if you can find it under $30, Rescue Me: The Complete Fourth
Season is a hot deal.
DVD SEASON EPISODES: B+
DVD SEASON SOUND + VISION: B
DVD SEASON
PACKAGING/ LAYOUT: B
DVD SEASON SPECIAL FEATURES: B+ DVD
SEASON
OVERALL SCORE: B+
