Review: Rescue Me, S7, E9 (Series Finale) - "Ashes" (Everything Old is New Again)

Air Date: Wednesday, September 7, 2011, 10:00 pm ET/PT on FX

Rating: ★★★★★★

I wish I had more than six stars to give this series finale because simply put, “Ashes” knocks it way out of the park. First, having Rescue Me end during the tenth anniversary week of 9/11 is appropriately brilliant, as this series was born out of the aftermath of that horrific life- and world-changing event. What happens to the firefighters left behind? How do they get past the survivors’ guilt they all must live with? So, as a new class of recruits arrives at the Rock, signaling both the ending and beginning of a new era, it brings to mind the old adage, “Everything old is new again,” especially moments before the final credits roll.

Review: Rescue Me, S7, E9 (Series Finale) - "Ashes" (Everything Old is New Again) 1

The new recruits gather at the Rock

With the opening scene of “Ashes,” my tears began flowing profusely. After watching seven seasons and 93 episodes, and becoming completely invested in each of the Rescue Me characters, their deaths hit me hard. The stark reality of Lou (John Scurti) looking at the five sheeted bodies in a morgue, followed by his preparations for the funeral, to leading the flag-draped coffins down the center aisle of the funeral home, to the lone bagpiper playing “Going Home” while Sheila (Callie Thorne) and the Gavin women watch in tears, just about brought me to my knees. There are no words to describe my feelings during Lou’s eulogy of his fallen brothers; at that point, I was crying so intently I could barely see my TV screen. I am blown away by Scurti’s acting in this episode. His gimpy climb up to the pulpit, the rise and fall of his voice, the deep emotion so very evident, are all done to perfection. I should have known, however, this was just a dream – Tommy’s (Denis Leary) dream, or should I say nightmare. Nonetheless, it certainly sets the tone for the remainder of “Ashes.”

In actuality, Lou perished in the warehouse fire, which is coincidentally similar to the fire in which Leary’s cousin was killed in 1999. Now Tommy, as senior firefighter, must assume the role of Acting Lieutenant, which forces him to do things he doesn’t want to do—cleaning out Lou’s locker, writing the CD15 (a detailed description of what happened) for Headquarters. But life goes on no matter how devastated you are. Just ask the survivors of 9/11. Or Tommy whose mantra, “There are no happy endings,” fits perfectly.

How painful it must be for Tommy to complete the report as it forces him to relive the fire, scene by scene, including hearing Lou’s last words, “Go Tom, go…we’ll be fine. Trust me.” When Tommy discovers Lou’s fallen body and turns him over, it leads to one of the most powerful scenes of the hour. There’s nothing left of Lou’s face. As Tommy covers Lou with his coat, he warns the others to stay away. As the camera pans to each one, there are no spoken words. None are needed. The looks on the faces of Sean (Steven Pasquale), Mike (Michael Lombardi), Franco (Daniel Sunjata) and Black Shawn (Larenz Tate) say it all.

An episode of Rescue Me without humor is like a day without sunshine, a rose with no thorns. It just wouldn’t cut it so I’m happy “Ashes” stays true to form. As executive producer/writer Peter Tolan said during an FX press conference earlier this summer, “That is the unique balance of Rescue Me, which we figured out early on. As far as you can go to towards the comedic side, you have to go toward the dramatic side and it all has to balance out. When the show is successful, we’ve successfully maintained the balance.” That they have. There’s a scene in the firehouse with the guys joking around and teasing Mike one last time; another in the park where Tommy and Katy (Olivia Crocicchia) take Wyatt to play and Tommy learns the “sharing rule.” (I won’t spoil the fun so I’ll just say both “penis” and “vagina” are used.) There’s also a scene in the car with the guys on their way to spreading Lou’s ashes, and the ashes explode all over everyone when Mike and Black Shawn open their windows to throw out their chewing gum. The banter between the guys is hysterical, as they clean themselves off and plan what to do to have enough ashes to spread during the ceremony that has 40+ people in attendance.

Review: Rescue Me, S7, E9 (Series Finale) - "Ashes" (Everything Old is New Again) 2

The new recruits standing at attention in front of the wall containing the names of the firefighters who perished on 9/11

Great lines:

Needles (Adam Ferrara) to Tommy: “I’ll tell you one thing. The fact that you rode that staircase down and you made it out of there alive — it’s a miracle my friend.”

Tommy: “Yeah, doesn’t feel like a miracle right now.”

***

Tommy to Marsha (guest star Kerry Butler) and Jeff (guest star Sean Mahan) about the other children’s names:

“Tiffany is the name of a store and Madison is the name of an avenue. And Brittany, is, uh, the name of a slut.”

***

Tommy’s put in his retirement papers (much to Janet’s (Andrea Roth) delight) and Sheila tries to convince him not to retire: “…I know who you are and what you are. You need two things to survive —sex and fire. One’s no good without the other.”

***

Tommy, after Lou’s ashes fly all over everyone: “Oh my God—It’s like Loumaggedon.”

Sean: “I got half a pound of Lou down my ass crack, ok. I thought I shit myself when that thing blew. Now I’m pretty sure it’s Lou. Either that or a Lou-shit combination, I can’t really tell.”

I’ve seen quite a few series finales in my *ahem* 60+ years of watching television and I don’t say this lightly — “Ashes” is one of the best finales I’ve ever seen. It does not disappoint in any way, shape or form unlike the series finales of such memorable shows as Seinfeld and The Sopranos. There is the perfect amount of comedy mixed in with the drama and human pathos as everyone’s story is wrapped up to perfection, including a great scene where Janet gives birth at home with Tommy delivering the baby. But the most perfect ending of all is the cameras panning the stark New York City skyline without, of course, the Twin Towers.

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!