June 27, 2007: "I'm Not Retiring"
Wow. Did
not see that coming. I realized Chief was upset about failing his physical and not being able to return to the firehouse. As he told his buddy, "I gotta get back Stu... I got nothin' else." Going from saving lives and having your adrenaline pumping to being a pencil pusher/desk jockey cannot be easy. Sure, sometimes the gray cubicle walls seem like they're closing in on you, but it's not a fate worse than death. And it seemed like he did have so much else going for him: his son, his friends, golf, retirement in Hilton Head in a few years. I know he told the guys that he still hadn't really accepted his son and just wanted to pretend that he did, but his speech at Peter's commitment ceremony seemed truly heartfelt. On shows that Tommy watches, such as
Oprah, they say that people often get all of their affairs in order before they commit suicide, so I guess that's what Chief was doing by being there for his son and helping out Tommy with the arson investigation. But I didn't suspect a thing at that point - he seemed touched by the golf clubs he received as a gift, and I thought he was genuinely looking forward to Hilton Head as he perused the brochure.
But then they spent a lot of time showing Chief doing mundane things during the closing music montage, and I knew there had to be a reason for that. I thought he was going to suffer another heart attack - how ironic would that be if he had one while eating healthy? (Question: Why eat a salad for your last meal? If you know it's your last one, why not go all out with something like a big old steak, buttery potatoes and a cheesecake? I'm just saying....) He happily practiced his putting and swing, filed his nails, used some mouthwash, brushed his hair... and then, from out of nowhere, stuck a gun in his mouth. Cut to black (reminiscent of another show that aired a few weeks ago...). Except this time we didn't simply get silence with the black screen - we actually heard the gunshot. Well done. The graphic moment was done off screen, and yet it was still hard to watch. Chief had his faults, such as his initial homophobia and serious gambling addiction, but he was a great character and such an integral part of this show. I'm going to miss both him and
Jack McGee, though I guess on this show there's always the chance that he'll come back as a ghost.
Did anything else happen last night? That last scene kind of trumped everything else... oh, wait, there was yet another death: Mike's mom. I'm glad she died on her own, peacefully in her sleep, without Mike's assistance. Though at least Tommy was there for him with some good advice, telling him not to go the smothering route: "Way too much work... the struggling, arms flailing, not to mention the muffled screams, the nurse walks in. No." Like last week, there was another morbidly funny scene regarding Mike's mom and her impending death: Tommy on the phone, trying to get out of going on a date with Nona by telling her things like Mike was about to become an orphan, and poor Mikey was hearing nearly every word. Tommy had no idea how right on the money he was. (And I immediately thought back to Season 1 when Tommy tried to get out of a ticket by saying his mom had a heart attack - later in that same episode, she had a fatal heart attack.) At least Mike got something out of that painful conversation: his "man date" with Tommy (or "bromancing" if Tommy prefers).
Tommy did eventually have that date with Nona (sort of). But he starts acting like a teenage girl whenever he's around her, talking about his curfew and how much more special things would be if they waited (loved when Nona told the "princess" to get out of her truck). Meanwhile, his relationship with his own teenage daughter has deteriorated even further. Tommy's punch-filled attempt to rescue her from cohabiting with the lead singer of Fake Baby Head (who bears a resemblance to Pete Doherty) did not go well, ending in a screaming match between him and Colleen, with her telling him to "Eat s--t and die, Dad. Go to hell." Then his subsequent attempt at making an apology and willingly taking an ass-kicking from Tony ended with Colleen mad at him once again (I guess vocalist Tony is also a musician, as she was more worried about his hand than her dad's face). After that beating, Tommy may need to borrow more of Mike's revitalizing face cream.
And it looks like Janet may be in need of some antidepressants - though berating Tommy in front of the baby temporarily calms the kid down, she seems to be having a tough time with the baby overall. I'm wondering if there's going to be a postpartum depression story line in her future. If so, hopefully she'll get the help she needs. Too bad Chief wasn't able to get the help he needed in time.
So, no new episode until July 11 because of the July 4th holiday next week.
In the meantime, check out video clips from
Rescue Me in our
Online Video Guide.
