Calamity! Catastrophe! How, I ...
Question: Calamity! Catastrophe! How, I ask you, will
Rescue Me survive
Diane Farr's departure? This show, currently on my must-see list, is one that I initially had to force myself to watch week after week. The male characters' collectively detestable behavior sometimes threatened to overwhelm the excellent acting, writing and directing. But the arrival of Laura made watching a treat instead of a chore. Not only did she balance out the guys' obnoxiousness, her presence allowed me to get more deeply involved with and sympathetic to the quandaries of Tommy, Garrity, Franco et al. Farr's Jan played much the same role on
The Job, another Denis Leary show that, for all its high quality, might have been scream-inducing without her presence. What will losing
Rescue Me's most likable character do to the show?
Answer: Let's hope it challenges the writers and producers to create another strong female character who can stand up to these guys and, as you noted, provide a fresh perspective on the locker-room antics, which I agree can often be grating (though they're also usually really, really funny). Farr's departure is a real loss, no question about it.
