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Post by givelovesolong on Jul 16, 2011 0:59:13 GMT 10
Who cares if she talks about tampons? How many times do we need verification that her next arc is incredible? Seriously.
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Post by Martine on Jul 16, 2011 8:40:22 GMT 10
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Post by Martine on Jul 31, 2011 20:09:12 GMT 10
It's a bit older but I think it wasn't posted here so : Cheers to Maura Tierney for her incandescent performance on Rescue Me.
The amazingly versatile actress returned to her recurring role on FX's firefighter dramedy as Kelly McPhee, a feisty single woman who warmed the cockles of Tommy Gavin's cold, cold heart. (They bonded over the fact that they had both lost children.) But when Tommy bumped into Kelly in a drugstore, something had changed: She'd been diagnosed with cancer — much like Tierney was in real life — and had lost much of her hair.
Tierney's turn is even more brave and beautiful considering how unsentimental and matter-of-fact her character is about the disease. As the always-underrated Rescue Me's final season progresses, Kelly's relationship with Tommy grows deeper, richer and more complex, and there's no one better equipped to handle the show's trademark rubberneck shifts between comedy and drama than the NewsRadio and ER vet. Maybe this role will finally earn Tierney the Emmy she's so long deserved.www.tvguide.com/News/Cheers-Jeers-Maura-Tierney-1035504.aspx---------------------------------------------------------------------- TONIGHT'S MUST-SEE: "Rescue Me," 10 p.m., FX.
We're lucky this show came up with the master stroke of bringing back Kelly (Maura Tierney) for its final season. Her scenes — simultaneously funny, solemn and wise — are "Rescue Me" at its best.
The other plot twists are merely OK. One — Lou still refuses to guard his health — drags on, before wrapping up beautifully. The other — Colleen's wedding obsession — is merely silly.
But Kelly is back. She's been through breast-cancer treatments (as has Tierney). She bristles with anger and humor and more; she reminds us why this has been such a strong show.www.thecalifornian.com/article/20110727/LIFESTYLE/107270313/1024/LIFESTYLE
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Post by Martine on Aug 4, 2011 4:15:12 GMT 10
Unfortunately, "Rescue Me" (FX, 10 p.m.) debuted too late this year for any Emmy consideration, but I sincerely hope that the show stays on voters' radars for next year's awards.
In addition to the usual strong dramatic and comedic arcs the show does so well, it'd be a crime to pass over guest star Maura Tierney's arc as Tommy's former girlfriend, who is getting treated for breast cancer.
No doubt Tierney's own real-life experience with the disease has affected her performance, but Tierney has always been one of my favorite actresses anyway. For years, she carried "ER" long after it had passed its expiration date.
On "Rescue Me," she shows a character that's quirky, vulnerable, bitter and carefree, all at the same time. Having her and Tommy talk about death last week after she had a disastrous date with her oncologist (with whom she had an appointment the next day) is a perfect example of what has made the series so distinctive over its seven year run.
"Rescue Me," overall, has been in top form, be it Tommy surrounded by a quartet of hormonal family members to the crew confronting Lou over his weight a week after they covered for him during his physical.
Tonight's episode has Tommy sitting down with a documentary crew doing a feature on his cousin Jimmy, who died in one of the towers on 9/11. Given how that tragedy has always formed the heart of the show, I'm expecting this to be one of the high points of the season dramatically.www.macon.com/2011/08/03/1653688/emmy-voters-remember-maura-tierney.html---------------------------------------------------------------------- Adam's Mega Rave: I'm not sure how Maura Tierney found the courage to pull off her angry, no-frills performance as a cancer survivor on Rescue Me months after her own health scare, but I'm sure glad she did. Are you paying attention, Emmy voters?www.tvguide.com/News/Mega-Buzz-Office-Greys-CSIMiami-1035963.aspx
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Post by Martine on Aug 21, 2011 18:12:26 GMT 10
A decline in quality of a TV show isn’t rare, but when it happens to what was once among your favorites, it still stings a bit.
Following the nearly-four month writer’s strike (Nov. 2007 – Feb. 2008) when Hollywood came to a grinding halt, the FX show Rescue Me went against the grain of their traditional 13-episode seasons (a formula that most FX shows have worked to perfection) with a marathon 22-episode year in 2009.
Once upon a time, that wouldn’t have been a problem. But in today’s quicker, faster, less commitment culture, it was a mistake — intensified because the season just wasn’t that good.
Mercifully, it was announced that Denis Leary’s latest gift to the world would come to an end this summer with one final run, not coincidentally closing it out on the same week we recognize the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
Through the season’s first four episodes, that decision has looked the like the right as the show has stayed in the same sad muck it’s been in since “the long season” with one standout performance we’ll get to in a few paragraphs.
So what happened?
The characters have simply become unlikable and nearly impossible to root for. If you really think about it, that’s an important aspect of TV dramas. Everyone loves a rooting interest, someone they can either identify with or admire for doing things they would never do.
Sometimes they are anti-heroes. Sometimes they are just normal people. Whatever it is, people want emotional investment at some level. Rescue Me was once terrific at that. Now, not so much.
Halfway through the final season, Leary’s Tommy Gavin character is back on the sober train but the back/forth of this storyline has worn out over seven seasons. There’s nothing else interesting about the struggle — it just is. His family has no redeeming value and are all people you simply want to shut up, especially his kids.
Even Lenny Clarke, who plays Gavin’s Uncle Teddy, is just kinda there — a former funnyman made sad and bitter by his girlfriend’s drunk driving death, something he blames Tommy for. That storyline resulted in Teddy shooting Gavin in a cliffhanger moment to close out Season 5.
It was an incredible moment, but wasn’t fully carried out in Season 6. If I was shot by my uncle, I think I’d be pissed. However, this is the Gavin family so we’re to expect something different. The two simply carry on as if it wasn’t a big deal, missing an awesome collection of stories to be told.
And then there’s the fire house.
The once lovable Lou’s health issues helped cause Gavin’s nephew Damien to be paralyzed in a fire, the same issues he’s still struggling with but refuses to address. However, his role in Damien’s accident was reduced to one small admittance in a throwaway scene this season, yet another example of a storyline that could have been played out fully. I used to love Lou, but that drives me crazy watching him now.
Shawn, Black Shawn and Mikey are the same characters they were when they started: shallow and without depth. Updates on what we’re looking at this season: Shawn is currently dating a girl that farts after they have sex. Black Shawn is about to marry Tommy’s annoying daughter (also battling a booze issue). Mikey is not gay, but acts as if he is.
And there’s Franco who is, well, Franco. He wants more responsibilities at the house and is going to get them. But what about his daughter that he let leave with cougar Alicia (played by Susan Sarandon)? Does he simply not care? Will she ever return? Should we even ask?
The decline has been ugly and tough to watch, but as someone that has seen every episode, I feel a personal responsibility to play out the string and see how they wrap the story. Our company used to do with the fantastic Leary Firefighters Foundation, which I believe in 100% and you should too. That’s why it’s been so difficult to experience this dropoff play out.
Over a year ago, I predicted some kind of twist ending where it turns out all of the characters were dead or something (think the ending of LOST, etc) as there’s no way all of these bad things would just keep happening without some sort of awakening to pull them out of the rut.
But no. Things just keep getting worse and worse with no validation for the few sunny moments. Why get excited when there’s another rainstorm coming?
But there’s been one very great beam of light through the clouds this season: Maura Tierney.
Tierney revived her role as Kelly McPhee, an ex-Gavin love interest who we all know is the right one for him: the right mix of hotness, sarcasm and broken past all wrapped up in a great package. The viewer knows this. She knows it. Gavin knows it. But because any semblance of sanity is absent from Rescue Me, they remain apart.
In the summer of 2009, Tierney was diagnosed with breast cancer and in true great actress form, used that as part of Kelly’s return story this season. This season, she and Gavin bump into each other by chance in a pharmacy and her presence in two episodes has been a welcome relief.
Tierney is just so ridiculously good at acting like a real person that she deserves an Emmy nod with her peak moment coming in Episode 3 when she finally breaks down and breaks some stuff.
Without spoiling anything in that scene, Tierney so amazingly encompasses the rage of a recovering cancer patient still mentally fractured from the loss of her child while the man of her dreams she can never have stands in front of her that it compelled me to write this up. It’s quite something to behold.
In a short stint, she became that character you root for and that you like.
And to her credit, she made the part of ‘recovering cancer patient’ sexy. The picture at the top of this piece doesn’t do her justice. Go find the shows on OnDemand and you’ll see what I’m saying.
There have been some great moments over the history of Rescue Me with plenty of gripping cliffhangers and must-see performances (Michael J. Fox, anyone?) It’s frustrating how things have devolved in the past three seasons, but Tierney’s role as Kelly will always stand out to me.
There are four episodes left this season and there’s still time for a comeback, an opportunity to rescue the legacy of the show. Let’s hope the fire truck arrives just in time.[/b] joshnason.com/2011/08/20/maura-tierney-on-fire-as-final-rescue-me-season-flames-out/
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Post by larue on Aug 30, 2011 7:24:57 GMT 10
Has anyone been able to glean ANYthing in terms of spoilers about how this series is going to end?? Its making me a little nutso with wondering will she or won't she. I kind of see him walking away from this supposedly huge fire and away from everything leaving people thinking that he died and ending up at Kelly's beach house after all. Anyone else have any ideas??
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Post by sallins on Aug 30, 2011 10:26:48 GMT 10
Someone does die in a fire at or near the end of this weeks ep, as to who. I have no idea, but Leary has said several times that there is a twist in the final scene. Personally, I think Tommy has been dead or in a coma since Uncle Teddy shot him, and everything since then has been in an alternate universe.
I'm surprised as to how underwraps everything has been considering it's been finished for a good year.
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Post by larue on Aug 30, 2011 12:30:44 GMT 10
Me to! and as far as the Uncle teddy theory goes, that would explain why there were no apparent repurcussions for that heinous event.
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Post by Martine on Aug 30, 2011 18:59:24 GMT 10
Personally, I think Tommy has been dead or in a coma since Uncle Teddy shot him, and everything since then has been in an alternate universe. Yeah, I'm still thinking the same. I still haven't watched any episodes after Maura's coz I still couldn't find 'Head' somewhere online. If someone could please help me with that. I'd love to get caught up again.
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Post by sallins on Aug 30, 2011 23:29:38 GMT 10
And I thought it was really weird last season whenever Tommy was on screen he was wearing a jacket and a hat. It was strange considering he never seemed to ever wear anything like that in previous seasons.
It could also explain why Shelia and the Gavin women never seem to notice Tommy when he is home.
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Post by paigeelysec on Aug 31, 2011 12:22:57 GMT 10
Me to! and as far as the Uncle teddy theory goes, that would explain why there were no apparent repurcussions for that heinous event. I kind of agree with the Uncle Teddy theory. I am so curious to see how this will all unwind... Nervous. Anyone think more Maura at all? Like in the end?
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Post by larue on Aug 31, 2011 13:48:21 GMT 10
Would actually be kind of funny if she DOES make an appearance and it's the alternate reality theory and she hasn't had cancer....
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Post by paigeelysec on Sept 1, 2011 0:12:54 GMT 10
Well maybe Peter Tolan was leading us in the right direction - maybe he does run off with Kelly to a beach somewhere. Or maybe he just leaves everything behind in general. I really can't imagine how it well end without making Tommy die (because I don't know if they really would do that).
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Post by juniormauraTfan on Sept 1, 2011 1:28:56 GMT 10
Would suck if she didn't pop up again. IF she does, i guess it will be weird again, because the whole thing with her has been kind of weird, in my opinion, maybe because i'm not used to her..character and how she plays. But i like it, she's phenomenal, of course she is I really hope she'll be in the last epi.
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Post by larue on Sept 1, 2011 19:32:49 GMT 10
Well.....I think that blew the whole 'ghost' thing right out of the water. The end was painful to watch.....and I was sickened. Took me back 10 years and my stomach was roiling.
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