Despite ongoing symbolism to the contrary—which we’ll get to in a moment—this was by far the lightest episode of Rescue Me so far this season.

Even this week’s dream sequence, a tone-setter usually reserved for Tommy’s visions of the dead coming back to life to tell him why he’s an asshole, was a hilarious depiction of Colleen giving birth to Black Shawn’s triplets. Tommy’s demons seem to be on holiday, and comedy relieves drama for the better part of an hour.

So, does it work? Perhaps—it depends on what you’re looking to get out of Rescue Me. I’ve written in the past about the difficult balance struck here between stand-up comedy, profound tragedy, and uncharacteristically sensitive moments between men, and that unlikely mix has always been the show’s winning hand. That said, the show's comedy is still its ace, so if you like the funny stuff, there’s lots to enjoy in this episode.

For one, Mike’s decision to paint his entire bar black, including the pint glasses, created the perfect setting for his business partners to walk into walls and knock over tables, like so many stooges. And while one couldn’t blame the writers for employing an all-black tavern as some kind of symbolic foreshadowing, for now it’s strictly being played for laughs.

Apropos of nothing, who could help but smile during Garrity and Franco’s respective visits to the mother-daughter “chiropractors” who take to straddling their patients and gyrating wildly? This was nothing more than two well-developed characters playing off one another, serving no function in terms of plot development, and ending without resolution.

In another "only on Rescue Me" development, even Genevieve’s interviews with the crew-members took a backseat to her affair with the apparently irresistible Tommy. There was never any question as to whether or not she’d wind up sleeping with a guy from 62 Truck—Tolan and Leary don’t cast gorgeous model-actresses for nothing—but one wonders how her getting involved with Tommy will affect his relationship with his best friend Lou, who is clearly crazy about her. The fact that she’s in an open marriage bodes well for Tommy’s promiscuous tendencies, but one gets the feeling that he’ll actually fall for this woman—especially since Valerie (Gina Gershon) has kicked him to the curb after his confession of infidelity. (I, for one, didn’t realize they were going steady.)

There were a few moments of actual depth in this episode, and while both of them are related to 9/11, neither is likely to have far-reaching implications on the way in which this season plays out. Mike’s outburst at Franco regarding the 9/11 Truth movement was resolved as quickly as it showed up, and for its part, Chief Feinberg’s admonition of religion offered a uniquely battle-scarred take on the attacks, but to no consequence.

Considering the sensitivity of the subject matter being probed this season, the episode works well as a breather—but even still, a little more weight will go a long way next week. Just not at the expense of the laughter, we hope.

Watch "Wine" again—or for the first time—at the Showcase video centre, where it's streaming for a limited time. When you're done, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments.

Final thoughts:
-In what galaxy does Tommy Gavin decline an opportunity to have sex with a beautiful, willing woman? If Genevieve wasn’t married it would be conceivable that he would elect to hold off because he’d “done it wrong so many times before,” but this unholy union doesn’t even have a future. Why the moral quandary?
-Another montage this week, this time set to “J’arrive a la ville” by Lhasa. Not one of the show’s strongest devices, perhaps, but it worked well as a wistful coda to this unserious episode.