When Rescue Me first debuted, its preoccupation with ghosts, dreams, and visions of the dead wandered dangerously close to hackneyed, especially since, in that post-Six Feet Under world, viewers of quality dramas were growing weary of such devices. And yet, as the show found its footing, Tommy’s waking nightmares and hallucinations felt totally appropriate to the program—a manifestation of his scarred mind that gave us everything we needed to know about this say-one-thing-do-another sort of guy.

In the episodes we’ve seen so far in this solid fifth season, that plane of alternate reality has taken a backseat to actual life. With Tommy on the wagon, it seemed, his hyperactive subconscious would settle down, and we’d get less unexpected visits from dead guys. It’s fitting, then, that Jimmy Keefe made his return to the program this week by way of video tape, and not as an apparition. Also fitting is Tommy’s subsequent decision to visit a psychic to find out why Jimmy appears living and breathing after the collapse of the World Trade Center tower in which he was supposed to have perished. But despite all that, even in the world of Rescue Me, the arrival of a soothsayer who actually appears to have achieved contact with the dead is asking a lot of viewers. It just feels a little too supernatural when she tells him that “the footage doesn’t lie.”

Lou, meanwhile, wrestles with his own demons, and churns out 46 pages of prose for Genevieve, who is genuinely moved by his words. She might even be falling for him, which would be nice to see, given all the action Tommy’s been getting lately. This could, of course, complicate Tommy and Lou’s new ‘roommate’ status, but if it gets Lou out of that depressing post-marital tenement of his, even for a couple nights, it might just be worth it.

There was a time when Tommy could have gone and crashed with Sheila, of course, but he’s keeping his distance these days, and for good reason. Her psychodramaturge had been making her even more batty than usual. This week, though, the mad doctor zeroes in on some excellent advice, suggesting to his patient that she's using Tommy as a substitute for Jimmy, and that she needs to purge herself of his negative influence. In the second of Sheila’s patented attempts at controlled arson – remember the beach house? - she burns all of Tommy’s photos in a ceramic bowl. In her living room.

On a lighter note, Mike’s bar is a big success due to Black Shawn’s understanding of human nature. With Franco holding it down out front next to a fake, long line-up, how could the ladies resist? Seeing the place packed was a rare feel-good moment on a show that thrives on unpleasant events.

Speaking of which, Garrity is in bad shape—first back pain, now erectile dysfunction? It looks as though he’ll be getting some test results back any week now, so whatever’s brewing with him should come to light shortly.

Watch "Jimmy" again—or for the first time—at the Showcase video centre, where it's streaming for a limited time.

Final thoughts:
-Are Janet and Tommy done for good? For the first time ever, there seems to be no spark whatsoever between these two.
-“You’re a carnie with teeth and an office!”
-"Jimmy" is another great example of why this show is once again at the top of its game. With 22 episodes left in the season, Rescue Me is already in rare air.