Leave it to Tommy's alcoholism to light up the long-dormant theatre of his mind. The first half of this week's episode, give or take its first few minutes, was dedicated entirely to the demons that plague him at every turn, making for a sequence that could have played just as well on a stage as it did on screen. For a few minutes there, it seemed like the entire episode might play out this way, which would have been a welcome innovation; Lou’s disruption of the hallucinatory gunfight was well-timed, though, and helped carry a visibly shaken Tommy back into reality.

Reality, in Rescue Me terms, offered up a lot of the usual fare this week. Garrity collapses from complications with his cancer, Lou and Tommy find their way back to friendship, Black Shawn is still hiding from Colleen in Boston, having been scared off by her sexual prowess. (I can’t help but wonder if the producers are having second thoughts about bringing him into the firehouse this year. As always, time will tell.)

Now that Tommy seems to be drinking again, with the full support of Lou -- who admits to liking Tommy better when he’s drunk -- it’s natural to wonder how many more times this character can be redeemed. Depending on how his rescue mission for Damien at the end of this week’s episode pans out, he might just get a free pass from his harshest critics.

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

Final thought:
- Needles and Lou collaborating as trainers for Franco’s boxing career could make for some good television in a new setting. The bar has done its job in that regard, so it’s nice to see the series expand further.