I never thought I’d say this, but Larenz Tate very nearly stole the show in this week's episode of Rescue Me. Black Shawn is one character who has felt out of place at 62 Truck since his arrival, struggling to carve out a personality amongst his colourful colleagues. He officially came into his own this week while being blasted with a fire hose in the shower, timidly trying to explain to Tommy why he may have said that his daughter does “whorish things” behind closed doors. Black Shawn is a scared, broken young man, and in this context, that is very, very funny.

What makes his frailty even more amusing is that Tate played O-Dog in Menace II Society. (As a refresher, O-Dog was the one with the braids – the hardest of the hard dudes – who would “smoke anybody” because he had no discernible emotions.) O-Dog would never have let Tommy get away with shaming him in such a way.

Garrity’s musical dream sequence was easily the riskiest segment in this show’s history, but it worked beautifully. Steven Pasquale probably never imagined that he’d have the opportunity to use his Broadway pipes on this particular acting gig, but leave it to Rescue Me to find a way. Terrence’s cameo (“you sound gay”) certainly helped.

Meanwhile, Tommy has officially renounced Alcoholics Anonymous, Lou is having second thoughts about shunning the beautiful, evil, thieving Candy, and Franco may have finally – finally! – met his match in a smart, funny, tough-as-nails woman who is also a boxer and a mechanic. Perfect!

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