If you ever wondered about how Rescue Me feels about women, “Lesbos” would be the episode to watch. This week, we met all the archetypes: the sex object (Mrs. Needles, Sheila), the life-partner (Janet), the sexy lesbian, the ugly lesbian, and the tough-as-nails shrew (Maura Tierney, arriving in the last few minutes and subsequently reinvigorating the program). We even got to see Janet and Sheila face off, fighting over the attentions of Tommy. What else is new? Take it or leave it, the women of Rescue Me are almost always portrayed as caricatures, or at least, more so than their male counterparts.

Which is all well and good, because man’s understanding of the female of the species is what makes this show as entertaining as it is. And since this show is told from a decidedly male point-of-view, you can’t fault them for being honest.

That said, the arrival of Maura Tierney bodes well for the final handful of episodes that will round out this fifth season. She stole the show this week, capping off a gripping fire scene with an even more gripping performance. From the moment she stepped into frame, she dominated the men of 62 Truck, leaving them dumbfounded and speechless. Her role in the coming weeks is going to be very interesting to watch.

Unrelated music notes:
-Tommy’s band: The DBs? With all due respect, sir, that name is taken, and that band rules.
-So happy the other guys acknowledge that Apache Stone is terrible – I was worried that Tolan and Leary would write them into the story as a good band. Anybody out there actually think that Mike is going to quit his job to pursue this full time?