List of Rescue Me characters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article or section may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help improve this article or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since July 2006. (help, talk) |
This article contains summaries of characters appearing on the TV series Rescue Me.
[edit] Firefighters of 62 Truck
[edit] Tommy Gavin
(Denis Leary) - The main character of the series. Suffering from a variety of post-traumatic stress related mental problems following the terrorist attacks on 9-11-01 as well as a disintegrating marriage. Reformed alcoholic, though has recently relapsed.
[edit] Chief Jerry Reilly
(Jack McGee) - Chief of the firehouse. At the beginning of the series, Jerry assaults a gay firefighter only to reveal later that he has a gay son that he has all but disowned. He finally comes to grips with his son's homosexuality, if only so he could find someone to help him take care of his wife who is now suffering from Alzheimer's. He is forced at the end of season 2 to put his wife in a home when her mental condition becomes too much for him to handle. Their separation is very painful for the Chief emotionally as well as financially, as the cost of his wife's care has used up whatever money he had saved. In season 3, Jerry is forced to get another job at a bar to help pay the bills but is forced to quit said job due to tension with his boss. He also starts a relationship with a woman named Rose, which was discovered by Jerry's brother-in-law, who was ironically just about to loan him $5,000 because Jerry had been so faithful to his wife despite her illness. This incident leads to Jerry breaking up with Rose, but on the positive side, Jerry gambles on a horse race and wins a lot of money. Since the horse was not the favorite to win and not even the crew's original pick (Mike was tasked with the gambling money, but bet on the wrong horse at the OTB), Jerry wins enough money to easily support his wife. He soon afterwards starts a relationship with his wife's nurse, an illegal immigrant named Karlene, who urged him to move on and not be burdened by his wife's state, since she has forgotten him. Near the end of the third season, Jerry suffers a heart attack while having sex with Karlene, who then leaves him without calling 911 so she won't be discovered at his house. The next day Franco, Sean, Mike and another chief find Jerry facedown on the ground and take him to the hospital. He survives and is recovering.
[edit] Sean Garrity
(Steven Pasquale) - Characterized by members of the firehouse as "The head of, well, all things stupid". He is responsible for acts such as: taking pictures of his privates for development; dating a transvestite, unknowingly, for $80; creating words such as "cwat" and "twunt", and accidentally taking four Ambien, then proceeding to sleep-eat his way through a grocery store, and sleep-insult several of the customers. But Sean is also a good man, who generally knows the boundaries of right and wrong and might be viewed as the sympathetic center toward Mike, whom he frequently antagonizes. However, his stupidity seems to have gotten in the way of his reasoning, as Sean starts dating Tommy's sister Maggie and is engaged to marry her despite everyone warning him about Maggie's evil nature (which Sean refuses to believe). Maggie is very uncooperative and rude during their brief engagement period, so Sean dumps her. During Johnny's funeral, the two reconcile and quickly get married in the cemetery.
[edit] Mike "Probie" Silletti
(Michael Lombardi) - Mike is the new guy in the house, and the one currently undergoing the "initiation" process with the guys, who have no reservations about bullying him. After saving a man from his apartment building, he becomes involved in a weird sex triangle that ends with Mike resorting to the use of a baseball bat for escape from the aggressive bisexual man. He lacks sexual confidence and maturity and may suffer from dyslexia or other forms of learning disabilities. He debated transferring once his probationary period was over to escape being called "Probie" for the rest of his career. However, after saving the life of Stack, a veteran firefighter and Tommy's old friend, Mike finally earns the respect of his peers and decides not to transfer. Unfortunately, at the same time this happened, Mike was engaging in a one-sided relationship with a gay construction worker named Chris, who upon realizing that Mike was using him for oral sex and not willing to reciprocate, outed him to his fellow firefighters, who at the urging of Tommy accept Mike's homosexuality, though Mike himself continues to be in denial about it.
[edit] Lt. Kenneth "Lou" Shea
(John Scurti) - Perhaps the most complex character on the show, Lou (called such due to his rank) is a sensitive, artistic firefighter who spends much of his time trying to reconcile his love for such things such as poetry, alternate forms of spirituality, and yoga with the "he-man" nature of his job and his fellow firefighters, often with little success. At the end of season one, his attempts to use poetry to deal with the trauma of the 9-11 attacks led to his wife cheating on him and leaving him for another man. In season two, he befriends a woman who is revealed to be a con-artist who steals all of Lou's money, leaving him broke and living in utter poverty and alcoholism. By the end of season three, Lou regains his self-worth upon learning that the con-artist who scammed him was arrested and has begun trying to rebuild his life with help from his new girlfriend, a nun who is in the final stages of leaving the church.
In spite of the conflict with his personality and his job as a firefighter, Lou is well liked by his fellow firefighters, who often turn to him for advice. He also has a close friendship with Tommy, perhaps motivated by their failed marriages and desires to help each other deal with their need for sobriety.
[edit] Franco Rivera
(Daniel Sunjata) - The ladies man of the house and Tommy's protégé. In season one , he discovered that he had a daughter, who he took in after initially signing away his legal rights to her upon the death of her mother. He was also injured towards the end of season one, leading to a battle with painkiller addiction. He also became romantically attached to Laura, who leaves him after she finds out about the three other people he is sleeping with during a period in which the two were estranged. Franco eventually starts a new romantic relationship with an older woman named Alicia (Susan Sarandon), who takes a liking to Keela. Alicia ultimately decides to take Keela away from Franco, stating that his swinging lifestyle is a bad influence on her. Despite his burning desire to reunite with his daughter, Franco has found himself powerless, having signed away his legal rights to his daughter.
[edit] Chief Perolli
(Michael Mulheren) - The "big" chief of the house. Chief Perolli spends most of his time keeping the guys in order.
[edit] Tommy's family
[edit] Michael Gavin
(Charles Durning) - Tommy's father. A man who has embraced the bachelor lifestyle after leaving his wife Martha, who eventually passed on. He then remarried an elderly Korean woman who loves cats. Later in season 2, when his second wife dies and is partially eaten by the cats, he believes he has struck it rich. However, his wife left all of her money to her cats, leaving him out in the cold. In season 3, he is showing signs of possible Alzheimer's, which is worrying Tommy. In the beginning of Season 3, he moves in with Tommy and is taken care of by Tommy, Lou, and Sheila. At the end of Season 3, he moves in with Lou's uncle, in whom he finds a kindred spirit.
[edit] Johnny Gavin
(Dean Winters) - Tommy's younger brother. He is a well-connected detective in the NYPD who reluctantly helps Tommy out in terms of getting him out of trouble with the law and providing stalker info on Janet and her new boyfriends. As the show progressed, the character becomes more and more openly resentful towards Tommy and having to clean up his brother's messes, which is coupled with the fact that Johnny has been carrying an unrequited crush for Janet for years. The relationship was finally consummated in the emotional aftermath of the death of Janet's son Connor. Tommy subsequently found out about the incident and delivered a brutal beating to his brother at their father's 83rd birthday party. Johnny eventually reveals to Tommy that Janet is pregnant, but he has no idea that Janet has cheated on him with Tommy. Soon after, Johnny is shot three times in the back during a stakeout and is killed. This devastates Tommy who hadn't yet reconciled with Johnny, but eventually was able to forgive him post mortem. (Recurring seasons 1-2, Regular season 3)
[edit] Maggie Gavin
(Tatum O'Neal) - Tommy's sister, who recently came back around after she found out that their father was supposed to inherit money from his recently deceased wife. She is resented by John Sr. for as of yet unrevealed reasons, is a heavy smoker and drinker, and is considered to be evil incarnate by Tommy and the rest of her family (a charge Maggie makes no attempt to deny and revels in). She began relationship with Sean Garrity, a member of Tommy's fire crew, but secretly dated four other men behind Sean's back. When Sean found out and confronted her about it, his assertiveness led to her dropping her other lovers for Sean. The two became engaged, though it fell apart when Sean realized that he could not physically handle being married to someone as openly vile as Maggie, a move that caused Maggie to finally break down into tears. Maggie and Sean get back together during Johnny's funeral, and pays the priest $500 to marry them in the cemetery.
[edit] Timo Gavin (2004)
(James Badge Dale) - Another one of Tommy's brothers. Was present at their mother's funeral and was responsible for hooking Tommy up with a complimentary hotel room, all expenses paid, in order for Tommy to have a fun evening with Sheila.
[edit] Rosemary Gavin
(Deanne Bray) - The "long lost" Gavin sister. Rosemary was born deaf and mute. Ashamed, her parents sent her away to a special school and largely ignored her. Rosemary only had her siblings to turn to, who learned sign language to communicate with her, but she eventually learned to speak on her own. She returned for Johnny's funeral, where Michael apologizes for shunning her. She is very close to Tommy and Maggie.
[edit] Jimmy Keefe
(James McCaffrey) - Jimmy is the deceased cousin of Tommy Gavin and late husband of Sheila Keefe. He died on September 11, 2001 while trying to save people from the World Trade Center and was trapped inside when the tower collapsed. All that was recovered of his body was one finger. He is now a ghost, constantly appearing to talk and give guidance to Tommy, even after he becomes angry with Tommy for sleeping with and impregnating Shiela. In a later season, Jimmy changes his mind and endorsed the idea of Tommy and Sheila being together, saying that he moved on and Tommy should do the same. Despite taking more of a backseat role now that Tommy's cousin Mickey Gavin is helping him, Jimmy still appears occasionally. One should note that in most (if not all) scenes with Jimmy his "ghost" (if that's what he is) appears to be missing the finger.
[edit] Mickey Gavin
(Robert John Burke) - Formerly a Catholic priest, he left the priesthood because of his disgust with the personal actions of some of his fellow priests, and his own inability to refrain from sex with women. Mickey is Tommy's cousin who does have a tendency to spy on Tommy (which they have come to blows over). Despite that, Mickey continues to be one of the few people to continue to support Tommy, even agreeing to be Tommy's Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor.
[edit] Eddie Gavin
(Terry Serpico) Tommy's cousin who is a lawyer. He often helps Tommy and the family with legal issues.
[edit] Uncle Teddy
(Lenny Clarke) - The younger brother of Michael Gavin. He had made a lot of money from gambling, but made even more from modeling for a men's sports magazine. Ironically, he mistakes the man who hires him as a model for a loan shark that has come to "collect" on his gambling debts. Although Teddy considers himself a heterosexual, he accepted oral sex from a transvestite, and was not disturbed by sexual advances from a black dwarf. Teddy is arrested after season 2 for murdering the drunk driver that had killed Connor. However, he seems to be upbeat about his arrest, and has accepted the consequences of his actions. In fact, Teddy is having such a great time in jail, that he has requested that no one try to convince the courts to lessen his sentence. Teddy has also received numerous marriage proposals from women, and plans to marry one while in jail just so he can be eligible for conjugal visits. When he meets Ellie, the woman he chose, he actually becomes smitten after hearing her views on society and quickly proposes. They were married in a very quick and very strange ceremony in prison, and although things work out at first, Ellie becomes too emotional and is often too upset to sleep with Teddy even after Johnny died. Teddy now wants to get out of prison.
[edit] Janet Gavin
(Andrea Roth) - Tommy Gavin's estranged wife. Has a complicated love/hate relationship with Tommy that exploded after 9-11 and led to their separation and impending divorce. At the end of season one she finally leaves Tommy, taking the kids after Tommy destroys her relationship with a new boyfriend but comes back to Tommy after Tommy kidnaps the children from her. With aid from anti-depressants, the two reconcile but separate again after the death of their son Connor. She was most recently involved with Tommy's brother Johnny (until his recent death), but didn't object when "raped" by Tommy during a meeting to discuss their impending divorce. In fact, she returns to Tommy later on and seduces him. She is currently pregnant and is uncertain of the identity of the child's father, though intends on raising the child as Johnny's.
[edit] Sheila Keefe
(Callie Thorne) - The needy, sexy, foulmouthed Italian-American widow of Jimmy Keefe. She has a stormy relationship with Tommy. She's also the single mother (with Jimmy) of their dysfunctional son, Damien. By season 3, she develops a psychotic crush on Tommy, hitting on him at inappropriate times, throwing a violent tantrum when she learns that Tommy was on a date with Johnny's ex-wife Angela, and even drugging and raping Tommy. She admits to herself that her bizarre behavior is caused by loneliness brought on by Jimmy's death. Sheila tries to convince Tommy to retire from the fire house and run away with her and get married. She reveals that she has three million dollars of "widow money" in the bank, which she is using to coerce Tommy into marrying her. She bought a beach house for Tommy and herself, but after he reveals that he decided not to retire or even stay at the house with her, she once again drugs him and throws a violent rage, including throwing a kerosene lamp at the wall. It ends up setting the entire house on fire. Sheila calls 911 before attempting to drag Tommy out, but both are still inside as the flames gain strength. (Recurring season 1, Regular season 2)
[edit] Angie Gavin (2006)
(Marisa Tomei) - Tommy's brother Johnny's ex-wife. Tommy and Angie recently came into contact with each other and started going out on dates to try to make Janet and Johnny jealous. They found out they have feelings for each other and started to have sex regularly. Tommy, however, could not climax. Angie found out that he still thinks about Janet, and when Angie wanted to have sex in his bed (in Janet and Tommy's old room), Tommy would not do it. At that moment, Janet showed up in a trench coat with lingerie underneath, ready to have sex with Tommy. Angie got even angrier and more insulted, so she left. As they all walked out of the apartment, Angela's former boyfriend, Sebastian, who has subsequently been stalking Angie for days, escorts her out. He then kicks Tommy in the face. Angie and Janet both leave very angrily, leaving Tommy on the floor of the hallway, bleeding from the lip.
[edit] Colleen Gavin
(Natalie Distler) - Colleen is Tommy's teenage daughter. She "becomes" a lesbian after a dramatic break up with her boyfriend, much to Tommy's delight. In season 3 she reveals to Tommy she is Born-Again. Tommy only warms up to the idea after learning it will prevent her from having sex before marriage.
[edit] Katy Gavin
(Olivia Crocicchia) - Tommy's youngest daughter.
[edit] Connor Gavin
(Trevor Heins) - Connor was Tommy's only son. He is killed in series 2 episode 12 by a drunk driver while riding his bike in the street. Janet blames Tommy for Connor's death and it appears to have destroyed any chance they had at reconciliation. Tommy continues to have visions of Connor just as he does with Jimmy.
[edit] Damien Keefe
(Michael Zegen) - Sometimes credited as Damian. The son of Sheila and Jimmy Keefe. He is Tommy's godson and cousin once removed (though he often calls him his nephew). His mother often worries that he is dealing drugs. He has a penchant for computers and often manipulates Tommy to his advantage.
[edit] Other characters
[edit] Danielle (Candy)
(Milena Govich) - A hooker who has convinced Lou that she wants a new life. She is in fact a ruthless con artist who has conned a lot of money out of multiple victims, including Lou. Lou eventually discovers that Danielle was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover police officer, which helps lift him out of his depressed mental state.
[edit] Laura Miles (2004-2005)
(Diane Farr) - Laura came into the house after the death of Billy. She was the first woman in the house and the guys don't want her there. Laura and Franco start dating, but she leaves at the end of season 2 when she finds out that he was sleeping with other women.
[edit] Alicia (2006)
(Susan Sarandon) - Alicia met Franco and the guys at a bar one night and was very attracted to him. She has lots of money and they began seeing each other regularly and Franco began bringing his daughter Keela around, letting her stay with Alicia during the day at her large Manhattan apartment. Franco accidentally slipped and told Alicia that Keela was put up for adoption and Franco stole her back illegally from the foster family. Keela longs for a mother, and Alicia feels bad for her and gets angry at Franco, not approving of his lifestyle with many women around. Franco went to Alicia's apartment one day to find them both gone, sending him into a panic. He finds out that Alicia took Keela to Walt Disney World in Florida for ten days without his permission, angering him greatly. He is awaiting their return so he can get his daughter back without having to deal with the law. Franco in the season finale found out through a reunion with his daughter that Alicia has decided to send Keela away to school in France.
[edit] Jesus Christ
(Bernardo De Paula) - Jesus Christ, along with Mary Magdalene, are a part of Tommy's recurring visions in season 2; with Jesus constantly trying to guide Tommy to do the right thing and Mary putting a more realistic and workable spin on Jesus' guidance.
[edit] Billy Warren (2004, 2006)
(Ed Sullivan) - Billy died in a fire after saving Tommy. Despite his detached and psychotic behavior, he was well liked by the rest of the team. Although not an attractive man, he was very popular with the ladies. After his death, he comes back to visit Tommy. it was revealed in the team's measuring contest that Bill was packing 10 inches. He was seen very briefly in season 3 as one of Tommy's visions, but only for a split second.
[edit] Sully
(Lee Tergesen) - Tommy's replacement during the first 3 episodes of season 2, when Tommy was relocated to a firehouse on Staten Island. Initially very popular because he was personable and an outstanding cook. Sully requested a transfer out when the crew rescued him from a burning sex club and found that he was a cross dresser and very much into BDSM.
[edit] Mariel
(Noelle Beck) - Thought to be Tommy's sister, it turns out she is not related to him. Tommy rebuffs her advance just after a blood test confirms they are not related because he wants to reunite with his newly returned wife.
[edit] Father Murphy
(Christopher Durham) - Half brother of the Gavin family. He is a priest. He comes under suspicion of pedophilia after Tommy, Johnny and Mickie witness his odd behavior with an altar boy. The boy's older brother, a former altar boy, admits to being sexually abused by Father Murphy. The older brother commits suicide in front of Father Murphy, Tommy, Johnny and Mickey and he is arrested soon afterward.
[edit] Larry Bird (Birdy)
(Chris Bowers) - Owner of Birdy's, an Irish pub with a heavy Celtics theme. To meet his wife's healthcare bills, Chief Reilly takes a second job there during Season 3, on the assumption that he will be tending bar; but Birdy only allows Jerry to work as a barback. Further, Birdy does not pay Jerry his wages. When Tommy and Franco learn of the abuse, they confront Birdy, who promptly fires the Chief. In response, Tommy arranges for Birdy's car to be suspended by a construction crane.
[edit] Nell Turbody
(Paige Turco) - Damien's former teacher who likes to be called Ms. Turbody. Ms. Turbody was sleeping with Damien, but Tommy found out and intervened, only to also fall to her seductions. It turned out that Ms. Turbody was sleeping with two other students at Damien's school. She was soon arrested for this, and it was revealed that she had chlamydia. The two students Ms. Turbody slept with became infected with the disease, but Tommy and Damien were not.
[edit] Natalie
(Sherri Saum) - A photographer that hit on Franco at a bar and they started going out soon after. Natalie would never invite him to her home because she had an older brother named Rich who was mentally ill. Their relationship hit a bump when Rich falsely accused Franco of insulting him. When Natalie saw a picture of Keela, she realizes that Keela looks a lot like her, and that Franco's interest in her may be connected to him missing his daughter. They still continue to see each other.
[edit] Rich
(Cornell Womack) - Natalie’s older brother. He's mentally ill, has violent outbursts, eats anything he sets his eyes upon, and appears to have Tourette's Syndrome, causing him to shout "nigger." He is also an idiot savant, as he is able to memorize entire textbooks with incredible ease. To impress Natalie, Franco brought Rich to the firehouse, but he wandered off. Rich then sabotaged Franco's relationship with Natalie by claiming that the firefighters insulted him. Franco realizes that Rich is just scared of losing his sister, so he asks Rich's permission to continue dating Natalie. Flattered, Rich approves.
[edit] The Murphy Kid [Sean Murphy]
The Murphy Kid, as Tommy knows him, was Colleen's boyfriend. Tommy did not like him. The Murphy Kid and Colleen were on their way to a Matchbox Twently concert once and they got into an accident.Colleen broke up with him after that.
[edit] Roger Mills
(Jay Potter) - Janet's boyfriend in season 1. Tommy had problems with Roger, including a fight in Janet's kitchen. He also spied on Roger and Janet using Johnny's NYPD connections. Tommy was eventually jumped by Roger's friends. Roger was arrested but Tommy dropped the charges. After that, Janet broke up with Roger.
[edit] Peter Reilly
(Neal Jones) - The son of Jerry Reilly, who in season one helped out Jerry in court when Jerry punched a former firefighter who was gay. In season two, when Peter came home to help his mother, he told his dad that he was also gay and was seeing someone. Jerry was depressed after learning this. Peter returned for a cameo in the third season to see Jerry after he had a heart attack.
[edit] Keela
(Cailin Stollar) - Franco's daughter. She was taken in by Franco after her mother died from a overdose. Keela was put in a foster home for a short time but Franco took her after Sean convinced him. In season 2, while Franco recovered from an injury at the end of season 1, Keela took some pills that Franco had been taking to heal and she was taken to the emergency room and Laura helped Franco care for her. In season 3, after Laura left, Franco met Alicia. Franco told Alicia that he had taken her away from her foster family. Alicia then took Keela without Franco's concent, giving her a "real mother." She is given a great life with Alicia, including her own nanny. Franco finally sees Keela again briefly during the season 3 finale, where she says that he did his best raising her and that's all that matters, which comforts Franco. Keela then leaves to attend a private school is Paris.
[edit] Collins
(Todd Carroll) - Collins is a member of the NYPD that often argues, fights, and plays hockey with Tommy. In the third season, Tommy went into the locker room after he started crying during a hockey game. Collins saw this and was surprisingly sympathetic. It turns out that he too suffered from random bouts of crying after his partner was killed (survivor's guilt). He advises Tommy to drink heavily, since that is the only thing that stops it.
[edit] Sondra
(Paula Devicq) - Billy's ex-wife who was seeing Lou in season one and Little in season two.
[edit] Ellie
A woman who loved how Uncle Teddy killed Connor's killer and wrote him love letters. Teddy married her while in prison, making him eligible for conjugal visits. A prison guard tells Teddy that Ellie is only interested in him because she knows that he can't cheat on her if he's in a prison, and if ever he gets out, the relationship will fail. Eventually, Ellie becomes too much of an actual wife, complaining about the decor of the conjugal visit trailer and getting upset when Teddy does not ask her about her day. After Johnny's death, she was too upset and didn't want to sleep with Teddy. Now Teddy wants to get out of prison so he can ditch her.
[edit] Karlene
An employee at the retirement home where Chief Reilly's wife lives, and an illegal alien. She befriends the Chief by having a frank discussion with him about his wife, and advice to move on. The Chief and Karlene started dating towards the end of season 3. During intercourse with Karlene, the Chief had an apparent heart attack, and she refused to call 911 because of her illegal immigrant status. She has not appeared since.
