Tommy Gavin
Encyclopedia
Thomas Michael "Tommy" Gavin is the main character of the FX television series Rescue Me
. He is portrayed by Denis Leary
. Leary was nominated for a Golden Globe (2004) and for two Emmys (2006, 2007) for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Tommy. The character was created by Denis Leary and Peter Tolan, after Leary met a Bronx NYPD Officer named Tommy Gavin.
descent. He is a tortured character and a relapsed alcoholic. Tommy is the Senior Firefighter of 62 truck. Tommy is also a motivational speaker/consultant for the FDNY probationary academy.
Although there was a rocky relationship between the two throughout almost the whole series, Tommy is happily married to his wife Janet. Together they have 2 girls and 3 boys, one of the boys are deceased.
Season 1
Throughout the first season of Rescue Me, Tommy is living across the street from his estranged wife Janet. His cousin Jimmy, a firefighter who died on 9/11, visits him as a ghost. Tommy and Sheila (his cousin Jimmy's widow) start to have an affair with each other. When confronted about their relationship, he refuses to end it because Sheila is pregnant. At the end of the season, he requests a transfer after a breakdown during a rescue that threatened his co-worker Franco's life. His wife and children leave their home.
Season 2
Tommy is working at a different firehouse at the start of the season. Sheila miscarries, but does not tell him. He and his brother Johnny discover that during their childhood, their father had a long-term affair that produced two children. They suspect that their half-brother, a priest, is a pedophile. Tommy and his family reconcile. His son Connor is killed by a drunk driver. Johnny finds out that the driver may not do time, so Tommy's uncle Teddy kills him.
Season 3
Tommy is again living on his own. He discovers that Johnny is having an affair with Janet, and that his co-worker Sean is in a relationship with his sister Maggie Gavin
. Janet becomes pregnant. Johnny, a detective, is killed while investigating a drug case. In the last episode of the season, Sheila drugs Tommy and then accidentally sets her house on fire.
Season 4
Tommy is living with his wife and children. Janet is suffering from postpartum depression, so Tommy sells her son to Sheila. Tommy then shares custody with Sheila. The last scene in the last episode shows Tommy and his father watching a baseball game. Tommy tries to get the attention of his father only to realize that he has passed on, so Tommy puts his arm around his father and continues to watch the game. Meanwhile, Chief Feinberg writes him up for a section 8
.
Season 5
Tommy has his section 8 hearing and the doctor, who has a bitter history with Feinberg, lets Tommy off without thinking twice. His wife, Janet, has a new lover, Dwight (Michael J. Fox
), who has a disability from an accident that occurred years previously. Tommy is disdainful towards Dwight, but does not accept Dwight's drug addiction. Tommy has completed one full year without a drink, but relapses at a restaurant near the site of the September 11 attacks where he leaves his honorary 12 month chip at the bottom of his glass. After a failed intervention with his family to stop his relapse, he ends up convincing most of them to start drinking again as well. This results in the death of Teddy's wife in a car crash, and he holds Tommy responsible. He shoots Tommy twice in the bar they work at, and forces his friends to watch him bleed out on the floor.
Season 6
Season 6 deals with the aftermath of Tommy's near-death experience, including his on again, off again battles with alcohol addiction, his oldest daughter's development of a drinking problem, and an increasingly strained relationship with his wife. Storylines also center around the possible closing of the firehouse where Tommy and the crew work. Near the end of the season, Damien suffers a traumatic head injury while fighting a fire, which leaves him severely brain-damaged and unable to walk or communicate.
Season 7
Season 7 deals with Tommy dealing with Janet's pregnancy, and the unlikely friendship between Sheila and Janet. When Tommy was giving an interview about Jimmy to a news reporter, the reporter was asking cheap shot questions which led to Tommy to go on a rant that involved swearing and obscene gestures on national television, leading to an indefinite suspension for Tommy. His suspension was later lifted with Sheila's help. Tommy walks his daughter Colleen down the aisle alongside Teddy as she gets married to Black Shawn. Moments later, Janet and Tommy renew their vows after Tommy promises to quit drinking, smoking, and reluctantly retire from active firefighting and take a safer job in the FDNY. A day after the wedding, the crew responds to a devastating five alarm fire. After they have a means of escape, they hear children inside, and Tommy attempts to run in after them (with the crew boldly following Tommy's backside). After the crew found the children, they lost their point of extraction and try to find another way up the roof. But after busting open the trapdoor, they found out the exit is sealed brick by brick. Chief Nelson makes the call for any firefighters outside abandon their posts as the guys are trying to find their way out. As Tommy goes up to find an escape, Lou tells Tommy "Just go, we'll be fine, Trust me." Seconds later, a explosion guts the building.
It is revealed in the series finale that Lt. Ken Shea (Lou) is killed in the explosion with the other members of 62 truck surviving with relatively minor injuries. After he assumed the Lieutenant's position, and after completing the scene of the fire report, Tommy puts in his retirement papers and announces his intention to retire from active duty. An altercation at a playground to which he had taken Wyatt calls into question his ability to adapt to civilian life. However, after delivering his infant son at the family's apartment, Janet encourages Tommy to return to 62 Truck as he is not adapting well to civilian life. The final scenes show Tommy giving a passionate speech about courage and the call of being a Firefighter to a group of FDNY recruits the other members of 62 Truck look on. Tommy turns over the floor to his new commanding officer, Franco, newly promoted to Lieutenant who begins to berate the probies as Tommy drives off in his truck while having a conversation with Lou. It is hinted that Tommy has now finally gotten over his survival guilt and is no longer a tortured soul.
Peter Tolan, co-creator of Rescue Me and co-writer of the episode, discussed the storyline in a forum on the website Television Without Pity. He defended the scene, but acknowledged that some viewers may not have interpreted the scene in the way he and Leary had intended. John Landgraf, the president of FX, stated that he knew that the scene might be controversial when the scripts were being written. Leary stated that he was glad the show was on FX rather than a broadcast network that would not have supported the storyline.
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
. He is portrayed by Denis Leary
Denis Leary
Denis Colin Leary is an Irish-American actor, comedian, writer and director. Leary is known for his biting, fast paced comedic style and chain smoking...
. Leary was nominated for a Golden Globe (2004) and for two Emmys (2006, 2007) for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Tommy. The character was created by Denis Leary and Peter Tolan, after Leary met a Bronx NYPD Officer named Tommy Gavin.
Biography
Thomas Michael Gavin (born 12/19/1960) is a third generation New York firefighter of IrishIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
descent. He is a tortured character and a relapsed alcoholic. Tommy is the Senior Firefighter of 62 truck. Tommy is also a motivational speaker/consultant for the FDNY probationary academy.
Although there was a rocky relationship between the two throughout almost the whole series, Tommy is happily married to his wife Janet. Together they have 2 girls and 3 boys, one of the boys are deceased.
Season 1
Throughout the first season of Rescue Me, Tommy is living across the street from his estranged wife Janet. His cousin Jimmy, a firefighter who died on 9/11, visits him as a ghost. Tommy and Sheila (his cousin Jimmy's widow) start to have an affair with each other. When confronted about their relationship, he refuses to end it because Sheila is pregnant. At the end of the season, he requests a transfer after a breakdown during a rescue that threatened his co-worker Franco's life. His wife and children leave their home.
Season 2
Tommy is working at a different firehouse at the start of the season. Sheila miscarries, but does not tell him. He and his brother Johnny discover that during their childhood, their father had a long-term affair that produced two children. They suspect that their half-brother, a priest, is a pedophile. Tommy and his family reconcile. His son Connor is killed by a drunk driver. Johnny finds out that the driver may not do time, so Tommy's uncle Teddy kills him.
Season 3
Tommy is again living on his own. He discovers that Johnny is having an affair with Janet, and that his co-worker Sean is in a relationship with his sister Maggie Gavin
Maggie Gavin
Maggie Gavin Garrity is a character on the FX drama Rescue Me. The character is played by Tatum O'Neal.Tommy's younger sister, who recently came back around after she found out that their father was supposed to inherit money from his recently deceased wife...
. Janet becomes pregnant. Johnny, a detective, is killed while investigating a drug case. In the last episode of the season, Sheila drugs Tommy and then accidentally sets her house on fire.
Season 4
Tommy is living with his wife and children. Janet is suffering from postpartum depression, so Tommy sells her son to Sheila. Tommy then shares custody with Sheila. The last scene in the last episode shows Tommy and his father watching a baseball game. Tommy tries to get the attention of his father only to realize that he has passed on, so Tommy puts his arm around his father and continues to watch the game. Meanwhile, Chief Feinberg writes him up for a section 8
Section 8 (military)
The term Section 8 refers to a category of discharge from the United States military for reason of being mentally unfit for service. It also came to mean any serviceperson given such a discharge or behaving as if deserving such a discharge...
.
Season 5
Tommy has his section 8 hearing and the doctor, who has a bitter history with Feinberg, lets Tommy off without thinking twice. His wife, Janet, has a new lover, Dwight (Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
), who has a disability from an accident that occurred years previously. Tommy is disdainful towards Dwight, but does not accept Dwight's drug addiction. Tommy has completed one full year without a drink, but relapses at a restaurant near the site of the September 11 attacks where he leaves his honorary 12 month chip at the bottom of his glass. After a failed intervention with his family to stop his relapse, he ends up convincing most of them to start drinking again as well. This results in the death of Teddy's wife in a car crash, and he holds Tommy responsible. He shoots Tommy twice in the bar they work at, and forces his friends to watch him bleed out on the floor.
Season 6
Season 6 deals with the aftermath of Tommy's near-death experience, including his on again, off again battles with alcohol addiction, his oldest daughter's development of a drinking problem, and an increasingly strained relationship with his wife. Storylines also center around the possible closing of the firehouse where Tommy and the crew work. Near the end of the season, Damien suffers a traumatic head injury while fighting a fire, which leaves him severely brain-damaged and unable to walk or communicate.
Season 7
Season 7 deals with Tommy dealing with Janet's pregnancy, and the unlikely friendship between Sheila and Janet. When Tommy was giving an interview about Jimmy to a news reporter, the reporter was asking cheap shot questions which led to Tommy to go on a rant that involved swearing and obscene gestures on national television, leading to an indefinite suspension for Tommy. His suspension was later lifted with Sheila's help. Tommy walks his daughter Colleen down the aisle alongside Teddy as she gets married to Black Shawn. Moments later, Janet and Tommy renew their vows after Tommy promises to quit drinking, smoking, and reluctantly retire from active firefighting and take a safer job in the FDNY. A day after the wedding, the crew responds to a devastating five alarm fire. After they have a means of escape, they hear children inside, and Tommy attempts to run in after them (with the crew boldly following Tommy's backside). After the crew found the children, they lost their point of extraction and try to find another way up the roof. But after busting open the trapdoor, they found out the exit is sealed brick by brick. Chief Nelson makes the call for any firefighters outside abandon their posts as the guys are trying to find their way out. As Tommy goes up to find an escape, Lou tells Tommy "Just go, we'll be fine, Trust me." Seconds later, a explosion guts the building.
It is revealed in the series finale that Lt. Ken Shea (Lou) is killed in the explosion with the other members of 62 truck surviving with relatively minor injuries. After he assumed the Lieutenant's position, and after completing the scene of the fire report, Tommy puts in his retirement papers and announces his intention to retire from active duty. An altercation at a playground to which he had taken Wyatt calls into question his ability to adapt to civilian life. However, after delivering his infant son at the family's apartment, Janet encourages Tommy to return to 62 Truck as he is not adapting well to civilian life. The final scenes show Tommy giving a passionate speech about courage and the call of being a Firefighter to a group of FDNY recruits the other members of 62 Truck look on. Tommy turns over the floor to his new commanding officer, Franco, newly promoted to Lieutenant who begins to berate the probies as Tommy drives off in his truck while having a conversation with Lou. It is hinted that Tommy has now finally gotten over his survival guilt and is no longer a tortured soul.
Controversial storyline
The character was involved in a controversial storyline in Rescue Me's third season. In the episode "Sparks", first aired on June 20, 2006, Tommy sexually forces himself on Janet. At first Janet fights back, but then appears to accept the situation and enjoys it. Tommy smirks when he leaves the house. Television reviewers, bloggers, and fans complained about the scene. There was debate about whether Tommy had raped Janet. Janet's reaction and Tommy's expression caused as much reaction as the assault itself, with critics saying that it made rape look unimportant, unrealistic, and that Tommy's actions were condoned. Leary did not apologize, saying that what happened between the characters was not rape, and that the scene made sense in the context of Tommy's dysfunctional relationship with Janet. In other episodes, Tommy is drugged and sexually assaulted by Shiela on two different occasions.Peter Tolan, co-creator of Rescue Me and co-writer of the episode, discussed the storyline in a forum on the website Television Without Pity. He defended the scene, but acknowledged that some viewers may not have interpreted the scene in the way he and Leary had intended. John Landgraf, the president of FX, stated that he knew that the scene might be controversial when the scripts were being written. Leary stated that he was glad the show was on FX rather than a broadcast network that would not have supported the storyline.