Denis’s Menace

Quite an intro in last night’s Rescue Me. As Tricky’s hip-hop tune “Hell is Around the Corner” cues up, the ep—titled “Hell”–starts with a shot of Tommy’s brother Johnny being worked on in the E.R. after getting shot. Then Tommy gets the call on his doomed cell phone and shows up at the morgue to identify the body. The tune progresses, driven by a “Dazed and Confused”-esque bass line, as Tommy, showing why Denis Leary is right at home with the Sheens and Sutherlands in his Outstanding Lead Actor category, calls his AA sponsor, and Sheila breaks down upon hearing the news.

All the while, there’s no dialogue. No audio but the Tricky tune.

The scene ends three minutes after it started as Tommy and his ex-wife Janet not so much hug, but keep each other from collapsing. Then the raucous theme song, “C’mon, C’mon,” kicks in.

It’s one of the most memorable episode intro’s I’ve seen in years, and the best marriage of music and images since The Sopranos coupled “Every Breath You Take” with the Peter Gunn theme back in season three.