Season 4 Episode 6 – “Balance”
Sean looks to uncover the secret that Mike is hiding in his late mother’s bedroom, while Tommy struggles to understand the deal Lou struck with a basketball-playing rookie firefighter.
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While Tommy is shocked at the degree to which Lou acquiesced in order to get Bart – a.k.a. Shawn – to agree to join 62 Truck, Sean is placed in the delicate position of having to come up with a new name. As Sean’s search produces some all-too-predictable sarcasm from the crew, and Tommy continues to come under pressure to let Sheila raise Janet’s new baby, Uncle Teddy’s move to a new rehab facility is as unsuccessful as his last one. Meanwhile, as Mike goes out of his way to keep Sean out of his late mother’s bedroom, Tommy discovers that the new chief is much more interested in basketball than hockey. And when Chief Feinberg suggests having a scrimmage, Tommy’s ineptitude at basketball is exposed for all to see.
As a phone call from his daughter’s new stepmother, Alicia, has Natalie questioning Franco’s fidelity, Teddy escapes from another rehab clinic. And when Tommy notices that Janet’s son isn’t universally loved at home, Sheila is stunned to find that her boyfriend, Troy, has erected a shrine to Tommy Gavin at his apartment. Meanwhile, obsessed with finding out what Mike is hiding in his late mother’s bedroom, Sean turns to his crewmates for help in uncovering the truth.
When confronted by Tommy about what happened on the night of the fire, Sheila continues to stick to her story that his rage over his inability to perform in bed precipitated the accident. Finally, as Tommy buys Colleen and Tony a new bed for their apartment, Lou is outraged after uncovering evidence that Teresa is having an affair with Cousin Mike. And when Sean discovers photos that suggest Mike’s parents were gay, he accidentally sets a fire that burns down the house.
Denis Leary as Tommy Gavin
Callie Thorne as Sheila
John Scurti as Lou
Lenny Clarke as Uncle Teddy
Daniel Sunjata as Franco Rivera
Larenz Tate as Black Shawn
Michael Lombardi as Mike Siletti
Jerry Adler as Chief Feinberg
Steven Pasquale as Sean Garrity
Sherri Saum as Natalie
Andrea Roth as Janet Gavin
Susan Sarandon as Alicia
Directed by: Don Scardino
Written by: Evan Reilly