5 TV Cliffhangers That Had Terrible Resolutions

3. Rescue Me, "Drink"

Plot Summary: In the previous episode, Teddy's wife, Ellie, was killed by a drunk driver. Now at her funeral, Teddy makes it clear that he blames Tommy for her death. Tommy started Teddy drinking again, which led Ellie to drive the car the night she was killed. Later, most of the guys are at the bar. Teddy barges in with a gun, points it at Tommy, and orders him to do shot after shot. Teddy says he knows a guy who drank himself to death, but that he prefers the certainty of a bullet. There's only one in his gun. He asks Tommy if he would like to do the honors. Tommy, lightheaded, declines, and Teddy knocks him down to the ground and points his gun at Tommy. The Cliffhanger: Teddy shoots Tommy in the shoulder, twice, and we watch him slowly bleed out on the floor of the bar. Teddy holds a gun to all the guys and tells them not to go anywhere €“ he wants them to stay here for a few hours, while Tommy slowly dies. Blood everywhere, Tommy sees the ghost of his dead brother, Jimmy, who tells him it will all make sense on the other side. The Resolution: The next season opens with Tommy in the ambulance with his family and Lou. While on his way to the hospital, Tommy flatlines, but his "death" doesn't last long, and after a few visions, he's resuscitated. The guys use their police connections to keep Teddy from getting arrested. In other words, the consequences of the fifth season cliffhanger were completely dispensed with, and the series once again returned to the status quo. The Backstory: The fifth season finale wasn't the first time the series ended an episode with Tommy at death's door, but it's arguably the closest the character ever came to his own demise and in that respect, it might be the most disappointing season finale Rescue Me ever had. It has been rumored that writers and executive producers Denis Leary and Peter Tolan wanted Tommy to die and be a ghost in the final season €“ a logical conclusion to the end of season five €“ but the series ultimately chose to keep Tommy among the living.