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(More customer reviews)Having never watched the Sopranos (heresy, I know), I didn't have any preconceived notions of what type of person Edie Falco should or should not be playing. Many of my friends tell me that the character of Nurse Jackie is a far cry from her Carmelo Soprano alter-ego.
Jackie is a full time nurse in a public hospital in New York City. Like most nurses and emergency medical workers, she is overworked and underpaid and trying to make do with what life has handed to her. On the surface, she is hardworking nurse who is a loving mother of two little girls and a devoted wife to Kevin Payton who runs a local bar. Scratch the surface just a little bit and the perfect facade peels away to reveal a drug addicted adulterer who regularly breaks the laws in order to suit her own perceived morals.
Nurse Jackie tackles quite a few heavy subjects during its initial season including assisted suicide, underage children caring for their parents, as well as the rigors of raising children who aren't quite perfect. Medical dramas are a dime a dozen and the comedy versions just always seem to be lacking substance, however the staff writers of Nurse Jackie do a masterful job of mixing the heavy subjects in with very lighthearted, almost slapstick humor.
While the Peyton household hasn't been expanded on very much (honestly you could replace the husband and two little girls with bricks and you probably wouldn't notice much difference), the hospital staff shines in every way. Doctor O'Hara is the archetypal rich doctor as well as the "straight man" for most of Jackie's exploits. While her character was explored a little bit in season one, there wasn't a lot invested yet. Doctor Cooper is the hotshot doctor straight out of Med School looking to make his mark. He's cute and naive and looking to make sure everyone thinks of him as their buddy while trying to become a serious doctor at the same time. Zoey is the nurse counterpart to Cooper; the truly naive nursing student straight from school who hasn't had her spirit crushed by the real world. The rest of the hospital staff, Miss Akalitus, Mo-Mo, and Thor, all play delightful comedic foils throughout the season. The cast list would not be complete without the mention of Eddie, the hospital pharmacist who "supplies" prescription pills to Jackie because he believes he is doing his duty as a good boyfriend. Eddie unfortunately does not know that he is being used by Jackie who has a happy family at home as well as a husband with whom we are led to believe she is still in love with.
Fans of shows like ER will appreciate the drama, however it should be noted that Nurse Jackie is relatively light on the medical science side of the house. While drugs are described, procedures mentioned, there is very little step-by-step-to-recovery type documentation on a per patient level. You'll see gunshot wounds come in, chest tubes inserted, CBC and toxicity reports ordered but not a lot of breakdown into why a doctor orders which test, why they should look at alternatives, etc like in ER. Nurse Jackie was written in order to revolve around the nurse not the doctor, and as such there is a much higher emphasis placed on patient care rather than just medical procedures.
My only gripe with Nurse Jackie is that there is zero conflict resolution throughout the entire season. Season one ended with a cliffhanger and as with all other Showtime/HBO episodic shows, the next season will not premier until sometime in the next year. All of the "will she get caught?" questions that you develop from episode one will still be there after you finish episode twelve (with a few dozen extra questions thrown in by then for good measure). Other than that, Nurse Jackie is a great show, and I suppose that the fact that I want Season Two to start right now! attests to how addicting the series is.
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Three-time Primetime Emmy® winner Edie Falco is "outstanding” (TIME Magazine) as Jackie Peyton, a nurse trying to survive the chaotic grind of saving lives in a hectic New York City hospital. Sharp-tongued and quick-witted, Jackie’s a woman of substance who knows how to handle it all. With a white lie here, a bent rule there, and a steady dose of pain relievers for her chronic back pain, Jackie does whatever it takes to get the job done. See why critics call NURSE JACKIE "wildly entertaining” (TV GUIDE Magazine) and "a habit well worth acquiring” (THE WASHINGTON POST) in these bitingly funny episodes from the first season of the groundbreaking series.
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