Showtime is no stranger to having controversial characters on their hit TV series; just look at its very popular shows Weeds, Dexter and Californication. Not one of those leads could be considered a good person, but they are undeniably fascinating to watch and keeps viewers coming back for more. Their newest series, Nurse Jackie, follows Showtime's pattern of interesting but flawed main characters, as the title character of the show is a drug addict and breaks laws and rules constantly. Jackie (Edie Falco) may be hard to like, but she's even harder to stop watching. Now the first season of this controversial show is out on DVD, and this is the perfect time to pick it up before the second season premieres on March 22nd.
Nurse Jackie is about Jackie Peyton (Falco), an intelligent and tough-as-nails nurse who will do anything to help her patients, but her personal life is something of a mess. She's hard and occasionally cruel to her co-workers, and she's cheating on her husband with the pharmacist who scores her regular pain killers that she's addicted to. She doesn't have much respect for rules or guidelines or pretty much anyone telling her what to do. Right from the beginning it's clear she's a vindictive kind of person and serves her own kind of justice, because she flushes the ear of a patient down the toilet since he attacked a woman brutally. Her relationship with Eddie (Paul Schulze) seems sweet until her husband and children at home were introduced, and then the fact was revealed that she uses him for a fix. Most of the season she tries to hide both of these facts from him, and it's downright disturbing to think that an audience is rooting for the cheating, lying drug addict, and yet most of them are.
The cast is rounded out by several off-beat people such as Jackie's best friend and sharp witted doctor Elenor (Eve Best), the likeable but nervous Dr. Cooper (Peter Facinelli), Jackie's sidekick and sweet tempered nursing student Zoey (Merritt Wever), fellow nurse and gay friend Mo-Mo (Haaz Sleiman), and of course Jackie's own husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa). They occasionally have their own stories and struggles, but it is more often circling Jackie and she's deeply involved with each of them. Possibly the most endearing relationship is between Jackie and Zoey, because Zoey is in many ways everything that Jackie would hate: innocent, hopeful, and passive. Watching them interact and seeing Zoey soften some of Jackie's edges is pleasant.
Personally, I dropped the first season because of how negative the show was, but seeing it again on DVD was interesting. When it comes on week by week it is a little easier to tear apart the characters and how difficult they are to like, but when it is all in one go the show makes a beautiful – and dark – portrayal of the modern medical world. It is not an easy show to watch. It has plenty of black humor thrown in but considering most of the material is pretty depressing, it really fits solidly in the drama category. Special features include four commentary tracks with a handful of people from the show, a special focus on Edie Falco, a further exploration of how the show got started and the rest of the cast, and then a look at the lives of real nurses.
Overall, if you're already a fan of the series the DVD set will be a wonderful addition to your collection. The episodes are all crisp and beautifully shot, the special features really add to the experience and it's great to watch it all in one big marathon. If you've never gotten a chance to see the show but love Showtime's other projects, Nurse Jackie is similar to them in style and in genre, only with a modern medical twist thrown in. This show is for adult audiences only with copious amounts of language, sex and other fairly disturbing material. Falco is excellent at playing strong, sassy women, but her Jackie is not someone I'd ever want as my nurse!
ComicsOnline gives Nurse Jackie Season One on DVD 4 out of 5 drug addicted cheaters.
Buy Nurse Jackie Season One at Amazon.com now.
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