Quote from Nurse Jackie by Zoey Barkow: “You want it? You gotta work for it.”
Creators: Liz Brixius, Evan Dunsky, and Linda Wallem
Edie Falco is most known for her role in The Sopranos as Carmela Soprano and recently as Leslie Abramson in the Law & Order True Crime mini series covering the Menendez brothers’ trial, but she also shined as Jackie Peyton in Nurse Jackie. This drama/comedy centers around a New York hospital with functional staff trying to keep control over the semi functional staff including Peyton, a nurse with an opiate addiction. She’s the classic work hard, don’t tell type of person. She likes order and routine. She doesn’t like chatty co-workers. She keeps secrets. She minimizes pain. She loves her patients. What makes this show so good is the writing and acting, but the interaction among the cast members is what takes the show to the next level. They couldn’t have put together a better cast selection. Merritt Weaver (Zoey), Stephen Wallem (Thor), and Anna Deavere Smith (Akalitus) are my favorites besides Edie Falco. The relationships between the doctors and nurses is about as real as they come in portrayal (okay, in some respects): the failures, demands, successes, and opportunities. Because Peyton is a highly functioning addict, much of what she views as reality can only be seen through her eyes, but she’s a damn good nurse. She’s also a stubborn nurse with definite wants that she views as needs to keep her going. There’s a good mixture of humor spread throughout each episode, and as the series progresses, you find yourself wondering in what ways her wall will crumble around her because no one can be that lucky.
Nurse Jackie gets Four Fingers and One Thumb with 100%.
