With not much else going on during the summer season, I decided to give the new Showtime series Nurse Jackie a try. This black comedy stars Edie Falco as the title character, a completely unconventional NY nurse who pretty much bends and breaks the rules as she sees fit. She acts more or less like Robin Hood, looking out for the people who “deserve” it, while taking away from the people that don’t. All according to her standards, of course.
Jackie seems like a complex character, which is good for a series like this. She is addicted to painkillers, but, like Greg House, can still function no matter how much stuff she takes. She’s also having an affair with the pharmacist, while her husband and two daughters wait patiently at home for her night after night.
In the pilot, there’s plenty of exposition, as you’d expect. After all, the writers have to introduce all the new characters and establish their relationships to each other. I don’t remember them all, but there’s fellow nurse Mohammed, who is a good friend of Jackie’s. There’s Cooper, a youngish doctor who’s always more interested in his cell phone than what’s happening with patients. There’s Zoey, fresh out of nursing school, who’s supposed to be learning from Jackie. And there’s Mrs. Akalitus the hospital administrator who’s supposed to be keeping everyone in check.
I thought this episode was decent. Pilots are hardly ever mind-blowing (not even Seinfeld, Friends, or The X-Files had good pilots), so I wasn’t expecting too much out of this one. I’m definitely open to tuning back in for a couple more eps to see how things move along!