Nurse Jackie

This past fall TV season I got suckered into the biggest cable package that Charter Communications had. With a High Def TV, it's just silly to watch Standard Def. So I had to upgrade - but in the mix - Showtime got added to my lineup. I've been an HBO original programming fan for awhile, but never had Showtime. So I caught up on Nurse Jackie and United Stated of Tara (more on that one in a later post perhaps). But Nurse Jackie is an odd show for me that I can't quite get a handle on.

Jackie is very, very flawed! And I'm okay with a flawed hero (Saving Grace has done this fairly well), but dang Jackie is flawed. I don't know if I can accept her - I mean of course we see that she is a caring nurse who will go out of her way for the patient (but every good AND bad nurse show tells me this - HawthoRNe, Mercy, Trauma, and a whole slew of Dr. dramas). But Jackie doesn't give me more than that. I don't quite get the casting of her husband - who feels years younger although they tell me they were in high school together. But, I love some of the supporting cast on this show. I love, love Zoe. I think this actress is great as the quirky, shy, but coming-into-her-own nurse. Fantastically played by Merritt Wever, I love any scene with her - she gives the cold judging stares and awkward I've got a secret moments so well. And Dr. O'Hara and Coop are great characters to play off - I just can't get into Jackie... I don't feel sympathy or root for her the way I eventually did for Vic Mackey from The Shield, even though he was horrible.

Right now, all Jackie is for me is a scowl.