Sometimes I think I should just keep my TV binging habits to myself, but at the same time when I have epic marathons I usually feel just a little bit proud. This weekend, after having caught up with Californication, I turned my sights to Nurse Jackie, the critically acclaimed “comedy” (which isn’t really much of a comedy if you ask me). Can you guess who recently got Showtime? Yeah, it’s me.
It was a sad Sunday this weekend without any football on the television, so I turned to On Demand to keep me entertained. I didn’t really know what to expect. I hadn’t heard much about Nurse Jackie aside from the awards that Edie Falco had garnered for her portrayal of the titular character (and she is fantastic in this show). I was pleasantly surprised after only a couple episodes and I just kept watching. At its heart, the show is a character study, and luckily Jackie is one heck of an interesting character.
Sure, her motives aren’t exactly clear, but it never bothered me. She’s a woman leading a double life, hiding her kids and marriage from the people at work (including her boyfriend), and hiding a nasty little drug habit from everyone. No matter what she is doing, she is fascinating to watch. It seems like Showtime is really developing a “type” with characters like Jackie, Hank Moody, and Nancy Botwin. They are all strong willed, larger than life characters who push the limits of plausibility, but they’re all fun to watch.
If Jackie were the only draw on the show, I think it would be enough, but it really is full of great characters. Eve Best is fantastic as Jackie’s best doctor friend, O’Hara. At first, I was skeptical about the douchey, arrogant “Coop,” but the insecure, obsessive compulsive doctor hiding beneath the bravado adds some welcome depth to the character. He’s just off kilter enough to be really funny. Rounding out the crew is Zoey, who represents every young, nervous, and overly optimistic nursing student. Finally, playing the role of the punching bag for the rest of the characters, and doing it so well, is Anna Deavere Smith, as Mrs. Akalitus, the dreaded administrator. I love her.
Moving into the second season, I’m looking forward to seeing how the show develops, and how the characters find new ways to relate. Jackie certainly has her hands full, and as long as the tension continues to grow and her life appears headed for a horrible conflict, I’ll be watching.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Feb 02, 2011 @ 09:30 EST5EDT
That is awesome! I have been wanting to watch Nurse Jackie too.
I feel the same way about TV binges. I watched all 7 seasons of The West Wing in 12 days, and I don’t actually make a living off it. (Do you folks do this as your primary job, or is this more of a side thing?) I was both sort of proud of myself (because I still got good grades that term) and both a little disgusted with myself for practically shutting off human contact outside of my roommate and classes for that long. Thankfully, I’m not interested enough by Nurse Jackie for that to be a problem, I’ll probably watch it during the summer when I have more free time.
I do have another full time job, which makes this admission all the more embarrassing.
I watched all 58 hours of Six Feet Under in like two weeks.
I watched 9 episodes of The Big C is about 14 hours, amazing show.