Nurse Jackie Recap 2.1 – Comfort Food

Nurse Jackie Season 2 opens with Jackie (Edie Falco) seemingly in the same position as she was when season one ended – laying down on her back in a drug induced world oblivious to what is going on around her. We hear Aretha Franklin’s “Say a Little Prayer” and at first it actually appears to be a direct continuation of the Season 1 Finale, but then the watchers are brought back to reality, as is Jackie, when it becomes apparent that she is in present time. She is laying on the beach with wedding ring intact (the new one she was given to replace the one she cut off in Season 1), her children playing in the sand, and her husband hovering over her as if she is the most beautiful woman to be kissed by the sunlight. “I’m married,” she says with the classic Jackie sarcasm.

Although she is enjoying an afternoon with her family, she is clearly not over Eddie (Paul Schulze) just yet. Guilty from her extramarital affair with the hospital pharmacist that lasted over a year, she “sees” him on the beach while standing at the concession stand ordering French fries and Coke the four of them.  Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) notices the blood leave her face and asks what’s wrong. She quickly blames “too much sun” and regains her composure.

Arriving at All Saints Hospital with coffee in hand, I truly enjoyed the irony as Jackie performs her daily ritual of holding the coffee cup between her teeth and pulling off her wedding ring and she is almost immediately missed by a stray bullet (from a deranged patient or loved one). The shooter is wrestled to the ground as Jackie realizes the bullet went into the shoulder of the Virgin Mary behind her, and I couldn’t help but notice that where most people would be caught up in the “I almost died!!” frenzy, Jackie only complains to the shooter that “she’s a mother!” referring to the Virgin.

The shrinkage rate of the inventory in the Pill-O-Matix machine that replaced Eddie in Season 1 has caused a red flag with the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement. Not knowing that Jackie is the culprit, Akalitus (Anne Deavere Smith) appoints her for a discussion with the staff regarding the proper use of the machine.  During her “demonstration” she is able to swipe two more bottles – one of Adavan and the other Haldol. Both are intravenous forms of the meds and Jackie likes it straight with no chaser.

I liked how we got a chance to see a little further into her friendship with Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best). The good doctor seems to truly understand that Jackie is good for keeping “friends” at a distance. She tells Jackie that she would like to start a college fund for her girls, but Jackie declines making a decision until she has Kevin’s input. Dr. O’Hara tries to bargain with her stating that she promises she wants nothing in return but Jackie stands her ground.

We also get an idea of the timeframe from the Season 1 Finale to now, as Eddie calls and through a text message (she did not answer of course) begs her to talk to him as it’s been three months of her avoiding him .  He later shows up in the ER with a time release capsule Xanax overdose.  Jackie’s anxiety is at a high (no pun intended) so she’s ready to use. She finds herself taking a seat in the ER waiting room like a desperate friend waiting to hear news about a loved one. She is, however, snapped back to reality as a child no older than five asks her “are you sick?” as she simultaneously reaches into her pocket to grab the vials obtained from the Pill-O-Matix.  She is interrupted as her phone rings and it’s Kevin requesting assistance with what to make the girls for dinner. Later when Eddie wakes up, he admits that he just wanted to see her and as a pharmacist, he knew how much Xanax would be necessary for him to be brought in.

Highlights (those small scenes that make the show so great)

• Akalitus writing “World’s biggest asshole” on her notepad as Dr. Cooper (Peter Facinelli) tried to file a formal complaint about Jackie not respecting him but broke out in tears instead. I thought it was a great display of man tears if there is such a thing.
• Jackie haggling with the insurance company for what appeared to be hours convincing them to pay for a deaf patient’s fingers to be reconstructed. It shows why she loves being a nurse – she’s always been a patient advocate.
• Grace (Ruby Jerins) going deeper into her obsessive compulsive disorder by bringing soap to the beach to scrub the seashells and refusing to order fries because “they don’t have gloves on”.

Written by Nia Syrah – who has written 23 reviews on Spicy Movie Dogs.

Nia Syrah is a mom, a food and wine expert and a Television Junkie. Aside from Soap Operas, her medical background has guven her a personal love for hospital dramas, criminal drama and superhero shows. Nia also serves as an editor for The Hall of The Black Dragon magazine.