TV Series Lounge

What I like about episode 10 of Nurse Jackie season 3 is the notable performances of the characters. “Fuck the Lemurs” showed how good Edie Falco, Eve Best and Ruby Jerins are.

TV Fanatic: The Emmy-winning former Sopranos star has been fantastic in this role since the series premiere, of course, but she displayed an especially vulnerable side this week. It’s grown pretty easy to dislike Jackie over the past few episodes, as she lies to friends, continues to pop pills and displays few redeeming qualities all around.

But it took a crisis at home and at the hospital for her to finally break.

Falco reminded us that she’s playing a legitimately troubled woman when she struggled to deal with Grace’s anxiety, confronted O’Hara and then listened as O’Hara explained that she’s known all along about her friend’s problem. That latter was one of the best scenes in show history.

O’Hara made perfect sense as she told Jackie that she never said a word because she held out hope that, someday, her friend would seek assistance and she didn’t want to burn Jackie’s final bridge in case that day ever arrived.

Jackie was stunned to hear those words, shocked that her secret was out, but maybe even more shocked that someone cared so much. It’s something I wished the show would address: how did Jackie get this way? She is unquestionably loved by both O’Hara and by Kevin. Does she really not see that?

Elsewhere, who could be anything but moved by Grace’s speech at the end? Her anxiety issues received more screen time on season two than they have on season three, making the move to medication here seem a bit random. But I don’t want to nitpick. Jerins nailed the final scene with Falco.

So what are your thoughts about this episode?

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Episode 9 of Nurse Jackie gave us some questions. Well, it is not surprising at all since its title “Have You Met Ms. Jones?” is a question itself. Let’s see what happened.

TV Fanatic: 1. What will rock bottom look like for Jackie? Events on “Have You Met Miss Jones?” made it clear that Jackie is growing more desperate than ever. She sent all of her underlings out on pharmacy runs this week, but the mixing of those medicines won’t equal the high she got off Oxy and everything else.

It was interesting to note her moment of vulnerability with Eddie, as she admitted to missing the rush of pill popping. She really is far more honest with her ex-lover than she is with her husband or best friend.

2. How much money does O’Hara make?!? I know doctors rake it in, but she has a car service; she eats at expensive restaurants everyday; she lives in New York City; and she can still afford an entire townhouse?!? I’m in the wrong profession. As a TV critic, splurging takes place when I go with Starbuck’s over Dunkin Donuts.

3. Is Kevin lying? In our interview with Dominic Fumusa, the actor said his character will get a lot darker on the final few episodes of season three. Combined that with us never seeing a pinball machine and with Kevin’s suspicions lately and I’m calling it: no way is he delivering the item to Montauk. Dude is definitely up to something.

4. Who will get married first: Zoey and Lenny, or Coop and his Facebook date? I kid… mostly. But let’s hope Zoey finally stops testing Lenny and starts to realize the guy is pretty darn awesome.

As for Coop, he’s consistently my favorite part of the series. His blissfully ignorant schtick might get old for some, but come on: did you really not crack up when he he cheered to “dudeville?” Or are you not actually hoping he does find true love at some point, with his high school sweetheart, the pretty patient from this week or elsewhere?

Overall, episode 9 is a decent episode. Compared to the previous ones, I think “Have You Met Ms. Jones?” is way better. What do you think?

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Great job for Nurse Jackie for giving us something extraordinary on this episode. Episode 8 “The Astonishing” ended with a close-up of the main character’s intense, worried face.

TV Fanatic: For the umpteenth week in a row, the show made it look like Jackie was on the edge of losing it – drug supply dwindling, husband questioning their relationship, daughter on edge, co-workers suspicious – concluding an installment with what it must believe is a character-based cliffhanger.

But do any viewers really think this will be different? That something truly dramatic will take place next Monday?

I can, at least, admit that I didn’t see Bill’s death by truck coming. It was nice to be surprised for a change. Can’t say I have any reaction to his demise, however. His presence as Jackie’s drug dealer just served to kill some time for a couple weeks while she searched for ways to support her habit.

Might she get really desperate now? Might that result in some kind of drastic, series-altering action? I hope so. But I’m not confident.

Elsewhere, Coop’s mourning period really has to end soon. It was sort of cute at first, it revealed just how child-like this doctor is… but now it’s tiresome and it’s making my favorite character less fun.

So did you enjoy episode 8 of Nurse Jackie?

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Season 3 of Nurse Jackie is not the best so far. Episode 6 “When the Saints Go” is another typical episode and not that appealing. So let us just discuss the positive aspects of the show.

TV Fanatic: Peter Facinelli is hilarious. He cracks me up as Coop, even if his scenes just feel like filler until the story can shift back to Jackie. She took his crutch away out of love, right? Great stuff.

Zoey and Lenny 4 Eva! The former might finally be giving in to the latter’s charm and loyalty. Loved the little smirk on her face, the one she just couldn’t hold back, when Lenny quickly disposed of that female patient’s number.

Vulnerability from Jackie. She’s getting almost difficult to like these days, isn’t she? So it was a welcome change for her to come out and ask Eddie not to date Tunie. At least we know there are some actual feelings inside Jackie someplace.

The introduction of Kelly. I’ve liked Gbenga Akinnagbe since he portrayed Chris Partlow on The Wire. Most recently, he recurred on The Good Wife. And his character of Kelly isn’t intimidated by Jackie’s experience or tone. I’m curious to see where this goes, which is more than I can say for other storylines on the show.

So what are your thoughts on this week’s episode of Nurse Jackie?

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

On episode 5 “Rat Falls” of Nurse Jackie, the critics raised a question on whether or not drug dealer like Bill exists in the real world.

TV Fanatic: If so, I’ll consider Jackie’s reaching out to him on “Rat Falls” an interesting development. If not, such a character is a rather lame plot device that signals what desperate shape Nurse Jackie is in as it tries to mix things up.

Even with Jackie scoring a new stash with Bill, though, the episode lacked any progress or cliffhanger. Bill claims people go to him when rehab and other attempts at getting clean fail.

But Jackie has no interest in getting clean. She just needs more pills. Bill may act strange and his profession may be shady, but the show hasn’t given me any reason to believe he’ll play any kind of role in Jackie’s future aside from someone who feeds her habit.

Will she eventually hit rock bottom and actually get help? Maybe. But didn’t the season two finale imply that would be the basis for season three? Instead, we’re back to where we’ve always been.

Elsewhere, Akalitus wants to steal a statue of Mary and Coop’s moms are getting a divorce. Okay. Not exactly mesmerizing storylines, are they? Heck, Zoey was scarcely even around this week.

Even though the performances of the cast of Nurse Jackie continue to impress me, I still find the storyline lacking. I mean the content of the show is way far compared to what we saw before. But things can be fixed, and I’m hoping that the succeeding episodes will bring a more interesting plot.

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Critics say that Episode 4 of Nurse Jackie “Mitten” gave us some chuckles which is quite good for the episode. However, let us not forget that audience also look for a quality storyline progression.

TV Fanatic: I don’t want Grace and Fiona to be without their father, but at least such a major development would have made “Mittens” remotely relevant. Instead, we were treated to another episode that just felt like the show spinning its drug-addicted wheels.

Ever since we met Jackie Peyton, she’s hidden a drug habit from those around her. And if you stop to think about it, has anything really changed since the series premiere?

It appeared as though Kevin and O’Hara’s intervention would be a significant step to conclude season two, but any trace of suspense regarding Jackie and her relationship with her husband and her BFF has pretty much disappeared.

Jackie and O’Hara are officially fine again now; and Kevin may have a few suspicions, and he may be taking advantage of his wife’s newfound guilt a bit, but does anyone think he’s really on the verge of finding out how bad off Jackie is? And does anyone think her gazing longingly at Grace’s old mittens means she’ll take any meaningful steps in the near future?

The show is content just having Jackie remain a pill-popping mess every Monday, while filling in scenes around her with entertaining characters and quips. Fortunately, Zoey and her pedometer were around this week to keep the mood light, while Coop insisting his competition with O’Hara was akin to a “dance-off” was one of his funnier lines in awhile.

So a few chuckles here and there, thanks to supporting players, but more frustration over what feels to be a lack of any substantial storyline movement. It’s been the story of season three so far.

There’s no doubt that there are few fun parts on episode 4 “Mitten.”  However, the viewers are surely longing for something deep, I mean give us some storyline progression.

So what can you say about “Mitten?”

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

Episode 3 of Nurse Jackie titled “Play Me” welcomes Tunie, played by Jaimie Alexander. So what about the the debut of Kevin’s sister? Well, he made this episode so entertaining.

TV Fanatic: I’m getting the most enjoyment on season three overall from everyone not named Jackie. It’s just too much of the same with her: lying, denying, using. Are there people like this in real life? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean it’s a hoot to watch.

Fortunately, Coop and Zoey are a source of non-stop laughter.

Granted, their scenes feel unrelated anything else on the show these days, coming across like a blatant humor break from the seriousness of Jackie’s situation. But who cares? I still find them funny.

Who didn’t crack up at Coop trying to bond with Thor, saying he can definitely sit back and be pretty? Or Zoey struggling with whether to move in with Lenny or strangle him? The use of the God character seems like a transparent attempt to be different, but at least it led to Zoey giving a reasonable explanation for not being able to date him (“too much pressure”).

Of course, the major development of the evening involved the mysterious fellow who makes a living by providing drugs to addicts in order to lead them to rock bottom and then step in to help. That’s… interesting? I guess?

There’s no way people like this actually exist, right? I suppose we wouldn’t really know if they did, but this feels like a desperate way to mix things up, to give Jackie a new, dangerous direction. It would be one thing if she gave any indication of thinking she had a problem, but Jackie doesn’t see things that way, does she? Why would she even consider such a drastic measure when she hasn’t considered any other way to get clean yet?

So what’s your take on season 3 episode 3 of Nurse Jackie?

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

This week’s Nurse Jackie “Enough Rope” embraces the usual trend in medical drama: having cases that directly reflect or relate to what the main character is going through. We’ve seen this a lot especially on Grey’s Anatomy.

TV Fanatic: On “Enough Rope,” for example, did we really need Jackie to go off about the DNR dude and how some people just want to be left alone? Hey… wait! That’s just how Jackie feels about Kevin and O’Hara butting into her life. Amazing!

Sarcasm aside, I was left with a similar feeling here as I had after the third season premiere. Has anything really changed on the show?

It seems clear Jackie and O’Hara’s friendship won’t dissolve, which is disappointing because it would have been interesting to see Jackie go through a long period of time with absolutely no support system. But at least we were treated to one of Edie Falco’s better moments in her speech to her friend at the restaurant.

Kevin may also be suspicious of his wife – great scene in the bar when she so transparently attempted to shower Kevin with love and he responded with an icy stare – but they’re still married. She’s still lying to him. She’s even still popping the occasional pill. It would be nice if Kevin moved out or something. Give us something different in this relationship.

Still, there’s always Zoey and Cooper to bring a smile to my face. The latter was especially hilarious with his apology card to Sam. Boy, is he sorry! Great stuff.

The Akalitus/Michelle Obama storyline feels a bit desperate, though. I give the show credit for altering this character since season one, as she’s no longer simply used as a source for random hijinks. But I always prefer my humor to be more subtle than her overt shenanigans, more of which I can only assume we’re in store for as she pushes for a visit from the First Lady.

Indeed, season 3 episode 2 of Nurse Jackie raises mixed reactions from the viewers. But I think this episode is quite good and I like the hour overall.

You can check other Nurse Jackie Season 3 Reviews and Spoilers HERE.

We’ve got a newcomer in All Saints Hospital as Gbenga Akinnagbe is set to enter this season on Nurse Jackie. One thing is promised with his entry, he won’t make life easy for the show’s title character.

Portraying a charismatic nurse named Kelly, executive producer Liz Brixius tells TV Guide the new staff member will immediately impress those around him with his stories of working in Haiti.

“This is a guy that she’s not going to be able to win over. He’s not just going to fall in line,” says Brixius, who then teases that we’ll learn more about Kelly:

“He’s not what he seems.”