Jackie’s running out of places to hide…
The addictions and lies begin to catch up with Jackie (Edie Falco). With Eddie (Paul Schulze) putting more and more pressure on her through her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and problems with her daughters Fiona (Mackenzie Aladjem) and Grace (Ruby Jerins), Jackie needs drugs more than ever. Juggling her career and home life becomes increasingly difficult as the two sides merge, and Jackie must keep one step ahead to keep herself in the clear!
Nurse Jackie—Season 2 aired on Showtime from March 22, 2010 to June 7, 2010. The series continued to receive acclaim and accolades winning Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Falco) with nominations for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Cinematography for a Half-Hour Series (“Apple Bong”) and Outstanding Comedy Series.
Julie Ormond stops by for some of Jackie’s special attention
Nurse Jackie is a great show. Edie Falco is golden in everything she touches and from Oz to The Sopranos to Nurse Jackie, she shows her range, and this season of Nurse Jackie helps to show how far this series can go.
The series is a comedy, but it also looks at addiction better than many dramas. Jackie is such a great character because despite doing horribly evil things, you still pity her and want her to get better. She steals drugs, cheats on her husband, and lies to her family while preaching honesty…normally a character like this would be a villain, but here, she’s the anti-hero.
Once again, it is Falco that sells this. She is brutally honest while lying through her teeth. She can emote fear, exhaustion, and anger through very little words and it is a skill that not every actor has. Her supporting cast is a good example of this, most of the hospital cast is rather typical sitcom (minus the fun Merritt Wever). It is almost like a great actor got put into a show with a laugh track and no one told her…which actually is part of the show’s charm and “watchability”.
All the singing and dancing can’t keep Jackie out of the crosshairs this season
The series also is much classier than a standard sitcom. Watching something like Scrubs next to Nurse Jackie, you can visually see a quality difference. It might not have the grittiness of ER, but it finds a happy medium. Nurse Jackie looks bigger and better than a normal comedy, but since it also is dealing with real issues, it has to.
Nurse Jackie is a winner and season 2 continues the streak started by season 1. I look forward to seeing where Nurse Jackie goes and how she can wiggle her way out of the problems she herself is creating. Drugs are a hell of a thing, and Nurse Jackie is out to prove how low they can make you sink.
Nurse Jackie—Season 2 Complete Episode Guide:
“Comfort Food”
2.1 Comfort Food Airdate: 03/22/10
Jackie (Edie Falco) tries to put her past with Eddie (Paul Schulze) behind her to focus on her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and children Grace (Ruby Jerins) and Fiona (Mackenzie Aladjem)…but Eddie has other plans to get back into Jackie’s life. Dr. Cooper (Peter Facinelli) grows tired of Jackie stepping on his authority, and Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) tries to deal with All Saints’ Hospital’s troubling pill shortage. Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) attempts to get Jackie to allow her to fund Grace and Fiona’s education from her mother’s inheritance. The return of former intern Sam (Arjun Gupta) poses a problem for Jackie since he knows her secret and is trying to help.
“Twitter”
2.2 Twitter Airdate: 03/29/10
Coop and Jackie continue to butt heads when Jackie learns Coop is tweeting about his experiences at All Saints’. God (Michael Buscemi) comes into the ER with a head injury and Zoey (Merritt Weaver) finds herself having to convince God that he’s divine again. Jackie worries about Grace’s continuing paranoia, and Eddie decides to reinsert himself into Kevin’s life after his suicide attempt. Jackie learns that Thor (Stephen Wallem) is hiding more about his diabetes than he’s revealed. A young patient with cystic fibrosis forces Jackie into a face-off with Coop.
“Candyland”
2.3 Candyland Airdate: 04/05/10
Coop lands himself on the Top 25 Doctors list, but Sam casts doubts on the legitimacy of the nomination and O’Hara questions her abilities as a doctor. Jackie learns Grace has befriended Kaitlyn Flynn (Cassady Leonard) who almost catches her in a lie. An emergency at the bar leaves Kevin looking for a babysitter, but his babysitter leaves Jackie shocked.
“Apple Bong”
2.4 Apple Bong Airdate: 04/12/10
Jackie faces off against Eddie about Eddie inserting himself into Jackie and Kevin’s marriage. Zoey saves a patient at the risk of losing her job and reveals a big secret to Jackie. Sam admits his new addiction to O’Hara which leads to an encounter. Coop and Jackie butt heads when Jackie suggests marijuana for a patient suffering from nausea from cancer.
“Caregiver”
2.5 Caregiver Airdate: 04/19/10
Jackie learns that Kevin has been spending time with Ginny leading to a night on a couch and renewed back pain. Zoey worries about her potential pregnancy. A guard has been reassigned to guard the Pill-O-Matic leading to Jackie’s supply being cut off. O’Hara learns that her lover Sarah Khouri (Julia Ormond) is returning to the United States. A woman named Renata Thurber (Marion Ross) comes in to the ER that Jackie suspects is being abused by her caregiver.
“Bleeding”
2.6 Bleeding Airdate: 04/26/10
Jackie has rekindled her relationship with Eddie but learns Eddie has no intention of exiting his friendship with Kevin. Coop becomes the new face of All Saints’ much to the staff’s dismay. Jackie deals with her daughter’s bossy friend Kaitlyn. Sarah arrives in New York and is reunited with O’Hara. Zoey makes a decision about her future and her feelings on her potential pregnancy.
“Silly String”
2.7 Silly String Airdate: 05/03/10
Jackie suspects Sarah isn’t as invested in her relationship with O’Hara as O’Hara is. Now not pregnant, Zoey feels she must honor her pact with God. A major donor (Barbara Barrie) comes into the hospital, but Coop’s actions could cost the hospital its backing. Jackie tells Eddie that she has to make a decision about their relationship as Kevin makes more demands of Jackie.
“Monkey Bits”
2.8 Monkey Bits Airdate: 05/10/10
John Decker (Harvey Fierstein) comes in with a dying husband as Jackie deals with a model (Justine Cotsonas) who has been shot. O’Hara attempts to get over her break-up with Sarah and helps Jackie prove to Fiona’s teacher (Paul Feig) that her accident wasn’t abuse. Cooper tries to hook Eddie up with his friend Georgia (Jennifer Ferrin), and Eddie decides to use the opportunity to push Jackie farther.
“P.O. Box”
2.9 P.O. Box Airdate: 05/17/10
Jackie discovers her drug habit is racking up bills…forcing her to lie to both O’Hara and Kevin to get the money. Another breakdown of the Pill-O-Matic could bring Eddie back to the hospital. Jackie discovers a way to get rid of Sam. Coop’s nervous twitch brings Zoey and Lenny (Lenny Jacobson) closer together when an accident occurs. Jackie and Kevin learn that Grace’s problems could be bigger than they expected.
“Sleeping Dogs”
2.10 Sleeping Dogs Airdate: 05/24/10
Eddie is hired back to All Saint’s and Jackie learns that it isn’t good for her. Zoey debates taking on Lenny as her boyfriend. Coop hangs out with Sam and meets his girlfriend. O’Hara becomes suspicious of Jackie’s back condition when Jackie gives her a scan. A former football player’s trip to the ER leads Jackie and Gloria to suggest a radical option to his wife. A chance encounter with a man having a seizure could provide Jackie with the pills she needs.
“What the Day Brings”
2.11 What the Day Brings Airdate: 05/31/10
Jackie’s lies are catching up to her. The man she took drugs from has come to the hospital to find her and O’Hara has discovered Jackie is lying about her back. Coop deals with sleeping with Sam’s girlfriend and tries to keep it from Sam. Jackie suggests an impromptu vacation with the girls and Kevin to get away, but when she loses her pills, Jackie finds herself going through withdraws…and Kevin’s about to found out about O’Hara’s money.
“Years of Service”
2.12 Years of Service Airdate: 06/07/10
Kevin has discovered Jackie’s secret P.O. Box and learns her secret, unbeknownst to Jackie. Sam learns about Coop’s sleeping with his girlfriend leading to a confrontation, and Sam falling off the wagon. Zoey debates taking the next step with Lenny. Jackie faces off against the drug dealer about his pills but doesn’t realize that it is time for an intervention.
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