D
D
T
T
Playing Tony Soprano's long-suffering wife Carmela in The Sopranos may have put Edie Falco's career on the map, but the role that should keep her there is her remarkable portrayal of the title character in Showtime's Nurse Jackie. The 12 highly entertaining episodes (on two discs, plus bonus material) from the series' first season introduce one of the more nuanced and conflicted characters in recent TV history. Falco's Jackie Peyton takes nothin' from nobody ("A quick question?" she says to one colleague. "Shut up."). She berates arrogant doctors who don't meet her standards, works harder and longer than anyone else, and exacts justice by whatever means necessary (even ethically or legally questionable ones) on those who deserve it, be it patients or coworkers; she may also be the only person at her New York hospital who genuinely cares about what she does and who she does it for, bringing a little hope and compassion to the poor, downtrodden souls who come to the hospital on what may well be the worst day of their lives. Then there's her personal life: Jackie's addicted to the pills she takes to dull her back pain, most of which are supplied by her boyfriend, the hospital pharmacist, who has no clue that she also has a husband and two young daughters waiting at home (somehow, Jackie manages to sustain this balancing act through almost the entire season). The tone of the show is profane and darkly funny, with top-notch writing, creative camera work (including occasional special effects), and confident direction. Medical issues (running the gamut from a woman with lupus and a guy whose date's ex buried a steak knife in his chest to a senior with a stroke, gunshot victims, and beyond) are treated seriously and realistically--doctors make mistakes, and patients die. As for the various other regular characters, they're vivid and just as flawed as Jackie is, but the focus is nearly always on Falco, as it should be. Bonus material includes two audio commentary tracks and a couple of five-minute featurettes. --Sam Graham
Login
Add tags