A Birth, A Death and A Firing. Review: Season Finale of Nurse Jackie - "Handle Your Scandal"

Nurse Jackie, S4 E10 – Season Finale – “Handle Your Scandal”

Air Date: Sunday, June 17, 2012, 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★★

As season finales go, “Handle Your Scandal” knocks it out of the park! Talk about a cliffhanger! Major changes take place—some good, some not so good. Dr. Cruz (Bobby Cannavale) fires Jackie (Edie Falco)—yes, you heard me right!—Jackie takes Grace (Ruby Jerins) out of Catholic school; and Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) goes into labor. It’s just another day at All Saints, right? NOT!

A Birth, A Death and A Firing. Review: Season Finale of Nurse Jackie - "Handle Your Scandal" 1

Coop tries to tell Cruz how well organized everything is with the extra nurses on board

With Dr. Cruz spending the night in the cardiology wing of All Saints, Jackie takes it upon herself to run the E.R. And that means hiring more temporary nurses. Zoey (Merritt Wever) is adorable when she ‘begs’ Jackie to let her take charge of the nurses—especially her facial expressions! Wever cracks me up whenever she’s on screen. She’s one of my all-time favorite comedic actresses.

A Birth, A Death and A Firing. Review: Season Finale of Nurse Jackie - "Handle Your Scandal" 2

Sam (Arjun Gupta) can’t believe his ears when Cruz fires Jackie

Even though Coop (Peter Facinelli) tells Cruz, “Check it out…beds and meds, floor is clear, admits in a groove,” Cruz could care less—he’s furious about the extra nurses. The response of the staff when Cruz fires Jackie is outstanding. No words are necessary to convey how they feel. I almost stood up and clapped along with them, ála Dog Day Afternoon. I mean, WTF! Cruz is nothing more than a control freak. God forbid someone should have a better way of doing things than he does! Firing Jackie is a huge mistake, one which Cruz is going to have to eat crow over—I hope. Despite Jackie reminding him of his promise to Charlie (Jake Cannavale), he doesn’t care: “You leave Charlie out of this. You fuck with the bull, you get the horns. And frankly, I don’t give a shit what my kid wants.” Whoa! Tell us how you really feel, Dr. Cruz! Isn’t that the reason Charlie became a drug addict—because you “don’t give a shit?” Cruz is going to regret those words, for sure.

A Birth, A Death and A Firing. Review: Season Finale of Nurse Jackie - "Handle Your Scandal" 3

O’Hara watches as Cruz fires Jackie

I have to give Cannavale kudos. He is the essence of ‘the man,’ large and in charge. Just the way he towers over people with a scowl on his face makes me not like him. Add to that his excellent delivery of the great dialogue he’s given and you have this amazing version of a very tyrannical and arbitrary hospital administrator.

I didn’t know what to expect when Zoey walked into Cruz’s office. At first, I thought she was going to resign. But then, she gives Cruz a small notebook containing all the information he would ever want to know about his staff. I guess she’s trying to help him but he doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who cares about “things that make them happy…who cries when a patient dies…makes a joke and then cries in private.” I must admit, I’m surprised Zoey does this. She’s not a kiss-up kind of gal. And it’s not very loyal to Jackie, is it? Then again, I guess she needs her job. Someone has to pay the rent at Jackie’s place, right?

A Birth, A Death and A Firing. Review: Season Finale of Nurse Jackie - "Handle Your Scandal" 4

Jackie’s unsuccessful attempt to get her badge back from Dr. Cruz

I love the way Jackie pulls Grace out of school! She wastes no time putting Sister Jean Charlotte (Rebecca Hoodwin) in her place. “Sorry Sister, you’re fired.” That must have felt really good considering her recent firing. I got such a good feeling from Grace and Jackie running down the school hall like they’re two little kids breaking out of school. And throughout the entire conversation with Principal Carruth (Tim Hopper) at public school, I had a huge grin on my face! It looks like Jackie is on the right track to healing her relationship with Grace, something that is long overdue. Finally, Jackie has something good happening in her life!

Memorable lines:

Cruz: “You authorize these nurses?”

Coop: “Uh, I’m not authorized to authorize…unless I am and I didn’t know it.”

Jackie: “What are you doing?”

O’Hara: “Having a contraction while trying to talk you off the ledge. Not easy.”

Zoey to O’Hara, in her best German accent: “Like Heidi Klum says, ‘in fashion you are either in or you are out.’”

Zoey to Cruz after handing him her notebook: “Dazzle camoflauge. Can’t just hand you the keys to the kingdom. That would make me a traitor. You want it, you gotta work for it.”

Eddie, in O’Hara’s apartment: “Son of a bitch! Her shoes are living better than I do.”

Jackie: “All I want is a robe and some sweats. Everything in here is sparkles and fucking fur.”

What fun Jackie has with Gloria (Anna Deavere Smith) and Eddie (Paul Schultze)! While Jackie recounts her firing over drinks, Dr. O’Hara calls. Those “mini contractions” she thought she was having have turned into full blown labor pains. Jackie and Eddie are absolutely hysterical at O’Hara’s apartment as they search for something “ravishing but comfortable.” But at the hospital, when Jackie tries to get into O’Hara’s room, Cruz stops her—at the very same time that Charlie is wheeled into the E.R. for an overdose. They say that when someone dies, a baby is born somewhere. I think I was holding my breath the entire time Cruz tries to revive Charlie.

I can’t wait for next season already! Now that Jackie has lost her job, what’s next? Jackie is a nurse, after all, and without that, what kind of viable story arc can the writers give her? Maybe Gloria will follow through on getting Jackie a job at Bellevue. I know Jackie is trying her best to stay sober but with all the changes in her life, does she stand a chance? And will Cruz change following this devastating turn of events? Or will Charlie’s death be for naught? What do you think will happen next year?

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Linda

Love TV, movies, and books--mostly mysteries, with a good love story thrown in every now and then. I have four adopted dogs who I adore. I love trying new recipes, and enjoy eating what I make. English language perfectionist. Reading in bed, Italian food, warm weather, the beach, all types of games = favs!