Advance Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 1 - "Game On"

Air Date: Monday, March 28, 2011, 10:00 pm

★★★★★

Advance Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 1 - "Game On" 1

Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton and Eve Best as Dr. O'Hara in the hospital chapel

I’ve been waiting patiently for the new season of Nurse Jackie to begin and finally, my patience has been rewarded. When we last left Jackie (Edie Falco), her husband Kevin (Dominic Fumus) and best friend Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) had confronted her about her pill addiction. “Game On” begins with a montage of key elements from season two and then quickly moves to exactly where Jackie was at the close of that season – in the bathroom in front of the mirror.

I wondered last year where the writers would take Jackie this year given that the cat was out of the bag, so to speak. Would she lose her job, get divorced, go into rehab? Fear not fans, she’s still the same pill-popping, complicated and frustrating woman she’s always been. And “Game On” is an excellent season opener, giving us a wonderful mix of light wit, dark humor and drama.

They say the best defense is a good offense, and that’s exactly how Jackie plays it, especially when she dumps a laundry bag full of medicine and things from their bathroom cabinet in front of Kevin. And then attacks him on various fronts – money, the girls’ school, etc. She’s no drug addict! Right! While funny on one level, it’s so sad on another. Having been intimately associated with someone who was addicted to pain pills, I immediately recognized the signs – the anger, the lying and the manipulation to convince everyone around her she’s not addicted – when all she’s really doing is trying to convince herself.

At work, Jackie confesses to hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith), that she’s taken some pills for her bad back as a means of explaining what she thinks O’Hara will tell her. If you haven’t already seen the clip I posted of this scene, watch it here. While seemingly a serious scene, the bit with the phone really cracks me up. Unfortunately, Jackie’s relationship with O’Hara is broken and one can only wonder how long it will be, if ever, before it is fixed. Will it ever be the same? It’s just so sad when O’Hara says, “You broke my heart, Jackie.”

Advance Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 1 - "Game On" 2

Edie Falco as Jackie Peyton and Merritt Wever as Zoey in Nurse Jackie

Zoey (Merrit Wever) is back, as impish and playful as ever. She’s so full of herself now that she’s had sex with Lenny (Lenny Jacobson), and openly confesses her relationship to the crew. Wever is a wonderful actress and is a perfect foil for Falco’s character at All Saints. I just love it when Zoey hugs Jackie!

Advance Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 1 - "Game On" 3

Coop (Peter Facinelli) showing Jackie (Edie Falco) his new shoes

What can I say about Coop (Peter Facinelli)? He’s still our loveable, grossly narcissistic Coop, especially when he wants Jackie and Eddie (Paul Schulze) to guess how much the shoes he’s wearing cost and when he’s trying to deal with a young boy who put a small mirror up his nose to see his brain.

There is one running gag throughout this episode that really makes me chuckle. In the beginning of “Game On,” Akalitus hangs a sign up about the statues at All Saints. The nurses, however, cross out what Akalitus wrote and pen something quite different. And so it goes throughout the entire episode, with each comment being funnier and funnier. This is one of the things I love about Nurse Jackie. The writers take something so simple and with only a few words keep the fans laughing out loud. At the same time, however, they are able to write serious moments, such as what happens to the Finn & Son moving team. How painful and sad. Nurse Jackie has a way of seamlessly weaving the more dramatic elements with its comedic edge and that’s what makes this show so outstanding.

Advance Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 1 - "Game On" 4

Jackie (Edie Falco) and daughters cheering Kevin on at his baseball game

I wonder what effect Akalitus’ warning that there are a ton of nurses looking for work due to the recent hospital closings will have on the nurses, especially when she tells them they have to step up their game if they plan to stay around. What I do know is that the writers have definitely stepped up their game. If possible, the show is even more complex, darker, funnier and more intriguing than ever before. I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.

Tune into an all-new season of Nurse Jackie tonight, March 28^th, at 10:00 pm ET/PT, immediately followed by the season finale of Showtime’s other multi-dimensional character/show, United States of Tara.

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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!