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Dementia, A Break-Up, and a Hospital Accident. Review: Nurse Jackie – “Day of the Iguana”

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  • May 20, 2012

  • 8 mins to read

Review: Nurse Jackie, S4 E7 – “Day of the Iguana”

Air Date: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

Zoey (Merritt Wever) breaks up with Lenny (Lenny Jacobson) and Jackie (Edie Falco) prepares for her upcoming custody battle. Dr. Cruz (Bobby Cannavale) has an anxiety attack and Gloria (Anna Deavere Smith) revisits her past with a former All Saints employee. “Day of the Iguana” is one of Nurse Jackie’s better episodes this season. It has a wonderful mix of laughter and sadness and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Laural Vargas (guest star Aida Turturro) explains what Jackie needs to do if she wants to win the custody battle

Laural Vargas (Aida Turturro) is a no-holds barred kind of attorney. She pulls no punches, telling Jackie exactly what she’s going to have to do if she wants custody of Fiona (Mackenzie Aladjem) and Grace (Ruby Jerins). The problem is Jackie can’t come up with anything bad to say about Kevin (Dominic Fumusa), which she’ll have to do in order to prove he’s an unfit father. O’Hara (Eve Best), on the other hand, has no trouble smearing Kevin’s good name. I’m sure you haven’t forgotten what Eddie’s face looked like when Kevin went all Joe Frazier on Eddie (Paul Schulze), and neither has Eddie. But will he testify on Jackie’s behalf? I’m not sure how I feel about this. I don’t want Jackie to lie but I also don’t want her to lose the girls, although God knows, she certainly deserves to. But maybe that’s what she needs to ensure she doesn’t use again. Kids can be a powerful tool on the road to staying straight. On the other hand, I know she’s been an awful mom and a worse wife but she is cleaning up her act. Is that enough though?

O'Hara convinces Eddie to testify on Jackie's behalf

Cruz isn’t exactly what you would call a ‘family man.’ So all the while he’s chewing Jackie out for being late due to family issues, I’m thinking to myself had he paid more attention to his own family, maybe Charlie wouldn’t have become such a junkie. There comes a time in a parent’s life when you have to make a choice between your job and your personal life. I understand you need to work hard if you want to succeed but does it always have to be at the expense of your child?

Dick Babbit (guest star Joel Grey) tells Jackie about a date he and Gloria went on

Under normal circumstances, dementia is a very sad topic to deal with. But Nurse Jackie has a way of laughing in the face of normalcy, which is one of the things I love most about the show. The introduction to Dick Babbitt (Joel Grey), a “non emergent cardiology patient” who was a former cardiologist at All Saints and now a dementia patient, is hysterical. I wish the words “Beverage Alert” had flashed across my TV screen as I practically spewed my coffee all over my laptop! It is that funny. I’m not sure whether it’s Grey’s naked ass, the way his character Dick describes a 1974 date with Gloria, or the way she describes him, but I sure was laughing out loud. Add to that him treating the pharmacy window as a ticket window—“Two adults for Serpico?”—and you’ll be giggling as much as I was! Gloria and Jackie are keeping an eye on Dick until his daughter Arden (Nancy Lemenager) arrives so they decide to put him in scrubs and have him tag along with the nurses to keep him out of trouble. As soon as they made that decision, I knew we were going to be in for a laugh fest. And boy, were we ever! Grey is one of the finest actors I’ve ever seen. He has the best comedic timing and is equally talented at playing both comedic and dramatic roles. With his simplistic portrayal of Dick, he absolutely shines in “Day of the Iguana.”

After falling off his chair at work, possibly spraining his ankle, what happens to Dave Tyler (Rory O’Malley) when he comes into All Saints on a gurney is both a sin and a shame. And the way Cruz handles the situation sets off quite a commentary on hospitals, their administrators and the legal system—at least in my mind. After being dropped on his head (such a funny scene!), requiring stitches, all Dave wants is an acknowledgement of the wrongdoing and an apology. But Cruz is just an asshole and such an…administrator (said with disdain), he forbids the staff from admitting what happened! I understand Cruz is afraid of a lawsuit and in other circumstances, I would agree. But in this instance, a simple apology is all that’s necessary to make the situation go away. So it’s laughable that he won’t allow the staff to even mention the incident! I love that Dick, in all his simplicity, takes care of the problem. The look on Cruz’s face when he finds out exactly who Dick is… priceless!

It’s funny yet sad when Zoey breaks up with Lenny in the hospital chapel. Of all the places. Sad because they’ll no longer be a couple, and funny because Zoey can’t tell Lenny her reasons without stumbling over her words and consulting the book she’s written them in. Also funny is Lenny’s reaction when Zoey returns his ring: “You go to Paris and I’ll go to Zale’s.” Lenny always has been a man of few words and this is no exception. It would have been wrong to have a more serious break-up conversation with the usual anger and tears. So kudos to the writers for that.

Memorable lines:

Laura to Jackie about Kevin: “Every kind word on his behalf is a week without your kids. Got it?”

***

Cruz to Jackie: “Home is home; work is work. Keep the boundaries clean.”

***

Cruz to Coop (Peter Facinelli): “And Coop? Ease up on the buddy-buddy. You and your pathological need to be liked are going to get us sued. Shut it down. Stitch him up and cut him loose.”

***

Cruz can't believe his eyes when he sees who Charlie's rehab buddy is

Jackie and Cruz discovering their link outside of the hospital had to happen eventually. So the looks of shock on their faces when Jackie takes Charlie (Jake Cannavale) home after being arrested are comical when they finally make the connection. Now I can’t wait to see how Jackie and Cruz handle their new-found relationship!

Tune in to Nurse Jackie Sundays at 9:00 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.

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All photos © 2012 Showtime Networks, Inc., a CBS Broadcasting, Inc. company. All rights reserved.

 

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!

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!