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Divorce Can Be Depressing. Review: Nurse Jackie – “Luck of the Drawing”

Season 5, Episode 2

Air Date: Sunday, April 21, 2013, 9 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating:

 

Dr. Prentiss does what Coop and Carrie can’t.

Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) and Jackie (Edie Falco) can’t come to an agreement on the terms of their divorce, and Dr. Prentiss (Morris Chestnut) uses a special technique to remove a spider from a little boy’s (Skylar Gaertner) ear. Problems arise when Hannah (Sarah Steele), one of last week’s bus crash victims, returns to All Saints with sepsis, which she contracted at the hospital, and Zoey (Merritt Wever) cheerfully volunteers to be the hand wash monitor. It’s just another day on the job at All Saints. Or, is it? After all, it’s Jackie’s birthday!

I like Dr. Prentiss. He seems to be the go-to guy when no one else is able to deal with the problem at hand. I can’t wait to get more of his back story; telling us he picked up a particular skill in prison has really whet my whistle. So far, he and Jackie have an amenable relationship, which is quite different from the one she had with Dr. Cruz (Bobby Cannavalle). Of course, that’s not the only thing that’s different from last season. As much as I like Prentiss, can he fill the very big shoes left by Cruz? I know Chestnut is more than capable so let’s hope the writers give him enough meaty scenes to sink his teeth into.

Carrie may be pretty, but good looks don’t save lives.

Well, it didn’t take long for me to dislike Betty Gilpin’s character, Dr. Carrie Roman. She’s nothing more than a ditsy blonde who got where she is by using her assets, if you know what I mean. And she tries to act like she knows what she’s doing when she really doesn’t: “I go clubbing. I can so spot an addict when I see one.” Really, Carrie? With Jackie standing right next to you, it’s safe to assume you wouldn’t know an addict if you fell over one! I also don’t care for how she treats Coop (Peter Facinelli). Come on, Coop! Grow a set! Can’t you see Carrie is playing you?

In a way, I feel sorry for Coop. He doesn’t really have any friends at All Saints, and then to be passed over for promotion to Chief of the ER…well, that has to hurt. If Coop ever wants to be taken seriously, though, he has to stop the silly antics. Yeah, I don’t see that happening anytime soon, do you? And what a way to hear about Prentiss’ promotion! Gloria (Anna Deavere Smith) better start taking some ginkgo biloba for that memory of hers.

There’s nothing better than having your girls with you on your birthday.

Despite how sanguine Jackie appears to be this season, she’s still not above chicanery when it suits her, even though it backfires on her. Shame on her for taking advantage of Gloria that way! And it seems Jackie isn’t the only one to use underhanded methods to get what they want. Right, Kevin? I understand how hurt he is, and that Jackie needs to face the consequences of her actions, but trying to take the girls away from her is just wrong. She’s cleaned up her act, attends AA meetings, and is really trying to make amends. Plus, she’s a great mom, and is even better now that she’s not looking at things through a drug-addicted haze. I’m not sure I understand Kevin, though. One minute, he’s acting all mean and hurt, and the next, he’s nice. Does anyone think he and Jackie might patch things up eventually? I know a new man is about to enter Jackie’s life but there’s no telling what will happen.

Don’t you just love Zoey? I love the cojones on that girl when she spies on the men’s room to make sure everyone washes their hands: “Freeze! Wash ‘em, cowboy!!” But Zoey goes too far sometimes, don’t you think? Al-Anon meetings—really, Zoey? Although, she does give Jackie a great birthday present, even better than Eddie’s (Paul Schulze). Poor Eddie; he’s another person I don’t understand. Why does he want to revive the relationship he and Jackie used to have? You’d think he would have run for the hills by now.

Jackie and Fiona share a private moment together.

I had the hugest smile on my face during Jackie’s impromptu party but unfortunately, my smile quickly changed to a frown during Grace’s (Ruby Jerins) frantic beating of the piñata. I’d love to know what Jerins was thinking about in this scene to provoke such fury. Maybe Kevin isn’t so wrong to want those psych tests for Grace and Fiona (Mackenzie Aladjem). Or do you agree with Jackie? Fiona does draw quite an interesting picture, doesn’t she?

Tune in to Nurse Jackie Sundays at 10 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.

Follow the show on Twitter @Sho_Network using the hash tag #NurseJackie. Like Nurse Jackie on Facebook, and stay up to date with the series on its official website.

More Twitter follows for you: Coop @peterfacinelli, Gloria @AnnaDeavereS, and Dr. Prentiss @Morris_Chestnut.

All photos © 2013 Showtime Network. 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!