Nurse Jackie Season 7 Premiere - "Clean" Review. Facing Reality.

Season 7, Episode 1

Air Date: Sunday, April 12, 2015, 9 pm ET/PT on Showtime

Rating: ★★★★★

“You can’t. You can’t see them at all…You’re a drug addict, and it’s not safe for the girls to be around you so seeing them is off the table.” – Kevin

Nothing like waking up, chained to a hospital bed, and realizing you have a public defender.

“Clean,” the seventh season premiere of Nurse Jackie picks up right where “Flight,” the sixth season finale left off, catching everyone up on the things Jackie (Edie Falco) did that caused her current situation. Events like stealing Dr. Carrie Roman’s (Betty Gilpin) DEA number and using it to call in a prescription for herself; bringing a drug dealer to, and getting thrown out of, her ex-husband Kevin’s (Dominic Fumusa) wedding to new wife Mia (Laura Benati); using “a picture of a dying nun to make a fake ID;” and nearly killing a patient.

Also in “Flight,” Carrie revealed her pregnancy to boyfriend Dr. Fitch Cooper (Peter Facinelli), aka Coop, and fellow nurse and “protégé” Zoey (Merritt Wever) decided to go back to school for her Master’s degree. Even though All Saints’ hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) gave Jackie the opportunity to come clean and enter a “diversion program” in “Flight,” Jackie turned to pharmacist and soul mate Eddie (Paul Schulze) for help in running away. The only problem with that is Jackie ended up in jail. What a mess. Jackie lost everything that meant anything to her—her career, her friendship with Zoey and other co-workers, and her daughters Grace (Ruby Jerins) and Fiona (Mackenzie Aladjem). Will she be able to come back from this recent bout with her addiction? Can Jackie pick up the pieces of her life? Will she ever be able to maintain sobriety?

As “Clean” opens, Jackie has her mug shot taken, and is introduced to the realities of prison life as she awaits her arraignment. Falco immediately proves why she won the Emmy® for her role in Nurse Jackie. The desperation she conveys with her facial expressions and the way her voice quivers when trying to get treatment for the withdrawal symptoms she’s experiencing are exemplary. After passing out, Jackie wakes up two days later in Bellevue after undergoing “sedated detox” and learns she’s being charged with drug trafficking.

It’s bad when even your friend doesn’t believe you.

I’m not sure what Jackie hopes to gain by going to see Zoey at All Saints. It’s clear Zoey is incredibly hurt and wants nothing to do with Jackie. Who can blame her? For six seasons, Zoey has looked up to Jackie, and even believed in her when Jackie went through rehab. Now, Zoey knows without a doubt Jackie can’t be trusted. Still, there’s a little piece of Zoey that wants to believe her. I got a huge chuckle out of the accent Zoey uses when pretending to be Jackie and calling “Queens Recovery” to confirm Jackie’s appointment.

Gloria decides to make Zoey “head nurse” but Zoey doesn’t “feel right about it.” With Jackie getting herself clean, Zoey thinks her coming back to All Saints and reclaiming her position is going to be easy peasy. Jackie has a long road to hoe if she’s ever to gain back Zoey’s trust, or anyone else’s for that matter. The way Wever conveys Zoey’s disappointment in Jackie and the hurt she feels over being fooled yet again is spot on. If I could vote for the Emmy® awards, Wever would certainly be my choice for Best Supporting Actress.

Hotshot lawyer Barry Wolfe (guest star Mark Feuerstein) hits the nail on the head when he tells Jackie, “Being a nurse is not just what you do; it’s who you are.” However, even though he understands Jackie, he’s not willing to take on her case to get her job back. “It’s just not strong enough to meet my criteria.” I am a longtime fan of Feuerstein’s and love him as Dr. Hank in USA’s Royal Pains. While he only appears in two small scenes in “Clean,” I have high hopes he will bring to Nurse Jackie the same charisma he brings to Royal Pains. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes (wink, wink).

The lengths some people go to in order to help their friends is amazing. Case in point, Eddie. Last season, it was stealing drugs for Jackie; in “Clean,” he thinks nothing of forging Gloria’s signature on “some fraudulent invoice forms” to cover for Jackie’s trip to Miami in “Flight.” What is wrong with this guy? Doesn’t he realize he can end up in jail for this? You know this is going to come back and bite him in the ass. In the meantime, it looks like Jackie and Eddie are doing a good job of rekindling their sexual relationship.

Gloria really loses it with Jackie in front of everyone.

Jackie finally comes to the realization, “I can’t not be a nurse; I need my life back,” and heads to All Saints to demand her reinstatement. The conversation that transpires between Jackie and Gloria is one of the worst they’ve ever had. If I didn’t know Smith was acting, I’d think the poor woman was going to have a heart attack with the way she screams at Jackie. But, I think Jackie knows exactly what she’s doing; the whole thing is a setup. You can see it in the smirk on Jackie’s face as she walks out of the E.R. And, as Barry later points out, “Now that I can work with.”

Other Observations

One of the people I feel sorry for is Kevin. It’s not easy for him to be in the middle of his current wife, Mia, and his ex-wife Jackie, while trying to do what’s best for Grace and Fiona.

Even though she’s smiling, Carrie is thinking twice about Coop’s plans.

Gilpin plays the role of ditsy blonde to perfection. I love the expression on Coop’s face when he realizes what a birdbrain Carrie truly is. Nevertheless, Coop has big plans for the two three of them although I’m not sure Carrie likes his idea.

Overall

When I first heard this season is to be the last one for Nurse Jackie, I was both sad and happy. Sad because I will miss these wonderful characters I’ve become so close to through the miracle of television. If truth be told, however, I am happy the executive producers and showrunners have decided to call it quits. How many more times can Jackie dip into the well of drugs that always seems to be at her command? And how many more times can she go through rehab only to become addicted again? I think we’ve come to the point of ‘been there, done that.’ In the meantime, I certainly am going to enjoy the last eight episodes of Nurse Jackie. While “Clean” sets up the new season as Jackie struggles to win back everyone and everything important in her life, it also gives us something else to focus on—Carrie’s pregnancy and Coop’s handling of fatherhood, which should be very funny.

What did you think of “Clean?” Hit me up on Twitter @SeasideTV or leave your comments below.

Tune in to the final season of Nurse Jackie, Sundays at 9pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.

Follow the show on Twitter, using hashtag #NurseJackie, as well as @SHO_Jackie. Like Nurse Jackie on Facebook, and stay up to date with the series on its official website.

You can also follow these cast members: Gloria @AnnaDeavereS, Thor @StephenWallem, Carrie @bettygilpin, Grace @RJerins, Fiona @mackieealadjem, and Coop @peterfacinell15 using hashtag #teamfacinelli.

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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!