Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 6 - "When the Saints Go"

Airdate: Monday, May 2, 2001, 10:00 pm ET/PT

Rating: ★★★★★

It’s common knowledge that drug addicts will do anything to get their next fix and hide their addiction from family and friends. So I wasn’t surprised to see Jackie (Edie Falco) surfing the Internet looking for “Oxycodone” and “Roxy Online,” and then quickly deleting her browsing history when Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) enters the room. I was surprised, however, when he later peeks at her Internet history and finds several hits for AA meeting times, sobriety, addiction recovery, etc. Oh, Jackie, what a sneak you’ve turned into. You’ve always been a pro at hiding your addiction but to fool Kevin like this? I feel so sorry for him, despite the big grin on his face.

All Saints has lost the fight for a visit from First Lady Michelle Obama. Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) is none too happy that instead of being with the First Lady, she has to deal with watching “pirates gut my chapel.” When Jackie asks if there’s anything she can do, Akalitus tells her she can be nice to the new hire.

Akalitus: “…I scoured the budget and hired a temp. His name is Kelly. Don’t eat him alive.”

Jackie: “What if I get hungry?”

Akalitus: “Resist the urge.”

Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 6 - "When the Saints Go" 1

Eddie (Paul Schulze) telling Jackie (Edie Falco) of his plans to ask Tunie out

Right away, I can see Kelly (Gbenga Akinnagbe) is going to be a problem for Jackie. Mia (Virginia Kull), an innocent bystander who was shot during a robbery, and an injured cop, Officer Ryan (Rene Ifrah), are brought into All Saints and Kelly tries to takes over for Jackie, practically pushing her out of the way; that is, until Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) steps in. “You … go and assist Dr. Cooper.” What’s worse is when he sits at Jackie’s desk, regaling Thor (Stephen Wallem) and Sam (Arjun Gupta) with tales of his worldwide travels. The angry look on Zoey’s (Merritt Wever) face as she comes to Jackie’s defense is just comical. “It’s HER desk!” And how about the balls on that guy when he sits back down in Jackie’s chair after she leaves? Oh yes, trouble is brewing at All Saints. For some reason, though, Jackie doesn’t seem bothered. Is it possible Jackie is actually being nice to Kelly?

Speaking of balls, can you believe Jackie asks Eddie (Paul Schulze) not to go out with Tunie (Jaimie Alexander)? Kevin has been pushing Eddie to date her, and even though Jackie previously told Eddie it was OK, she has changed her tune. Does this mean she’s going to try to have her cake and eat it, too? I wonder what Eddie is going to do about this situation.

Review - Nurse Jackie, Season 3, Episode 6 - "When the Saints Go" 2

Coop (Peter Facinelli) and Officer Ryan (Rene Ifrah) discussing their mutual problems

It’s really quite funny when Officer Ryan asks about Coop’s foot injury, commenting, “My grandmother had one of those after bunion surgery.” Coop explains he smashed his Achilles tendon while playing hoops, the same lie he’s been telling his co-workers. He is still trying to make himself more important than he really is. Since Officer Ryan doesn’t have any broken ribs or any other discernable injury, Coop can’t give him the pain medication he’s requesting. That is, until Officer Ryan empathizes with Coop about his problems—his mothers’ impending divorce, the loss of the Chief of ER promotion—which none of his co-workers do. Suddenly, Coop “sees” a hairline fracture, knowing full well he’s giving Ryan the chance to save face with his fellow officers. Poor Coop – he really needs a friend.

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Jackie (Edie Falco) has trouble going inside her home as she sits, contemplating the downward spiral her life is taking

It’s very sad to watch Eddie, Dr. O’Hara and Jackie sit in the empty church, thinking about all the conversations they’ve had in the chapel, taking swigs out of Eddie’s flask. Everyone except Jackie. Mustn’t mix pills with booze, right? As Jackie exits the hospital, Akalitus watches the end of an era approach when the last of the statues is loaded into the truck bound for Staten Island, and Jackie commiserates with her. I guess Jackie really did honor Akalitus’ request to be nice to the new guy after all, as Kelly comes over to thank them for a good first day. If I know Jackie, this “niceness” won’t last long.

“When the Saints Go” is chock full of dark comedy, light humor and plenty of pathos, and is a classic example of why I love Nurse Jackie.

Watch Nurse Jackie, Mondays at 10:00 pm ET/PT only on Showtime.

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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!