Review: Nurse Jackie, S4, E2 – “Disneyland Sucks”
Air Date: Sunday, April 15, 2012, 9:00 pm ET/PT on Showtime
Rating:
“Disneyland Sucks” is both the title of this week’s episode and what Jackie (Edie Falco) say to Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) and Gloria Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) on a stolen cell phone. After five days of restless and erratic sleep, Jackie finally lifts her head off her pillow only to see a strange woman poking her toe with a fork. The Jackie we know would have lambasted the woman, who happens to be her roommate, but this subdued Jackie merely goes back to sleep to wake another day. I want my feisty Nurse Jackie back!
Jackie, Charlie and Wayne in group therapy
There are some pretty fucked up people in Jackie’s group therapy sessions. For starters, there’s her roommate Doris (Mary Louise Wilson), the fork poker; Wayne (NBA star Carmelo Anthony), a baseball player who drove a Ferrari into a wall to see if it had air bags; Trish (Margaret Colin), who blew five grand on porcelain clowns on QVC; and Charlie (Jake Cannavale), a skater dude who loves his pills. When group leader Laura (Laura Silverman) says, “Tell us about yourself, Jackie,” I am saddened by Jackie’s answer. “I’m a nurse…that’s all, I’m a nurse.” Does she really define herself as just a nurse? What about a mother, a wife, a friend, a lover? A lot more goes into making Jackie who she is but I suppose not realizing this may be the root cause of Jackie’s addiction. Having spoken with drug counselors in my lifetime, I can attest that Silverman is doing a good job of portraying her character. She may be young, but she comes across like a real-life drug counselor.
Gloria looks disapproving at the Quantum Bay bags Zoey, Thor and Sam are holding
What a perfect segue as we move from Jackie’s statement to Gloria’s declaration to the staff, “I’m a nurse, same as you.” Yeah, right—as if! This leopard isn’t about to change her spots anytime soon, as we see when she directs Thor (Stephen Wallem) to get a different chair for her. Hah! Although Gloria has a take-charge attitude, she has frequently been the butt of many jokes as the hospital administrator; were she to become just a nurse, I’m afraid we’d lose that comedic element. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. As an aside, Zoey (Merritt Wever) cracks me up when she holds Gloria’s chair for her; it looks like she’s genuflecting!
The staff buys Gloria’s story that Jackie is at “Disneyland.” I love the name Jackie gave the rehabilitation facility last week. Disneyland—where everything is a fantasy and nothing is real. How apropos! I have to admit, though, I totally relate to Jackie’s story of how she became addicted in the first place—even if every word is a lie!
Coop laughs at everything Dr. Cruz says. Check out Coop's weird new look!
Quantum Bay has promised big changes for All Saints, but a helipad? That’s not what Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) has in mind when she envisions how the changes might affect her and her patients. And Coop (Peter Facinelli) has his head so far up Cruz’s (Bobby Cannavale) ass, all he can do is laugh and agree with everything Cruz says without giving it a thought. On another note, what’s up with Coop’s mustache, “goatee,” and dressing like a college kid? At least we won’t have to put up with the mustache much longer because Cruz tells him to shave it.
I like Dr. Cruz. While he has a strange way of doing things (check the scene when everyone is about to lift a patient from a gurney onto a bed), it appears he really does have the best interests of the staff at heart—at least he does where O’Hara is concerned. I wonder if he’s the kind of man who is turned on by a pregnant woman. Why else would he make Gloria switch offices with O’Hara?
Jackie may be trying to change but she can’t get away from being a caring person. She and Charlie share their stories and the truth of when Jackie first began taking Percocet comes out. I must admit, I was surprised and saddened by Jackie’s admission. To think a baby could drive a mother to drugs is heartbreaking. I can see why Jake Cannavale was offered the role of Charlie. He is as charismatic and good looking as his father Bobby and pulls off teenage angst perfectly.
Funny scenes:
One of the funniest scenes is when everyone has their pictures taken for the new photo I.D. badges everyone must wear. I love the faces Zoey, Thor and Gloria make—Zoey, posing like a model; Thor, with the biggest grin ever; and Gloria, who is either pursing her lips as if she’s kissing, or making an exaggerated face over her dislike of the new badges—I’m not sure. LOL! Poor Eddie (Paul Schulze); his picture shows the marks of the beating he took from Kevin last week.
Blithe (Colby Minifie), a young woman who’s come to All Saints after a fall from a fire escape, and her obnoxious boyfriend Jeff (Josh Grisetti) provide another hearty chuckle for me. As Coop and Zoey roll Blithe’s gurney down the hallway, Josh wants to know if her legs are going to be ok. Coop tells him to go blow on her feet to see if she’s paralyzed. I immediately knew what was going to happen but laughed out loud anyway—I’m a sucker for an obnoxious guy getting kicked in the head by his girl.
Funny/memorable lines:
Thor: “Quantum Bay. More like Guantanamo Bay.”
***
Laura: “You come from a very fucked up place.”
Jackie: “I come from Queens.”
***
Charlie to Jackie: “I love my drugs and they love me. They’re gonna bury me and guess what? I’m fine with it.”
***
Charlie: “Doris, this is private.”
Doris: “Oh, whites only? You’re a prick.”
By the way, Doris is Caucasian.
***
“Disneyland Sucks” reminds me of one of my favorite movies, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Thankfully, though, Laura is nothing like ‘Nurse Ratchet.’She’s a very straightforward and blunt therapist who cares about her patients. She doesn’t pull any punches, though, and doesn’t let Jackie get away with any crap, telling her exactly how it is. She does relent, however, after Jackie pulls a stunt to see her daughter Grace (Ruby Jerins). I hope Laura makes the right call because, as we all know, addicts will say and do anything to get what they want. Let’s hope Jackie follows the rules because she really needs to stay in rehab if she’s going to have any sense of normalcy in her life post-Disneyland.
Tune in to Nurse Jackie Sundays at 9:00 pm ET/PT, only on Showtime.
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All photos © 2012 Showtime Network, Inc., a CBS company. All rights reserved.
Linda
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