Open wide for the next dose of Nurse Jackie
VIEWERS gravitate towards a fallible protagonist because it makes the character easier to relate to. In an era ruled by reality TV, Hollywood writers can only but oblige, which explains the sway of Hugh Laurie’s character in House.
In a way, Edie Falco is a female version of Dr Gregory House.
Although her reign as Carmela Soprano in the hit TV series The Sopranos shadowed her for six seasons, Falco made an indelible impression as Jackie Peyton, a nurse at the emergency ward at All Saints Hospital in New York City – and bagged an Emmy for it.
Aside from battling with an addiction to painkillers, she, tapping into a Robin Hood kind of spirit, makes morally questionable decisions to help her less fortunate patients.
Over the past two seasons, Jackie, a rebel when it comes to rules, has forged an organ donor authorisation, flushed the severed ear of a diplomat down the toilet and ignored protocol to help a 10-year-old girl caring for her lupus-stricken mother, among other instances of misconduct.
While her actions are deemed reprehensible from an ethical perspective, Jackie, in the same breath, redeems herself for her do-gooder deeds.
Season three starts with Kevin confronting Jackie about her addiction but Jackie manages to dodge the bullet again. And she is annoyed by the arrival of Kelly Slater, who has the hospital staff singing her praises.
Jackie’s juggling act with her job, family dilemmas and her addiction gets difficult a lot of the time.
Falco can relate to her character’s addiction, having confessed to being an alcoholic herself… sober for 20 years now.
She admits that there are times she wants Jackie to be accountable for her actions.
In an interview with Slate.com, she said: “Not just for my kids; for the sake of people in general. Addictions have had such an impact on my life and the people I love, and there really is not a lot about it that is funny. So the last thing I wanted was to give the impression that it’s all fun and games… It’s important that we are accurate as far as showing the ramifications of this kind of behaviour goes.”
As for what attracted her to the role, Falco said: “I think it was more the woman than her behaviour. She’s a bit of a vigilante. She’s always working around the rules to get whatever she needs and she wants to be a good nurse.”
On juggling a career and family, she added: “There was a time when I considered myself a work addict. But that’s no longer accurate. My life has changed so dramatically over the past number of years, especially having a family now. My priorities have shifted. But I think in her (Jackie’s) case, work is how she manages her inner life. It’s how she identifies herself, and she has delusions of grandeur in terms of her capabilities.”
The new season of Nurse Jackie is laden with a high dose of dubiousness, upsets and blackmail as the conflicted nurse braves the repercussions of her actions.
Nurse Jackie, M-Net (DStv Channel 101), Tuesdays at 11pm.