Nurse Jackie s2 ep 12; The Big C s1 ep 13
As both of these seasons finished within a week of each other, I thought I might deal with the Showtime women together. I remain firmly of the view that Nurse Jackie is the better show by some distance, although the season 2 finale wasn’t a particular highpoint: in fact, the tap-dancing scene was something of a nadir as far as I was concerned, unless it was supposed to be someone’s hallucination. Eleanor more or less rumbled Jackie, then seemed to forgive her; the drug dealer caught up with Jackie, then got frightened off by a nurse; Kevin thinks he knows it all, and is probably going to let Jackie off again. And the final scene, which might or might not have been intended as a fourth-wall-breaker, suggested that Jackie is indeed going to walk away, once again, from any consequences: a bit of hugging, but no learning.
Still, that’s Nurse Jackie, the show and the character, for you. And even in an average week the show continues to score very heavily because of the incidental detail and the strength of the supporting cast: this week the riches included Coop getting punched out by Sam, Gloria (who’s had a good season) finding God, and the impossible sweetness of Zoey and Lenny. If Lenny ever gets tired of Zoey, I’m totally there. Season 3 has started in the US, which probably means that the BBC will show us it in 2012, bouncing it about in the schedules to accommodate minority-taste sporting events.
The Big C, on the other hand, certainly doesn’t have the same strength in depth in the cast: much as I like Oliver Platt and John Benjamin Hickey they’re no Eleanor and Zoey. And too much of this season has been frustrating. The season 1 finale, though, was arguably the best episode of the season, possibly excluding the first. Everyone finally grew up: Cathy went into treatment; Sean had a shower and took some responsibility for his actions; and Adam, most movingly of all, realised, as we all have to, that we will probably outlive our parents, and that it might happen sooner than we would like. In fact the final five minutes of this episode, including Cathy’s vision of the past and the future coming together, and Adam in the lock-up, justified the whole season. The Big C has been renewed for a second season, which hasn’t yet started in America, and we’re promised it in the UK before the end of the year.
It was an odd ending to Nurse Jackie but I admired the fact that her reaction to the intervention was true to character – all hugs in public to manipulate her way out of it and a “feck ‘em, what do they know anyway” in private. I don’t know how ling this can continue, though, from an entertainment perspective. Edie Falco is great but I’m not sure I’d still be watching if it weren’t for the supporting characters.
Somewhat belatedly …
I didn’t like the Nurse Jackie finale. It was all being built up to come to a massive intervention, but then Jackie blows it all off in her mind and I lost what little remaining sympathy I had for the character. Penny to a pound she opens up next season with all guns blazing, as she always does when cornered. Surely she has to start some kind of retribution arc eventually, but I find myself not caring overly. Like a number of other shows with strong female leads over the years, Jackie is now by far the least interesting character. Can’t we just rename the series The Zoey and Gloria Show?
As for The Big C, I thought the last few episodes saw the series finding its feet again after drifting a bit after the exceptionally strong pilot. It hasn’t gone in quite the direction I was anticipating, but Cathy’s secret finally being let out of the bag opens up a rich vein which I’m hoping will really flesh out Paul and Adam in particular. The scene at the end with Adam in the lock-up just about made an entire season of his self-centred, couldn’t-care-less (i.e. teenage boy) attitude worthwhile – it had far more of an emotional wallop than if he had been a loving and devoted son throughout. There are signs that the characters will be allowed to grow and change in season 2, so I’m hoping for good things.
I know what you mean about Jackie, but I quite like the fact that she’s so unsympathetic. The early seasons of House were so bracing precisely because he wasn’t interested in being redeemed or treated – he was how he was.
But yes, if Zoey were to get a spinoff… (sigh)
Apparently Sky Atlantic has bought the rights to season 3 of Nurse Jackie, and will be showing it in July. This is good news, at least for those of you with Sky Atlantic.