In the latest episode of Nurse Jackie (played by Edie Falco in this Showtime series), Jackie is quintessential Jackie. In past shows, we saw Jackie acting as a medical Robin Hood, never hesitating to rob from the rich (those who bestow health insurance) to help the poor (those who don't have it or aren't served well by their health insurance). ...

On vacation last week, my husband and I were sitting in a great restaurant with a quartet of septuagenarians at the table across from us. After several drinks their conversation got a little louder and I perked up when I heard one woman say, ''One show I love is Nurse Jackie.''Once you meet Jackie you don't forget her; she is undoubtedly a ...

What's worse: a nurse Jackie who is stoned on painkillers, or withdrawing from them? This seems to be the dichotomy of the Jackie we see in most episodes of Nurse Jackie - the drug-addict who's somehow still managing to keep it all together - and the opiate-craving, agitated and unraveling Jackie we see in the finale. By the finale of ...