If you indulge in the naughty habit of ''Nurse Jackie,'' you already know: ''Her boyfriend's back and there's gonna be trouble.... Hey la, hey la, her boyfriend's back...'' Musical references aside, Eddie's due back in the pharmacy (as of this week's Showtime episode), after the Pill-O-Matix ceased functioning. Mrs. Akalitus decided it was just ...

I just finished reading Finding Frances, a book by Janice M. Van Dyck. Frances is Frances Baldwin, a lifetime heavy smoker who is dying of COPD. After suffering with the condition for some time, she learns there are treatment options for her; she can have several surgeries that will prolong her life, but quality of life will not be optimal. ...

On this week's episode of Showtime's nurse-centric hit Nurse Jackie,  Jackie (Edie Falco) and BFF Dr. O'Hara (Eve Best) take it upon themselves to stitch up little Fiona's cut lip - right in Jackie's kitchen. Hmmm.... And exactly how clean is that kitchen table? Do I hear the siren call of bacteria summoning an infection? Jackie's ...

Have you ever known a Nurse Jackie in your own life? You know the kind -- full of swagger and bravado, oozing with street smarts and clever comebacks, never one to turn away from conflict. Showtime, which aired the latest episode last night, recently asked that question to its viewers. Online respondents revealed: ''Jackie reminds me ...

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). ...

If you enjoy the outlandishness of ''Nurse Jackie,'' this week's Episode 2 is for you. If, on the other hand, the gutter-spiked vocabulary and leap-before-looking behaviors cause you to feel reflected disgust, better to dye some colored eggs than tune in. Episode 2 opens with nurse Jackie (Edie Falco) rifling through plastic Easter eggs in a ...