Archive

Next season of “Nurse Jackie” may mean trouble for Jackie but love for O’Hara

Nurse Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco) reached the end of another season this week without overdosing or getting fired or being locked up in rehab.

But things weren’t as easy as they have been in past seasons and by the end of the season finale, we were all certain that everything was finally catching up with Jackie. (Spoilers ahead.)

Kevin shows up at the hospital with the kids, after trying to get in touch with Jackie all day. He wants to talk – never a good sign. And, at the insistence of Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith), Jackie has just peed in a cup for a drug test that she knows she can’t pass. All seems lost as Jackie braces herself for Kevin’s confrontation.

Falco and the show’s executive producers Linda Wallem, Liz Brixius and Richie Jackson talk about what happens next – and exactly what would have to happen for Jackie to hit bottom.

Meanwhile, Akalitus decides that she’s been pushed around by TPTB a little too much lately and this is her time to push back. Jackie doesn’t know it yet, but Akalitus saves her career. And according to Brixius, that was the plan for the administrator from Episode 1.

“That was her arc,” Brixius told TV Guide. “We had to have it approved by the network. Then, when the time actually came, they were like, ‘You cannot have her dump the pee – then Jackie’s off the hook!’ We were like, ‘But Jackie doesn’t know she’s off the hook. It’s going to be awesome!’ I was like, ‘I want Jackie to turn to Kevin and say, ‘Pack your bags’ while ‘Hit the Road Jack’ plays and Akalitus walks down a long hallway and dumps it. You’ve got to let us do it!'”

And it was perfect.

Jackie’s relationship with Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) also took a major hit this season after Jackie walked away from the intervention that closed Season 2.

Now that the two friends are back on good terms, Brixius says we might actually see O’Hara get a life.

“[O’Hara is] the kind of friend I think we all wish we had. She can look at Jackie in the nonconventional ways and not be trying to get her to go to meetings or forcing her to white-knuckle it. She loves her. She wants her to be OK. She also doesn’t have a life – but she will in Season 4, to answer your question. In Season 3, O’Hara didn’t have anything competing for her affection, really.”

And what competes for O’Hara’s affection may, in fact, be a love interest.

“O’Hara bought a townhouse and she probably bought it for a reason. … There’s not going to be less O’Hara, but there is going to be less availability of O’Hara to Jackie.”

Brixius didn’t hint at the gender of O’Hara’s new love, but I certainly wouldn’t mind if Eleanor’s ex Sarah (Julia Ormond) saw the error of her ways and came back.

Although I wouldn’t be surprised if Season 4 is Nurse Jackie‘s last, I’m glad we have another round to find out if Jackie will get finally decide to get her life on track. But I’m not counting on it.

Were you surprised at the Nurse Jackie season finale? What would you like to see from the characters in Season 4?

Lesbian Apparel and Accessories Gay All Day sweatshirt -- AE exclusive

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Back to top button