unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard a thing or two about nurse jackie, the fabulous new show from the people at showtime. edie falco plays a nurse with her own brand of wonky morals who manages to keep you in her corner no matter what iffy things she does. (fyi: from what i've read, this season will reach new depths with an unravelling of sorts for our robin hood in scrubs.)
falco demonstrated her incredible talent on the sopranos for six seasons, but playing jackie peyton has allowed her to go in a whole new direction, and it's a complete joy to watch. this in part due to a dedicated supporting cast and i wanted to make special mention of one of these supporting players, because she keeps grabbing my attention every week.
merritt wever plays jackie's protégé zoey barkow- a sweet and shy but smart and earnest nurse, desperately trying to get a handle on how things work. all reviews i've read thus far have deservedly praised falco and the show as a whole, but wever's work is also worthy of note. she plays zoey with an original charm and winsome quirkiness, making what could have been a terribly irritating character the underdog you love watching. she's caught this television lover's eye, and i can't help but look forward to seeing her work the rest of this season and beyond.
and if you still haven't seen nurse jackie, take this as your official cue to tune in.
• nurse jackie airs monday nights at 10 pm on the movie network, or you can catch it on TMN on demand.
