‘Nurse Jackie’ continues to serve up tough medicine, laughs

Nurse Jackie, Season Two

Showtime

Monday, 10 p.m.

Showtime

Monday, 10 p.m.

Starring: Edie Falco, Merritt Wever

Grade: B+

When we last saw Edie Falco’s acerbic, conflicted Jackie, she was lying down and hallucinating in a painkiller-induced haze, attempting to block out the very real problems that seemed to be crashing down upon her life.

Among those on the list: an addiction to aforementioned painkillers, ending the affair she was having with the hospital’s former pharmacist and learning that the pharmacist has since met her husband. She doesn’t know whether he spilled the pills or not, but after a season of close encounters and a steady decline into misery, the finale seemed entirely appropriate for the hit Showtime series.

Now, fast forward three months later, and we learn that all is (seemingly) well with Jackie and her family. Likewise, all is (seemingly) well with the show.

“Nurse Jackie’s” first season worked so well primarily because of its stellar writing — managing to have feet on both the dramatic and comedic sides of the line, striking an emotionally rewarding balance rarely seen on television, premium cable or not.

The characters — from the delightfully awkward Zoey (Merritt Wever) to the constantly sarcastic Dr. O’Hara (Eve Best) — interacted in such realistic ways, and the tired concept of the medical drama took on a humanity (and a sense of realism) that made “Grey’s Anatomy” look like a telenovela.

In this new season, however, while the writing is still sharp and the performances still on point, the show is starting to exhibit the faintest hints of faltering. An odd addition to the cast (more so a replacement, because of the departure of Haaz Sleiman) has a rehabilitated nurse from the first season back with the sole intention of being a plot tool to explore Jackie’s addiction in upcoming episodes.

Wever and O’Hara aren’t given much to do, and pharmacist Eddie (Paul Schulze) wanders in and out of scenes, totally unaware that his storyline is no longer compelling for viewers.

At this point, however, the good heavily outweighs the bad. Peter Facinelli’s Dr. Cooper — or Coop, as he prefers to be called — is developing naturally, though he is still somewhat of a doofus. In the second episode, he defends his tweeting of hospital goings-on by saying, “People follow my life online. I’m sharing my thoughts with the world,” and then, “It’s not blogging — it’s Twitter.”

And Twitter users everywhere shout a hearty, “Thank you!”

I have faith that the show can catch itself before it slips past the point of no return.

The Eddie storyline needs to be resolved, stat, and let’s bring the supporting characters back into the foreground, because although Falco is incredible, “Nurse Jackie” is best when it performs as a team.