Nurse Jackie Review: "Batting Practice"

at .

For an episode titled "Batting Practice," Nurse Jackie didn't really hit any storylines out of the park this week.

Can anyone say the events on this installment left them anxious for next Monday's season finale? There's not exactly a lot of momentum heading into it.

Tending to a Patient

Kevin seems to be on to his wife, but there's so little interaction between this couple that I can't pretend to be very invested in their relationship. I'd absolutely leave if I were Kevin, considering how generally unhappy both he and Jackie seem together.

Could their tumultuous marriage even be contributing to their daughter's anxiety? Grace might be far more relaxed without so much tension in the house.

That would be my prediction for the finale: Kevin asks for a divorce and Jackie falls completely back on the wagon again.

Then again, it's not like she's truly off. Gulping down her daughter's meds was a new low, really, one that finally caused O'Hara to jump in and make an unusual offer: I'll detox you myself via whatever pills you need to get clean. I don't think it will work. I don't think Jackie even wants it to work.

As for other developments on the episode:

  • That was a nice moment for Coop. He's my favorite character, but he can also come across as a caricature. So it was nice to hear his Best Man chat with Eddie and have him admit to his shortcomings. It humanized him.
  • Seriously, Zoey, do you not realize how awesome Lenny is?!? The guy may be out to lunch - or desert, to be more specific, considering his candy intake - but I promise you'll never find a man who loves you as much as he does.
  • Akalitus may be the biggest waste of a character on television. She's just such a blatant attempt to bring levity to a serious show and none of her storylines ever feel realistic or interesting.

So, as we head into the season finale, where do you stand on Nurse Jackie? Are Kelly's admission, Coop's wedding and Kevin's impending explosion enough to keep you intrigued?

Batting Practice Review

Editor Rating: 3.7 / 5.0
  • 3.7 / 5.0
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
User Rating:

Rating: 3.9 / 5.0 (14 Votes)

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.

Show Comments
Tags: ,