46 replies to this topic

[TWoP Mars]

From Sho.com:

Kevin decides to buy Jackie a new wedding ring. At work, the automated pill machine replaces Eddie. A movie critic (played by Victor Garber) is admitted with a broken elbow. Zoey gives him the wrong dose of painkiller, resulting in a coma. Coop dumps his new girlfriend. The parents of the baby Akalitus has been taking care of come forward to resume custody. We learn that O’Hara’s mother has slid into a coma – she believes that her stepfather is responsible. Eddie follows Jackie home, and sees her with Kevin and the girls.

[elvisgrace]

I am not really any clearer on O'Hara's family. Her mom stole her fiancee when O'Hara was 25? And now the mom is in a coma, but the ex-fiancee/evil step-dad won't allow the sister to come visit the mom in the hospital? The step-dad must have durable power of attorney on behalf of the mom to be able to do this, which would explain Kevin's "fucking criminal" comment from a few episodes back.

Anyone else think the film critic lapsing in a coma is going to trigger a nervous breakdown on O'Hara's part, and that's why she freaked on Zoey? After all, Zoey didn't determine the drug or dosage, she merely administered what she was told to administer.

And I would think that someone would catch on pretty quickly that the drug computer crashes and reboots A LOT. Of course, this could be Eddie's twofold master plan...he gives his girl a present, but is also making this machine look useless and wasteful of resources, thus resulting in it being removed and him getting his job back.

Edited by elvisgrace, Aug 18, 2009 @ 2:16 AM.

[lvpoker]

Maybe I misunderstood the scene but I thought that Jackie told Zoey to give him 50mg and Zoey gave him 250mgs.

[noregrets]

After all, Zoey didn't determine the drug or dosage, she merely administered what she was told to administer.

I think lvpoker is right: Zoey gave the critic five times the dosage Jackie said to give.

[sze sze que]

Guess we will have to wait for one of the reruns this week to get the dosage scoop. Did the season end with this episode? Jackie for all the nursing she has done, doesn't know how to manage 10-12 year olds? She is a damaged person. Is this arc over?

[maatkare]

Maybe I misunderstood the scene but I thought that Jackie told Zoey to give him 50mg and Zoey gave him 250mgs.

That's what I thought, too. (And probably happens more than we'd like to know) Again, Anna Deveare Smith knocks it out when they steer her away from being a buffoon. From her quiet conspiracy with Eddie to get him another assignment to her being shamelessly smitten with Victor Garber, she ruled the screen this week.

[lvpoker]

Did the season end with this episode?

I think that there is one more episode.

[ladyrott]

Zoey definitely gave more medication then she was supposed to (Jackie said 50, she gave 250..hence O'Hara flipping on her). The first time I watched this episode, my partner, the retired nurse, was in the kitchen and she screached when O'Hara said what the dosage was. I felt so bad for Zoey...she just doesn't want to kill people!

[Last Time Lord]

When did Thor become so quoteable and funny? His "It's good to have goals" after Zoey's telling of her "I hope I don't kill people today" mantra had me and my mother howling in laughter.

[Skylergirl]

Do homecoming queens always remain bitches or is that just my personal experience? That woman deserved the verbal smackdown.

I thought Jackie told Zoey to give him 25 mcg of fentanyl and she gave 250. I will have to watch again.

Best line : You're probably one of those people who loved "Air Bud"

[sighle]

Do homecoming queens always remain bitches or is that just my personal experience? That woman deserved the verbal smackdown.

Really? I thought Jackie was completely out of line with that whole situation. First of all Grace WASN'T keeping up with the steps and secondly neither girl seemed terribly bothered about the occasional bumping. There are much better ways to better deal with that situation than the way Jackie handled it. She embarassed her daughter and proved herself to be a hothead.

[elvisgrace]

Maybe I misunderstood the scene but I thought that Jackie told Zoey to give him 50mg and Zoey gave him 250mgs.

I thought Jackie told Zoey to give him 25 mcg of fentanyl and she gave 250. I will have to watch again.

Nope, I'm the one who misunderstood, and you're the one who gets the kewpie doll! For some reason, I didn't realize O'Hara was looking at the empty vial. i thought she was looking at his chart, and referencing a previous dosage, or that this was at a later point in time after we saw Jackie and Zoey at the nurses' station, and she forgot to chart it, so he received that extra 50 on top of everything else. Ok, feeling kinda dumb now.

ETA: Is it just me, or does Thor have a more than passing resemblance to Mary Kay Place?

Edited by elvisgrace, Aug 18, 2009 @ 3:09 PM.

[bommy]

Jackie seemed particularly unlikeable this episode. She has played with Eddie's feelings way longer than seems necessary. Her outburst at dancing lessons was over the top. We get it, she's stressed out, but come on.

[Hamhock96]

Her outburst at dancing lessons was over the top. We get it, she's stressed out, but come on.

I suspect that her erratic and inappropriate behavior is caused by the drug abuse, which should be warping her personality by now.

Does anyone except me have difficulty buying Jackie as someone that every man falls in love with? Strains credulity just a little. In the first episode, Eddie referred to her "spending the night" with him. How could she ever have done that? Why would Eddie have stayed for a year with a woman who only wants sex? They never even have lunch together. Wouldn't he have been suspicious when she was unable to make any dates outside of his little office? And the doctor? Don't buy it.

[Skylergirl]

Does anyone except me have difficulty buying Jackie as someone that every man falls in love with? Strains credulity just a little. In the first episode, Eddie referred to her "spending the night" with him. How could she ever have done that? Why would Eddie have stayed for a year with a woman who only wants sex? They never even have lunch together. Wouldn't he have been suspicious when she was unable to make any dates outside of his little office? And the doctor? Don't buy it.

You are not alone. As much as I love Edie Falco as an actress, especially one that is willing to look like a "normal" woman in her forties as opposed to a botox queen we have seen on other shows, they have also tried to make her character as unattractive as possible, both physically and emotionally.

I just watched again, and while I think Jackie overreacted in the dance class, I do think she was baited by the homecoming queen who kept telling her daughter how well she was doing when Jackie politely (at first) asked her to move over a little bit.

[ebonygoddess]

Why would Eddie have stayed for a year with a woman who only wants sex?

For some people this constitutes the perfect relationship.

[Madmarsha]

Does anyone except me have difficulty buying Jackie as someone that every man falls in love with?

Was just thinking that. There are a LOT of single women that can't get one date. Jackie, who looks rode hard and put away wet, has all KINDS of men either in love or puppy love with her and buying her things. The hardest one is Coop tho. Just ridiculous.

For some people this constitutes the perfect relationship

Eddie is such a schmuck. A sweet one but schmuck nonetheless to have convinced himself that he was in a legit relationship with a woman who he has never seen outside of the hospital and barely ever outside of his cubbyhole. But I think Jackie gets off on the booty call aspect as much as the pharmaceutical benefit she gets even though clearly she's not in it emotionally.

[izabella]

I'm not really buying it that the doctor would suddenly be all into Jackie to the point he'd dump that woman he had been seeing. Granted, she seemed like a bit of a bitch, but Coop has not had a warm, fuzzy relationship with Jackie. Why would one kiss change his feelings about her so much?

He's a weirdo, though, with his inappropriate touching tic, so maybe he's messed up as far as women go.

I really feel bad for Eddie, both because of his job and because he seems to care about Jackie.

[Hamhock96]

Why would Eddie have stayed for a year with a woman who only wants sex?

For some people this constitutes the perfect relationship.

Eddie is such a schmuck. A sweet one but schmuck nonetheless to have convinced himself that he was in a legit relationship with a woman who he has never seen outside of the hospital and barely ever outside of his cubbyhole. But I think Jackie gets off on the booty call aspect as much as the pharmaceutical benefit she gets even though clearly she's not in it emotionally.

The whole point of the Eddie-Jackie thing is that for Eddie it's obviously more than just sex -- he's romantic about it, but that seems ridiculous when there has been no reason for him to think that there is a "relationship" -- it's only ever been sex in the closet. So, is he just dumb? or what? And speaking of straining credulity, how is it that no one has figured out that Jackie is high all the time? Are we supposed to believe that she is so clever with dosages that she is able to keep from nodding out? How about the pupil dilation discussed in the episode with the temp nurse? None of these medical professionals is on to her? It's all very odd and doesn't seem realistic, though I guess that this sort of thing does go on.

[Madmarsha]

Here's the other thing about Coop. He finds Jackie's spontaneous kiss a more intimate act than, say, spontaneously grabbing a co-worker's private part? IOW, if his grabbing her boob wasn't a come-on, why would he automatically think Jackie kissing him was her coming on to him? He really is a dim bulb for one smart enough to be a doctor.

[maatkare]

And speaking of straining credulity, how is it that no one has figured out that Jackie is high all the time? Are we supposed to believe that she is so clever with dosages that she is able to keep from nodding out?

Well, I would expect a nurse to have dosing down to a science, but yeah, you'd think people would be noticing by now. But many addicts are very clever, so I've bought it all season. I must say, Momo was hilarious with his revulsion at the spider in the ear, yet his perseverance in getting it out. Loved the line, "what, do you live in the woods?!"

[valsinger]

I think Eddie has been fooling himself about Jackie for some time. He seems to be one of those people who lives on wishful thinking. When he showed her how to unplug the machine to get the drugs he knows she needs because of her bad back, he was setting up a "remember me every time you do this" for when he wouldn't be there any longer. We don't know anything about his life outside the hospital, so it's possible to assume he really doesn't have anything else.

As far as Coop goes, his sudden fall for Jackie strains credibility, but just a bit. Coop had a weird childhood, and was brought up by two strong women. His "tic" is woman-directed, and as far as we know, Jackie's the only one at the hospital who brought it out in him, so that puts her in a different category from all the other women. She already has some kind of "connection" to him. I can see that when she kissed him, it would change things significantly for him. The fact that he can only respond to it by being little-boy-like actually does make some sense. His self-esteem may be so damaged that a beautiful model bringing him gifts could only make him feel unworthy, while a relationship with an older woman who is sort of abusive to him might well be attractive.

Yes, Jackie is not very likeable. But she is fascinating to watch, kind of like a car wreck. I'm most pleased that this episode showed she has not harmed her relationship with O'Hara, because right now O'Hara seems like the only one with any chance of helping her.

[ladyrott]

Jackie's freak out at the tap class was annoying on a lot of levels. I kept thinking "why dont you and Grace move AWAY from that woman?!" Shift over a row and problem solved without embarrassing your kid.

[annalisa]

When the show started - I thought I would love Jackie but I have been disliking her more and more in the last two episodes.

I agree - it's difficult to believe she is such a man-magnet. She's humorless, rude, irrational and it drives me crazy how she always freezes up in fear when her older daughter acts up. Granted her daughter has emotional issues and I feel bad for her but come on, who's in fucking charge here?

Eddie is just plain stupid. One year of a secret relationship that he has clearly told Jackie he wants to progress and this is the first time he decides to follow her home and see what her life is really about?

In addition to Tourette's, Coup must have Asberger's. He is intellectually smart but can't get a handle on any social interactions to save his life.

I love Zoe, Momo, Thor, Akilitis and O'Hara. If they took Jackie out - I don't think I would miss her....but I still love Edie Falco.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Last Time Lord: When did Thor become so quotable and funny? His "It's good to have goals" after Zoey's telling of her "I hope I don't kill people today" mantra had me and my mother howling in laughter.

That exchange was hilarious!

elvisgrace: Is it just me, or does Thor have a more than passing resemblance to Mary Kay Place?

I totally agree!!!

Hamhock96: Does anyone except me have difficulty buying Jackie as someone that every man falls in love with?

annalisa: I agree - it's difficult to believe she is such a man-magnet.

While I could not agree more, I'm also relieved that one of the shows I watch is giving me the female version (somewhat) of Tommy Galvin in "Rescue Me" and Vinnie Chase in "Entourage".

Poor Eddie.

So sho.com messed up the summary re Akalitus and the baby.

If I thought there were an insect in my ear, I would be tilting my head in the opposite direction.

Edited by hoodooznoodooz, Aug 19, 2009 @ 2:45 PM.

[Hamhock96]

I must say, Momo was hilarious with his revulsion at the spider in the ear, yet his perseverance in getting it out. Loved the line, "what, do you live in the woods?!"

That was a GREAT scene! Scary, but great.

She's humorless, rude, irrational and it drives me crazy how she always freezes up in fear when her older daughter acts up. Granted her daughter has emotional issues and I feel bad for her but come on, who's in fucking charge here?

I think that Jacob has the right line on this: the daughter senses that all is not well and Jackie is guilty about that, so she is very confused about what she should do. The daughter is correct to sense that things are not normal, and Jackie knows that things are not normal, so she is confused about how to proceed, since she is unable to confirm her daughter's fears without confessing to her various betrayals of her family. Good way to totally make someone crazy: keep denying what they know to be true. Jackie, give her credit, hesitates to do that to her child.

[Madmarsha]

Coop had a weird childhood, and was brought up by two strong women ... I can see that when she kissed him, it would change things significantly for him. The fact that he can only respond to it by being little-boy-like actually does make some sense.

It does. And the possible Oedipal angle only makes me squirm more when I see Coop. He really makes me want to vomit anymore. I think I'm pretty clear what we're supposed to feel about all the other characters but Jackie and Coop. Jackie is a junkie ... but she donates other people's organs to save lives! Coop can't be bothered to answer his pager except when he wants to ... but he is a puppy dog raised by two lesbians!

[Swiftyriver]

The whole point of the Eddie-Jackie thing is that for Eddie it's obviously more than just sex -- he's romantic about it, but that seems ridiculous when there has been no reason for him to think that there is a "relationship" -- it's only ever been sex in the closet. So, is he just dumb? or what? And speaking of straining credulity, how is it that no one has figured out that Jackie is high all the time? Are we supposed to believe that she is so clever with dosages that she is able to keep from nodding out? How about the pupil dilation discussed in the episode with the temp nurse? None of these medical professionals is on to her? It's all very odd and doesn't seem realistic, though I guess that this sort of thing does go on.

Dilated pupils are not always evident - not all drugs case dilation and not all people dilate. When I go to my eye doctor, he has to use 5x the normal dosage of Cyclogyl to get my pupils to dilate at all. However, eyes dilate from arousal, drug withdrawal causes dilation, dilation is very subjective. And not everyone gets drowsy on pain killers. Many people with chronic pain problems who take narcotics regularly work and live normally and no one would know they are on anything. I take Percoset for arthritis almost daily, and no one would have any clue. I am not spaced out or goofy, not drowsy - I'm just able to do my job while having relief from the pain. I know a fibromyalgia patient who takes 120mg of morphine sulfate daily and is a perfectly capable and respected professional, wife and mother. Prescription pain killers don't usually provide the kind of loopy high street drugs give (though some people are very sensitive to them). The kinds of pain killers Jackie is using are for maintenance, to help enable normal living in people with chronic pain; so it makes sense you're not seeing weird "After School Special" behavior of someone on street drugs. While Jackie is definitely abusing since she doesn't have chronic physical pain, she is taking the pills, not to get high, but to grind through the mental and emotional hell of her days. She's trying to maintain, not escape.

[Hamhock96]

Thank you, swiftyriver.

But do you agree that her erratic and impatient behavior could be related to the drug abuse? It seems as though she is mixing those drugs with no margin for error on the mixes and that, sooner or later, there will be a crash. What if she's suddenly cut off? Interested in this issue.

Did anyone else think that maybe that Zoe overdose was somehow manipulated by Jackie in order to hurt Zoe's credibility in case issues come up where it's Jackie's word against Zoe's? I mean, they didn't show it, but I thought about it.

[ebonygoddess]

His "tic" is woman-directed, and as far as we know, Jackie's the only one at the hospital who brought it out in him,

He grabbed O'Hara too when they were operating on one of his mother's.

While Jackie is definitely abusing since she doesn't have chronic physical pain,

She has a bad back. Nursing is a rather physical job so I imagine she is in a certain amount of physical pain.