If there’s one thing we’ve learned through years of diligent television viewing, it’s that love-triangles must and always do get exposed.
So, why is it still surprising that Eddie Waltzer uncovered Jackie Peyton’s secret marriage? The answer is in the journey. After eleven episodes of Nurse Jackie, we’ve come to root for Jackie’s illicit affair. This is the key to sustaining a good writing team: the ability to draw viewers into one of several plot lines they’ve seen or heard before and still make it intriguing. It was inevitable that Eddie would discover that Jackie was married, or that Jackie’s husband Kevin would learn about Eddie. But, when Eddie tailed Jackie home in that closing bar scene of family life, viewers felt a brief moment of shock and surprise.
She can be a bitch at times, but viewers love their Jackie. Her character draws us in, every week, to a colored lifestyle that is all too real. There’s nothing overtly wrong in Jackie’s life or marriage, yet we hope that both her drug addiction and hospital romance continue to go on undiscovered. Jackie lives the American Dream. Jackie is a woman with good intentions that gets to live free like a teenager and still have a respectable public image.
In the Nurse Jackie Season Finale, we’ll see if Jackie can keep a hold on the American Dream. Will Eddie be content in being number 2, the morning turd who gets discarded with a resounding flush? Or will Eddie play the role of the jilted lover and confront Jackie? Or confront Kevin? The answer is in the details. With his Pill-O-Matix discovery, Eddie may have discovered the system flaw necessary to keep his job and continued side affair for season 2. I have my fingers crossed.
I think a lot of people like this show because it is unlike the stereotypical nursing lifestyle that so many expect to see on shows like this. Therefore, I am looking forward to the development of this affair drama.