It seems like ages since I watched the fifth season of Nurse Jackie, but I do remember not being overly enthused by the repeat of the 'recovery but then relapse' cycle. I had the memory of it being familiar but with slightly different characters and scenarios, and while I was curious to see what it did next, I was not really excited for it. I' glad I did return to it, because the sixth season does have a much darker tone which feels like it is heading in a direction, as opposed to elongating the show which it occasionally felt like it was doing.
The darker tone comes over in a more certain tone, where the show seems clearer about where it is heading, and also appears more confident in trusting the viewer to actively dislike Jackie but still watch the show. Previously I think this had not been the case, which is why it often came over as an uneasy mix of comedy and drama at times. Here though Jackie is brutal and as callous as a junkie can be; it is totally clear that almost everything she does is a manipulation in the service of her addition – but yet at the same time the season manages to use our 5-seasons of liking Jackie to make us forget that frequently. I frequently found myself caught off-guard by her betrayals and actions. The impact on even previously less affected characters is part of this, with the whole hospital more drawn.
The downside of this is that the side plots do seem weaker than ever, and supporting characters such as Coop, Thor, and others have things to do but few interest as much as Jackie's wave of destruction. Falco benefits from this, and she is consistently good, as well as some great individual scenes throughout. Hopefully the seventh and final season can continue this path and bring it home in a suitably dark manner – it would be a disservice to this sixth season (the best in some years) if it didn't.
The darker tone comes over in a more certain tone, where the show seems clearer about where it is heading, and also appears more confident in trusting the viewer to actively dislike Jackie but still watch the show. Previously I think this had not been the case, which is why it often came over as an uneasy mix of comedy and drama at times. Here though Jackie is brutal and as callous as a junkie can be; it is totally clear that almost everything she does is a manipulation in the service of her addition – but yet at the same time the season manages to use our 5-seasons of liking Jackie to make us forget that frequently. I frequently found myself caught off-guard by her betrayals and actions. The impact on even previously less affected characters is part of this, with the whole hospital more drawn.
The downside of this is that the side plots do seem weaker than ever, and supporting characters such as Coop, Thor, and others have things to do but few interest as much as Jackie's wave of destruction. Falco benefits from this, and she is consistently good, as well as some great individual scenes throughout. Hopefully the seventh and final season can continue this path and bring it home in a suitably dark manner – it would be a disservice to this sixth season (the best in some years) if it didn't.
