Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Nurse Jackie: Season Seven Blu-ray Movie Review

First do no harm.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 20, 2015

The Emmy Awards might seem like an odd broadcast to have to offer spoiler alerts, aside perhaps from people live Tweeting the list of award winners to people who aren't watching the broadcast and want to save the "surprise" until later when they open up the contents of their DVR. But this year’s outing caused some umbrage when one of the little tributes included as interstitial "entertainment" showed a montage of the final moments of several long running series, in the process giving away at least the hint of a surprise or two in the process, at least for those who hadn’t yet seen those wrap up episodes. For Nurse Jackie fans who hadn’t yet watched the final seventh season, there may have therefore been some angst fostered by a snippet from the series’ last episode that seemed to suggest a certain fate for its struggling heroine. That image won’t be outright spoiled here (though clever readers will be able to read between the lines, so spoiler phobes consider yourselves warned), though it’s notable that within the context of the entire series, the last look at Jackie may or may not portend what its brief moment in the Emmy Awards sun may have implied. Jackie has of course been on a roller coaster for years with her “little problem”, and that proclivity continues to inform this set of twelve episodes. For every serious downturn the character has taken over the preceding six years, there have been moments of saving grace and maybe even the hint of a more lasting salvation, respites in an overarching turmoil that admittedly tend to take ensuing spirals downward when Jackie’s fractured psyche can’t stand the pressure of the “real world” intruding. And so while the final deportment of Jackie will be left undecided (at least in the verbiage of this review), the watchword might best be, “It ain’t over till it’s over,” and, considering the character’s resilience, maybe not even then.

Around Thanksgiving time in 1992, Queen Elizabeth II, obviously a British monarch and not one to celebrate a “colonial” holiday, wasn't giving thanks to anyone for anything, instead offering a famous speech where she lamented the so-called annus horribilis she had just suffered in the wake of a series of setbacks and outright tragedies which included a devastating fire at Windsor Castle and various marital dysfunctions among her children which spilled out into the public. The good Queen may still hold the dubious record for bad luck befalling someone, but Jackie Peyton (Edie Falco) might be able to give the monarch a run for her money, at least as evidenced by a run of trauma that afflicts the character in the final year of Nurse Jackie. In fact, there’s a wealth of bad stuff accruing around several characters in this season which may strike some as a bit of overkill.

There have been certain parallels between Nurse Jackie and another long running Showtime series which had a drug subtext, Weeds, and while this season of Nurse Jackie never quite has (or admittedly tries to have) the wry tone that the Mary Louise Parker series had, a drug dealing element is just the first of several obstacles that stands in the way between Jackie and peace and quiet, let alone mental and spiritual health. All of this plays out against the background of the closing of All Saints, something that becomes even more focal as the season progresses.

Other issues attend various other characters as well, with two of the worse turn of events saved for Eddie (Paul Schulze) and a new character, Dr. Bernard Prince (Tony Shalhoub). Eddie’s arc is interwoven with Jackie’s drug issues, while Dr. Prince falls victim to a fate that is dependent upon the vagaries of fate rather than poor personal decisions. The kind of sad aspect to some of this is how several characters, including Jackie and ex-husband Kevin (Dominic Fumusa), seem to have attained a certain balance in their relationships, but other unwise decisions keep intruding.

There’s an unavoidably bittersweet quality to much of this final season, some of it engendered by the simple fact that audiences have grown to love a lot of these characters, despite their obvious flaws. The commentary on the final episode may hint that things in the closing moments aren’t quite as ambivalent as they may seem (or some may wish, anyway), but for television viewers who hate to say goodbye to Nurse Jackie (one way or the other), hope, however unsupported by facts, may indeed spring eternal.

Nurse Jackie: Season Seven Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nurse Jackie: Season Seven is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This last season continues the generally excellent presentation that has defined Nurse Jackie on Blu-ray, though this season engages in what is either occasional color grading or at least unusual lighting schemes on a couple of occasions. Interior scenes, like some scenes of Jackie in church or some of the shrouded areas within All Saints, can look fairly murky at times, with only baseline shadow detail. In brightly lit environments, even under the less than flattering fluorescent schemes in the hospital, detail and fine detail pop quite commendably.

Nurse Jackie: Season Seven Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Once again, Nurse Jackie: Season Seven offers a perhaps unnecessary 7.1 mix delivered losslessly in DTS-HD Master Audio. The surround channels spring to life in busy moments within the hospital, offering excellent immersion in the process, but a lot of the series plays out in quieter environments, where scenes like Jackie talking on her cell phone or even in dialogue in person with another character simply don't offer much in the way of surround activity. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly, and the track boasts excellent fidelity.

Nurse Jackie: Season Seven Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

• The Last Patient at All Saints (1080p; 12:11). You're not expecting me to tell you who it is, are you?


• Last Dance: Flash Mob with Edie Falco (1080p; 1:07)


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 5:19)


• Clean Audio Commentary with Clyde Phillips and Tom Straw


• Godfathering Audio Commentary with Edie Falco and Liz Flahive

Disc Two:

• Final Shift (1080p; 12:22) covers the wrap up to the show.


• Gag Reel (1080p; 6:15)


• Vigilante Jones Audio Commentary with Edie Falco and Liz Flahive


• I Say a Little Prayer Audio Commentary with Clyde Phillips and Tom Straw

Nurse Jackie: Season Seven Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Nurse Jackie has been a rather unusual entry in the "dramedy" sweepstakes, one that started life encountering substantial resistance from actual real life nurses who objected to the series' depiction of a drug dependent medical professional, but which weathered that storm to provide a showcase role for Edie Falco in her post The Sopranos: The Complete Series career. The series has had its ups and downs, with perhaps a bit too much reliance on Jackie's inability to get this particular monkey off her back, something that continues to inform the final season. Once again, though, performances are genuine feeling and rather raw at times, and the series manages to toe a very fine line between trauma and some pretty black (and bleak) humor. Recommended.