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Has anyone noticed how the majority of people who watch Nurse Jackie

posted 9 years ago by goldpink23
39 replies | jump to latest

don't like her?She's the star of the show but because they disagree with her behavior(an addict, cheating and lying) it prevents them from being on her side.The same thing goes for Carrie on Homeland.Yet people like the stars of shows like Dexter(killer and liar),Tony Soprano(killer,liar and cheater) and Walter White(drug king pin and liar).Since I haven't seen all the episodes of Breaking Bad I'm not sure if Walter White killed anyone.If viewers can get pass the main character in those shows.Then why hate on Jackie Peyton?

[–] Rgeneb 9 years ago

*probably some spoilers*

I loved watching Jackie lie, cheat and steal her way through the first few seasons. I liked her a little less when he achieved her period of sobriety for the year. Then when her addiction truly owned her in the final series and she methodically destroyed every relationship in her life to keep using I hated her passionately. For me the scene where she returned to the er and provoked akalitis into shouting and ranting at her was the end of my love of Jackie. It was the little smile after, the smile that said "I got what I needed, f you, your feelings and your friendship" that made me "hate on Jackie Peyton".

But then the ending comes and what am I left with? A realisation that the writers and Edie Falco were all damned good at their jobs. They made me love an addict, pity an addict and hate an addict and now that the show is over - they've made me miss an addict.

So for me the answer to the question of why people hate on Jackie Peyton is simply because Edie Falco is a damn fine actress with very good writers and a stellar supporting cast.

[–] dreamingofdharma 9 years ago

Because not everything is black and white. No-one is inherently "bad" and no-one is inherently "good" (excluding psychopaths). Personally, i believe in this buddhist ideology, to paraphrase; no matter the action, it is the intent that is important. This is, for the most part, true. Therefore we have to look at the logic behind a decision in order to decide wether we deem a person "good" or "bad", keeping in mind this will vary for each individual person. If i ask the question 'If you commit murder, are you a bad person?' you will answer yes, however consider this: One man murders another man. The murdered man was on trial for the multiple rape of a young girl. He was found innocent as a result of a technicality despite indisputable evidence that he did in-fact commit the offence, and that as soon as he is released he will re-offend. The father of the victim violently murders the rapist beyond recognition upon his release. The rapist was on his was to rape and kill the mans daughter. (Yes i did just watch The Cell) Does this make you question your views on morality? It should. Whether you think the circumstances surrounding the murder are relevant is up to you to decide. Some audiences will be able to justify Walter White's actions but not Tony Sopranos, others won't. Some can justify Jackie's actions and still decide that is not enough. This is the beauty of belonging to such an evolved species. We have the opportunity to think intelligently and come up with our own conclusions, conclusions that are uniquely our own, and likely different from everyone else.

[–] 9 years ago

[deleted]

[–] KidneyBingos 9 years ago

Misogyny.

I was so brutally uncomfortable with how much I despised Skylar on Breaking Bad when she is just in tune with her family and asking legitimate questions about changes in routines and behaviors. Every time she questioned something directly I wanted to shout "Shut the F up you B*****" And I'm a woman--appparently one who routes against other women. (I make myself sad.)

The pilot of Nurse Jackie reminded me a little of the pilot of Mad Men where you follow this person throughout their day and then they go home and only then you find out they have kids and a spouse. But Jackie is a woman out there doing Don Draper things. There's a double standard out there. Some people don't like watching Don Draper doing Don Draper things, but even fewer people like watching some woman doing Don Draper things.

So...there are my rambling, disorganized thoughts on the subject.

[–] PurpleProseOfCairo 9 years ago

I don't like her because she's a horrible, obnoxious bitch. I don't care about her addictions - plenty of heroes and anti-heroes, in fiction and in real life (in music there's Hendrix, Parsons, Morrison, Moon to name but a few) have suffered with these demons. The (fictional, I know) character of Jackie is rude, narcissistic and bossy - she's a NURSE ferchrissakes, but she bosses DOCTORS around in the most embarrassing way. Now I knw the script calls for her to be good at her job, and for everyone to just stand back in awe and let her get on with it, but in the real world she would be severely put in her place (the doctors in real life hospitals aren't all "Coops" - they're highly qualified, highly paid and the ones that carry the can if the wrong tube goes in the wrong hole, so they're not going to delegate responsibility to, with all due respect, a nurse. I know, my wife is a nurse and has worked in a New York hospital!). Her infidelities etc don't bother me either - again, heroes can have flaws, and the best ones usually do.

The makers seem to love and admire her and expect us to follow suit. Not me.

Awight we're The Daamned we're a punk baand and this is called Carn't Be Appy T'day!

[–] cookiela2001 9 years ago

[Nurse Jackie's] the star of the show but because they disagree with her behavior (an addict, cheating and lying) it prevents people from being on her side. The same thing goes for Carrie on Homeland. Yet people like the stars of shows like Dexter (killer and liar), Tony Soprano (killer, liar and cheater) and Walter White(drug king pin and liar)

Look at the two groups, and see what jumps out at you.

EMBRACED CHARACTERS:
Walter
Tony
Dexter

UNFORGIVEN CHARACTERS:
Jackie
Carrie

When you notice who comprises the two groups, you'll see (or be reminded of) something very basic to our public mindset.

.

[–] SomeBlueDevil 8 years ago

It all boils down to selfishness and morality.

As long as people do "bad" things for "good" reasons you're rooting for them. Nobody cries over murderers getting dismantled.

I liked Carrie from Homeland until she slept with that kid for intel and he got killed.
I liked Walter White until he got greedy and continued even though he was set and didn't have to.
I liked Jackie until she started hurting decent and caring people with her actions and not giving a damn.

This is how normal people relate to each other.

www.Kodi.tv 

"Come to the dark side. We have cookies."

[–] aliholly-62819 8 years ago

You may be bringing up an interesting issue. You mentioned two FEMALE leads that people generally dislike, and mentioned a few MALE leads people liked. Maybe it's how we view a woman's behavior verses a mans? I watched one episode of Dexter and it wasn't for me. I thought it was disguating to make a serial killer the good guy. I also, however, didn't like Jackie, but like I said earlier, this may lead to a more interesting discussion.....

[–] mjd_subs2 8 years ago

It's been awhile since you posted and I didn't read any other responses you received. I think it's important to point out that women, in general, ARE judged much more harshly for "bad" behavior. It happens all the time. Women whose husbands cheat are blamed for "not keeping her man happy at home." Women that drink are called "lushes" but there really isn't an equivalent for men that tip the bottle quite a bit...until they are way beyond acting a foot at the company picnic or somewhere outside the home. Even in households in which the husband is a substance abuser and physically and/or mentally abusive to his family, the children almost ALWAYS blame the mother for not protecting them or leaving or making him stop or whatever. I have never, ever heard anyone blame a father for enabling a drunk, rage-filled wife while essentially turning his back on his children.

I am not suggesting that women are perfect angels and nothing is ever their fault, HOWEVER, I am saying that men are not necessarily blameless for their own choices and actions regardless of how his partner chooses to deal with it. It's 2016 and we might as well be back in the 1900s, 1800s or even farther back in time relative to how women are still blames, shamed and gamed for ANYTHING that goes wrong. While I understand why men would perpetrate these gender biases and contribute to the great divide between women, I absolutely don't understand why women do it to one another.

- Get busy living, or get busy dying. Andy (The Shawshank Redemption)