Nurse Jackie recap of Clean, Season 7, episode 1 recap (original airdate April 12, 2015) Nurse Jackie: “Clean” immediately picks up where things left off with Jackie facing the consequences of yet again some really horrible decisions (she bolted from the hospital, packed a bag full of drugs — thank you very much Eddie — was heading to the airport to go to Miami when she crashed into an ambulance). The season returns with Jackie at a holding cell at Queens Central.
As she hands in all of her personal items, her necklace is the only item she hesitates to surrender (it’s also the only prop she took from the set after the series was done filming). Jackie’s put in a holding cell with a group of other women where she starts to go through withdrawl.
At All Saints, Zoe (Merritt Weaver) is somewhat somber after learning from Eddie that Jackie (Edie Falco) just took off. While Akalitus (Anna Deavere Smith) is asking Eddie (Paul Schulze) if he’s heard anything on Jackie, Eddie gets a call from Jackie where she informs him of her incarceration. Although Eddie offers to come and get her, Jackie keeps him at bay, fearing if the two are associated it won’t be good for either. Jackie just needs Eddie to just cover their tracks.
As Jackie starts going through withdrawl, she pleas with the guard to explaining she’s an ER nurse and is going through detox from opients and how she is dehydrated and starts to crumble she pleas with the prison guard telling him she’s detoxing from opients, throwing up, is dehydrated and starts talking noradrenaline. Yeah, like he cares – he gives her some aspirin and some wet clothes or something and moves on. Jackie eventually collapses.
She awakes handcuffed to a hospital bed, a public defender at her bedside and news that she’s been there for days. A nurse tells her she went through a sedated detox, the lawyer tells her she’s charged with drug trafficking. But, then it’s back to the bullshit, Jackie explaining how she’s a a nurse and was on her way to Miami to help hurricane victims.
As she readies to leave the facility, her personal belongings are returned. As she thumbs through her wallet, she tells the guard she had $400 in her wallet. He tells her to look deeper in her wallet, where she finds a small baggie of pills.
“You’re selling my own drugs back to me?” Jackie asks. She’s OK with that, and departs.
Her first stop after freedom — All Saints. This ain’t going to be pretty …
Zoey’s at the front and refuses to talk to her. Yeah, Zoey – hold firm!
But Jackie says she ain’t leaving until Zoey hears her out.
“I just wanted to thank you. I’m clean today because of you,” Jackie tells.
Zoey’s over it and reminds her that rehab is 28 days and she’s hasn’t even been gone for a week. But Jackie continues with her B.S. explaining how she went through detox and is involved in an outpatient rehab program.
“I’m sorry I can’t believe anything you say, you should really go,” Zoey tells her. Even as much as you want to believe her, she’s disappointed us so many times, it’s good for Jackie to feel everyone has turned on her.
But before Jackie leaves, Zoey questions where exactly she’s going for her outpatient program? Queens Recovery Center, Jackie tells. Zoey logs the bit of information into her ledger.
Is that even true? Next, we see Jackie scheduling an appointment there, and good thing as Zoey followed up checking to see if she had an appointment.
Akalitus is up for making some changes at All Saints now that Jackie’s gone. She tells Zoey that she wants to make her head nurse, a non-existing position, one that not even Jackie ever held. Zoey, after learning Jackie’s finally going through rehab, defends Jackie believing it’s one that she’s more deserving of though not ever directly stating it. She declines the offer. “I know I should be excited and thanking you but I don’t think this is the right time,” she tells. Akalitus asks her to just think about it.
Next stop in Jackie’s I got to clean up my path of destruction list is the Red Owl Bar & Grill where she pleads with Kevin (Dominic Fumusa) to see the girls. Oh Jackie, you really have been given way too many chances for this ever to happen. Here you’re hoping Kevin will stand his ground and he does.
“You can’t. You can’t see them at all. You’re a drug addict. It’s not safe for them to be around you,” he tells her. Jackie actually tries to rebut and when she lies telling him she’s been in detox for the past week, Kevin hands it to her.
“Is that what you can jail?” Kevin zings. “I was notified of the accident, the car’s still in my name. Grace and Fi could have been with you.” There’s nothing new she can say, he’s not going to believe it. The only compassion he has is for their daughters.
Jackie seeks out legal counsel from the best in the business, hot-shot lawyer Barry Wolfe (played by Royal Pains star Mark Feuerstein) whose mother also was a nurse and who knows the “silent dangers that lurk within an institution. Being a nurse is more than what you do, it’s who you are,” but he only takes on winners – and Jackie’s case doesn’t look like one. Wolfe tells her he doesn’t want to waste her money, and that he doesn’t see any scenario where she gets her license back and keeps her job. “You’re case just isn’t strong enough to meet my criteria.”
Jackie’s stunned. She walks back to her house and finds Eddie waiting on her doorstep. Eddie tells her he forged Akilitus’ signature on invoices to cover for them.
And then the realization sets in for Jackie: “I just did a little stint in the slammer. I got you committing forgery, what the fuck is going on?”
Zoey siding with Jackie is short lives when Grace stops in at All Saints asking Zoey if she can crash with her for a bit. When Zoey tells her she thinks it’s better she be at home while Jackie goes through rehab, a frustrated Grace says, “what are you talking about my mom just got out of jail.”
Yeah, Zoey is pissed. She walks into Akalitus’ office and accepts the head nursing position. Good for her!
Also good, was Jackie giving Eddie the pills she still had on her and asking him to sweep her house and get rid of any pills he finds. I like the direction, here.
“I can’t not be a nurse,” Jackie says. “I need my life back.”
“This is a fucked up spot. Nobody believes a word I say anymore, they look at me like I’m a junkie,” Jackie tells Eddie. A realization that will hopefully lead to a happy ending.
Next, we see Jackie back in her nurses uniform, like her old self – confidently and arrogantly strolling to her desk, dismissing the newbie that was inhabiting her space. “Get out of my chair,” she orders.
But Akalitus was within earshot and demands to know “what the hell” she was doing there.
“I’m reporting for work. I’m clean. Want me to pee in a cup,” Jackie asks.
Not going to happen, as she’s sooooo over Jackie and the outburst begins. “Let me be perfectly clear — in front of all of these witnesses, you are not working here.”
Say what? Jackie doesn’t quite understand and goats her on, asking what she means.
“OK Jackie Peyton. I’m saying exactly this —you are fired!” she yells.
Still not registering for Jackie, like she’s really going to dismiss her after 20 plus years of service.
“Oh please,” Akalitus laughs. “You and I both know I tried to help you. I gave you a choice and you walked out on me.
Jackie tells her she really went to detox.
“Jackie I’m tired of it,” Akalitus rages. “The lies the schemes, I’m more than tired of it. I’m done with it. I’m done with you.”
Jackie calmy rebuts telling her she did what was asked of her, but is stopped, rightfully.
“You are not ready for anything. You’re dangerous. You’re a junkie. I bet you’re high right now,” Akalitus screams. “Get out of my ER.”
That’s all she needed. Jackie looks humbled yet secure and turns her back and walks out, but after passing all of her colleages grins in satisfaction.
Next, we get a close-up of Jackie confessing: “I was wrongfully fired from All Saints Hospital, specifically by Gloria Akalitus, my immediate supervisor, more than that I was publicly defamed in front of a half a dozen of my colleagues, also by Gloria Akalitus,” tells Jackie to attorney Barry Wolfe.
And just like that the battle lines are drawn, Jackie’s hell bent on getting her job back.
And that’s exactly what Wolfe needed to take her case.
