There’s an odd side effect to Showtime mailing out critics entire seasons of shows like Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara in advance: I get so paralyzed by the impossibility of finding time to watch the entire thing that I often end up watching nothing ahead of time. So I saw the season-three debuts last night no earlier than you—well, maybe half an hour earlier. I was a fan of Nurse Jackie its first two seasons, but Jackie’s various double-life stories, always implausible to begin with, are starting to feel unsustainable unless something major changes.
Still, I enjoy parts of it, especially Merritt Wever’s comic work and Edie Falco’s ability to sell the emotion of even far-fetched stories, enough to keep checking in, even if I never end up breaking out that screener DVD. Is anyone else, or is Tara a better fit for your personalit(ies)?