Ep 3. Candyland

Nurse Jackie season 2 episode 3, "Candyland," follows the life of Jackie, a nurse working in a New York City hospital. The episode revolves around Jackie's struggle to balance her personal and professional life. She is shown to be eagerly waiting for her pill supplier to visit, all the while managing her colleagues at the hospital.

The opening scene starts with Jackie's daughter Gracie practicing her violin in the morning. Jackie is visibly agitated and tells Gracie that she has a patient to attend, leaving Gracie with her husband Kevin. Jackie enters the hospital and is introduced to a patient named Tippi, who has been suffering from constipation. She diagnoses Tippi and prescribes laxatives to ease her condition.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, a young girl named April comes in with severe eating disorder complications. Jackie, who can identify the symptoms, is quick to take up the case. She counsels April and tries to help her overcome the eating disorder that is taking a toll on her health.

As the day progresses, Jackie visits the hospital's pharmacy to get a prescription for Tippi. She runs into Eddie, her pill supplier, who refuses to provide her with more pills until she passes a test. Eddie is unsure if Jackie has been clean or not and suggests that she follows a regimen to get rid of the addiction. Eddie's promotion to chief pharmacist jeopardizes Jackie's supply of pills on the premise of workplace ethics.

As Jackie deals with the stress of being clean and trying to hold onto her pills, she runs into an old friend named Antoinette, who is a medical sales representative for a pharmaceutical company. Antoinette shows Jackie a new kind of prescription drug that could make her patients comfortable, but one that goes beyond medical ethics. Jackie then confronts Antoinette about the extensive testing of the new medication, which she feels violates the Hippocratic Oath that all healthcare professionals abide by.

Back at home, Jackie is shown to be dealing with marital issues with her husband and father to her daughters, Kevin. Kevin discloses that he has found cocaine in their daughter's room and confronts Jackie about it. Jackie tries to handle the situation with a calm attitude, but events take a dramatic turn as Kevin's father comes in and accuses Jackie of being responsible for their daughter's drug use.

Nurse Jackie season 2 episode 3, "Candyland," is an intense and gripping episode that showcases how the life of a nurse can be both challenging and rewarding. It illustrates the everyday struggles of a healthcare professional who is faced with ethical dilemmas that often put her professional and personal life in jeopardy. The episode depicts a realistic portrayal of the healthcare system, the pressures of working as a New York City nurse, and the consequences of addiction and substance abuse.