House has been around for a few years, but could be considered the forerunner of addiction-centered characterization. Hugh Lori plays Dr. House, a brilliant diagnostician with a nasty Vicodin-popping habit. Although the reactions of his co-workers are unrealistic at best and downright absurd at worst (what hospital would allow one of its doctors to obnoxiously rub his addiction in everyone’s face?), the story of his descent into debilitating addiction is compelling. At the end of this past season, House’s hallucinations motivated his best friend to drop him off at a psychiatric hospital.

The latest addition to addiction drama is Nurse Jackie, another hospital-centered series that reflects the growing issue of drug addiction among health care workers. Nurse Jackie is even more centered on addiction as the driving force. The central focus of her life is to obtain pain medication, usually through by lying to and manipulating family, friends, and co-workers.

The show truly captures the lengths to which a prescription drug addict will go to feed the need. She pretends to be single so she can develop a sexual relationship with the hospital pharmacist who slips her pain medication when she complains about her back. She barely conceals her lack of concern for how a new automated medication dispenser will eliminate his job – in her mind that machine is just going to make it so much harder to get her OxyContin and Vicodin. She conceals powdered pain pills in re-sealed sweetener packets. She scrounges in the sink drain with a jerry-rigged, gum-ended stick to find that one last Vicodin she accidentally dropped.

Nurse Jackie shows great compassion for her patients, but realizes at one point she almost killed an unconscious patient because of a careless mistake. Compassion only goes so far when you are a drug addict.

Many other TV dramas weave alcoholism and addiction through their story lines. Saving Grace has its fill of alcohol-fuel sexcapades, and even TrueBlood dabbles in addiction to V, the blood of vampires that in the novel makes humans stronger and more attractive but in the HBO series makes them hallucinate and experience euphoric states.

Rescue Me, the New York Fire Department drama starring Dennis Leary as lead character Tommy Gavin, offers a family legacy of alcoholism – father, uncle, son, sister. Tommy Gavin recently decided he is no longer an alcoholic; his heavy drinking was merely a reaction to the stress of 9/11 that set him on a self-destructive path. He makes an awkward speech at an AA meeting one week after receiving his one-year chip for sobriety: they are all a bunch of whiners and he’s going to go drink now. The next week he questions himself and asks a friend, “Do you think I’m an alcoholic?” She punches him and says, “No! You’re a high-functioning alcoholic.” Okay, that settles it.

The HBO drama Weeds follows the story of a marijuana-dealing suburban mom, while Californication shows the unintended consequences of compulsive sexual behavior.

There is no question that addiction has become a prominent theme throughout TV dramas and plays smaller roles in countless other shows, from the drug-addicted Iraq war veteran on Brothers and Sisters to the alcohol-abusing mother on In Plain Site. The persistence of this theme likely reflects some of the stresses and challenges of the real world right now. Certainly alcoholism and drug addiction can be just some of the consequences of a damaged economy where ordinary people suddenly find themselves on the precipice of financial ruin. Addiction is not caused by a bad economy, but severe stress can push someone with addictive tendencies into more abusive drinking or drug use. Addiction is a progressive disease, and stress can kick that progression into high gear.

I just find this very amusing. Of course, this didn’t stop me from signing up. It used to be the “season” was over and you’d watch a lot less TV. Now the seasons just keep coming with channels like FX, Showtime, HB0…
All these channels, bizarre new shows, year-round possibilities, digital recorders, and friendly reminders make TV addiction just a little bit, well, stressful

SPOILER ALERT – I’m putting the rest of the post after the jump so those of you who DVR’d don’t have to continue if you don’t want to know the ending.

Also, lots of four-letter words after the jump so if words offend you (prude) don’t click the link…

OK

So what the fuck? Or as Paulie would likely say, “Cocksuckers left our dicks hanging in the wind.”

The last scene was brilliantly done – tension building, the family gathering at the diner, even the scene with Meadow trying to park her damn car…the guy getting up from the counter to go to the bathroom ala Godfather’s Pacino scene…

Then it goes to black.

What the fuck?

In some ways it is utterly brilliant, but it was also the epitome of viewer manipulation. As the hours pass since watching it, I’m appreciating it more and more…but the first reaction was, “Did my DVR fuck up? I’m going to kill someone.”

What did you think of the final episode?

I’m wondering if they didn’t leave it open for a possible movie one day…hmm…wouldn’t surprise me. The integrity of the story can always be sacrificed for the possibility of making a few more bucks off a “franchise.”

It’s a personal vulnerability that she protects and nurtures, the one piece of her that cannot be corrupted by the necessary evils of her professional (and simply because of the nature of her work – personal) life.

She surprises in subtle ways – Courtney Cox has truly taken on a fantastic role and she has created a female character with all the contradictions of modern life. Determinedely single. Singularly determined. You can’t hate Lucy Spiller no matter what hateful things she does – just like you can’t hate Vic Mackey. FX is giving HBO a run for their money when it comes to TRULY developed and original characters.

Speaking of Vic Mackey – if you haven’t seen the new trailer for the upcoming season, it gives chills. The herky-jerky camera soaring in then stalling and redirecting its gaze. The sudden moment when the (very hot) Vic Mackey gazes at the camera for just a moment, then looks back to the gravestone in front of him. The music that warns you he knows he can’t be forgiven but hopes he can be given some peace…it’s a million times better on my 50-inch plasma screen, but here it is:

Is The Donald just following in the footsteps of our government (manipulating language to say something that is true but not really – like when we were kids and with pure juvenile logic swore we didn’t eat “all the cookies” because, well, we left one)? Maybe this Donald quote when interviewed about the 2004 Chapter 11 filing will shed some light:

“I don’t think it’s a failure, it’s a success,” he said in the interview. “In this case, it was just something that worked better than other alternatives. It’s really just a technical thing, but it came together.”

Then again, Rosie said four times and I can only find three – 1990, 1992, 1993. Now, these were his businesses, not him – haha. “Hundreds of millions of dollars” were lost by banks and bond holders in the 1990/1 bankruptcy, but poor Donald had to give up 50% ownership to the bondholders.

Dexter is another winner- one of my first scripts was about a serial killer so I’m interested in the genre – but they have really turned it on its head. When I wrote my script, you could do something unique and interesting. Now most serial killer movies are pathetic and predictable cliches.

HBO’s series seem to have an underlying thread that flows through all of them – while the characters’ choices may be utterly corrupt there is a strong sense of human need and longing that makes them understandable and forces us to feel a certain pathos and even compassion for them. Even the most seemingly sociophathic among them seem like someone you “know” – and might even trust. I’m not sure this is intentional – but a reflection on the people who choose the shows. Utter sociopaths are boring. People who defy their sociopathy by being compassionate or caring in some situations (while utterly devoid of conscience in others) are much more interesting.

It really was the first time the full case was articulated – and it is hard to counter his argument, unless you pull up the old lies and obfuscations. Those are always available if you are a koolaid drinker.

He’s got an impressive bio – this was one of the cooler celebrity spottings I’ve ever had because he is so authentic!

He has a book out now, and his new one “On the Hunt” will be published in April 07. He was reading a book on suicide bombers on the plane – eeek – but I must say I felt a little safer being on a plane with the Colonel!