Aside from the pilot, tonight's episode of Nurse Jackie was the strongest of the season so far. While last week's episode failed to properly balance the comedy and drama of the show, this week's managed to get the tone in the sweet spot that will ultimately make Nurse Jackie a success.

Based on the four episodes that have aired so far, I've determined that I strongly prefer brief interactions with the patients as opposed to the longer, guest actor-y turns like Eli Wallach's magical Jewish man routine. "School Nurse" also clarified a dynamic that is relatively unique to this show. Because this program focuses on the nurses while the doctors breeze through and work off-camera, most of our characters spend a lot of time with the family of the patients. In most medical shows, the family is usually an obstacle to treatment (especially on House) or an overly convenient source of drama. On Nurse Jackie, they serve a higher purpose. The nurses on this show have thick skin, sure, but they're all obviously there to help people. Making the family interactions the emotional core of the drama keeps these characters grounded.

What I really liked about "School Nurse" was how much time was spent fleshing out characters who, up until this point, have been pretty flat. Mo-Mo spent the first three episodes playing Jackie's mildly stereotypical gay friend. Tonight we learned that actually has a history, too. After Dr. O'Hara (still not a 3-D character) saves a boy's twin brother, Mo-Mo informs Zooey that he had a twin brother who died at age 1. His explanation of the emotional nuances of this situation made him instantly more interesting.

Zooey herself finally got to go an entire episode without being annoying, which thrills me to no end. From her understated but effective assertiveness to her surprisingly balanced reaction to her first patient death, Zooey evolved in this episode into more than just the naive, sensitive rookie.

Even Eddie, Jackie's lover/dealer, got some subtle depth tonight. It's been something of a question why Jackie would maintain a relationship with both her husband and her lover, but tonight we got to see that Eddie has a crassness to him that husband Kevin usually overcomes. They're basically the two sides to Jackie's life; one troubled, one hopeful.

This episode also continued last week's drama surrounding Jackie's daughter Grace. Her teachers are concerned for her psychological well-being, telling Jackie and Kevin in a conference that they want to start medicating Grace. Jackie doesn't take this very well. All in all, I'm not thrilled about this plot so far, but it seems like it's necessary to balance the drama in Jackie's home life with the more frequent stuff in the hospital.

Best Moment: Jackie and Zooey quietly going through the routine of preparing a dead patient for transportation to the morgue. They had the stony faces of people on the job, but deep emotions trembling just beneath the surface.

Notes: Jackie decided to get a second cell phone so Eddie won't interrupt the rest of her life. When both of her phones go off at once, she holds one to each ear and says, "Can't talk. Love you." That's some good comedy. Also, I enjoyed the clever misdirect of Jackie's makeup looking like drugs. It's a simple but effective way of putting us viewers into Jackie's skewed mindset.

Episode Rating: 4.8/5- I only took points off because I'm disappointed that O'Hara didn't get any more depth in this episode. Other than that, it was a great example of what this show can be at its best.