TV Review: Painkiller Jane - "Friendly Fire"
Published June 20, 2007
McBride is trying to put the pieces together about what happened after the tattoo parlor. Maureen says Vasco wasn't drunk. "She had a few beers and tequila. A few tequilas."
Back at the hospital Nurse Wells is spilling the beans about what she's seen. She tells Jane she's the only patient in the hospital and what she heard the doctors say. She even says she saw the doctor change from doc to Maureen before entering her room.
And while I think the nurse is part of the act, another greatly timed and executed surprise takes place. The nurse, she’s talking to Patient Vasco, but it’s the doc and he suddenly gets the strangling urge and kills her.
He’s a shape-shifter, which explains why each of the crew visited her separately. It is “Maureen” pushing Vasco in a wheelchair out of the building.
Jane reaches for a security guard's gun – and has to shoot another one. The guy she shot gets back up and shoots Jane in the back as she and Maureen fall out through the lobby window.
Clearly “Maureen” is planning to get herself and Jane to the HQ. The other doctor is looking down through a window, smiling.
There’s just one problem. As she gets into the car, Maureen doesn’t have that bum-crack tat she just got. Seeing that, Jane feeds her a line about a boyfriend she supposedly stole at the academy. “Maureen” just accepts it and Jane is behind the wheel leaving everyone behind in her dust. Wait, nope. I thought she would but the sensible thing – absent from so many shows – doesn’t happen. Instead as they drive, she uses her credit card twice for the same $23.47 amount – and Riley’s got her tracked. Once for gas and once while paying for a snack and leaving a tip to get to that amount.
Jane finally pulls up to where she says is NICO. And Team Vicodin is there waiting. We get the pleasure of watching Maureen chip Maureen.
They jump back to the hospital a little while later but it’s been completely cleared out. Except, nice touch to the end, as they drive away the camera zooms in on something lying on the ground. It’s a pen from the company Vonotek, from the pilot episode.
A reward for the faithful viewer.
- TV Review: Painkiller Jane - "Friendly Fire"
- Published: June 20, 2007
- Type: Review
- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Action, Video: SF, Video: TV Recap, Video: Television
- Part of a feature: Painkiller Jane
- Writer: Temple Stark
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Comments
Thanks for the careful watching! It's nice to know you're out there paying attention. I always enjoy your recaps.








I'm slightly asking people passing by BC or my site who watch Painkiller Jane to comment or to encourage them to watch and comment because reviewing something is more fun when there's someone else in the "room."
Luckily the show has become much better, so reviewing or watching is no longer the drudge it was at the beginning.
Sci Fi channel, 10 Eastern and 1 Eastern. Also repeats on Tuesday.
- Temple