Christina Hawthorne (Jada Pinkett Smith) treats the hospital as if it is her own. Even though she's only the Chief Nurse, Christina keeps the place running on as tight a leash as she can. Of course, that can be very difficult in a place like Richmond Trinity Hospital where there are very few dull moments to be found! In just the first few minutes of the series, so many things happen that it's almost hard to keep up with, culminating with Christina getting arrested, all before the opening credits roll!
To make life a bit difficult, Christina is raising a teenage daughter, Camille (Hannah Hodson) alone. Camille is a bit tough to handle, a bit high-spirited like her mom. Christina's husband Michael died the year before and Camille obviously blames Christina for her dad's death. Of course, Christina still has her mother-in-law to help her, but that's not the easiest of relationships. Even more trying is the fact that her mother-in-law Amanda (Joanna Cassidy) is on the board of directors at the hospital, so she's essential Christina's boss's boss, and they really don't get along very well. It's a bit unbelievable that Christina goes with that little sleep, but then she does live on caffeine. Of course, it's no wonder that her daughter is such a pain since she doesn't really spend much time at home with her. At least Christina has co-workers that get along with her and that help her out quite a lot!
Bobbie Jackson (Suleka Mathew) is my personal favorite of the nursing staff. She's strong and sassy and overcomes adversity with ease and a strong sense of humor. She's Christina's second in command and takes up any slack that she can to help Christina and the rest of the staff out. Kelly (Vanessa Lengies) is the new kid on the block. She's very young and fresh out of nursing school. She's also very kind and sweet and a bit naïve. Kelly tends to let herself get pushed around a lot but eventually we're hoping to see her stand up for herself. Of course, if you put her behind the wheel of a car, she does a bit more than stand up for herself! All of Christina's friends aren't just nurses though. Dr. Tom Wakefield (Michael Vartan) is chief of surgery and a very good friend to Christina. He puts up with a lot from Christina. She can be quite pushy, especially when she is right.
As Candy (Christina Moore) tells nurse Ray (David Julian Hirsh), "Nurses don't need credit for saving lives, it's just what we do". I think that best sums up the series HawthoRNe. On the DVD, you'll also find several special features with some really interesting facts. I learned that Jada Pinkett Smith's mother was a nurse, which is her inspiration for playing for the part. I also learned that only 6% of nurses in the US are male. I guess that's why there are also so few portrayed on TV shows as well. There are a lot of more interesting facts in the special features that make the series even more interesting. If you're a fan of medical series, I recommend you check out HawthoRNe: The Complete First Season today.
