Take 4 TV: Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck: Seasons 2 and 3 (2004/2005)
What's Going On: Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, Miami's most talented plastic surgeons, face a whole host of trials and tribulations in these next two seasons of Nip/Tuck (see my review of Season One here). Sean's relationship with his wife, Julia, grows more strained as the question of his son's paternity is raised. A psychotic nicknamed The Carver starts a war against beauty, defacing the gorgeous faces in the greater Miami area. A new partner is brought into the plastic surgery practice. And Christian faces the daunting task of trying to settle down into a committed relationship.
Familiar Faces: In addition to the main stars of the show (Dylan Walsh, Julian McMahon, Joely Richardson), several other recognizable faces pop up as cameos in these two seasons. Most notable is Famke Jannsen, who plays Ava, a life-coach that at first is hired by Julia to help straignten out her and her son's lives, but who eventually ends up being a chaotic and disruptive force for the McNamara's. There's also Rebecca Gayheart, who plays a blind patient of Christian's, who he ends up forming a close, passionate relationship with. Finally, there's Rhona Mitra, in the role the dark, feisty police detective who is investigating the string of mutilations left behind by The Carver. Three VERY attractive reasons to check out these two seasons of Nip/Tuck.
Three Things to Look Out For: 1) The mystery aspect of Seasons Two and Three, with The Carver. A very nice overlay to series. 2) Watching a car get completely stripped of all its parts with a blind woman inside who is rocking out to Captain and Tenneal. Hilarious. 3) As I mentioned in the last review, Nip/Tuck still has some of the best prosthetic special effects around, with at least one rather graphic plastic surgery scene in each episode. Cringeworthy, but fascinating.
And the Winner Is...: In the category of Most Annoying Offspring, the winner is Matt McNamara, played by John Hensley. I don't know if we, as an audience, are supposed to be empathetic toward him as a character and what he's going through, but I personally can't stand the ungrateful punk. There's one scene where Sean lays him out with a punch to the face when Matt's being particularly spiteful. While I don't condone such violence, it was several minutes before I was able to stop smirking.
Random Trivia: Each episode is named after a character undergoing plastic surgery in the episode, so you know it's going to be an interesting one when one of the main characters' names pops up.
And I Quote: Christian Troy: "Ever notice how 'monogamy' rhymes with "monotony"?"
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - Much like other television shows I've reviewed, if you liked the first season, you'll probably like these next two, as well. There were lots of different elements in these last two seasons that spiced up the variety, taking the show beyond the day-to-day operations of a plastic surgery practice...and this is one of the main reasons I think this show works. The plastic surgery is tangential, but still relevant, to everything that is going on in the lives of the main characters, but doesn't become a very central focus of the show. However, once again, if you're pretty squeamish, you should just skip this one.
What's Going On: Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, Miami's most talented plastic surgeons, face a whole host of trials and tribulations in these next two seasons of Nip/Tuck (see my review of Season One here). Sean's relationship with his wife, Julia, grows more strained as the question of his son's paternity is raised. A psychotic nicknamed The Carver starts a war against beauty, defacing the gorgeous faces in the greater Miami area. A new partner is brought into the plastic surgery practice. And Christian faces the daunting task of trying to settle down into a committed relationship.
Familiar Faces: In addition to the main stars of the show (Dylan Walsh, Julian McMahon, Joely Richardson), several other recognizable faces pop up as cameos in these two seasons. Most notable is Famke Jannsen, who plays Ava, a life-coach that at first is hired by Julia to help straignten out her and her son's lives, but who eventually ends up being a chaotic and disruptive force for the McNamara's. There's also Rebecca Gayheart, who plays a blind patient of Christian's, who he ends up forming a close, passionate relationship with. Finally, there's Rhona Mitra, in the role the dark, feisty police detective who is investigating the string of mutilations left behind by The Carver. Three VERY attractive reasons to check out these two seasons of Nip/Tuck.
Three Things to Look Out For: 1) The mystery aspect of Seasons Two and Three, with The Carver. A very nice overlay to series. 2) Watching a car get completely stripped of all its parts with a blind woman inside who is rocking out to Captain and Tenneal. Hilarious. 3) As I mentioned in the last review, Nip/Tuck still has some of the best prosthetic special effects around, with at least one rather graphic plastic surgery scene in each episode. Cringeworthy, but fascinating.
And the Winner Is...: In the category of Most Annoying Offspring, the winner is Matt McNamara, played by John Hensley. I don't know if we, as an audience, are supposed to be empathetic toward him as a character and what he's going through, but I personally can't stand the ungrateful punk. There's one scene where Sean lays him out with a punch to the face when Matt's being particularly spiteful. While I don't condone such violence, it was several minutes before I was able to stop smirking.Random Trivia: Each episode is named after a character undergoing plastic surgery in the episode, so you know it's going to be an interesting one when one of the main characters' names pops up.
And I Quote: Christian Troy: "Ever notice how 'monogamy' rhymes with "monotony"?"
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - Much like other television shows I've reviewed, if you liked the first season, you'll probably like these next two, as well. There were lots of different elements in these last two seasons that spiced up the variety, taking the show beyond the day-to-day operations of a plastic surgery practice...and this is one of the main reasons I think this show works. The plastic surgery is tangential, but still relevant, to everything that is going on in the lives of the main characters, but doesn't become a very central focus of the show. However, once again, if you're pretty squeamish, you should just skip this one.
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Next Time on Take 4: Before I make it to Seasons 2.0 and 2.5 of Battlestar Galactica, and with Halloween right around the bend, I figure it wouldn't be right to miss the chance to check out some good ol' scary movies. So turn out the lights and hide under the blankets...we're visiting some things that go bump in the night next time on Take 4.
posted by Curt at 12:15 AM
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