Nip/Tuck: The Complete First Season

Nip/Tuck: The Complete First Season Review

With more freedom to explore edgier subject material, series television on cable networks, has made huge strides in the last decade. FX's Nip/Tuck (2003) is certainly a striking example, as it explores the practice of Miami plastic surgeons Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) and Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh). Life in the fast lane in south Florida, is a mix of affluence, sex, style, sleaze, superficiality, and excess. That the series explores different facets of beauty and aesthetics, is not unexpected. That the doctors' personal lives and relationships, are interwoven deeply into to drama, might also be expected. However the introduction of a dark criminal element, illegal drugs, drug money, and murder, separates Nip/Tuck, from your average, slick medical drama.

The heart of the series is the relationship between Sean and Christian, two long time friends who seem to be have totally opposite personalities and lifestyles. Sean is a skilled surgeon, who appears to be dedicated to his wife Julia (Joely Richardson), and family. Christian uses his good looks and prestige as a surgeon, to try and bang every hot chick that comes his way. Aesthetician Liz Cruz (Roma Mafia), helps keep the practice viable. The graphic presentation of various surgical procedures, will become one of the trademarks of the series.

There are some occasional slips, but Nip/Tuck is generally superbly written, with extremely compelling stories, that are often provocative, controversial, and touching. There are some superficial characters, and some seemingly unrealistic situations, but the writing and acting is often so solid, that it overcomes weaknesses. Even the unlikely, can seem quite palatable. The series shifts focus onto different characters, often exploring offbeat subjects, and taking many dramatic twists. Give the show half a chance, and Nip/Tuck can become quite addicting, as it is easy to develop connections with the various characters.

The show's talented cast is a huge plus. John Hensley, aged 26 at the time, convincing plays 16 year old Matt McNamara, who not only tries to remove his own foreskin, but also runs over a classmate. Kelly Carlson (The Marine), is Kimber Henry, a striking beauty, interested in going from an 8, to a 10. She is under the mistaken impression, that Christian has a heart. Grace Santiago (Valerie Cruz) the office psychologist, is not quite the detached, all business professional, she appears. Gina Russo (Jessalyn Gilsig) takes Christian to a place no other woman has before, and then delivers an ironic surprise. Dr. Merril Bobolit (Joey Slotnick), provides contrast, as a rival plastic surgeon, who has an attitude similar to Christian's about the business, and what constitutes success. And Robert LaSardo is a deadly snake preying on humanity, as ruthless drug dealer Escobar Gallardo, a man who threatens to destroy many lives.

With a certain voyeuristic appeal to peer into a world based largely on superficiality, and artificial enhancements, Nip/Tuck is not for everyone. The attitude expressed towards women, by doctors Troy and Bobolit, may not be laudable, but it just one of many points of view explored, in this very compelling drama. Nip/Tuck is currently winding up its sixth, and final season on FX. Check it out on cable, to see if it catches your fancy. See how it all began in season one, with an intense amount of drama, contained in just thirteen wickedly provocative episodes.

Nip/Tuck: The Complete First Season Overview

Beauty, the saying goes, is only skin deep. The beauty of Nip/Tuck is that it goes deeper, laying bear the complexities and fragile natures often found in patients seeking cosmetic surgery. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon portray hotshot Miami South Beach plastic surgeons who are themselves in full-blown midlife crises as they confront career, family and romance problems. The series' cutting-edge stories range from funny to suspenseful to uncommonly powerful. The surgeries are graphically bold. The sexuality is rampant. Presented here in 13 first-season episodes on 5 discs and featuring compelling extras, the highly praised Nip/Tuck is a prescription for entertainment unlike anything you've ever seen.

DVD Features:
Deleted Scenes
Featurette
Gag Reel
Music Video
Theatrical Trailer

Nip/Tuck: The Complete First Season Specifications

The turbulent lives of two handsome and high-priced Miami plastic surgeons may be one of the more unusual premises for a television series, but the FX Channel's Nip/Tuck combines sudsy sex and biting wit with the emotional quandaries involved in body modification in a way that makes for an engrossing--and occasionally gross--hourlong drama. The show benefits greatly from its two leads--Dylan Walsh as the troubled "good" surgeon and Julian McMahon as his predatory (but equally troubled) "bad" partner--as well as Joely Richardson as Walsh's wife and Roma Maffia as the surgeons' nurse. If Nip/Tuck does have a stumbling point, it's in its occasionally glib dialogue (series creator Ryan Murphy was a writer for the verbally flashy high school series Popular), which can clash with an episode's more dramatic and poignant moments. The show also doesn't shy away from showing the more gruesome aspects of plastic surgery, but viewers can often see more stomach-churning images on the top-rated CSI. But the strength of the performances and the originality of the premise make these rough spots manageable for viewers looking for an interesting spin on the usual "doctor show." The five-DVD set offers an extended version of the pilot and all 12 episodes of the first season as well as a trio of documentaries (one on the show itself, another on its special effects, and a third, "Realistic Expectations," on real-life plastic surgeons). A gag reel (amusingly titled "Severed Parts"), a selection of deleted scenes for most episodes, and a music video for the title theme ("A Perfect Lie" by the Engine Room) round out the box. --Paul Gaita

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