Nip/Tuck (FX)
Starring: Dylan Walsh, Julian McMahon, John Hensley, Roma Maffia, Kelly Carlson, Linda Klein, Rose McGowan, Mario Lopez, Joely Richardson
When we left off last season Christian (McMahon) was diagnosed with breast cancer and he married Liz (Maffia) in order to have a companion in the last stages of his life. The night they were leaving for their honeymoon, Christian discovered that the lab screwed up his results and he does not have cancer.
All is not well for Sean (Walsh) either. We found out that his wild-child girlfriend Teddy (Katee Sackhoff) is a murderer who apparently gets off on killing doctors. Of course, Sean doesn't know this yet.
We pick up this season with Christian and Sean in the midst of financial collapse. The crappy economy is affecting the plastic surgery industry pretty hard. On top of that, Liz and Christian are getting a divorce, with an angry Liz demanding half of everything. Sean is struggling with insomnia, trying to keep Teddy (now played by Rose McGowan) happy with the wealthy lifestyle she's grown accustomed to. I'm not sure why Teddy was recast for Season Six. Last season Katee Sackhoff hit it out of the park with her slow-burning psycho, but so far Rose McGowan fits into the role well.
Sean and Christian luck out when they partner up with the young Dr. Mike Hamoui (Lopez, reprising his Season Four role.) After witnessing the young doctor at work, both Sean and Christian realize they aren't the young men they used to be.
Jammed into all of this is Matt (Hensley,) Christian and Sean's co-son. Always having trouble leading his own life without ruining it, Matt, who has been involved with transsexuals, Neo-Nazi's, and Scientologists in the past, has now become a street performing mime. Why is this character still around? Can't be just be written off already? He hasn't been useful since the third season.
Julia (Richardson,) who used to be a main player on the show, will appear this season, but did not show up in the premiere. Her character has been handled pretty unevenly since she and Sean got a divorce during Season Four. For both parts of Season Five she appeared sporadically, but hopefully she'll have more screen time this season.
Also back in the mix is Kimber (Carlson,) the washed up porn star, who is now working as a freelance electrolocist, and Nurse Linda (Klein) the golf-loving nurse who over the course of the series' run has become the source of most of the comedy relief in this very dark show.
I've had a love/hate relationship with Nip/Tuck for a couple years now. Sometimes I love it, and other times I vow I'll never watch it again. But it always pulls me back in. Season One and Two were brilliant, Season Three was haphazard and dark, Season Four was too much of a soap opera, and Season Five was practically schizophrenic. Hopefully for Season Six they find a balance between the violence, sex, humor, suspense, glitz, campyness and soap opera aspects. The first episode showed a ton of promise, and I hope the intensity and freshness doesn't wear off as the season wear on like it has in the last couple seasons.
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