Nip/Tuck: Season 2

The quest for beauty has been a part of mankind since the beginning. I would not be surprised if Eve turned to Adam to ask ‘does this leaf make my hips look fat’. Throughout history people, especially women, have subjected themselves to procedures tantamount to torture to achieve the pinnacle of beauty as defined by the society they live. Elongation of earlobes, lips or their necks are all extremely well documented. With a legacy such as that for our species we must look at modern plastic surgery as just the latest chapter in a long book of body modifications; sacrifices on the altar of self image. A popular television series captured this cultural imperative perfectly in a show aptly named ‘Nip/Tuck’. The series lasted for six seasons; the second is under consideration here. When this series was first on I never really had it on my DVR list but I now realize that this was an oversight. Broadcasting on the F/X cable network the writers were afforded a lot more latitude in the language and situations they could display. Short of overt nudity and a few of the more serious ‘seven words’ deemed unfit for traditional TV pretty much anything goes. This did place the series in a few controversial positions most notably directly in the cross hairs of the ultra conservative ‘Parent Television Counsel. They engaged in several campaigns mustering those objecting to the salacious contentment. Ironically the owners of their web site were so outraged and determined to get the word out that you could download the offending scene from the PTC site. This way you can peak your ire whenever you want. ‘This is obscene and unfit to television; click here to download’. While those in support of that imitative certainly have their right to expressing their opinions they did not take into account that this series was never presented as family faire or representative of what is generally considered family values. This show is specifically targeted towards mature audiences that are not easily offended. The series does a lot more than just push the limits of what many considered good taste. It provides a decidedly dark insight into our cultural prejudices towards youth and beauty.

This was the first major creation by Ryan Murphy but after its cancellation he went off a completely different direction with the Fox broadcast network’s mega sensation; ‘Glee’. He also created the short lived high school angst series ‘Popular’ so it can safely be stated that he does have rather extensive experience taking the pulse of popular culture. Season 2 helps supports the premise that high school has a lot in common with the financially secure image conscious part of our society with the predilection towards multiple plastic surgeries. Both are relatively small factions of our society that act be examined as a microcosm of the culture at large. In both cases much of a person’s self image is relegated to control by a clique. The individual’s self image is abdicated to the small, overly controlling group usually to the detriment of the person. It all comes down to the balance between responsibilities and the emotional need to rebel. In this season there is a reversal between the two plastic surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and his partner Christian Troy (Julian McMahon). In the first season it was established that Sean is the level headed one of the two. He wants to devote part of the practice to pro bono work doing reconstructive work on those who need it but can’t afford it. On stark contrast Christian is the eternal bachelor. While Sean has found Miss Right in his wife Julia (Joely Richardson) Christian is only concerned with Miss Right Now. The handsome doctor lives from one ‘one night stand’ to the next. This perchance for meaningless sex gets Christian into more trouble than he could expect. In this season he hooks up with another sex addict, Gina (Jessalyn Gilsig) who winds up telling him she’s pregnant with his child. The other half of Troy/McNamara also has a life crisis when he has an affair with a former patient, Megan O'Hara (Julie Warner) who is terminally ill. This is enough to put his marriage in jeopardy and the situation is pushed further when Sean discovers that his son Matt (John Hensley) was fathered by Christian the day before his wedding to Julia. When Gina’s son ids born he is African American but Christian has bonded with the infant and is willing to keep him until the real father steps forward. Sean has added uncertainty when increasing spasms in his hand threatens to end his career. Julia decides to stop the downward spiral of Matt’s grades and personal life by hiring him a life couch, Ava (Famke Janssen). Her motivation is to trade sex for good grades, something Matt is eager to accept. .Christian on again-of-again sex buddy Kimber (Kelly Carlson) returns badly addicted to cocaine. She had been traded by Christian to former classmate (bottom of the class) Dr Merrill Bobolit (guest star Joey Slotnick). He hit a low road and was performing illegal plastic surgeries in a filthy room behind a nail salon while inhaling gas. Towards the end of the season a mysterious villain is introduced ‘The Carver. His thing is to brutally rape women after slashing their mouths from ear to ear. Sean involves the practice by offering free repairs to the victims.

The main theme here is a classic literary technique the reversal. The first season set up Sean as the moral center and Christian as the hedonist. This season Sean starts to drift from his moral high ground while Christian begins to shows signs of being a decent human being who potentially could be a great dedicated father. The contrast between Sean and Christian is expanded with the dreadful return of Merrill. He is the ghost of hitting bottom looming too close to the pair of main doctors. The role of women is not as clear cut as some would have you think. Kimber may be the young woman who falls because she over reaches but ultimately she is tenacious always coming back for another try. Julia’s image also reverses in this season from the stalwart mother and wife to a human being who has made some serious mistakes in her past. By the end of watching this season I was hooked; amazed by just how well crafted the writing was, this series will offend many but it was never meant to be a conventional medical drama. It works well achieving its goal of providing something edgy and different.

Posted 08/19/2010