chud.com - DVD REVIEW: NIP/TUCK SEASON ONE
This season focuses on the ongoing exploits of the serial rapist/face injurer known as The Carver, the arrival of a new surgeon at McNamara/Troy (Bruno Campos as Dr. Quentin Costa), the further descent of young Matt McNamara (Hensley), Mrs. McNamara (Richardson) branching out into her own career, and the next and possible final development in the relationship between Dr. Troy and his on/off love (played to tanned and toned yummy perfection by Kelly Carlson).
I'd heard this was a subpar season and a transitional one. I disagree with every bone of my penis.
The plotline regarding The Carver takes place in the first few and last few episodes as is typically the case with shows. They tease the "A" plot, revisit in little vignettes, and then hit it hard at the end. Thankfully, it's not the kind of storyline that is all that vital to the show being great. What it does do is allow for the show to replace an amazing woman (Famke) with another amazing woman in Rhona Mitra. When the show finds its way there are some really strong stories: When Dr. Mcnamara joins the Witness Protection Program's plastic surgery division and tries out the domestic life with a dangerous woman (Anne Heche), A Down's Syndrome boy wanting to look like his family, a most useful way to utilize semen, and to some extent young Matt's increasingly bad life decisions. Granted, the Nazi Family sublot borders on 24-esque cougar baiting outrageousness but it somehow all comes home in a season that doesn't have as many tricks as before but somehow manages to deliver more steady entertainment than the first two.
Nip/Tuck is a meticulously crafted chunk of pablum and overt melodrama that somehow arrives at the station nine times out of ten as what at the worst is a terrific bit of entertainment but at times borderline genius.