dvdverdict.com - Nip/Tuck: The Complete First Season
This show is something else. I love series that try.
Acting and sharp dialogue anchors the show. As Sean, Dylan Walsh consistently delivers a solid performance. The man has no trouble playing it straight, depressed, awkward, or funny. Even in the most ludicrous of situations, he always comes off as sincere and honest. Best Sean moments include his attempts to be a modern father by handing his son a condom and remarking on how hot his son's girlfriend is. Watch for Sean's transformation from passionless, prudish trapped soul to bold, avenging man-of-action. It's good stuff. It's no easy task to equal Walsh in performance, but Julian McMahon's Christian Troy gets it done. Even when he's smug, McMahon manages to throw in subtle moments of pain and regret to Christian's jerky demeanor. McMahon convinces me that Christian says what he thinks he should, not what he believes or feels. I doubt Christian's need for family and stability could have been conveyed as well by anyone else. When the two are onscreen, either arguing or repairing the damage they have wrought on each other's lives, it comes across as real and true. I've always thought the mark of a good actor is when I can't see anyone else playing their parts, as these two have done. Watching Sean and Christian change, moving subtlety toward becoming each other, is a real treat. Everyone in the cast is excellent. Joely Richardson imbues Julia with passion, confusion, and torment. She doesn't always have a lot to do, but when she's onscreen it's completely understandable why Jude, Sean, and Christian feel the way they do about her. Also terrific was Robert Lasardo as narcotics entrepreneur Escobar Gallardo. He plays one scary bastard, taking a cliché and filling it with depth. I'd like to see more for this guy, although a repeat appearance on the show is doubtful. Jonathon Del Arco will make you feel as Sofia Lopez. He stole the show. I hope to see more of him/her for the show's sophomore season. Kelly Carlson as Kimber will take you by surprise just as she did Christian. When she's introduced, I expected to see just another model/actress (in that order). I was pleasantly surprised by her performance.
...I'd have liked a commentary. Are you reading this, Warner Brothers? Commentary. Think about it.