MAIN Television Nip/Tuck

Season Recaps | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | Season 7

Whatever else you any say about it — Nip/Tuck has gained a well-earned reputation as being at the cutting edge of black comedy.

Series creator Ryan Murphy swears that the medical cases featured on the show are "100 percent based on fact" and some of the plot lines are just strange enough to be true.

Since premiering in 2003, the FX series has gained massive popularity worldwide for its portrayal of the lives of its two central characters - Miami surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) along with the greed, lust and general weirdness that surround them.

In its first season, Nip/Tuck introduced us all to the central characters:

In addition to Christian and Sean, we were treated to the personality quirks of Sean's estranged wife, Julia (Joely Richardson, real-life daughter of Vanessa Redgrave) along with Sean and Julia's confused children, Matt (John Hensley) and Annie, (Kelsey Lynn Batelaan) Christian's girlfriend Kimber (Kelly Carlson), and tough-minded anesthesiologist Dr. Liz Cruz (Roma Maffia).

Season 2 shocked viewers by introducing a new character, Ava Moore (Famke Janssen), who had an affair with teenage Matt and was later revealed to be a transsexual.

Most shocking of all, The Carver first reared his ugly head as a masked lunatic-at-large who likes to disfigure victims by cutting a slash on either side of their mouths to look like a smile.

Who was he? Hint: Seasons 2 & 3 brought on a new regular, Quentin Costa (Bruno Campos) a plastic surgeon who relocates from Atlanta to Miami to join the practice and to eventually do verbal battle with Sean and Christian.

AND finally the revelation of the true identiy of The Carver ... It was Quentin — aided and abetted by the detective assigned to the case — Kit, his sister!

In the special two hour Season 3 finale we also learn of Quentin's anatomical incorrectness, just how psychotic he really was, and how he got that way. The parting shot was of Quentin and Kit sipping sangria in a far-away resort...but is that is that the last we'll see of them?

Season 4 - What caused most of the buzz (mostly negative) was the introduction of Michelle Landau (Sanaa Lathan) as the wife of a rich millionaire (Larry Hagman of "Dallas" fame). When Larry Hagman's character buys the firm out from under Troy/McNamara, it is Michelle who becomes the boss lady - just before revealing herself as a criminal kidney harvester working for the mysterious James (Jacqueline Bisset).

By most estimations, Michelle was by turns sympathetic, ruthless, and ultimately unbelievable or, in the words of Nip/Tuck fans everywhere, ... "Huh?"

But there were moments that kept everybody hanging on: Rosie O'Donnell's recurring role as a newly rich lottery winner intent on a complete makeover, while Brooke Shields sunk her teeth into a juicy role, that of a twisted psychiatrist obsessed with Christian.

There was also Mario Lopez in the famous shower scene with Christian at the gym. And, our favorite: Catherine Deneuve playing a French mistress who wishes to have her lover's ashes interred in her breast implants "so that he will always be close to my heart."

The big season finale saw the sudden end of Escobar (!) at the hands of his own wife... as Sean sells off his shares of the practice to Christian and Michelle, and Christian leaves Michelle to follow Sean to California. Meanwhile, what are the prospects for Matt and Kimber staying together? Will Sean and Christian stay in Hollywood? Will Michelle be back (with a better written role?)

Season 5 - Despite rumors that she wouldn't be returning, Joely Richardson was back - with a surprise - in steamy lesbian sex scenes with actress Portia de Rossi (currently the real life main squeeze of Ellen Degeneres.) .

Rosy O'Donnell also returned as lottery winner Dawn Budge. This season she became romantically involved with guest star Oliver Platt, the former West Wing star who will play the executive producer of "Hearts and Scalpels", a soap opera in which McNamera & Troy become creative consultants.

This season's evil temptress, Eden played by teen actress Anna Lynne McCord, first appeared in episode 3 and stuck around for the rest of the season to wreak havoc upon Sean, Christian and Julia.

The shocker of the season? From the beginning, all we knew for certain was that a major character was predicted to die, and it wasn't going to be pretty. With the finale that aired on February 19 (and talk about SHOCKERS - and a MAJOR CHARACTER!!) it's Sean who's been brutally stabbed by his insane ex-agent Colleen, played by Sharon Gless.

But wait....will Sean survive? Meanwhile, is Eden finally going to take her revenge on Julia, who has awoken from a coma to remember nothing of Eden's attempt on her life? WHAT NEXT???

Season 5 Continues -

Wheelchair-bound Sean is recovering from crazy Colleen's attack, and takes time off to teach young plastic surgeons at a local university. Enter Raj, the 17-year-old wunderkind who, in several funny scenes, tries to teach Sean and Christian a thing or two about the art of plastic surgery.

Meanwhile, Christian is diagnosed with ...wait for it....breast cancer. More episodes follow Christian as he continues to recover from his wounds by falling for Liz (yes, Liz) with wedding bells (yes, wedding bells) in their future before the season is out.

Season 6

Guest-stars on tap for Nip/Tuck's Season 6 included Vanessa Redgrave, Rose McGowan, Mario Lopez, Barry Bostwick and Dancing with the Stars' Gilles Marini. Melanie Griffith (playing Kimber's mother) and Famke Janssen (reprising her role of transsexual Ava Moore).

Mario Lopez' recurring role as Dr.Mike Hamoui (with smokin' hot bod and millions in profits) sets the plotline that results in Christian's desperate attempt to save the firm from financial ruin.

Julia and Erica return; and Kimber is back pursuing a career as an anesthetican! Meanwhile, Matt continues to try to find his way in the world, this season as a combination mime and thief? Yes, times are hard for everybody.

Meanwhile, Liz is back and not about to let Christian walk all over her. Teddy, now played by Rose McGowan returns for some strange and awful mind games played on Sean in another bizarre Nip/Tuck relationship. What is Sean thinking?

New characters this season include Oscar winner Linda Hunt as a documentary narrator, and Barry Bostwick as Roger Payne, Liz' divorce lawyer, and Wayne Knight (Seinfeld's Newman, in another perfect bit of casting) as Christian's divorce lawyer. Oh, the drama.

Season 7

Time to wrap it up as Nip/Tuck enters its final season!

As ‘Nip/Tuck‘ winds down the plot examines the relationship between Sean and Christian.

While Sean thinks about leaving McNamara/Troy for good, both he and Christian undergo a psychotherapy session that pefectly wraps up there relationship from day one - in flashbacks. Boil it all down, and Christian is the main manipulator behind the scenes, but it's Sean who actually has the business smarts for the long haul.

But is Sean all that innocent? He certainly takes the easy way out in letting Christian lead him by the nose into often messy episodes of shady business practices, scandal, and even a buried corpse or two!

And, of course, there's Kimber's suicide (that you know was coming) that occurs just before Sean and Christian reject her for the last time.

A dream sequence in which Christian is confronted with his errant ways also helps wrap up the continuing story line examining the role of plastic surgery in an youth-obsessed society. And it's Kimber who sets the wheels in motion again in the final episode to call Christian a "soul stealer", and that he's about to doom Sean to the same fate she suffered.

Will Christian heed the warning? Does he care? In one of the last scenes, Christian finally relents, saying he wants to break up the partnership, and talks Sean into finding his own way.

Dissolve to the airport where Sean walks into the sunset to start a new life. People can change for the better, and not only on the outside.

And, after seven seasons, Nip/Tuck closed McNamara/Troy's doors for good.

More about Nip/Tuck around the Web:

Nip/Tuck on FX - The official site featuring sneak previews, episode recaps, profiles of cast and crew, video clips, photo gallery, weekly blog, busy message board.

Nip/Tuck - TV.com - News & updates, episode recaps and spoilers, pictures, video clips, cast bios, and related forum.

niptuckfans.com - Huge fan site offering the latest news, episode guide, rerun schedule, pictures, video clips, screen savers, Winamp skins, e-cards, busy forum, chat.

Perfect Lie - A Nip/Tuck Fansite & Fan Listing - Picture galleries, episode guides, the latest news and updates, spoilers, and complete cast and character profiles both present and past.

Nip/Tuck Fanatic - Blogger on a mission, with almost daily insights along with news and updates, photo gallery, video clips, series soundtrack, related links.

Nip/Tuck Quotes - An extensive collection of notable quotes from all four seasons plus cast list and related links.

"Nip/Tuck" - From IMDb including Nip/Tuck quotes, plot summery, cast list, viewer comments.

also see in Health -> Cosmetic & Plastic Surgery

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