Nip/Tuck: "Cindy Plumb"
*
Hooray! Although it's a little early to say for sure, Nip/Tuck seems to be back on track from last season's mostly derailed storylines. The writers seem to have fixed most of the problems that plagued Season 3. For example:
The Positive
* No more Carver whodunit, which was dragged out waaay too long considering the "well, duh" payoff. I loved me some Carver in Season 2, but the only acceptable identity for the Carver would have been Cara Fitzgerald. Let's hope we don't see a return of that whole wackiness...incest was so Season 2...and no penis? What? An 11th hour "no, that was a fake blow job!" did not save that contrivance.
* No new extraneous characters that serve absolutely no purpose besides turning out to be the Carver.
* No neo-Nazis who kidnap people for no real reason. 'Nuff said.
* No more pointless Girl Power spa. Yeah, I like how that's being swept conveniently under the rug.
* No more ridiculousness...but plenty of surprises. The mother-daughter threeway was just icky enough to be totally Nip/Tuck without crossing the line into "seriously?" (penisless Quentin, this means you)
* No more rushing through storylines in one episode that should be stretched out for several episodes (instead of having Anne Heche appear to kill time before the finale).
* Yay for celebrity guest stars who don't come out of left field. Larry Hagman talking frankly about his testicles, Kathleen Turner as a sex phone operator, and Brooke Shields as a psychologist (take that, Tom Cruise) were tons o' fun but not distracting. I'm slightly concerned about the upcoming appearance of Rosie O'Donnell, but I think the part where she seduces Doctor Troy will totally make up for it.
* The show bravely tackles its ever-present gay subtext in a clever way! Dr. Brooke's assertion that Christian might be in love with Sean was the perfect way to introduce this topic, and the show wisely did not go for any shock value (yet). Christian is an adventurous guy, and it's perfectly believable that he'll dabble in homosexuality for awhile, though I think the writers are smart enough not to totally betray his ladies' man persona. It's a safe bet that he'll be back to his old tricks before long. But this episode toyed with the notion rather coyly, and the emotional scene between Sean and Christian was perfectly played. Let's hope the writers can keep Christian a consistent and compelling character, rather than the jerky rollercoaster he went on in Season 3.
* Gratuitous ass! And yet the women have to strike awkward poses to conceal their breasts! Oh, FX, why must you give so much and yet so little?
* Sanaa Lathan looks like she's gonna be trouble...
* Who's that little blonde girl? Oh yeah...Annie! Welcome back, sweetie!
* Three words: lobster. claw. baby. Lobster claw baby!!!!!
The Negative
* First shot of the show: a man and a woman get face lifts. I turn to my friend and say, "His and hers face lifts." Then Liz says, "His and hers face lifts." Remind me why I'm not a writer on this show?
* I know this is a long shot, but it's been a year, I need a little Ava fix. A dream, one scene, anything. Famke me!
* Is Matt going to pull a Judy from Family Matters and be "in the garage" all season? Or are they just gearing up to finally have Michael Jackson come in and play the part, a la Becky from Roseanne?
* I know Christian is about to experiment with his sexuality, but his new haircut has come out of the closet prematurely.
* The horny mom has obviously had some work done, and it wasn't enough. Christian doesn't even suggest a little fixer-upper?
* How much Heineken can Sean possibly drink? Okay, so I went immediately to the fridge for a Heineken, thank you sponsors for contributing to my budding alcoholism...doesn't the guy ever just have a Diet Coke?
* One too many testicle jokes. Oh, scratch that. No such thing!
* Umm...lobster claw baby??
_____________________________________
Overall, good times, with no major blunders. This looks to be a promising season...
"Cindy Plumb": B+
Hooray! Although it's a little early to say for sure, Nip/Tuck seems to be back on track from last season's mostly derailed storylines. The writers seem to have fixed most of the problems that plagued Season 3. For example:
The Positive
* No more Carver whodunit, which was dragged out waaay too long considering the "well, duh" payoff. I loved me some Carver in Season 2, but the only acceptable identity for the Carver would have been Cara Fitzgerald. Let's hope we don't see a return of that whole wackiness...incest was so Season 2...and no penis? What? An 11th hour "no, that was a fake blow job!" did not save that contrivance.
* No new extraneous characters that serve absolutely no purpose besides turning out to be the Carver.
* No neo-Nazis who kidnap people for no real reason. 'Nuff said.
* No more pointless Girl Power spa. Yeah, I like how that's being swept conveniently under the rug.
* No more ridiculousness...but plenty of surprises. The mother-daughter threeway was just icky enough to be totally Nip/Tuck without crossing the line into "seriously?" (penisless Quentin, this means you)
* No more rushing through storylines in one episode that should be stretched out for several episodes (instead of having Anne Heche appear to kill time before the finale).
* Yay for celebrity guest stars who don't come out of left field. Larry Hagman talking frankly about his testicles, Kathleen Turner as a sex phone operator, and Brooke Shields as a psychologist (take that, Tom Cruise) were tons o' fun but not distracting. I'm slightly concerned about the upcoming appearance of Rosie O'Donnell, but I think the part where she seduces Doctor Troy will totally make up for it.
* The show bravely tackles its ever-present gay subtext in a clever way! Dr. Brooke's assertion that Christian might be in love with Sean was the perfect way to introduce this topic, and the show wisely did not go for any shock value (yet). Christian is an adventurous guy, and it's perfectly believable that he'll dabble in homosexuality for awhile, though I think the writers are smart enough not to totally betray his ladies' man persona. It's a safe bet that he'll be back to his old tricks before long. But this episode toyed with the notion rather coyly, and the emotional scene between Sean and Christian was perfectly played. Let's hope the writers can keep Christian a consistent and compelling character, rather than the jerky rollercoaster he went on in Season 3.
* Gratuitous ass! And yet the women have to strike awkward poses to conceal their breasts! Oh, FX, why must you give so much and yet so little?
* Sanaa Lathan looks like she's gonna be trouble...
* Who's that little blonde girl? Oh yeah...Annie! Welcome back, sweetie!
* Three words: lobster. claw. baby. Lobster claw baby!!!!!
The Negative
* First shot of the show: a man and a woman get face lifts. I turn to my friend and say, "His and hers face lifts." Then Liz says, "His and hers face lifts." Remind me why I'm not a writer on this show?
* I know this is a long shot, but it's been a year, I need a little Ava fix. A dream, one scene, anything. Famke me!
* Is Matt going to pull a Judy from Family Matters and be "in the garage" all season? Or are they just gearing up to finally have Michael Jackson come in and play the part, a la Becky from Roseanne?
* I know Christian is about to experiment with his sexuality, but his new haircut has come out of the closet prematurely.
* The horny mom has obviously had some work done, and it wasn't enough. Christian doesn't even suggest a little fixer-upper?
* How much Heineken can Sean possibly drink? Okay, so I went immediately to the fridge for a Heineken, thank you sponsors for contributing to my budding alcoholism...doesn't the guy ever just have a Diet Coke?
* One too many testicle jokes. Oh, scratch that. No such thing!
* Umm...lobster claw baby??
_____________________________________
Overall, good times, with no major blunders. This looks to be a promising season...
"Cindy Plumb": B+