After six seasons and a total of one hundred episodes, the television show Nip/Tuck featured its final episode last Wednesday night. While I normally would try to focus on something that has occurred within the fashion world, I feel a need to reflect.
From the beginning I was captivated by the television drama. Although I personally would never let my 14-year old daughter watch it, my parents, however, never stopped me. Everything about Nip/Tuck was fabulous. It was filled with beautiful people, intense drama, and unconventional surgeries (not to mention the music was exceptional). What more could I want in a television show? While I’ll admit that as the show progressed things became less and less believable, I still remained a loyal viewer, watching it every week at its 10 PM slot.
The final season, one of the better written, focused on the relationship between Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) and Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) McMahon), plastic surgeons and business partners. Through the years we witnessed their relationship slowly deteriorate because of various dramatic situations –sleeping with each others wives, illegal business decisions, drug addiction, sex addiction, etc, etc. However, neither Christian nor Sean felt that any of their past disagreements were damaging enough to end their medical practice.
In the final episode, Christian (often the character who disrupts the balance), comes to terms with their failing relationship. While both Christian and Sean are intensely devoted to each other, Christian accepts reality by realizing that he was destroying Sean by refusing to let go.
During the last scene, Sean is headed to Arizona. Christian walks him to airport security where they exchange brief goodbyes. Heading in different directions, the camera pans to each of their faces where it is obvious to tell they gripped with emotion. Nip/Tuck first aired in 2003, emerging in a whirlwind of drama and chaos. The final season, however, finished on a powerful yet simplistic note. It is difficult to believe that it is actually over. I had been there through every obstacle, every achievement, and every life changing moment. I had witnessed as the practice, originally in Miami, Florida, moved to Los Angles. I saw fights and I heard apologies. I knew each character as if they were a part of my family. I had grown to love the world of Nip/Tuck.
The episode concludes with Christian sitting at a bar at the airport. He takes a large sip of his drink and looks over at a blonde sitting a few stools away from him. “Let me buy you a drink,” he says. She declines, showing absolutely no interest in his advances. “Can I get you another one,” the bartender asks Christian. Christian declines saying that he has to operate in the morning. The blonde instantly reacts: “You’re a doctor?” There’s a slight pause as Christian smiles, “Plastic Surgeon.”
Veronica, as always your writing is nice and clear. But I have a couple of thoughts. Two things that I think are related. First I was struck by how there weren't many links and the ones you did have didn't take me anywhere that interesting. Which led to my second concern: why would this be of interest to a reader? I think the two things are tied in, because I think the key would be to plunge deeper into your topic. Okay, you liked the show. Why? What was it really about? What did it tap into people that made it a success? Did it ride the rise of acceptance of plastic surgery? Do you have thoughts on plastic surgery? And if you'd gone deeper, you would have had an op for more interesting links, because you could have linked to intersting things other people have written.
ReplyDeleteDoes that make sense?
You always have to ask yourself: Why would anyone want to read this? What is relevant/insightful/enjoyable about what i'm saying?
I looooooove Nip/Tuck!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't read your whole blog post cause I'm re-watching all the series because I missed a lot of episodes when it first started airing.
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