critical drubbing his show took during its third season, when the plot about a serial killer called the Carver went from a perverse diversion to an irritating farce that nearly killed the show’s sense of zesty, sexy fun. That sense of saucy transgression married to surprisingly effective character development -- the magic formula of the first two seasons -- is a bit wobbly this year, but “Nip/Tuck” is more or less back on track, and the Carver is thankfully nowhere in sight. This season, Murphy returns to the tricky bond between surgeons Christian Troy and Sean McNamara; Troy (Julian McMahon) begins confronting the depth of his feelings for his partner in the plastic-body biz, while McNamara (Dylan Walsh), the more staid doctor of the pair, and his wife, Julia (Joely Richardson), prepare for the birth of a physically handicapped child.
Those darker themes are countered by a soapy (and rather predictable) story line involving a wealthy older man and his hot young wife, who not only want a surgical procedure for him but attempt to buy the practice as a bauble for her. Sanaa Lathan is unfortunately a bit too wooden to do her role of the older man’s wife much justice, but never mind, there are guest cameos galore, some more effective than others. Brooke Shields, Larry Hagman, Kathleen Turner and Rosie O’Donnell, among others, are part of the calvacade of stars Murphy has brought in to jazz up the show, which is now often rather melancholy.
For the show to succeed, some of these characters must turn out to have the depth and pathos of previous McNamara-Troy associates and patients (Turner does, in her short appearance). And let’s hope none of them turns out to be a serial killer in disguise. Speaking of couples with issues, critical drubbing his show took during its third season, when the plot about a serial killer called the Carver went from a perverse diversion to an irritating farce that nearly killed the show’s sense of zesty, sexy fun.
News RSS