If you love Nip/Tuck, you’re sure to have anxiously waited for season 5 of the popular show. The season was originally to be 22 episodes, but because of the writers strike, only the first 14 were shown. However, those 14 were explosive and backed full of new twists, new characters, and lots and lots of sex. However, it wasn’t all good for the boys and their friends.
This season begins with Sean and Christian packing up and moving their practice from Florida to Beverly Hills. As you would expect, theres no absence of need for plastic surgeons in LA, but theres just one little problem for McNamara/Troy. No one has any idea who they are. To combat this, they recruit publicist Fiona McNeil. She wastes no time in getting them a job as technical advisors on a TV show based on, would you believe it, plastic surgeons!
As they work on Hearts n Scalpels, they meet the shows producer and members of its cast, including Aidan Stone. The soap consumes a good amount of time in the beginning episodes of the season. While the self-centered, over the top Aidan is very entertaining, there are times when it often seems a bit too much. It might have been okay if the story didnt follow some of the TV crew off-set, but it does. When the studio executive in charge of the show heads off to see a dominatrix to de-stress, I wasnt sure if the season was moving in the right direction or jumping the shark. Worse still, I wasnt sure if I even cared about these characters. The surgeons and there shenanigans seemed to be designed to shock us, but they didnt help to round out these new characters or move the existing characters forward. While many things happened to the characters, far between did they show any lasting change. Even those who moved on to new relationships, such as Matt and Kimber, still seemed to be the same characters, unmoved by the events in their lives.
In fact that is the main flaw with season 5, if not the entire show. The characters dont do enough to evolve. In particular, Christian does not really change from the womanizing man he is. He continues to bounce from woman to woman with little concern for them. While this has been normal for a few seasons, it seems remarkably apparent in season 5.
Of course, the celebrity guests kept coming in season 5, including Rosie ODonnell, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jai Rodriguez. In fact, they were sometimes the biggest draw of an episode, and I want to see what big names they pull in for season 6. The season cliffhanger, too, does make me want to watch the next season, if only the premiere, to see how certain storylines are resolved. Overall, while it was a disappointment, Nip/Tuck is still an interesting show to watch. However, there are only eight episodes scheduled for 2009 (the rest of season 5), so dont expect much development for the next year.
