In this final season (19 episodes/5-discs) of the series, plastic surgeons Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) find themselves dealing with a black widow murderer, a serial killer, a dead body that must be dumped in the desert, a pedophile, a possible Nazi war criminal, a self-mutilator, the suicide of a series regular and a waiting room filled with other “crazy” people, as well as a screwed-up son (John Hensley) who has decided to make his living as a convenience store stick-up artist.

The economy isn’t helping their business either, thus by the end of the season, the partners decide to go their separate ways.

CRITIQUE

Frankly, I had pretty much had my fill of Nip/Tuck by the end of Season Five.  The only reason why I wanted to cover this final season is because it was the final season and I was curious to see how the various storylines were resolved.

The series had always been a trashy soap opera that dealt with many delicate, very personal areas of the human condition that have remained untouched by most other television series, cable or otherwise.

Yet, the writing, direction and acting were so good, the story elements so compelling during the first two or three seasons that it was difficult not to keep watching.

Then, in Season Five, things changed.  The writers seemed to run out of fresh ideas so that not only did we get the “whacko patient (or doctor) of the week,” but it also became difficult to find a regular character on the series to “like”.

In Season Six, there are really no likable regular characters, so one has to look for the character that you “dislike” the least.

The writing, a total mish-mash, continues to be the series’ biggest problem.  The producers can’t seem to decide on a direction in which the story should proceed.  A potentially intriguing plotline is begun in one episode, only to be abandoned in the next.

For example, in one episode, a desperate, financially strapped Christian Troy forges his partner’s name on a legal document, so that he can get a bank loan against their practice.  Now, that’s a plot twist that can lead to some powerful confrontation scenes between McNamara and Troy.  Yet that story element is virtually forgotten for several episodes, only to be brought up again briefly near the season’s end and dismissed in a scene or two.

Even worse, in the final few episodes, characters seem to “violate” their established characters, changing their attitudes towards events and each other from scene-to-scene without any apparent motivation.

What ever became of basic story structure and character development?

The actors in the series continue to deliver fine performances, doing their best with the material they are given to play.  I particularly enjoyed the guest appearances by Vanessa Redgrave, Melanie Griffith and Harold Gould.

Incidentally, this is still not a series for the squeamish, because even though they’re employing prosthetics, the producers are not hesitant to show graphic presentations of the various operations performed by the McNamara/Troy surgical team.

THE VIDEO

The widescreen presentation is sharp with no issues.

THE AUDIO

The Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 Sound is excellent.

THE EXTRAS

Tell Me What You Don’t Like About Yourself – The Psychology behind Plastic Surgery, a 20-minute featurette incorporating interviews with real plastic surgeons.

FINAL THOUGHT

Poor storytelling, but this season does resolve the lives (rightly or wrongly) of most of its key characters.