(S05E18) "Sometimes I think that the only way for me to stop him is to cut off my hands." - Raj

It's rare when it happens, but every so often on Nip/Tuck, I just don't care about Sean or Christian. Either because their circumstances have become stale or there's a better sub-plot taking place. In this instance, both reasons played a role. The Christian/Liz plot has become annoyingly predictable and Sean's continuing woe-is-me complex is starting to give me one of my own from watching it. But underneath all that, the Raj and Ricky Wells threads were extremely entertaining.

Let's get the Liz/Christian discussion out of the way. Honestly, what did she think would happen? That's really all there is to say about it. Even new clothes, a flashy hairdo, red nails, and a push-up bra weren't going to get Liz back in bed with Christian. He got his mojo back and that means a return to the endless floosie parade in his bedroom. I suppose I should feel bad for Liz, but I don't. While I'm sad to see her go, I'm sure she isn't gone for good.

As for Sean, I suppose I should feel bad for him too... but I don't. If you look at Matt's history, there's honestly no reason to expect anything from him. The fact that he decided to be an actor instead of a doctor is just like him anyway. However, Sean's feelings about Matt played right into Raj's feelings about his father and the constant pressure to succeed.

The one thing that's sort of been glossed over since we met Raj is that he's 17. We finally saw him act like a 17-year old. Drinking beer, getting high, and standing up to daddy. I loved the scene between him and Matt as Raj manipulated Matt flawlessly to slam the car door on his hand. It reminded me a lot of Ben White (John Billingsley) from season three - the guy with body dysmorphic disorder who cut his own leg off. Big difference, obviously - Raj doesn't have BDD, but he also didn't have the drive to mangle his own hand. He needed Matt.

A few more thoughts...

• No mention of Olivia, Julia, or Eden? After everything that happened last week? That was a little odd.
• Maybe the Ricky Wells plot was a little predictable, but I was still into it. The flashback scenes were incredibly well done and even though you knew how it would end (especially after the teacher (I forget her name) introduced only the younger brother to Sean), it was still heartbreaking in the end when Ricky walked in on the two of them.

Next week, with Liz gone, I'm excited to see what Katee Sackhoff brings to the show as the new anesthesiologist Teddy Lowe. From what I recall, I'm pretty sure her and Sean end up in some sort of relationship, which is great - it's about time he did something other than whine.