dylan walsh

(S06E10) "Besides, we've seen people die before. I mean, hell, we've thrown them in a swamp." - Christian

This deep into Nip/Tuck, it's hard sometimes to remember the original sin that took place in the pilot episode all those years ago -- Sean and Christian wrapping a body in spiral hams and dumping it deep in the Everglades. The two of them, they're not innocent -- not by a longshot -- and it always creates an interesting dichotomy when they try to elevate themselves ethically (Sean, especially).

Within the final moments of last night's superb finale (I mean it -- best episode of the season), it's easy to make the argument that all has been forgiven, but with nine episodes remaining (the seventh and final season premieres in just a few weeks on January 6th), it's probably a safe bet that we just witnessed the calm before the storm.

(S06E09) "Being related by blood doesn't make a family." - Christian

As Nip/Tuck's penultimate season winds down, I'm having a hard time getting excited for next week's finale knowing that the final season kicks off right after the New Year on January 6th. With only a few weeks in-between the episodes, next week doesn't feel like the event that a Nip/Tuck finale usually is. Regardless, FX's scheduling plans were obviously not on the table when Ryan Murphy and Co. shot these final episodes and as far the creative team was concerned, it was business as usual. Despite a few odd plot choices, "Benny Nilsson" set-up what could arguably be McNamara/Troy's biggest challenge yet -- staying in business.

(S06E08) "Do I need to start smoking again?!" - Kimber

With only two new episodes left in season six of Nip/Tuck (although, season seven does start right up again in January), I feel pretty confident in saying that "Lola Wlodkowski" will probably go down as the best of this penultimate season's 10 episodes.

For the most part, it stood alone in terms of plot and only loosely tied into the season's overarching arcs. Instead, it provided what was arguably one of the series' best takes on what beauty is while at the same time, reaffirming the differences between Sean and Christian. Hats off to Jennifer Salt for writing a helluva ep.

Get ready for the last of ''Nip/Tuck.' FX Networks has announced that their cult-fave plastic surgery drama will return on Jan. 6 with the show's final nine episodes.

The seventh season of 'Nip/Tuck' will continue its unabashed presentation of all things sexy and surgical as it follows the lives of cosmetic docs Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) both inside and outside the office.

(S06E07) "That's why we need to play dirty." - Sean

Gotta give credit where credit is due -- despite the fact that Teddy's story was so poorly wrapped up, Ryan Murphy and Co. crafted a helluva one-two punch to make us forget about it. At first, I was a little disappointed with the return of Erica last week, but it turned into what's arguably been the best arc of the season. If this ends up being the last time we see Vanessa Redgrave on Nip/Tuck, at least she went out with a bang.

(S06E06) "That's the wonderful thing about raising children -- they keep you young!" - Erica

With Teddy's murder now come and gone (I could go on for hours about how displeased I still am with the way her story ended), Nip/Tuck returned to safe territory last night in "Alexis Stone" by bringing back one of the most loved (and hated) characters to ever grace the show -- Julia's mother, Dr. Erica Noughton (played to icy perfection by Vanessa Redgrave). With Erica around, conflict is always guaranteed and this was no exception. Calling her the mother (and mother-in-law) from hell would be the understatement of the year.

(S06E05) "Why is it that we see what we want to believe and we don't believe what we see?" - Sean

I don't really have a ton to say about this episode; suffice to say that it wasn't my favorite. I argued last week that I hoped Teddy's run in with John Doe (I don't think we caught his name) didn't turn into an easy way to end her story and that's exactly what happened. I liked how it played out but only to the extent that it sent Sean off into this delusional "what the hell am I doing with my life" haze. I'll have a lot more respect for what happened in "Abigail Sullivan" as long as the consequences are worth it.

(S06E04) "Yes! She punched me in the face with her breasts!" - Christian

This is really starting to shape up into one of Nip/Tuck's best seasons in quite some time. Not only did "Jenny Juggs" put an excellent twist on the season's main plot (Teddy's plan), but it also added life to a plot that has, up until now, been pretty stupid (Matt, the bandit mime). Add in the laughs from Christian and Jenny and you've got some vintage McNamara/Troy action. Remember that? Nip/Tuck always used to be this good.

(S06E03) "I don't know... she must've thought I was someone else." - Teddy

Season six of Nip/Tuck, congratulations -- you have arrived. After two enjoyable, but largely disposable episodes to start the season, the focus has finally returned to the one dangling plot from season five -- Rose McGowan's Dr. Teddy Rowe. While it took some guesswork to recall everything the two-faced (three-faced?) anesthesiologist has done (the "previously on" sequence lacked anything to jog your memory since the season five Teddy was played by Katee Sackhoff), "Briggitte Reinholt" did a pretty decent job of explaining her past sins.

(S06E02) "Watching them bleed makes me feel less... alone." - Vivian

Despite being depressing as hell, "Enigma" was still a refreshing episode when compared to last week's light-hearted pseudo-documentary take on Sean and Christian's financial troubles. Nip/Tuck doesn't always focus solely on one of the main characters, but when the show does take that angle, it's often quite good. This episode could have just as easily been called "Sean McNamara II." (The first Sean-centric ep was back in season two.)

(S06E01) "For Sean McNamara, a man wound tighter than a hummingbird's asshole..." - Narrator

Is it wrong that the sight of a wrinkled and saggy breast being sliced open and having a slimy silicone implant shoved into it no longer makes me flinch in quite same way as it did when Nip/Tuck premiered in 2003? That seems to be the endemic issue with Nip/Tuck, in general - the show as a whole is no longer the "disturbingly perfect drama" that it once was because it's just not shocking anymore. In some ways it feels like we've seen it all.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean plots are being recycled, and as we begin our journey through the series' final 19 episodes (this season has 10), there are certainly still plenty of good stories to tell. I made it clear in yesterday's early preview that if there's one show out there with that sort of potential after five seasons, it's definitely Nip/Tuck.

Over the span of its first five seasons, Nip/Tuck has had some spectacular highs and some even greater lows. Regardless of how you feel about them (personally, I liked season three and The Carver), as viewers we've all watched Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) slowly lose the battle to the one thing they're paid to combat - aging.

Entering its penultimate season, Nip/Tuck could use a little nipping and tucking of its own after the mediocre fifth season that saw a lengthy hiatus at the hands of the writers strike. Fortunately, it seems that things might be getting back to "normal" for McNamara/Troy. And by normal, I mean no more serial killers, organ thieves, or weirdo lip-synching musical montages. Beyond that, it's freak show as usual.

With part one of Nip/Tuck's sixth and final season right around the corner (it moves from Tuesdays and premieres on Wednesday, October 14th), I've been waiting for the new promos to start. To be honest, Nip/Tuck's promos never really grabbed me in the past, but after last season's extremely well put together ad featuring "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West, I had high hopes for the next one and FX hasn't disappointed.

The newest promo, titled "Couture," features the song "2 Man Show" by Timbaland and once again involves an extremely intricate choreographed sequence with all sorts of seamstresses stitching and tying something up. It ends with some pretty cool imagery too as Sean and Christian tie something (someone?) up too - very similar to the season four art where the two of them were literally "building" a woman.

Perhaps all the strings are a nod to the fact that the show itself is wrapping up soon? (Only 19 episodes remain in the drama's run.) Check it out for yourself.

Not even the marvels of plastic surgery could save what's become, believe it or not, one of cable TV's oldest dramas - Nip/Tuck.

The wildly successful medical drama starring Julian McMahon and Dylan Walsh as plastic surgeons wrapped production on its series finale (and 100th episode) last week and according to The LA Times, it was a quiet day.

Why the lack of fanfare typically associated with the end of such a popular show? Simple - the finale likely won't air until 2011, around two years from now.

(S05E22) "Can I call you Mommy now?" - Wilbur

Well it took about a year and a half (thank you WGA strike), but Nip/Tuck's twenty-two episode fifth season has finally come to a close. As a finale, this episode delivered exactly what I was looking for: a few unanswered questions to leave us hanging as well as a few answers we've been waiting to have addressed since the first half of the season. Even better? There wasn't another one of those weird lip-syncing montages. One of those was enough.