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(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.

(S05E17) "Christian, I don't like men. I like you." - Liz

Christian and Liz?!? Can anyone honestly say that they ever saw this coming? Of course, the opposites attract argument exists - "butch lesbian anesthesiologist" and "slightly mysoginistic sex-crazed plastic surgeon" are just about as far apart as you can get. But I suppose it only makes sense that the guy who uses woman before he trusts them starts to fall for the woman he in theory shouldn't be able to have because, Christian put it best, "she's a lesbian!"

Despite all the pitfalls that this relationship certainly has (Christian is not a one woman guy - especially when that woman plays for the other team), at least it's something different. Once again, the "Sean still loves Julia" plot reared it's annoying head. We get it already. The proponents of this awkward courtship will argue that we don't know who Sean is without Julia and that's why he's always carried the torch. But that's just it - I don't know who Sean is without Julia either and it doesn't seem like Ryan Murphy and Co. plan on telling us.

(S05E16) "Let me tell you what I don't like about yourself." - Raj

Eh... not so much. It's not that "Gene Shelly" was a bad episode, it was just awfully predictable for the whole hour. Every time something new happened, the result was painfully obvious. It took away the impact from a few things that otherwise, should have been pretty powerful moments. The one highlight? Dr. Puresh. Everything that kid says is comic gold.

(S05E15) "Shaft had tit cancer?" - Christian

She sure made it look easy, huh?

After the way part one of this season ended, with Sean finding out who Colleen really was, most were amazed when they saw Colleen jamming a knife into Sean's back in the mid-season finale. With his new celebrity status, the likely restraining order Sean had out on Colleen, and the assumption that there must have been some sort of security at the new McNamara/Troy LA office, it seemed unlikely that Colleen would have been able to get within 100 feet of Sean. Not the case.

Again, she made it look easy.

It's hard to believe, but there are only 27 episodes of Nip/Tuck left. Not that many, is it? Granted, those final installments will be spread over the next three or so years, but it's really not many if you think about it.

As you may recall, when season five of Nip/Tuck was initially greenlit, FX ordered 22 episodes. Prior to that, no season had aired more than 15. I was ecstatic at the time and when season five finally arrived, I couldn't contain myself. Then the writer's strike hit and suddenly, 22 turned into 14. Eight episodes remain and the "disturbingly perfect drama" finally returns to FX to wrap up its fifth season on Tuesday, January 6th at 10PM ET.

Last we saw the McNamara/Troy family, tragedy had struck in numerous ways. The mid-season premiere, "Ronnie Chase," picks right up where the season left off last winter.

(S05E14) "I pretend to do the thing I actually do and suddenly I'm cool." - Sean

Going into this episode, I was really expecting it to be just be so-so. With the trend of so many other shows being cut short because of the WGA strike, I just assumed Nip/Tuck would fall victim as well. Not the case. Even if this season's full order of 22 episodes had been met, this installment was still clearly meant to be a mid-season finale. There's no way an ending like that gets a new episode the very next week. It worked here as the season ender and it worked well.
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(S05E13) "Wait... you met your father?" - Matt

This is the way I remember Nip/Tuck. Hands down, best episode of the season right here. Controversial, all the main characters played a big role, and best of all? It was funny! The one thing that depressed me was the very end. Why? Because of that ridiculous "future" episode from last season, we know Julia can't die.
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(S05E12) "There are seven signs of the apocalypse, right? Not two?" - Christian

One of the things that I've always enjoyed about Nip/Tuck is the way that Sean and Christian are constantly compared to each other. No matter how much they fight, no matter how much the writing may lead you to believe that they clash, no matter how much you juxtapose them in any number of varying scenarios, they always turn out looking far more similar than different. This episode was a prime example.
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When Suzanne Pleshette passed away a couple of weeks ago of respiratory failure, it seemed to derail the plans for her to get a star on the Walk of Fame sidewalk in Hollywood. A lot of times when a celebrity has died they won't do a public ceremony. But tomorrow's ceremony is going forward, with a familiar face at the helm.

Pleshette's television hubby Bob Newhart will lead the ceremonies tomorrow, on what would have been Pleshette's 71st birthday. Newhart also gave the eulogy at her funeral last week, along with Bob Newhart Show co-star (andlongtime Simpsons voice) Marcia Wallace.

(S05E11) "Mommy's not coming back because Daddy killed her." - Christian

Um... wow. I'm never going to a Build-A-Bear Workshop ever again. I'll come back to that later, but let's touch on the theme of this episode first: cannibalism. There's a topic that Nip/Tuck hasn't tackled before and Ryan Murphy and Co. didn't hold back either. From the teacher who bites her Kindergarten students, to the metaphors of Hollywood agents eating you alive, to the newlywed couple that actually... ate each other, all the bases were covered. Who's hungry?
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The Writers Guild of America is going to hold an informal meeting with studios this week in what looks like a first step in getting back to the bargaining table with the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers (I'm sure that the deal the Director's Guild of America made on Thursday is what generated these talks.)