Nip/Tuck: Gala Gallardo (4.15)

The end of the road for the Miami episodes unsurprisingly ends with a very Miami-oriented episode. We have drug lords, crocodiles, the everglades. Almost a bookend for the very first episode. That idea obviously also occurred with the disposal of Escobar's body. Only, this time, Liz joined in with the fun. It was a fitting end for a Nip/Tuck legend. On a similar note, we have the city move, something unprecedented, attention-grabbing and pretty darn polarizing. It can only truly be debated in hindsight, and while the move to Los Angeles opened up certain areas of story (particularly in the first part of season five), it's pretty shocking to realize that the show never really changed as a result. Take out all the TV hijinks of season five, and the last run of episodes were pretty interchangeable to the ones set in Miami.

Gala Gallardo was one badass gal, right? Idalis de Leon infused that character with so much strength and sensuality, as well as a real sense of power. They say that behind every great man is a great woman, and she sure owned Escobar's butt. Her decision to kill her hubby only proved that she literally takes no prisoners. And how she just strolled out in her fur coat... badass till the end, that girl. I also loved her interaction with Liz, especially when saying that she knows that Liz has considered killing her.

Michelle and Christian's relationship hit a brick wall, and it was totally unsurprising. As a result of Michelle's numerous past indiscretions, Christian suddenly realized he doesn't really know his lady love, while at the same time their sex life grinds to a halt. These two were never meant to be. One of the biggest problems about their union was that it never felt genuine. It started well, but gradually their relationship appeared to fit a pre-planned storyline, not as an actually organic-feeling arc. I never got the Sanaa Lathan hate (I thought she did fine with a limited part), but I wasn't saddened to see her exit the show.

Matt and Kimber's relationship has been one of the least successful things about this season. I guess it was the point, but their entire existence as a couple was contrived, and just like Michelle things have gone so far that they can't just sweep everything under the rug. They have a kid now, which keeps them together whether they like it or not. I did appreciate Kimber telling Sean that she's trying to love Matt, but it doesn't disguise the fact that this was a majorly ill-conceived storyline from the get go, only there to give two characters without a huge amount of direction something to do, away from their typical personas. And while I have to credit the writers with attempting that, it never really worked.

One of the most memorable moments of the episode (and the series) is the cast breaking into music video format, singing along to Brighter Discontent by The Submarines. While the idea is straight out of Magnolia, it works here, and I have to give props to Ryan Murphy for exposing The Submarines to a wide audience. They're now one of my favorite bands.

A mostly successful finale, mainly due to the awesome Gala. The episode is a turnaround from a schizophrenic season which was tonally all over the place and probably the most erratic season in the show's history, in terms of quality at least. You have to admire the show for clearly working the cogs of the series' foundation and doing something so different for season five, but it's debatable if it actually helped the show in the long-run. A-

Credits
Guest stars Sanaa Lathan (Michelle Landau); Robert LaSardo (Escobar Gallardo); Idalis De Leon (Gala Gallardo); Jack Yang (Chiyo); Charles Shen (Hanae); Scarlett Chorvat (Natalie); Aaron Lustig (Plastic Surgeon); Danny Strong (Bart)
Writers Ryan Murphy, Hank Chilton Director Ryan Murphy