One of the most notable complaints leveled at Nip/Tuck's series finale was that it just wasn't zany enough. For a show that pride itself on its elaborate plot twists and boundary-pushing absurdity, Hiro Yoshimura remains a somber affair. It puts character ahead of action, and for somebody who often criticized the show in its later years for wrapping its ensemble up in increasingly deranged storylines, I welcomed the tone of this episode. Sure, it would have probably been more interesting if Ryan Murphy managed to strike that middle ground between both extremes... but this is Ryan Murphy, a man who clearly doesn't believe in the existence of a middle ground.If anything, the major development I was happy with this season was that everybody seemed to go their separate ways. I have no idea if it was ever intentional, but the six-strong ensemble of characters spent so many years in this little incestuous bubble, constantly screwing each other over, that I was ridiculously happy to see them get the hell away from each other.
Sean and Christian's love for one another has always been at the heart of Nip/Tuck, something that has been incredibly positive for them, as well as something of a hindrance. It took one final act of love for Sean to finally break out and do something with his life, Christian forcing him to take the bull by the horns and pursue his dreams. Since the very beginning there has been resentment and animosity bubbling beneath the surface of the two of them, and Sean himself always wanted to do something in the medical field that was far more meaningful than the boob jobs and tummy tucks he normally does. In that regard, it's a happy ending for him.
The final scene was particularly moving, too: a nice remake of the first Christian/Kimber scene right back in the pilot. Over the years I always wanted Christian and Kimber to get back together again, but in the end it was pretty obvious that Christian could never change, and that Kimber was fighting a losing battle. I still have that nagging question over whether recognizing Christian can't change is really just a lazy explanation for a total lack of character growth over the years, but I'll let that slide for now.
Ava got one wonderful sequence with Sean, where she really sounded a death knell over the world of plastic surgery. She raged about the stupidity of what McNamara/Troy promises its patients, telling people that physical altercations will change their lives for the better. Ava is such a tragic character, yet still soulless and horrible. Famke was incredible in her two episodes here.
I'm still unsure of how the writers expected us to take that final scene between Matt and Ava. I read it as another insanely hideous decision of Matt's, cursing his daughter to a life of horror with two equally insecure and damaged parents. But did Ryan Murphy want this moment to be a happy ending of sorts? Their relationship is so imbalanced and fragile, it surely can't end up in anything other than tragedy?
Elsewhere, Julia and Liz didn't get a whole lot to do, but I appreciated their involvement in the episode. While I get angry over how increasingly shrill and horrible Julia became, her final scene really got to me. I think it was the tinkly music as she said goodbye. Liz deserved a better ending, though, since she disappeared after the dinner party and didn't have some grand last moment. I'm sure she's happy though, and if anybody on this show deserves some shred of happiness, it's Liz.
The show's final patient was entirely appropriate. Here's a culture that respects age and the wisdom maturity brings, thrust into another culture which ignores the old and insults them if they don't still look young and sexy. The porn sequence was obvious humor but admittedly funny. The 'daughter''s facial expressions killed, and I loved that sword sound effect after Hiro opened his robe. Heh.
Nip/Tuck was a series that began as something truly groundbreaking and fascinating. It took a subject matter that was somewhat mysterious at the time and used it as a back-drop for a look into aging, regret and superficiality. The characters were all flawed, yet interesting. The show had a look and feel that was different and engaging. Of course, the show eventually became overwhelmed by its need to push boundaries and constantly better past plotlines, with almost universally dismal returns. It was a show that peaked around season two, and spent a long time trying to recapture that magic. There were still wonderful highs in those later seasons, but by that time the show had been tarnished.
I always feel for shows like Nip/Tuck that opened with so much praise and attention and eventually just petered out, ending quietly with barely a whimper in the media. Reading an interview with Ryan Murphy recently, there were vague references to behind-the-scenes fighting and cast problems that to this day leave Ryan upset and wounded. Ryan is a pissy drama queen if I ever did see one, but there's still that element of mystery about this show. About why it became so needlessly gratuitous, why Ryan felt the need to make things more and more crazy and absurd, why Joely Richardson all but vanished from the show...
I respect this show and enjoyed its final episode, but my memory of Nip/Tuck is tainted somewhat by how increasingly bad it became. This is familiar of many long-running shows, but the real issue was that characters got lost along the way, repeating the same stupid decisions and morally questionable actions they always did. It lost its sparkle, which is pretty damn unfortunate. But when this show was 'on', it was freakin' incredible. I can still remember my reaction to the 'Ava's a transsexual!' twist, and thinking how insanely awesome this show was. It's hard, but I really ought to naturally associate those memories with Nip/Tuck, and not inane junk like Eden Lord or the Ass Bandit.
In the end, Nip/Tuck was a show that created discussion. And maybe that was exactly what Ryan Murphy envisioned. We can all debate about what went wrong with this series, but we can't deny it's success as a conversation-starter round the watercooler every week. It was pretty bananas. B+
Credits
Guest stars Famke Janssen (Ava Moore); Melonie Diaz (Ramona Perez); Koji Kataoka (Hiro Yoshimura); Michelle Krusiec (Mei); Candace Kita (Kei); Kelsey Lynn Batelaan (Annie McNamara)
Writer Ryan Murphy Director John Scott
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