Plot: What’s it about?
I’ll do my best to avoid a cliché in the first sentence, but there’s a lot more to “Nip/Tuck” than meets the eye. Whoops. Too late. Seriously, though, the general premise of the show is based around two brothers who are Miami-based plastic surgeons. The two have been at their practice for some time now, about fifteen years, and business is just starting to boom. That added to the fact that their office is in Miami and there’s no shortage of young women wanting to look their surgical best. “Nip/Tuck” combines the elements of a drama and the medical scenes that we might find in “ER” and adds some twists. But the best thing about the show is the contrasting main characters. Dylan (Sean McNamara) is a father and has problems in his marriage. His rebellious son, Matt (John Hensley), is getting on his nerves and he doesn’t know how to handle it. He throws himself into his work as an escape. On the other end of the spectrum we have Christian (Julian McMahon). Christian is the polar opposite of his brother. He’s single, a womanizer, arrogant, narcissistic and above all – a risk taker (not exactly what you want your doctor to be). It’s the contrasting yin and yang of these two brothers that make the show work.
Ironically, a majority of the show doesn’t take place on the operating table. It’s what leads us up to it and the dynamics of everyone else involved that keep things mixed up. There are some serious moral and ethical questions that are brought up most each and every episode. This is exemplified when Dylan must turn away a prospective patient (a young boy who was burned in a fire) because the practice is booked up with breast augmentations and facelifts. This profoundly affects Dylan and as a result, their practice starts doing pro-bono work so that they don’t only cater to vanity. However, it’s the witty dialogue (from creator of “Popular”) and the arc of storylines that assists in making the show watchable. Stories range from humorous to powerful (notably in the pilot episode when the two brothers unwittingly commit a murder) mixed in with the sometimes steamy sex scenes. The show is broadcast on F/X, a rather risqué alternative to the more commonplace and mainstream network shows. For those looking for something different, unique, and fun and with plenty of guilty pleasure, “Nip/Tuck” might just be what you’ve been looking for.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are shown in a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer that looks much better than the original broadcast episodes. Certainly the 16:9 transfer helps with the level of detail and the sometimes stylized images look great on the screen. Fleshtones look warm and natural, and the operating scenes seem to retain that “greenish” tint that shows like “ER” have popularized. There is little or no edge enhancement to speak of and on the whole, it’s a very good-looking transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
Like most television shows on DVD, only a Dolby Digital Surround track is included, but it faithfully reproduces the soundtrack. Dialogue, a key component of any good television show (yes, really), is clean and free of any distortion. While the occasional surround effect does chime in (matrixed, via the surrounds), the majority of the action takes place in the front stage of the speakers. I found nothing really wrong with the way this sounds, as it is pretty much what we’d expect of a television show on disc.
Supplements: What are the extras?
“Nip/Tuck” features an array of supplements, most notably an extended pilot episode. There are a few featurettes, first up is “Are Those Real or Fake?” which is a segment on the make-up effects of the show. Naturally, a large majority of the show is composed of prosthetics and this gives us the skinny (no pun intended) on how it’s done. “Realistic Expectations: The Practice of Plastic Surgery” gives us a look at some of Los Angeles’ top plastic surgeons. The doctors dish on what’s real and what’s not, though this is mainly filler fluff. There are some deleted scenes, a gag reel (entitled “Severed Parts”) and a music video: “A Perfect Lie”. “Nip/Tuck” has broken new ground (or should I say skin) as far as primetime dramas go, it’s different and a bit hard to take at times, but that’s the allure of the show. Fans of the show will love this season as well as the teaser for the second season (a bonus on the set).
