Nip/Tuck: Season 1, Episode 2: Mandi/Randi Review

Mandi/Randi

Original Airdate: July 29, 2003

Writer: Ryan Murphy

Director: Ryan Murphy

Being the second episode of a series is a thankless task. You’re competing to maintain the quality of the pilot or prove that you could do better while maintaining the viewer’s interest. Nip/Tuck proved to have a lot of potential with its 90 minute premiere, but how would it be able to fare as a series?

The continuity between this episode and the pilot is consistent, which can be difficult as pilots are often filmed far in advance from the rest of the season. Troy/McNamara have recovered from the events of the pilot and have changed their operation. Now we see there is a psychologist on staff and they now do pro bono work, helping the woman with the ruptured implant. However, the psychiatrist can’t handle the sight of seeing the operation, a sign that he won’t be around long.

Following this, we meet the titular patients, twin girls trying to form their own identities. Seeing how they act it’s clear that they really don’t want to be different from each other, as they have the same haircut, the same type of clothes on, make-up, etc. They haven’t come to grips with the fact that they will always be confused for the other twin for the rest of their lives. Both of them losing their virginities to the same man was the nadir for them and they thought surgery would be the solution. Maybe they should spend more time away from each other to find themselves. Well, it’s clear that by the end of the episode that surgery was a mistake.

If there was any purpose to the twins it would be to introduce the fifth lead, Valerie Cruz as Grace. In retrospect, it didn’t make sense to have her as a lead. She is absent through five episodes, several critical to the development of the show. Her character served two purposes. One will be discussed in a future review. You could argue that her secondary purpose is to appeal to Sean in a moment where his mid-life crisis is still affecting him. Along comes a beautiful woman who doesn’t believe in half measures. It convinces him to change his menu choice from what he usually has to what she is having. However, his poorly timed line showed this wouldn’t be the right way to change his life.

Perhaps it would’ve been a better decision to have a few different psychologists on the show or stay with Dr. Pembleton. He felt like a wasted opportunity, as if they couldn’t get Valerie for this episode and had him substitute, with her scenes shot later and mixed in. The impact of his firing is somewhat diminished since it recalls too much of Sean’s dismissal of Julio in the pilot. There was tension between them as we saw regarding Mr. Brancato, but hardly enough to make this payoff worthwhile.

Sean’s still resorting to half measures trying to talk to Matt about sex. He clearly meant the best by sliding the condom across the table, but this is what makes it hard for Matt to talk to his dad. So he consults Christian because he is easier to talk to about sex, but the advice he gives isn’t the type you’d want a young man to follow, like sleeping with a stripper so he can gain experience equipped to please Vanessa.

Christian also has trouble with women in this episode because of Julia. He is impotent towards every woman he is with unless he is thinking about Julia during it. No one in Christian’s life has touched him the way Julia has. Since the “consultation”, he has become fixated on her. But when they meet towards the end, they have a heartfelt discussion, which revives his sex drive.

Julia is still living a desperate existence. She’s bored and creating gift baskets to avoid thinking about going back to school so she can get what she wants. Neither she nor Sean is sure what to do about their relationship at this point. Matt has to intervene because both of them aren’t doing anything to face the problems in their lives. He has a good point, but Julia continues to make the baskets.

However, this hobby will be dashed with the consequences of killing Frisky the gerbil. Considering how obsessive kids can be with their pets, it doesn’t make sense that she would wait a month and a half before putting up “Missing” ads. Also it has taken this long before the plumbing problems started. It was funny how she confessed to it. They laid it on heavily by mentioning it could’ve been Matt and that’s how Ted Bundy started, killing small animals. Their utter disgust when Julia admitted she killed it was priceless.

Liz plays another part in Sean’s decision to commit to change. Being held at gunpoint changed her perspective so that she left her deadbeat girlfriend to pursue what she wants in life. It takes Sean some convincing to get her to come back. Not knowing the name of Liz’s ex didn’t help. Nevertheless, doubling her old salary worked.

Sean is willing to leave Julia, but still doesn’t want to go out and see other people. He has only changed his mindset, taking half measures but thinking he’s going all the way. There isn’t any joy in this marriage. When faced with Julia again, he decides it’s better to have amazing sex as if that will remedy their problems. It doesn’t. He seems to want to please her only to spite her. Earlier Grace spurned his advice. Sean wanted safety after that and he resented it.

Unlike her husband, Julia seems more interested in a drastic change following Christian’s visit. He has always been more open, but still isn’t the right man for her. Brushing off an erection he got during a close meeting between them and then having a three way with the twins on the same night he was going to console Julia (describing it as a “Doublemint moment”) isn’t the type of man likely to settle down, even though he desires Julia more than any other woman.

Matt is in a tough situation being a self conscious teenager. Vanessa likes Matt, but her reaction to his penis caused him to recoil. That caused her to shy away too. Her saying they should just stay kissing was about as hurtful as if she left. All of the pressures he is facing, added to the fact that he can’t effectively communicate with anyone close to him, makes him try to circumcise himself. I'm sure I wasn’t the only guy to cringe a bit when that snip was heard. The creepy voice narrating the webpage where Matt got his information shows how bad it can be if you have no one to turn to so you rely on questionable sources because they are more open. To have someone do that on TV is unbelievable, but it’s not just for the sake of shock value.

This episode performs well following a great premiere, but suffers from some minor faults in the writing. The continuity is strong as it sets up the season arc. Mandi/Randi is good, but not the indicator the greatness ahead in this season and the next.

Score: 7/10