Nip/Tuck: Season 1, Episode 13: Escobar Gallardo Review

Escobar Gallardo
Original Airdate: October 21, 2003
Writer: Ryan Murphy
Director: Ryan Murphy

Finishing a first season, likely before the pilot had even aired, is hard to do. If a show isn’t renewed, the writers would love to create a sense of closure to make those who did tune in satisfied. As insurance, some stories are left open to be explored and resolved in the future. Nip/Tuck was faced with this dilemma. Luckily, Nip/Tuck was renewed and they were able to balance the closure with the loose threads for a jam packed hour.

Sean is working on another mule, as Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me with Science” plays in the background. They have really done a great job with the music selection in these final episodes. The surgery is different from prior procedures as well, with jump cuts as the implants are removed. Escobar stands nearby collecting the implants after Pepe cleans them. They’ve operated on ten girls in a month: Sean wants to know when it’ll end. The drug lord only cares about his own interests.

Meanwhile, Christian is sitting in Bobolit’s house waiting to talk to him. In walks Kimber, who we haven’t seen since she went all slashy on his chest a few episodes ago. Now she's engaged to Bobolit (her second in the series) and she has developed a love for cocaine. Christian can see that she is beginning a downward spiral, even if it is hypocritical of him to denounce cocaine when he did it during their first night.

Bobolit comes in and Christian brings up an ad campaign masquerading Kimber’s surgery as his own work. Bobolit isn’t budging. In fact, he plans to run him out of town because he refused to become his partner. Also, she still thinks about Christian while Bobolit has sex with her. Bobolit raises the stakes by offering to match prices, which McNamara/Troy can’t as Escobar continues to squeeze them.

Julia prepares Gina for birth by showing her the video of Matt’s birth. Gina’s never known much about Christian. Since he moved into Christian’s house, she learned more about who he is personally. While watching this video, Julia reveals that they’ve drifted. Gina asks why Christian was present in the delivery room. Julia's answer and subsequent reaction to the rest of the video leads Gina to believe she has feelings for Christian.

During their financial crisis, a wealthy man named Mr. Parks offers them $150,000 to transplant hair from his dog’s tail to its head. The desire for physical perfection stretches into the animal world. Mr. Parks showcases Sir Winston in dog shows and can make a million dollars if he places first. Dog shows are cutthroat and many turn to plastic surgeons to help them. He's upset by the cheating, but sees it as the only way to survive.

Mr. Parks’ offer is certainly tempting to the doctors, even if it is morally questionable. The last time they picked a client for money, they wound up in the dilemma they’re in now. Their client base has suffered greatly because of Bobolit’s competition and Escobar’s mules requiring them to cancel paying customer’s surgeries. They pass on the offer either way.

Sean’s business isn’t the only thing falling apart. When he gets back from work, Julia asks where he was, even though she doesn’t expect an honest answer. He tells her it isn’t another affair. Julia wants to know what is wrong with their bank accounts, since both Matt and she were denied when they tried using a check and credit card respectively. To help her husband, she offers her wedding ring to pawn for money. This ring has been an heirloom from Sean’s grandmother, who thought Julia was the ideal wife for him. Julia has had enough. Escobar is the last straw, although she doesn’t know who he is yet.

Bobolit, the eternal opportunist, takes Mr. Parks' dog as a client. His assistant is much like Liz, but isn't treated as well. As he's preparing the tail hair to transplant in the front, the dog flatlines. He wants her to perform mouth to mouth on the dog. She responds by walking out. Bobolit's attempts to revive the dog are darkly hilarious, as he gags at the dog's bad breath during mouth to mouth.

Christian and Gina eat dinner when Gina propositions Christian. She needs to facilitate labor, and sex will do it. It is provocative, but its awkwardness and strategically covered body parts keeps it from being pornographic. They try several positions, but it causes discomfort and very little enjoyment. So they try it slowly on their side. There two people who have been extremely hostile towards each other since they met share this tender moment. Christian realizes then that he truly wants to be a father.

Ironically, Christian gets his family as Sean loses his own. He finds out about Sean's divorce as they are about to work on another mule. Bad as it is, Escobar makes it even worse by ordering them to remove one of the girl's kidneys after they remove the heroin implants. Sean refuses. Escobar puts a gun to his face. Sean remains firm until Escobar shoots Liz in the leg.

To protect Liz from further attacks from misogynistic Escobar, they send her to Bermuda. Escobar had caused them to lose much of their clientele and because Liz is gone they can no longer operate on patients. Christian appeals to Julia to help Sean, but before they can, a desperate Sean takes Julia's ring and pawns it for a gun.

Who would've thought Gary Numan's "Cars" could create such suspense? From the opening warble of the synthesizer, it intensifies Sean's confrontation with Escobar. The repetitious beat of this song and Blondie's "Rapture" work for this long scene. Escobar knows he came to kill him, and gives him a free shot. Sean pulls out the gun and holds it at the drug lord. He can't pull the trigger, despite all the drama in his life that past year. As a murderer, Escobar knows a lot about the psychology of what it takes to kill someone and Sean isn't one. Sean doesn't want to be the man who would murder someone like Escobar is. He feels Sean owes him some gratitude for giving him the courage to go to a drug lord's house with a gun. Escobar, in some twisted way, felt that he taught Sean a valuable life lesson. For that, he gives him one more assignment. He's trapped because he's been identified. If they give him a new face and remove all of his tattoos, he'll let them go.

Christian tries to reach Sean, but only gets his machine. Gina interrupts him by telling him her water broke. Cat Stevens' "Wild World", a perfect choice, starts to play. Sean lies on a hotel bed when Julia knocks on the door. She apologizes and asks him to come back home as the song's chorus kicks in. It's an emotionally rewarding moment. It works because the song can be compared, even superficially, to Nip/Tuck. Even one episode is wild.

Simultaneously, Gina is giving birth and Christian is delivering it. Soon the baby is born and Christian is shocked to find that the baby is black. Despite that, he won't stop being a father for the kid. Through Gina's pregnancy, Christian loved the kid in a way that he hasn't loved anyone outside of the McNamara family. Previously, Christian would've dumped a baby if it wasn't his, but he genuinely loves. I had a feeling that the baby wasn't his, but I was wondering how they would handle it. It turns to be a big part of resolving the conflict between Christian and the McNamaras, especially Julia.

Julia goes to the genetics lab to find the results of the paternity test. No one else needs to know the results of this test, but she gets it anyway, probably provoked by Christian's new found fatherhood. We don't know the results, which are left ambiguous as Julia looks at her family during a happy dinner. Things are fine now. Sean and Julia have reconciled, Bobolit is ruined because of Sir Winston and Escobar is away, but not until the epilogue.

The epilogue, set four months later, feels like a victory lap, with The Commodores' "Machine Gun" triumphantly providing the soundtrack. Escobar, fully recovered from his plastic surgery, walks through an airport. A bunch of men follow Escobar approaching the gate. They pounce on him. The officer calls him Mr. Barco and places him under arrest. Escobar is confused. The same officer tells him that if he is wanted for bank robbery and muder of a federal agent, he should "change [his] face." Then he pulls out a list of the FBI's 10 most wanted, the doctor's replaced Escobar's face, which was number 10 on the list, with the number two man. Of course there is a lot of logistics you could nit pick about, but if you are, then the episode didn't do its job. This surprise was a hoot.

Nip/Tuck was able to craft a perfect finale. Things were wrapped up, whereas other things were left open if they were to be picked up, which they thankfully were. Some fantastic music drives the episode, which enhances the already volatile drama. Had the show not been picked up, it would've served as a satisfactory finale, even with things like Matt and Cara and the paternity test unsolved as of this episode. Thankfully it was, and these questions were solved, but that wait was a pain from the second the credits rolled.

Score: 10/10