Nip/Tuck: Season 1, Episode 9: Sophia Lopez II Review

Sophia Lopez II

Original Airdate: September 23, 2003

Writers: Sean Jablonski

Director: Nelson McCormick

As the title suggests, this episode is a sequel to the fourth episode. Many facets of that episode, including Merril and Christian’s relationship and the titular Lopez, are explored further, and a few choice revelations help prepare us for the final arc. Megan’s getting sick. Matt learns about the affair. Julia breaks off her friendship with Jude. A lot happened this week. Unfortunately, it feels like too much for one hour.

While Cara Fitzgerald made us sympathize with Christian because of his traumatic childhood, we can go back to hating him as he negotiates a trade between Merril: Merril’s car for Kimber. Christian and Kimber’s relationship hasn’t been good since the failed attempts to spark their relationship. In addition, she isn’t bright, not remembering that Christian’s name starts with a ‘C’ and not a ‘K’.

Although Megan was the first recurring patient, Sophia was the first to appear. It’s great to see her back on the show. Having Jablonski, the writer of the original, pen this one added to the continuity. As I said in the original’s review, Nip/Tuck fully utilized their eagerness for controversy by handling a topic other shows would be too afraid to tackle. It was a risk of offending people and maybe upsetting those in the community. Luckily, they looked beyond the surface and developed a character you could relate to even if you would never be transgendered.

Sophia is ready to complete her transformation into a female by changing her penis into a vagina. Her return on the show had promise that they would stick with this character. She provided a venue for Sean’s compassion, which helped flesh out his character in the early stage of the show. Unfortunately, this is her penultimate appearance. Her character had much potential, especially with her relationship with Liz. More frustrating is the lack of follow up with her former doctor and Sean’s former teacher.

How many shows have you seen where a lesbian and a pre op transsexual have sex? It’s certainly water cooler worthy, but again, Nip/Tuck doesn’t merely exploit these characters for that sake. Both characters are middle aged and live unusual lifestyles, which makes finding someone even harder. Through that moment of weakness, they bond.

Their night provokes Sophia to cancel her first appointment just before she gets the anesthesia. Certainly, there would be ramifications as a man who identifies as a woman having sex with a lesbian. The resolution does make sense, but seems far too convenient. This relationship, even if it was confined to a friendship, could have been interesting to see play out, especially since it would give Liz a substantial long term story. However, you could argue that a transgendered individual forgoing surgery for a relationship with a lesbian would be a cop out and would belittle such lifestyles.

While working out in the gym with Jude, Julia finds out from one of her friends that Jude is a male prostitute. I wish they did more with this storyline in this episode, since it was such a big part of her character in this season, but I did get a kick that Jude is from my home state of New Hampshire. However, it does resolve their relationship when she finds out how deceitful he really is and how she fell for it through her loneliness.

While Matt tends to Cara to ease his guilt, her fingers twitch. This probably could’ve been a bigger moment, but actually is a McGuffin. As he opens the door to tell his father, he sees he’s with Megan. Matt thinks nothing of it, but Sean is nerve wracked. They decide to conduct their affair in her apartment. Unbeknownst to Sean, Matt calls him as they are about to make love. He ignores it.

When Sean gets home Matt confronts him about the call. We don’t know why he called, but we can assume that it had to do with Cara. It seems as if Matt genuinely wanted to come clean to his father about what he did to Cara, but Sean reads his hints differently. He tells him about the affair and Matt breaks down. Both Dylan Walsh and John Hensley play their roles extremely well, especially considering that they could’ve overacted.

It isn’t the end of their affair. Soon after, Megan comes to his office, after several unanswered calls, to tell him that her cancer is back and is untreatable, which convinces him to stay with her. Luckily, we were prepared for this when Megan mentioned the lowered immune system and when she finally decided to risk the implants anyway. They were able to avoid major problems with a few simple hints.

Christian can be cruel as we’ve seen before, but trading a woman for a car is one of his lowest deeds. Merril returns in this episode, which is fitting if only to show us someone who can be a bigger scumbag than Christian can be. He casts Kimber aside because he doesn’t have to nerve to do it himself, whereas Merril is only faking nice so he can sweep her up on the rebound. His price is the car, what he forsook in Sophia Lopez because of what he turned into in pursuit of it.

He doesn’t realize what he did until Kimber confronts him. Merril told her about the deal not out of courtesy, but so he could get the car back and have the woman he wants. As he crudely referred to her “ass’ inevitable downward slide,” it’s clear he isn’t doing this out of the goodness of his heart, but she still goes back to him. Despite his involvement in the activity, he was honest with her. Perhaps that’s what she liked about him.

Of course, there has to be consequences for Christian’s callous attitude, and Kimber gives it to him. Playing into his desire for role playing, he strips him and slashes his chest superficially. She humiliates him by pointing out his potential flaws. At this moment, he realizes that she trashed his cars and his boat. He is spared by confessing to her that he never loved anyone. Although we do know he loves Julia, and everyone else is second best to him, which is one reason why he can’t stay with one woman for a long period. This clearly doesn’t work with Kimber, who has issues, like loving a man like Christian. These issues seem to be forgotten after this episode, but I wouldn’t say that this is the end of Kimber’s psychotic tendencies.

This episode had too much in it. Had it been 90 minutes like the premiere or commercial free like the first and last episodes of the second season, they may have been able to cover everything. Some things in this episode, such as Matt’s doting over Cara and Jude’s New Hampshire residency revelation, didn’t have enough time to get the attention Sophia, Christian and Sean’s storylines had. However, it is still good stuff and starts to set the stage for a stellar final act.

Score: 8/10