Nip/Tuck: Season 4, Episode 4: Shari Noble Review Review

Shari Noble
Original Airdate: September 26, 2006
Writer: Jennifer Salt
Director: Nelson McCormick

So far this season has been alright, as they’re trying to shake off the problems that bogged down the third season. Thankfully, this episode is what good Nip/Tuck should be: crazy things going on, but at the center is that human drama that works very well on the show. This show is all about excesses, so it’s appropriate that they deal with temptation often. It’s the theme this week, as Sean got deeper into an affair that he doesn’t want, Christian got forbidden fruit he’ll possibly regret and Shari, who found a bizarre way of dealing with her husband’s military time away.

The title character’s (#8, half pint Melissa Gilbert) story went from being slightly risqué, mostly because of what the dog bit off, to flat out crazy, which is just what this show should be. They did a good job hiding that reveal, even when the initial story didn’t work within the theme of temptation. When Mr. Noble comes in with the duffle bag, you think at first he’s a control freak. But in the end it is far more disturbing and memorable.

Elsewhere at the office, we learn that James is a madam who hired Michelle, but still holds her in her ruthless clutches. It is a bit anticlimactic, but forgivable since it was only revealed a few weeks ago. It seems that she is set up to be the real villain this season instead of Michelle, who is merely a pawn. Perhaps Michelle will side with the doctors to bring her down by the end of the season.

Christian once again gets to show just how awful he can be, extorting sex out of Michelle in exchange for keeping quiet about her past to her husband. Despite his conflicting feelings about which “team” he’ll play on, there was no way he wasn’t going to pursue the gorgeous woman who he sees every day at work. It also plays into the theme of temptation. This decision, as many where Christian places his desires over telling Sean the truth is setting James up to take even more power in their lives. It adds to the rift last week, which would add to why Christian acted as he did.

Marlowe’s character is developing rather well. There is clearly some connection between him and Julia, as he manages to calm her to breast feed Conor (which apparently is the way they’re going to spell it). Although I think he’d be too professional to sleep with a client, this is Nip/Tuck, so he must have something to him. He does have an unusual ability to cut to whatever psychological problems are facing the other characters.

I’m undecided about the hot organ thief seducing Liz and stealing her kidney. For those who don’t know, this is a play off a popular urban legend advising against picking up people in bars. Granted, the show has always done bizarre things like this, but reaching into urban legends for story material doesn’t feel like a good omen. It reminds me a bit of when Boston Public did an episode where someone was attacking people in the parking lot by slashing their ankles.

I am glad they have given Liz a little more substantial material this season as she usually acts as a reactionary character to what the docs do. So is this kidney ordeal going to be an ongoing story? Was she targeted? Considering this was a bar, it may not be the best place for healthy kidneys. Was this an elaborate sting operation where someone managed to get Liz’s medical records? This also could be shaping into another multi-episode storyline, which may be a bad decision unless it is only a few episodes. They briefly tackled organ thieves back in season one with Escobar blackmailing the docs to operate on a mule, so could this connect back to Escobar’s crew, finally out to get revenge?

Although having Robert Lasardo and Julie Warner in the credits spoiled the surprise of their appearance, having them appear in Sean’s hallucination worked so well. Escobar was great as the “devil” back in “Joan Rivers” when Sean was figuring out how to deal with The Carver that they should’ve done that more since then. It was also great to see Megan reappear, both because she represents the “angel” and as a remembrance of the last woman Sean had an affair with. As for what these hallucinations meant, I’m not sure, but man did Sean screw himself over by saying he loved Monica.

Speaking of which, Monica is going full speed down the road to Alex Forrest territory. She has no self esteem and is placing everything into Sean, who clearly is only into her because she doesn’t argue with Sean the way Julia does. It’s no coincidence they picked “Obsession” for her to dance to instead of something romantic. So what is going to happen when Sean finally cuts those ties for good? And what happened to the first dad?

When it comes to temptation, no one stands to gain from yielding to it. This is what sets Nip/Tuck apart from mere titillation for its own sake. It is a welcome return to form for the show, and hopefully indicative for where the season is heading.

Overall Score: 8/10