Nip/Tuck

2003 • Go!
4.1
24 reviews
Eligible
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Season 2 episodes (16)

1 Erica Noughton
6/22/04
Season-only
As Sean reluctantly celebrates his 40th birthday, Christian urges him to take advantage of some of the youth-preserving treatments available at the clinic. But Sean vows to grow old naturally. Much more upsetting, however, are the occasional muscle spasms that Sean experiences during delicate surgery, prompting him to visit a neurologist. Meanwhile, after uncharacteristically failing to pick up a sexy young date at the bar, Christian realizes to his discomfort that there is not much he can do to forestall the aging process. Although he is not the father, Christian agrees to help raise the baby of his former sexual partner, Gina Russo (recurring guest star JESSALYN GILSIG), causing him to reevaluate his priorities. And both men must cope with the ramifications of a surprise visit from Julia's narcissistic mother, Erica Noughton who demands plastic surgery for a younger appearance.
2 Christian Troy
6/29/04
Season-only
Sean suffers uncontrollable spasms in his hands. After he nicks a patient's major neck artery during a routine cyst lancing, Sean stops performing surgeries. He becomes even more depressed and anxious when Christian, whose nose has been broken by a woman during sex, asks another plastic surgeon to reset it. Christian is deeply insulted when the attractive female surgeon not only rebuffs his sexual advances but also advises him to get some cosmetic work done on the rest of his aging body. Sean's temper finally gets the better of him when someone blocks his car into a parking space. But Julia, with the advice of her abrasive therapist mother, Erica Noughton, helps Sean realize that she will love him even if he cannot be a surgeon anymore. And after botching an attempt to operate on himself in a mirror, Christian bolsters Sean's confidence by confessing that he only trusts Sean to do the job correctly.
3 Manya Mabika
7/6/04
Season-only
Christian and Sean agree to rehabilitate a stalwart, optimistic Somali woman, Manya Mabika, who was genitally mutilated as a girl in her home country. After they surgically rebuild her clitoris, Manya asks the perfectly willing Christian to help her have an orgasm, but even he cannot succeed, causing the doctors to worry that the operation was a failure. However, with some kind words and encouragement from Liz, Manya discovers for herself that she can experience sexual pleasure. Sean and Christian also perform a body hair graft onto a white man who is outraged to learn that the hair came from a black person. Meanwhile, Julia admits to Sean that he no longer pleases her in bed. After meeting with a "life coach," Ava Moore, Julia realizes that her visiting mother, domineering Erica Noughton, is making her very tense.
4 Mrs. Grubman
7/13/04
Season-only
Sean and Julia are shocked to discover that 8-year-old Annie is entering puberty already. While struggling with their own issues regarding aging, they try to help their daughter understand what's happening to her. Julia serves the family a healthy but bizarre meal that is supposed to improve their mental health, but Matt refuses to eat it and upsets Annie by making cruel comments about her menstruation. Later, Sean and Julia fear that Annie has food poisoning when they must rush her to the emergency room with a dangerously high fever, dehydration and numbness. But the real problem with Annie is much more scary for them to cope with. Also, Julia introduces her new friend, "life coach" Ava Moore, to Matt, hoping that she will help him cope with his tumultuous emotions. Meanwhile, Christian reels from meeting the biological father of Gina's baby, a dignified, married and much older black man, James Sutherland (GEORG STANFORD BROWN), who had a one-night stand with Gina.
5 Joel Gideon
7/20/04
Season-only
While driving home, Sean is broadsided by another car and rushed to the hospital. He was saved from major injury by his vehicle's safety devices, but his view of life has changed. Inspired by a patient, Joel Gideon (DOUG SAVANT), who suffered severe frostbite trying to conquer Mount Everest, Sean plans a shark-diving trip with Matt. Sean intends to prove to Matt--and himself--that he is not a wimp, but when a tragedy occurs on the boat before they can even get into the water, Sean ends up impressing Matt for much more important reasons. Meanwhile, Christian is overwhelmed by the prospect of losing Gina's son to the boy's biological father, James Sutherland (recurring guest star GEORG STANFORD BROWN), who is now demanding custody. Christian teams up with Gina and faces off with James and his inflexible wife through a mediator, with the very real possibility that a negative decision could devastate Christian emotionally. He must also deal with an astounding revelation from Julia.
6 Bobbi Broderick
7/27/04
Season-only
While Julia enjoys socializing with "life coach" Ava Moore, Matt also makes progress working through his feelings with the alluring Ava--especially when she removes her blouse as part of a trust exercise. But when Matt is later arrested for public lewdness outside Ava's bedroom window, Christian confronts Ava about what she's putting Matt through--and Ava deduces a startling secret about Christian, Julia and Matt. Also, Matt finally confesses his hit-and-run incident to Ava. Meanwhile, an unlikely alliance forms between middle-aged anesthesiologist Liz, a lesbian longing to get pregnant but unable to find a suitable sperm donor, and unfulfilled Christian, who deeply misses being a father. Sean feels guilty after an eager older patient, Bobbi Broderick, who didn't fully comprehend the ramifications of liposuction overreacts to the ugly immediate aftermath.
7 Naomi Gaines
8/3/04
Season-only
Disgruntled former McNamara/Troy patient Bobbi Broderick (recurring guest star JILL CLAYBURGH - "An Unmarried Woman," "Starting Over") stalks the doctors, threatens to sue them, drives away customers and tries to persuade an investigative reporter to do an exposé on what she perceives as their malpractice. At the same time, Sean and Christian are moved by the plight of a budding model whose face has been brutally disfigured by a serial rapist. They call her in and repair her face at no charge. Guiltily and reluctantly going along with a plan initiated by Christian, Sean also convinces the victim to allow the surgery to be recorded by the news crew to deflect Bobbi's slanderous efforts. But when Bobbi arrives during the taping of a post-operation interview, the situation comes to a surprising climax.
8 Agatha Ripp
8/10/04
Season-only
When a homeless prostitute, Agatha Ripp, arrives at McNamara/Troy, the doctors fear she simply wants pro bono surgery for scars on her wrists. But she tells Christian and Sean that she is being deified by a devout parish of Christians because her injuries resemble the stigmata, the wounds Jesus Christ suffered on the cross. She asks them to reveal to everyone that she caused the injuries herself and is not a spiritual leader. But when a manipulative priest and a sympathetic nun try to take Agatha away--and more wounds appear--Sean and Christian, both nonbelievers, become caught up in a predicament that changes the way they think about faith. Also, while coping with the questions raised by Agatha's situation, Sean experiences a powerful personal crisis as well. Meanwhile, after Liz reveals that she is pregnant from Christian's sperm donation, Christian tries to become more involved in her decisions about the unborn child than she is comfortable with.
9 Rose & Raven Rosenberg
8/17/04
Season-only
Sean's life is in ruins after learning that Christian is Matt's biological father due to a premarital tryst with Julia. He ejects Julia from their house and demands the dissolution of his partnership with Christian. But the two devastated men must first make a business trip to a New York university to separate adult conjoined twins, Rose and Raven Rosenberg in a historic operation. Since the surgery is being performed pro bono, there are no fancy accommodations, and the doctors are forced to share a dormitory room like they did in college, spurring much cathartic reflection on their relationship. After the shocking outcome of the grueling surgery and the other events of the trip, they make a difficult decision on the future of McNamara/Troy. Meanwhile, Matt copes with his pain regarding the family turmoil by continuing to date manipulative Ava (recurring guest star FAMKE JANSSEN), to the concern of Julia, Sean and Christian.
10 Kimber Henry
8/24/04
Season-only
Having tenuously reconciled and agreed to continue their partnership, Sean and Christian consult with an exuberant newspaper journalist, Ike Connors (J.K. SIMMONS - "Oz," "Spider-Man" movies), who wants breast implants for himself. After painfully watching his loving wife, Amy, suffer through breast cancer, a mastectomy and subsequent implant surgery, Ike wants to experience the trauma for himself and live with breasts for a year, during which he will write a book about it, the proceeds of which he will donate to a cancer care center. Both doctors initially refuse the job on ethical grounds, but Liz persuades them that it is better to help someone who seeks enlightenment instead of a simple ego boost, like most of their patients do. After giving Ike some fairly large breasts, the doctors are stunned by Amy's unexpected reaction. When Ike later angrily demands that his implants be removed, the doctors are surprised, but again it is Liz who understands what's really going on.
11 Natasha Charles
8/31/04
Season-only
While the doctors work with an expert ocularist to create and implant artificial eyes for a beautiful blind woman, Natasha Charles (recurring guest star REBECCA GAYHEART), Christian finds himself drawn to Natasha's direct and disarming sensuality. When Natasha makes a date with a man she corresponded with via the Internet, Christian worries that she will fall prey to selfish males like himself--but as his attraction to her grows, Christian discovers that not being able to use his good looks to get what he wants puts him in a vulnerable position. Meanwhile, Sean continues to date model-perfect Kimber Henry (recurring guest star KELLY CARLSON) and harshly spurns any conciliatory gesture made by Julia. With resentful Matt now living with sexy, manipulative Ava (recurring guest star FAMKE JANSSEN), and Annie staying in Sean's house, Julia feels her life spiraling out of control, and a return visit from her emotionally withdrawn mother, Erica, doesn't help.
12 Julia McNamara
9/7/04
Season-only
After taking too many painkillers and drinking alcohol, Julia has fallen through a glass door, severely damaging her face. At first, Sean refuses to operate on her, still bitter that she recently went to a rival plastic surgeon and got breast implants. But knowing that he is the most skilled doctor in town and finally allowing himself a modicum of sympathy for his emotionally disintegrating wife, Sean relents. He and Christian repair Julia's facial injuries and, as she requests, remove the breast implants. While under anesthesia, Julia dreams that irritating but uncompromising life coach Ava (recurring guest star FAMKE JANSSEN) is showing her an alternate universe in which Julia did not leave Christian after their one night of lovemaking during college. Instead of choosing Sean, sacrificing her medical career for children and living with crushing regret, the alternate Julia has married Christian and partnered with him in a very successful surgical practice.
13 Oona Wentworth
9/14/04
Season-only
When a poor Latina woman arrives in Sean and Christian's office with horrible blisters on her forehead, the doctors learn that their old associate, Merrill Bobolit (recurring guest star JOEY SLOTNICK), is performing cheap, illegal cosmetic surgery on poverty-stricken people. Feeling guilty because he had reported Bobolit's past indiscretions, which led to Bobolit losing his license, Christian tracks him down and finds the drug-addled surgeon operating out of the back room of a dingy nail salon. As Christian sponsors Bobolit in a 12-step program, the two colleagues bond. But when Christian misses a meeting with Bobolit because of a surgery, the desperate man has a relapse, with terrible consequences for one of Bobolit's misguided patients--and for Christian. Meanwhile, Matt is now attending high school with Adrian, the sociopathic son of Matt's lover, life coach Ava Moore. When Adrian gets into trouble for selling his mother's drugs in school, Matt is implicated as well.
14 Trudy Nye
9/21/04
Season-only
Sean and Christian reluctantly accept the case of Trudy Nye (LISA WALTZ), who wants her nose fixed. Years ago, her abusive husband broke it--on the same day he killed their young son in anger. Now he is getting out of prison early. They believe Trudy's contention that she wants to put her past behind her and forget the pain of her marriage. But when naïve Trudy comes back--accompanied by her husband, who swears he is repentant--and he asks for cosmetic surgery for himself, the doctors must make a hard decision. Meanwhile, Christian's relationship with blind Natasha (recurring guest star REBECCA GAYHEART), is going well, but Christian's self-destructive nature threatens to overwhelm even positive-thinking Natasha. Sean's ongoing affair with Kimber (recurring guest star KELLY CARLSON) deteriorates as she becomes possessive and needy, and it doesn't help Sean to see how happy and healthy Julia seems with her new beau, a New Age tennis teacher named Kevin Hotchkiss.
15 Sean McNamara
9/28/04
Season-only
Sean has been operating pro bono on victims of The Carver, a serial rapist who chooses good-looking people and carves their faces as a message to society about beauty and conformity. After repairing the face of a male model, The Carver's latest victim, Sean attracts the attention of the newswoman who publicized the recent ordeal of Naomi Gaines. But Sean's television exposure has terrible consequences. Meanwhile, already reassessing the choices he's made, Christian receives horrifying news that affects him both personally and professionally. And Ava's son has disappeared with her anti-anxiety medication. Still in love with Ava, Matt is drawn even deeper into her disturbing world. Recurring guest star BRUNO CAMPOS appears as Dr. Quentin Costa.
16 Joan Rivers
10/5/04
Season-only
Celebrity JOAN RIVERS (herself), who is famous for having undergone many cosmetic surgeries, consults with the doctors. However, what Joan requests astonishes even Sean and Christian.

Meanwhile, Sean, Christian and Julia learn the shocking truth about Ava (recurring guest star FAMKE JANSSEN)--and it's enough to destroy her life and devastate Matt forever. And Sean makes an agonizing decision on how to deal with The Carver.

ALEC BALDWIN ("The Cooler") guest stars as Dr. Mercer Moore.

About this show

The Golden Globe-winning drama explores the world of plastic surgery and the extreme lengths one takes in the quest for external beauty. Dylan Walsh and Julian McMahon star as very different plastic surgeons, who, though business partners and best friends, share a love for the same woman (Joely Richardson).

Ratings and reviews

4.1
24 reviews
Aaron Thompson
March 6, 2014
Unlike anything I've seen before. Peculiar story lines and even more peculiar characters.
Fred Yeo
August 4, 2014
Great tv show to watch
Kelly Craven (XxKellBellxX)
July 30, 2014
Good tv show
3 people found this review helpful