Nip/Tuck

Gala Gallardo

Season 4, Episode 15, Aired 12/12/06

Episode Summary

Sean considers selling his shares of the practice to Christian and Michelle, although Michelle's past starts to threaten her future with Christian. Meanwhile, Escobar's wife needs cosmetic surgery.

9.1

EPISODE RATING: Superb

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Cast & Crew

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Dylan Walsh

Dr. Sean McNamara
Julian McMahon

Dr. Christian Troy
John Hensley

Matt McNamara

Fan Episode Reviews (31)

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Behind Every Great Man...

9.0

"Superb"

By maxpower03, Apr 11, 2010 Report Abuse

The end of the road for the Miami episodes unsurprisingly ends with a very Miami-oriented episode. We have drug lords, crocodiles, the everglades. Almost a bookend for the very first episode.

Gala Gallardo was one badass gal, right? Idalis de Leon infused that character with so much strength and sensuality, as well as a real sense of power. They say that behind every great man is a great woman, and she sure owned Escobar's butt. Her decision to kill her hubby only proved that she literally takes no prisoners. And how she just strolled out in her fur coat... badass till the end, that girl. I also loved her interaction with Liz, especially when saying that she knows that Liz has considered killing her.

Michelle and Christian's relationship hit a brick wall, and it was totally unsurprising. As a result of Michelle's numerous past indiscretions, Christian suddenly realized he doesn't really know his lady love, while at the same time their sex life grinds to a halt. These two were never meant to be. One of the biggest problems about their union was that it never felt genuine. It started well, but gradually their relationship appeared to fit a pre-planned storyline, not as an actually organic arc. I never got the Sanaa Lathan hate (I thought she did fine with a limited part), but I'm not saddened to see her exit the show. Christian is too strong a character to be tied down to a woman so soon in the show's duration.

Matt and Kimber's relationship has been one of the least successful things about this season. I guess it was the point, but their entire existence as a couple was contrived, and just like Michelle things have gone so far that they can't just sweep everything under the rug. They have a kid now, which keeps them together whether they like it or not. I did appreciate Kimber telling Sean that she's trying to love Matt, but it doesn't disguise the fact that this was a majorly ill-conceived storyline from the get go, only there to give two characters without a huge amount of direction something to do, away from their typical personas. And while I have to credit the writers with attempting that, it never really worked.

The episode ended with two great surprises. First, the awesome throwback to the very first episode, only this time with Liz joining in to dispose of a body. It was again grizzly, but a fitting end for a Nip/Tuck legend. The second surprise was the sudden reveal of the city move. Whatever you think of the Nip/Tuck years set in Los Angeles, you can understand why the show decided to move out of Miami. It was a necessary rebirth for Nip/Tuck as a series, and opened up numerous storylines for the future.

One of the most memorable moments of the episode (and the series) is the cast breaking into music video format, singing along to Brighter Discontent by The Submarines. While the idea is straight out of Magnolia, it works here, and I have to give props to Ryan Murphy for exposing The Submarines to a wide audience. They're now one of my favorite bands.

A mostly successful finale, mainly due to the awesome Gala. The show has successfully turned itself around from a mixed bag of a season, and you can tell that after a couple of episodes of slumming it, the show has been revitalized for the better. Season four, while featuring a lot of great arcs and almost universally excellent use of special guest stars, suffered from way too many storylines and the flawed Christian/Michelle relationship. But you really feel like an upswing in quality is right around the corner...

Director: Ryan Murphy
Writer: Ryan Murphy, Hank Chilton
Rating: A-moreless

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fantastic wrap up to a not so fantastic season.

9.5

"Superb"

By PabloExobar, Aug 03, 2008 Report Abuse

this finale was surpisingly good. honestly, season 3 and 4 have been really weak especially compared to season 1 and season 2. at least.. for me. but this episode, msotly due to its connection to the season 1, really impressed me.

the final wrap up the escobar storyline.

so you can imagine it was suspensful. i have to say the make up artists are amazing. escobar looks even creepier like this than he looked originally. the fact that the whole organ stealing storyline was connected with escobar made it much better. otherwise it would've been really lame. but like this, it was fine. everything just sort of seemed to fall into place in this episode. liz finally gets to have her go at escobar, christian confronts michelle, and the big ending with both sean and christian leaving everything behind. all the trouble, all the women, but of course... how long will it be like that?

apart from the somewhat anticlimatic death of escobar(seriously. his wife shooting him? liz wouldve been better, or even sean)there was nothing wrong with this. many criticize the last 10 minutes which is understandable, though i liked it. sure the song was a bit too long, and it wasnt that great either, but it gave the finale a real finale feeling. yes. this could've been the series finale as theres no cliffhanger of any kind. the shot at the end of the episode with sean and christian standing infront the gigantic hollywood sign means they are ready to take the city. go boys! make hollywood your biach. the show is about to change, and at this point, i woukld say, thats the best thing that could be done.

this finale was amazing, but... the season, along with the third one was nothing sort of amazing. so yes. its time to change.moreless

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All These Things... In Nip/Tuck's season four finale, Sean ponders a move to LA. Christian learns more about Michelle's secret life and Escobar returns and goes out with a BANG! And then of course there's the Magnolia tribute!moreless

9.5

"Superb"

By DFisher2005, Mar 04, 2008 Report Abuse

"But love is not the belongings that surround you...though there's meaning in the memories they hold"--Submarines "Brighter Discontent"

I really loved the episode. It was probably better than both the season 3 and 5 finales and felt more like a series finale than an actual season ender. I wouldn't have been mad if they ended it at this point but there are really so many more stories they could tell. I supported the move to Hollywood because it would bring a much needed and fresh approach to the show. The LA thing caught me off guard at first since I knew that Sean & Christian could not function without each other. Either Christian would move to LA or Sean would quickly move back was my first thoughts. But I'm glad Christian decided to join him in LA. As I watched this last year, it showed a lot of promise and it should be a lot of fun. While I like the season in LA, it doesn't live up to the expectations which were supposed to be delivered in this episode.

The wonderful aspect of this episode is the return of Escobar. I knew his storyline was in no means finished which was established in the previous episodes that Escobar was James' boss. The organ ring plot was strangely bizarre, a little unneeded but it was the thing needed to bring back one of the show's best villains. Escobar requests one final favor of the doctors which is to bring back his wife Gala's dignity. Gala requests breast implants after she was given a mastectomy against her will.

Gala is truly glamorous and played to a T by Idalis de Leon whom I have known since her Six Feet Under days as HoPhia. de Leon is so much better in this role and she truly represents what it is like to be the woman behind the man. Gala is much more intimidating than her husband and is depicted as a woman who can get things done. Why else then would she kill her husband in the middle of the recovery bay for business purposes. This was completely unexpected since I had believed that Lizzie was still in a vengeful mood since she was shot by Escobar in season 1. If Liz did kill Escobar it would've been total character assassination and I'm glad she handed Gala the gun. It was truly a fitting way for Escobar to go out because there was absolutely no reason for him to stay and wreck continued havoc on the doctors. Its like the doctors have came full circle with Escobar joining Silvio Perez in the alligator's swamp. Awesome scene! But Gala, she could be an awesome villain. I'm hoping Ryan Murphy can bring her back for season 6. Gala could kick both Eden and Colleen's white a**es any day of the week in my opinion.
Another issue I wanted to discuss was the "Brighter Discontent" music video. At first, I felt that it was a total WTF moment but it was actually establishing the fact of where the plot was moving. It was a total cheese fest, yes but I really enjoyed the lip synching and the smooth sounds of the Submarines. I can see why people would be annoyed by the video since it was taking away time which could been used for further dialogue or scenes but I think it's what makes the episode distinct. I think RM has learned his lesson from this though and this should be the only time he uses it.

Memorable scenes that I enjoyed:
*Sean/Matt inheritence scene: Sean being the generous man he is gave Matt 1/2 of the sale of the Miami house. Now while I find this to be a kind and noble deed, Kimber is just going to give it all to the church. Why, because she's crazy and sucked in by the fad. But I'm really surprised where this escalated early on in season 5.

*Christian, Sean and Liz bringing Escobar to the swamp while Staple Singers "I'll Take You There" plays in the background. I was laughing hysterically during this scene.

* The new homeowners sanitizing the McNamara home of evils. The wife assumes porn was watched in the living room and begins to scrub and clean which I thought was so funny yet strange.

*Liz and Gala's scene. It was rather lovely since Liz has been so abused this season between getting her organ stolen and annoying Alanis "Poppy" Morrisette.

All in all, I really loved the episode and don't see why there is so much negativity from other reviewers. Minus the last ten minutes of the music video, this was a really good last episode. I also liked the moment where Sean and Christian standing at the Hollywood sign while Hollywood Swingin' played in the background. The season was very solid with a few subpar episodes but I'm still loving the show as much as I did when I first started watching. Here's hoping the quality will continue.

Hollywoooooood! Hollywood Swingin'!

Season Average: 9.3/10moreless

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This would have been a fine episode had it not been for the last 10 minutes. It was a highly disappointing season finale, and ended as if it were a series finale.moreless

1.0

"Abysmal"

By Grinchers, Aug 21, 2007 Report Abuse

There actually was perfect material earlier in the episode to have ended the season with a proper cliff-hanger, had they only been more frugal with their storytelling. Instead, they resolved all the tension with our antagonists 10 minutes before the show ended and then moved on to one cheezy, contrived scene after another. Those last 10 minutes seemed to drag on forever. It almost seemed like they ran out of mateiral after Escobar was dumped in the everglades and just added filler to make the show last the required 10 more minutes.

Nip/Tuck is a great show with great writers, but the writers really missed the mark with this episode. I hope season 5 will start off better than season 4 ended.moreless

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Christian: (to the couple moving in) "Hey, you guys might want to sage the nursery. His ex-wife screwed a dwarf in there.”

8.5

"Great"

By Tim_Bronx, Jun 04, 2007 Report Abuse

Well, that certainly wasn't what I was suspecting. The episode wasn't drama-filled, action-packed, or carrying any real shocking twists or cliffhangers like past finales. What the episode did have, though, was real human emotion, which is something Nip/Tuck has been missing this season.

The episode also managed to wrap up about every lingering plot the show has ever presented, making me wonder if the writers went into this episode believing it could possibly be the series finale. I'm glad the show's run is not entirely over, although this season has been slightly disappointing, and that we'll see McNamara/Troy and co. again next year. More on that later, though.

After the hell he's put our characters through the past four years, Escobar Gallardo has finally bit the dust. I loved Liz screaming in tears at Escobar for all the pain he's caused her and how badly she's wanted to return the bullet he gave her for so long. Escobar's ultimate dismiss at his wife's hand was a fantastic moment, although not entirely shocking after Gala's conversation with Liz. Gala Gallardo was a fun character, and I loved her exit as she took Escobar's honcho's with her. Gala: "Who do you want to work for? Me or a dead body?" Good point.

One of my favorite scenes of the episode was Sean's final goodbye to Matt, where Matt broke down and confessed that he realizes Kimber still loves Christian, but he just can't bring himself to break things off with her. Matt's more astute than I thought, although ultimately he's merely a pawn of love. Matt stabilizing and finally growing out of his rebellious teenage stage was one thing I really enjoyed about this season (although the jump from a boy to man with a family was a little hard for me to accept, at first). I'm curious to see if Kimber and Matt will remain together through next season. In their final scene, they turned and faced each other in the bed. Is that supposed to symbolize that they'll work things out?

Despite how oddly calm this episode was for Nip/Tuck finale, I was loving the episode right up until the last 10 minutes. Then the music montage came out of absolutely nowhere! Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed how perfectly the song fit to the character's lives and understand that it was Murphy's attempt at being "artistic", but it ultimately came off cheesy and as a parody. Okay, it was a lot easier for me to take during my second viewing when I knew it was coming, but still. Maybe it would work on some other show, but it just was not prime Nip/Tuck material.

Then Michelle and Christian split up, Sean got a job, Christian followed Sean to California and they decided to become partners again in Hollywood. All in the span of five minutes! It was as if the writers slapped those scenes on at the end as a desperate attempt to set up next season after they received their late 5th season order. Way too rushed. And what happened to Sean's "I need to find my own self without you, Christian" from last week? All of a sudden he's forgetting that and working side-by-side with Christian, again. What will make their partnership succeed this time? And why start a business from scratch when they had a good one going in Miami?

Nevertheless, ignoring the last ten minutes, I was pretty satisfied with the finale. And can I say how much I love Christian and Sean dumping another body in the Everglades like they did the pilot episode. They looked like old pros at the checkout line. Too conflicted feelings for me to decide on a rating this week, though. And now for a few season thoughts:

My problems with last season were that it had good character development, but the main season arc became over the top and too chaotic. My problems with this season were the opposite. Despite how urban-legendry the whole plot was, I loved the kidney black-market. What felt out of place for me this season was most of the characters' actions. Sean and Julia both screwing their nanny's and then remarrying, only to break up a few weeks later (what's up with that writers?) was silly. In fact their relationship was all over the place this season, and it felt like the writers couldn't make up their mind on whether they belonged together or not until Joely had to leave the show to take care of her sick daughter. Then there was Christian, immediately falling in love with Michelle in the time span of the week and his whole sexual-identity crisis. Both plots were a little implausible.

There was still plenty to love about this season, though. James was a superb villain, and from James' emotional scenes as she confessed her love for Michelle to her crazed ones when she was whacking her models with globes, Jacqueline Bisset was always spot on. I would go as far to say that she only lies behind Escobar and Ava as one of Ryan Murphy's most intriguing, nasty piece of works. The season arc this year was more cohesive then lasts, and I felt that the writers had a better idea of where they were headed. The arc was built up nicely along the season, starting out slow and then ramping up in the end with James' suicide and the twist that Escobar was behind it all. There's also Matt shaping up and becoming a man with a family; Rosie O'Donnell's humorous guest role as Dawn; Christian regaining custody of Wilbur which prompted him to settle down (please Murphy, don't just toss away next season all the character development Christian's finally had); and Gina's dramatic return to the fold. Although the season had its weak moments (let's just try and forget the whole Scientology thing), when it was at its top form it was at the best Nip/Tuck's ever been. Episodes such as "Conor McNamara" and "Reefer" remind me of why I fell in love with the show in the first place, and I'm hopeful that Ryan Murphy will be able to spice up and refresh the show next season with the new location. And now on to the long wait for season five.

- Tim Bronx
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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- This episode has a lot of references to previous episodes and events within the show's history: Reference is made to the Season 1 episode Antonia Ramos when Sean mentions that the titular character was a drug-mule of Escobar's whose breasts got infected by the drug-filled implants. There are several references to the Pilot episode, with Christian mentioning getting 'a Botox shot in the dick' from Escobar (and the eventual disposal of both Silvio Perez and, later, Escobar himself). Sean mentions Escobar shooting Liz, which happened in the Season 1 finale Escobar Gallardo and also mentions the murder of Alejandro Perez in his living room (which happened in Merrill Bobolit). Michelle and Christian talk about the stealing of Liz's kidney (in Shari Noble). In the final scene, the intern mentions 'the Rosenberg case' (Sean and Christian separated a pair of conjoined twins in the Season 2 episode Rose And Raven Rosenberg) and Sean's 'son's ectrodactyly operation' (in Conor McNamara) Edit
Notes
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- First season without Rhys Phillips (Jude). Edit
- First season finale that didn't end with the McNamaras having dinner at their house with Christian. Edit
- For this season, Sanaa Lathan (Michelle) was nominated for the 2007 Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series. Edit
Quotes
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- Christian: Just so you know, this Encino crap ain't gonna cut it. It's Rodeo Drive the whole way. With my sizzling good looks and brilliant business savvy and your… moderately impressive talent, I think we could take over this town. Sean: Sorry, not interested. Unless I get to pick out the carpet this time, and retain my customary first billing. Christian: I think we could work something out. Edit
- Sean: (about Michelle) You love her, Christian. Christian: I do love her. But I can't trust her. Apparently, you're the only person I can trust. Absolutely trust. Edit
- Christian: You know what my first impression of Hollywood is, Sean? It's a shithole. Where's the excitement I grew up reading about? Where's the glamour? Huh? This town needs me. Which is why I'm moving here. Edit
Allusions
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- The scene in which the characters lip sync to the same song within scene is a possible allusion to, or was at least probably inspired by, a scene in the film "Magnolia" where the core characters all lip sync simultaneously to an Aimee Mann song. Edit