Nip/Tuck

Reefer

Season 4, Episode 13, Aired 11/28/06

Episode Summary

Sean drinks to a great extent as he spends a depressing Christmas without his family; Christian gets an surprising gift when a 3-year old Wilber comes back into his life; and James pressures Michelle to help as she takes forceful measures to fill her holiday kidney quota.moreless

9.2

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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 (17)

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Early Christmas Written by Lyn Greene And Richard Levine Directed by Lyn Greene

7.0

"Good"

By shawnlunn2002, Jan 15, 2011 Report Abuse

Christian: "Do you want to lose your licence?"
Sean: "No but then again, I didn't want to lose my family but here I am".

The first of two Christmas themed episodes on my "To Review" list (the other being Doctor Who's "The Runaway Bride"), it's funny that given last year's blues during the Christmas period in Miami, "Reefer" has a similar foreboding sense of bleakness t it, although plausibly it's not a big stretch as the only person not to be enthusiastic about the holidays is Sean.

Not that anyone can really blame him for feeling down and out of sorts. Poor Sean not only has to deal with the blow that he won't be seeing neither Annie, Connor and Julia because Annie has Strep and can't travel but it seems that Matt and his nutty wife (the more I think about it, the less seriously I can take it) Kimber are off on a Scientology cruise and a blissfully loved Christian and Michelle are planning their holidays in Moscow of all places. What does a guy have to do to get someone to spend time with him on Christmas?

Christian tries to make up his inevitable absence to Sean by giving him his 10:30am appointment, Mrs Hiccock, a divorcee who spends way too much time her inability to get an orgasm, which is actually the reason she's at McNamara/Troy. Yes most people this Christmas want peace and quiet or the holidays to come by faster or slower but this lady simply wants to get off and if he wasn't worshipping the ground Michelle walks on, then I'm pretty sure Christian would service Mrs Hiccock's problem but because monogamy seems to be a priority, it's Sean who has to deal with her now.

Despite bordering on the annoying side, Mrs Hiccock's consult with Sean is actually very funny as the drunken Sean listens to her go one about him updating his wardrobe and you'll definitely be laughing when you see Sean tend to Mrs Hiccock's problem as this is definitely one episode with a serious sense of more crude than usual sense of humour. I could make a really lewd joke but seeing as tv.com is strict on that sort of thing, I'll just decline.

Sean's entire wealth and attire although gets a further scrutiny from an alcoholic bum named Reefer. In a continued trend of great casting this season, Charles Haid plays the alcoholic stranger with such relish and warmth as Reefer calls Sean an **** over the way he lives his life and a seriously annoyed Sean hits back as the pair further clash over self-pity and what defines a man.

For a guy that could've been such a pain in the ass to watch, I wonder if I was the only one who actually liked Reefer before the writers decided to give him a sympathetic angle or use the predictable trick of drawing parallels between him and Sean. Haid's performance is never over the top and he played off Dylan Walsh so well to his credit.

Like the previous episode, this one is still drawing on Sean's much understood despair of losing the majority of his family and not only is Michelle forced to call the FBI on Escobar Gallardo's little Christmas gift to McNamara/Troy but during a personal low and surgery in which the still irritating Poppy is involved in, Sean gets forced into playing Santa Claus.

Outdoing even Billy Bob Thornton in Bad Santa, a Santa Sean is definitely not a PC Sean as he manages to scare off the kids (love the snaps of the shocked kids sitting on Sean's lap), in which the only downside is that Poppy gets to make yet another self-righteous barb but if you did think that wasn't funny enough, then watch as Sean not only asks a female elf if she knows Marlowe but also takes a blowjob from her as well for his efforts and that scene is made even funnier when even Christian looks appalled.

Back in her second episode, you can almost see some good sides to Poppy such as her concern for her neighbour who got scorched in a big way and her misguided efforts to get Sean to stop feeling sorry for himself but too many of her comments are too judgemental. No-one could ever accuse Sean and Christian of being saints but they're not so inferior that little Miss Control Freak Poppy can judge either. Liz on the other hand seems too in love with her to disagree with a word Poppy says.

Elsewhere after the disaster in the mall, Sean attempts to drink himself into a stupor and settles to get pissed at the beach at night until Reefer of all people manages to snap some sense into him. Just because Reefer is a drunk and will scrap for cash, it doesn't mean that he's a total idiot either and he's quick to dispense some sensible advice to Sean about how he doesn't want to be so low that no-one sees him. If you didn't like Reefer beforehand, then here's why you should.

Reefer's words definitely hit home for Sean as not only does he seem to get a grip on things but his compassion and abilities as a good doctor (contrasted with Mrs Hiccock's debacle) has him work on Reefer, offers him a warm bed by staying in recovery and even decides to give him a few suits and his address but even Sean's act of goodwill has a price tag thanks to a certain other patient in recovery too.

It turns out that Christmas is a huge opportunity and big time for the whole organ stealing trade and to motivate the manipulative James, those nasty Chinese mob guys kill another supplier during a phone conversation and warn her that she'll be next if she doesn't get a move on with things. It seems James got off lightly with a beating last time and one thing you can say about James is that she definitely doesn't need to be told twice to do something.

That also means that whenever James is under pressure, so is Michelle and after James befriends the lonely Reefer and gets him drunk, the scheming **** rips out more than just his kidneys and hauls Michelle into to do cleanup because if James has to get her hands dirty and blooded then by God, so does Michelle.

Like many viewers I'm beginning to tire of Michelle constantly backing down whenever James applies the "I'll tell Christian about your real past" card. Michelle is visibly horrified by James' barbaric slaying of Reefer and if that isn't proof that Michelle isn't a monster, then what the hell is? However horrified Michelle is, she does herself absolutely no favours by complying to James and hacking Reefer's body into two sacks which her and James masquerade as toys for the children's hospital. The girl needs to assert herself and kill James or kick the **** into touch because Michelle has more than herself to consider in this whole situation now.

Especially now that Christmas landed the best gift in Miami, when it's revealed that James Sutherland and his wife have been killed in a car crash (that's the bad part) and the great result is that Christian gets to inherit Wilbur (I'll explain the name thing in "also in" bit). Because none of James' other sons want the boy, it's either Christian or a foster home and although Christian has the consideration to take Michelle's feelings into account, he ultimately wants Wilbur for Christmas.

It's interesting that Michelle uses Burt as an excuse to not take Wilbur into the home her and Christian have set up but I liked that Christian used both reason and his past experience as well as his love for Wilbur to ultimately win Michelle over, although the fact she asks why Christian didn't tell her Wilbur was biracial is a little jarring. If he had been white would Michelle not have taken to him? Christian and Wilbur's reunion is definitely sweet as the latter calls Christian "Daddy" and Christian seriously win brownie points by noting that he saw Wilbur as a person, not by his race. Plus if Wilbur's back then everyone's favourite potty mouthed female Gina shouldn't be far behind.

I can't exactly imagine Gina being not only left out of the loop of her own son's return but the fact that the man she likes to annoy is raising him with a new woman, who already is more dangerous than Carver duo Quentin and Kit ever were but this episode ends on a delightful note when Christian and Wilbur pay Sean a visit and help him with his own Christmas decorating. It's definitely a scene that will make anyone's heart melt.

Also in "Reefer"

Patients of the week: Mrs Hiccock got a G-Spot Amplification, Poppy's neighbour was treated for severe burns, Reefer got his face fixed by Sean and like a bad smell, James lingered in recovery.

Sean: "You stay sober and who knows, Reefer, maybe Santa will bring you a job".

Charles Haid who played Reefer, I'm assuming he is the same who has directed episodes this season "Burt Landau", "Merrill Bobolit" and "Diana Lubey"?

Mrs Hiccock: "Just because my marriage is over, doesn't mean my life is"
Sean: "That's a very healthy attitude".

Reefer: "Do you think Jesus loves you more because you have money?"
Sean: "No, do you think Jesus loves you more because you don't?"

Have to admit Sean looked great in Gucci, even Christian was impressed by it.

Sean (re Escobar's present): "Not a clue"
Liz: "Because he wants to slaughter us all like pigs".

James: "I would like to think your decision to tell me indicated that you still had some warm feelings for me"
Michelle: "Think whatever you like, you'd just be chasing your tail".

Is it weird that James reads a magazine about Celebrities Dogs? Michelle also spoke a bit more about her sister and apparently Wilbur got to keep his original name because he refused to respond to Gabriel.

Liz (re Wilbur): "Isn't he adorable?"
Poppy: "He is cute but don't get any ideas".

Reefer: "What about you?"
Sean: "I think I'm good to go as well".

Chronology: December 24th 2006. There's only two more weeks over here for us.

Sean (re Reefer): "He could use a friend"
James: "Yes, we all could".

Michelle: "What kind of a monster are you?"
James (re Reefer): "He had no family or friends. His only skill was drinking. At least we gave him the opportunity to contribute something to society and contribute he did".

Standout music: "Silent Night" by Otto Siebent and "The Little Drummer Boy" by Harry Simeone Chorale.

Not exactly the strongest episode we've had this season and certainly one of the strangest, "Reefer" benefits from the return of Wilbur and the hilarity of Sean's situation but only certain parts really sparkle. Still it avoided being too mawkish so points for that.moreless

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Poppy: (regarding Wilbur) "Wow, that kid is gonna need a **** of therapy!"

10

"Perfect"

By Tim_Bronx, Jan 15, 2011 Report Abuse

Last Christmas, Sean was struggling to piece his life back together; this year, he's trying to cope with the fact that his life has completely fallen apart. This was a fantastic Sean episode, and as much as his pain was humorous at times, it was heart wrenching and brilliantly acted out by Dylan Walsh. Christmas catalyzing Sean's lamentations was a great decision by the writers, because really nobody wants to be alone on what's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year. We've never seen Sean turn to alcohol before to solve his problems, so it was a bit of a shock to see him drunk out of his mind dressed up as St. Nick. His scenes with the little elf were hilarious, though, and I loved when he asked her if she knew Marlow. "I thought you all knew each other."

Of course, Christian's no help to Sean as he is busy in Christianland rejoicing over his reunion with Wilbur. I loved all of Christian's scenes with Wilbur; Julian McMahon's face glows every time he speaks to him. Although Michelle was wary at first, I knew she would accept Wilbur into her life as soon as she saw how happy he made Christian. Christian certainly appears to be a lot more stable now than he was in season two, and with Michelle on his back to straighten up I'm sure he'll do a fine job raising Wilbur. That is, until Gina finds out Wilbur's back. Oh yes, that'll be hell. I can't wait :)

James is such a vampire, but I really do love her so much as this seasons' big bad. I knew as soon as Reefer was left alone with her it would be his doom. But man, I didn't know she was going to shred him apart like that. Aren't McNamara/Troy's camera's going to catch James and Michelle walking out with the immense bags, and the fact that Reefer came in and never came out? I smell an ugly break up between Christian and Michelle brewing.

Final Notes and Quotes

- I officially am on the Michelle bandwagon, and I love the addition she brings to the cast. Please writers, don't kill her off in the season finale.

- The writers focused on almost the entire cast this episode, which I loved. Probably why I strangely didn't miss Julia at all this episode.

- Why is Escobar sending McNamara/Troy ham? I know, reference to pilot episode, but there has to be more to it than that.

- Is that the same actor who played Wilbur in season's one and two?

- I liked Reefer and his poor man advice for Sean. The other patient this week was enjoyable as well. I loved her yelling in joy for her orgasm while "Joy to the World" played in the background.

- Caroline to Sean: "I've had enough orgasms for one lifetime and two vaginas. You're lucky it's Christmas!"

- Christian: (smelling Sean's coffee mug) "Do you want to lose your license?"
Sean: "No. Then again, I didn't want to lose my family either, but here I am. This seems to be the only friend I can count on for comfort."

- Sean: "Who says I'm in pain?"
Reefer: "Man, I'm drunk. Not blind."

- Sean: "I think you're good to go."
Reefer: "What about you?"
Sean: "I think I'm good to go, too."

Final Rating: Lots of fun. 4 out of 4 stars.

- Tim Bronx
www.motionpicturereviews.commoreless

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Unhappy Holidays

7.5

"Good"

By maxpower03, Mar 03, 2010 Report Abuse

Like most storylines this season, I had mixed feelings about Wilber's return. As sad as it was, I liked the ending to his arc back in season two, and the personal growth Christian experienced. But to resurrect him in an already plot-heavy season is yet another decision I have trouble with.

Michelle continued to irritate me. While it probably had a lot of meaning to her because it could theoretically be their actual child, the fact that her opinion changed on the Wilber situation only after she found out he was bi-racial was pretty screwed up. Christian never had any issues with Wilbur's race, and Michelle shouldn't have either. Despite that, I did like Christian re-connecting with him, and the Christmas tree scene was undeniably cute.

Sean's breakdown and descent into a drunken wreck wasn't convincing. While the writers probably found it funny, I personally found the Santa scene pretty embarrassing, especially when Christian, Liz, Poppy and (!) Wilbur witness him getting head from an elf. The g-spot scene with one of his patients was more of the same. While Julia's departure would obviously make him feel a huge sense of loss, I don't think the writers needed to display it in such an extreme way. His subtle sadness last episode, especially in his scenes with Diana Lubey, was much more powerful.

The only real successful element of the episode was in the moments with James. Jacqueline Bisset is still an amazing force of nature in this show, and the scene where she manipulated Reefer into drinking spiked wine was really chilling. Bisset has consistently given an amazing performance, being both likeable in demeanor, but being a calculating and icy monster beneath the surface.

The James subplot aside, Reefer was a pretty average episode. Reefer himself was an effective patient, and Charles Haid performed well, but it's a shame his story was brought down by Sean's ridiculous actions.

Director: Lyn Greene
Writers: Lyn Greene, Richard Levine
Rating: Cmoreless

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alanis morissette

8.6

"Great"

By abcde54321, Feb 29, 2008 Report Abuse

The episode opens with Christian and Michelle decorating a christmas tree in the offices of McNamara/Troy, all cosy and loved up. They talk about finding the perfect Christmas tree and kiss. Sean enters, looking seriously depressed, and not happy to see the two lovebirds. He tells them he bought a lovely tree for his house because Annie was supposed to be coming to him for Christmas, but she has strep throat and her trip was cancelled. He asks Christian and Michelle to join him for Christmas eve, but they sheepishly tell him they are going to St Petersburg, an "impulse trip". Sean struggles to hide his disappointment and half-joking, asks can he come. Awkward silence. Christian changes the subject by telling Sean he has sent a consultation to his office, one he doesn't want to deal with as it may be too tempting. Sean goes to his office and finds a present from Diane, the grieving mistress from the previous episode. It is an expensive bottle of whiskey, which he immediately starts drinking, out of a mug. The patient is a woman going though a divorce who has problems reaching orgasm, or climbing the waterfall, as she puts it. She wants a g-spot amplification (!) and Sean, nicely drunk, does it as an outpatient procedure (which, in case you're interested, involves an injection to swell the g-spot and make it easier to find). The woman orgasms on the operating table as Christmas music swells in the background. She tells Sean he is a good looking man, too good looking to be wearing dull brown Brooks Brothers suits. Wear Versace, she advises him.moreless

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A sad ending for someone turning their life around

9.2

"Superb"

By Catwoman69y2k, Jun 27, 2007 Report Abuse

but that is how many stories end, isn't it? The show depicts so much likeness between Reefer and Sean despite their distinctly different income brackets. That was the point and the writers did a good job showing that. I am only sorry that Reefer did not get a chance to turn his life around and died on such a symbolic day. This furthers my hope that that horrible old woman gets hers.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- Sean asks Merrily if she knew Marlowe. Debbie Lee Carrington (Merrily) & Peter Dinklage (Marlowe) appeared together in "Tiptoes". Edit
- At the beginning of the episode, Christian mentions Sean has 'a gift from Diana Lubey', the patient played by Catherine Deneuve in the previous episode- also entitled Diana Lubey- who asked for ashes to be placed into her breast implants. Edit
Notes
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- Charles Haid (Reefer) has also directed many episodes of the show. Edit
- Original International Air Dates: Czech Republic: February 25, 2009 on TV Nova Edit
- Although listed in the opening credits, Kelly Carlson and Joely Richardson do not appear in this episode. Edit
Quotes
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- Chiyo: (over the phone to James, in French) That's the thing about expectations. They can so easily become disappointments. Edit
- (Michelle enters the operating room to find Reefer's body, harvested of most vital organs) Michelle: Oh my God. What have you done? James: Such shock. Surely in med school, you must have encountered a cadaver or two. Michelle: What kind of monster are you? This was a human being! James: He had no family or friends. His only skill was drinking. At least we gave him an opportunity to contribute something to society. And contribute he did. Edit
- James: (drinks a glass of champagne) It's perfection. Makes life worth living. Takes the sting out of being away from one's family and one's friends. Reefer: I don't have any. Except a daughter. Far as she's concerned, I'm dead. James: That is so sad. Well, we'll be each other's family this Christmas Eve. Shall we? After all, we're all alone. Just the two of us. Even the night nurse has gone. I'm James. Reefer: That's a man's name. James: In French, 'J'aime' means 'I love'. Reefer: Reefer James: Well that's the same in any language, isn't it? Edit
Allusions
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