Ricky Wells

Season 5, Episode 18, Aired

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8.7
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Matt becomes envious of Sean and Raj bonding together. Christian and Liz give their relationship another chance. Raj's father pays a visit to see his son, and has a request which stuns Raj.
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  • A Father's Dream Written by Brad Falchuk Directed by John Scott

    8.0
    "Great"
    By shawnlunn2002, Apr 14, 2010
    Carrie (to Sean): "But that's the thing about falling in love. There are no boundaries. My life was transformed. You think I would have picked Ricky if I had a choice? It was like I finally found happiness and I was not going to let that go."

    This show's penchant for the inappropriate continued this week when this week's patient is revealed to be an eighteen old boy who married his former teacher. Not only that but he got former teacher pregnant and now wants to look older so he can be taken much seriously.

    There are a few things wrong with this picture but the age factor is certainly one. As someone who generally is attracted to older people themselves, even I'm somewhat grossed out by Ricky and Carrie's origins of love. She was his teacher and she violated a trust there. Plus she got sent to jail and still continued to violate that trust.

    Even when Carrie defends her actions, it's still hard to believe her. I know you can fall for the strangest of people but the guy was a child, so it's hard not to feel uncomfortable when watching these scenes.

    It also doesn't help that everything surrounding Ricky's case feels incredibly telegraphed as well. Liz bemoans the futility of Ricky's reasons for surgery and when he does look more adult, you can feel the horror illuminating from Carrie as her young lover now looks the same age as her.

    It's also painfully predictable to then watch as Ricky walks in on Carrie sleeping with his younger brother, Chris. Maybe this will finally snap Ricky out of the delusion that his relationship with Carrie is normal. Her penchant for younger boys is indicative as to why she should be behind bars.

    Speaking of inappropriate relationships, the Gods were obviously kind on us this week. Given that absolutely no-one wants to see Liz and Christian have any form of sexual contact, it is beyond relieving that their new relationship implodes just as quickly as it had began.

    Liz herself isn't exactly sexually satisfying Christian and her attempts of a makeover are wasted on him. Liz learned that the hard way when she walked in on him screwing some random girl. Adding insult to injury was said random girl repeatedly calling her Mama.

    While Liz has a right to be upset with Christian, it does need to be pointed out that she knew exactly what she was getting into herself. Christian will never stop screwing around, his treatment of women is appalling and as he pointed out himself, he never promised her fidelity. All of this stuff is immaterial to Liz due to the fact that he didn't respect her. That's her main issue.

    The episode has the sense not to see Liz too hung up on things. After all, if Christian can screw around, there's no reason why Liz shouldn't be able to do the same. In fact she doesn't waste time when Christian catches her with a woman herself. Nice to know that Liz is still gay viewers.

    Unfortunately there is a sucky bit and that's Liz leaving the practice to head back to Miami. Her last scene with Sean was sweet and it was nice that Sean read Christian the riot act. However everything Sean did say to Christian will inevitably fall on deaf ears anyway so maybe he shouldn't have bothered.

    As glad as I am that Christian and Liz will no longer be sleeping with each other, I'm bummed that Liz is gone. For the time being, I think it's temporary and that we'll probably see her in the finale. It would've been leaked if Roma Maffia was leaving the show permanently anyway.

    When love matters weren't concerning this episode, then there's Rajesh. While his first two episodes were more comedic, this one gave him such much needed depth as his overbearing father surfaced in LA and instantly put pressure on his only child to be the best surgeon.

    Luckily none of the dialogue between Rajesh and Vijay sounds as nauseating as anything from Grey's Anatomy but needless to say that Vijay is irritating and unyielding. In other words, he's the kind of parent who bully and belittle their children in order for them to attain success and mask it as guidance.

    Rajesh is pretty intimidated by his father and when he's asked to perform a penis enlargement surgery on his father, he's appropriately freaked out by the idea. He also makes a half baked attempt to get out of it but it's his screw up with Christian's sutures that really heralds a bad moment between him and Vijay.

    It was nice to see Rajesh stand up to his father and be man enough to admit his own mistakes but it's not surprising that Vijay wouldn't back down. Still at least for a small bit, Sean acted like a temporary dad to Rajesh by taking him out for some chicken wings and beers.

    It was because of Sean and Rajesh's bond that got Matt quite jealous too. Matt wanting to ditch the pre-med thing after barely entering it was hardly a shocker. Matt tends to spend his whole either screwing up or bailing on things. However his jealousy for Rajesh was handled surprisingly well.

    There was a good scene between the two of them in the car where they discussed both Vijay and Sean's faults as well as their own. The only thing that ruined it was Matt being goaded into smashing Rajesh's hand. Matt at least looked guilty after carrying out the deed but he really should've rose above Rajesh's baiting.

    Rajesh might have wanted to escape his father's dreams of medicine but surely he could've a way of doing that without destroying his hand. It's not as gory as Roxy's self mastectomy but it was certainly something I could've done without seeing as well.

    Surprisingly enough there's a good moment between Sean and Matt where the latter confesses to wanting to be an actor. Not to poke too much fun at John Hensley's but I sure as hell hope to God that Matt's acting is somewhat expressive. However to me it just seems to be a way of bringing back a certain spoiled actor from earlier on in this season.

    Also in "Ricky Wells"

    The majority of the previously on moments focused on Sean, Matt, Christian, Liz and Rajesh.

    Liz: "You can't even look at me naked."
    Christian: "It's chilly. I don't want you to get cold."

    I didn't actually realise that Rajesh graduated 12 days early from Harvard until after I saw this week's previously on bit.

    Rajesh: "Have you lost a few pounds?"
    Liz: "I have. Now I have to figure out to do something with the hair."
    Rajesh: "Yes and your clothes."

    Rajesh: "Father to ask me to perform this sort of surgery, I'm, I'm very -"
    Vijay: "- Honoured?"
    Rajesh: "Freaked out."

    Nice to see that Liz did something with her hair and her selection of dresses. Better than the fellatio lessons anyway.

    Liz: "What is wrong with you? Has chemo killed every bit of class you ever had?"
    Christian: "Settle down, killer. We never talked about a monogamous relationship. That was never even on the table."

    Liz: "Who is it?"
    Christian: "It's Christian."
    Liz: "Don't you believe in calling?"
    Christian: "It's a little late to call after twelve."

    Who was the lucky lady that Liz was getting friendly with when Christian called? Can Liz also have a normal girlfriend when she returns?

    Sean (to Christian): "You ruined your sutures. What the hell did you do, run a marathon?"
    Liz: "Banged another bimbo."

    Matt: "You're already a plastic surgeon. That's a pretty sweet way to live a life, Raj."
    Rajesh: "But it's not my dream, Matt. I know I'm seventeen and I already have my life planned out for me. Should I not have a choice?"

    Standout music: I think REM's "Superman" stood out the most for me.

    Christian (to Sean): "Love and sex don't have to be interchangeable. Lizzie should know that."

    Chronology: A couple of weeks since the events of "Ricky Wells".

    I have to admit that while this season is still not really jumping at me, "Ricky Wells" is probably the best episode we've had since its return last month. The show does need to cool down on the sex and the crazies though.moreless

  • Classic Nip/Tuck. Way over the top and I love it.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By XooKey, Apr 14, 2010
    In the beginning Christian is trying to teach Liz how to give oral sex. With this right off the bat it is going to be one hell of an episode. Christian gets his breast implant and Raj finishes up the surgery. Raj's father has come to town and wants Raj to perform a penis enlargement on him and Raj is very reluctant. There are some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. The largest part of this episode is written around Matt's and Raj's relationships with their fathers. Raj is only 17 and already a plastic surgeon. Matt is giving a go at medical school but is having too much trouble. Sean actually takes a liking to Raj and it causes some discomfort for Matt but, Sean sets him strait in the end. Raj has been pushed by his father to be a doctor all his life but doesn't want to be one. He an Matt are out getting high that night and Raj coerces Matt to slam his hand in the door of the truck so he no longer has to be a doctor.

    One the Liz and Christian front, Liz is trying to have a relationship with Christian but every time she comes to see him he is having sex with another woman. She finally has enough of it and tells Sean that she is resigning and moving back to Miami.

    The main client of the episode wanted to look older because he wanted to be taken more seriously. He had married his 2nd grade teacher when he turned 18. She does not like the way he looks after the surgery and one day when he comes home she is having sex with what appears to be his little brother. What a wacked out woman.

    This was a brutal episode with Raj's hand being smashed, Christian's implant coming loose during sex, and the pedophile teacher.moreless

  • Whoa ... boundary issues.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By tjaman, Feb 07, 2009
    I liked this. I'm kind of amazed that Sean didn't immediately cite ethical concerns with Raj operating on his father (not that he's one to talk, having operated on his entire family at one point or another) but it brought the Raj thing to a precipice. Matt whaled on Raj's hand pretty good -- apparently what Sean thinks about him still matters.

    I didn't quite understand what Matt was saying when he said "I guess I didn't inherit your brains for this kind of stuff." Well of course you didn't. You didn't inherit Sean's anything. Matt's such a child sometimes, and he never knows what he wants to be when he grows up.

    Raj has his first beer and first buffalo wing. Charming. Sean hanging up on Matt was a little b!tchy, tho. "I'm bonding with my real son now." Nice to see this show can still dance all over daddy issues.

    I saw that psycho teacher thing happening from several miles off, but oh well. The makeup people did some amazing work on the Ricky Wells actor. He looked completely different.

    My prediction is that Liz won't be able to stay away, but Raj is probably qualified to pass gas if they want to take things in that direction. I hope not. Roma Maffia looked amazing in this eppy, and it's not an especially good sendoff for her character -- especially since she knows and has always known that Christian is a dog and a bad one at that.

    Reasonably good installment, and some nice development. Keep up the good work, guys.moreless

  • Oh Dad, Poor Dad

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By maxpower03, Feb 05, 2009
    The relationship between fathers and sons was at the center of this episode, with both sides being disappointed in their respective family members.

    Sean and Matt's relationship has always been difficult, but I liked their interaction tonight. Sure, Sean acted like a jackass as usual, but he actually reacted pretty well when Matt finally revealed what he really wanted to do with his life. It's gotten stale to see Matt's latest venture get completely torn apart by Sean, so it was refreshing to see them almost reach some kind of common ground here.

    While I was indifferent to him in his previous two appearances, Raj really blew me away in this episode. His father was a cold, abusive (if a little stereotypical) monster, and it was devastating to see Raj's spirit and motivation slowly fall apart throughout the hour. I thought destroying his own hand was a poetic ending for him, if again pretty depressing. Great acting job by Adhir Kalyan.

    Liz and Christian's relationship unsurprisingly fell apart. Liz's disappointment in him is justified, but you can't help but feel she shouldn't exactly be surprised. Whatever happens, whatever monumental life-changing experience he has, Christian will always be a horny playboy. Which is sad, since he's at his best when he has some depth. Seeing Christian yet again return to his old ways just isn't surprising anymore. Now don't get me wrong, I never expected his affair with Liz to work out, but it would have been nice for the writers to give him at least a little emotional growth.

    Loved the Ricky Wells story. Sure, the ending was obvious, but it was excellently performed by Suzanne Cryer (yada yada yada, heh) and Brando Eaton. It was one of those rare storylines of late that managed to be icky but not flat-out gross. Like "classy nasty", which is something I wasn't expecting since recent squicky subplots (like the Shelly's, and those cannibals) just weren't fun to watch.

    The best part of the episode for me was undoubtedly the gorgeous score ("Dreamville" by Henry Mancini for those wondering) that played over most of the storylines. Sad, moving but crazily beautiful, it really strengthened the episode and drew together all the different plots. Awesome.

    By far the strongest episode of the season so far. Some great acting, perfect direction and of course that amazing song. After the high-camp craziness of last week, this was a welcome change.

    Director: John Scott
    Writer: Brad Falchuk
    Rating: Amoreless

  • Raj and Matt share their father/son issues as they are pressured to excel by their dads. Christian and Liz's relationship is put to the text over Christian's sex-capades. A previously pedophiled, soon-to-be dad wants to look older.moreless

    10
    "Perfect"
    By tguedry82, Feb 04, 2009
    I enjoyed this episode much better than last weeks. Alot of focus was on Christian and Liz trying to make it work, but as soon as Christian's all prettied up again after his reconstruction, he is screwing every "10" he can find. Liz is actually not totally shocked and willing to allow this, but at the same time wants to be respected? I don't think the two can go hand in hand, and she figures this out by the end, deciding to not only quit but to move back to Miami! Hopefully this is not permanent because I love Liz! Although I found it funny that he was upset by her having someone else on the side! Hypocrite! The pedophile couple were as weird as many of their previous patients! Although as soon as we meet his younger brother, I knew she'd loose her attraction to Ricky once he looked older and get it on with the other youngster! I was surprised at how much they showed to indicate that she'd done so! I was thinking, "they can't possibly show this woman screwing this little boy" but...it is Nip/Tuck!

    This is the second episode I have really enjoyed Raj's character! Ruining your hand to get a point across to your father seemed alot harder than Matt just telling Sean he didn't want to be a doctor. His scene with Matt in the truck getting high was hilarious and emotional at the same time, just really great. When he started yelling at Matt to do it, he was kind of creepy! Great episode for me! My only gripe is not having more of a resolution to Eden coming back last week...I still want that b**** to get what's coming!moreless
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