Wake Up Call
Written by Jennifer Salt
Directed by Nelson McCormack
10
"Perfect"
With the substantial lack of US imports until the start of next year on UK TV, I have to admit that my other method of catching the latest episodes of Nip/Tuck while time consuming is definitely becoming worth it as I'm reviewing an episode so delightful, I can definitely say "50 minutes well spent", which is strange, because there's a lot of stuff in this event filled instalment that's hard to swallow. Then again, that's always been this series greatest strength and occasional weakness.
When it comes to lesbians on television, Liz has definitely been one of the most obvious disservices and increasingly looking like a vestal virgin compared to the ladies of The L Word or her oversexed employers, so you can imagine the delight that after briefly bonding over a mutual appreciation of Michelle's hotness, Christian decides to help out Liz and get her some action as they hit the first lesbian bar they find in Miami where an attractive lady spurns Christian's sleazy advances in favour of getting to know Liz a bit more intimately. Christian's reaction to being turned down in particular is quite priceless as Liz's now date firmly puts him in his place.
Meanwhile Liz and her new girl go back to her place, listen the kind of music that Sugar Rush have played to death (Nouvelle Vague), enjoy cocktails and some heavy foreplay that we only get to see a fraction of before the next morning when Liz awakens to her girl toy gone and a cell phone duct taped to her hand. Not quite the morning after you would expect and for Liz it gets more unpleasant too.
It seems that Liz's one night stand is a part of an organ stealing gang who not only pick out vulnerable victims to seduce and organ pinch from but then decide to call them the next morning warning them not to move before the paramedics arrive. Honour among thieves or despicable bastards you decide (I'm leaning towards the latter), but if somebody stole my kidney, not only would I be traumatised but I would also be incandescent with fury.
You really do have to feel for poor Liz though. As an audience, we've had to wait for four seasons (Sophia aside) for the lovely anaesthesiologist to get some much deserved action and what happens to her? The poor woman gets a frickin' kidney stolen from her how crappy is that? Does Ryan Murphy hate Liz in some way or is that a part of a wider scheme for us audiences to recognise Roma Maffia's talents as an actress because you would have to a very cold hearted individual not to feel for Liz or be impressed by Maffia's performance in this episode.
Liz's nasty case of bad luck brings a much needed kind and softer side to both Sean and Christian as the lads sensibly let her recuperate at McNamara/Troy, although why Christian didn't at least offer a place to stay at his now butch digs is a bit mystifying. He obviously felt guilty and partly blamed himself for the whole debacle but still didn't offer part time accommodation at Casa de Troy? Still, at least he showed some humanity by caring for Liz, as did Michelle but sadly for our lovely newcomer, her condolences only drew suspicion despite the seeming sincerity attached.
I wouldn't have found Michelle's heartfelt sympathy suspect if parking lot lady James hadn't returned and blackmailed Michelle into getting Christian and herself into performing an operation on an escort named Analise who recently compromised a client. Analise's misfortune doesn't end there when after Michelle challenged James' authority, Analise paid the price by having her face smashed in with a marble paper weight. I can only imagine the pain that had to have delivered.
Michelle is clearly scared of James (played to eerie perfection by Jacqueline Bisset) and given how much of a psycho James is revealed to be, even I'm a bit scared of her. James didn't even flinch when she bashed Analise with that marble paper weight and Bisset looked like she was going to snap Michelle in half at one point.
The odds of Michelle being indebted to James and the revelation of her being a former escort for the psychotic pimp isn't groundbreaking stuff but it's handled well enough to be praised and Sanaa Lathan also seems to generate a sympathetic enough performance as a pretty much screwed Michelle. Escorts/prostitutes don't necessarily have to weak characters and if Michelle gets a similar styling of former companions on shows such as Firefly and Deadwood, my interest in the character will remain but learning of her past, now puts Christian in the advantage spot he so desperately does not need to be in.
Christian's attraction to Michelle has been in no way subtle and seeing as she has repeatedly rebuffed his smarmy advances, Christian loses major points in this episode as instead of doing the decent and either offer to help Michelle or inform the clueless Burt of his wife's past, Christian uses Michelle's former profession as an excuse to blackmail her into having sex with him. That's nice, Christian are you so hung up about rejection you now have blackmail a woman into sleeping with you? Granted Michelle is probably the most attractive woman you've bonked this season but even for you, that's a new low.
Michelle is an interesting lady and if she has any involvement with the organ thieving plot, which I definitely think James does by the way, I'm not sure how I'll deal with a character that knowingly has hurt one of my favourites. As a gay man, even I think Sanaa Lathan is gorgeous but unlike Rhona Mitra or Kelly Carlson, this girl can seriously act and if her and Christian were gonna hook up, I was hoping that that Michelle would've been the one who had initiated and that the circumstances hadn't been something sleazy like what we got here. Christian you are becoming a serious dick this season.
Speaking of dicks, how horrible was Sean's comment about Marlowe having difficult getting laid because of his own disability when he tried to fire him for "fondling" Julia? I really hated Sean at that moment and I loved the verbal Marlowe so richly delivered to Sean, aided with the bite of the Manny having a pretty regular sex life. Marlowe and Sean did something in common with how they both felt that Julia needed to breastfeed Connor and steer clear from the anti-depressants she so wanted to take this week. Julia, you spend most of your life depressed, so the post pardum crap doesn't really wash. Plus Marlowe was easy to spot the spark with Sean and Monica too when the annoying Akron girl paid a visit to the surgery. I think every show should have Peter Dinklage as his casting has been a stroke of genius.
But for some odd reason, it's Julia who generates more sympathy as unlike Sean, Marlowe's constant talk of accepting Connor's disability hits home for Julia when after several unsuccessful attempts to milk him, she admits to Marlowe that not only was Connor a final attempt for her and Sean to work as a couple but a part of her had wished she had gone through with the abortion we nearly saw in "Joy Kringle".
It's not a particularly pleasant thing to hear but Julia should be commended for her honesty and some parents often feel the same the way Julia does even if they don't vocalise it and it's the same heart to heart that gets her to bond with Connor and finally breastfeed him without feeling overwhelmed. Even Sean's pessimistic viewpoint of Marlowe's unconventional but cool mural at the end doesn't seem to dampen Julia. Sean did enough of that by pressuring her to breastfeed so Connor would have the strength to survive the operations Sean has planned for the little guy.
As for Sean and accepting little Connor, it took a drug fuelled hallucinatory sequence where Escobar called him a **** and told him to punish God and Julia for Connor's condition while a heavenly Megan persuaded him to go home and forget about screwing Monica. I loved that Sean finally admitted to loving Connor but I'm still not convinced that he'll get Connor's Ectrodactily that quickly, even if it is feeling like a broken record at the moment.
The return of Escobar and Megan is the ultimate highlight of the hour and it also contains some of the sharpest written scenes in the series since "Julia McNamara" as well as providing the much needed slap in the face Sean so needed as even I cheered when he decides to reject Monica, even if it's unlikely that the crazy girl will leave him be. Sean's comment about a perfect world before it falls was ironic. Did he learn anything from his drug addled state?
Also in "Shari Noble"
Patients Of The Week: Aside from Analise the escort, we had Shari Noble who got her nipple bitten of by her pit bull that she used for sex. Her control freak husband killed the dog as revenge. Surely both of them should've been arrested for this level of cruelty to an animal?
Christian: "Just so you know Sweetie Pie, I'm not into S&M"
Michelle: "And I'm not into you".
The pit bull attack story is interesting as three reports of attack from this particular breed of dog have occurred in the past two months.
Liz: "Do you think you could teach me to be as full of **** as you are?"
Christian: "I thought lesbians didn't play games that it was about cuddling and sharing depilatory cream".
Julia: "Don't you think that's a little inappropriate for a baby's room?"
Marlowe: "Well i'm not finished. When I'm done it will be filled with magic and colour".
I liked the continuity at the beginning with Christian rejecting the chocolate cake for the non fat yoghurt and him and Liz rating women out of 10 at the gay bar. Little things like that make me appreciate the show.
Woman (to Christian): "First off all, I do the munching; second of all, you're an ****
Sean: "You need to forget me"
Monica: "I can't, I tried but I can't".
Info Dump: There have been four organ thefts since Christmas, Liz has been single for 18 months, which is the same amount of time that Michelle was an escort, Marlowe has dated both Gilda and Rosie and Monica believes that hands are the window to people's souls.
Michelle: "I don't owe you this"
James: "I don't think you realise what a boom your business is, pet? What's good for me is always good for you".
Speaking of businesses, when are we getting an update on De La Mer and Gina?
Sean: "What are you doing here?"
Escobar: "Hell was full so I came to chaperone your ass".
Although obvious, I loved Escobar dressed in red (going lizard like in one bit) and Megan as white. Sometimes clichés can be fine.
Megan: "This is what you want, who you want to be"
Escobar: "Sean your baby's a freak. Make her pay for what she did to you, make God pay for giving you a baby with lobster hands".
Julia: "Do you still love me Sean or do you blame me for Connor? Is that why doing this, to make me pay, to hurt me?"
The chronology is about a week and a half since "Monica Wilder". Also Matt and Kimber are missing from this episode.
Michelle (re James): "She's a psychopath"
Christian: "So you have a fatal attraction for the high life?"
Anyone else think that Marlowe's mural looked like a dark version of the title sequence to Desperate Housewives?
Sean (to Julia/Marlowe): "The murals beautiful, a perfect world before the fall".
Standout Music: "There was so much excellent music here but my personal favourites were "Domingo" by Gotham Project, "The Mating Game" by Bittersweet, "Brother Louie" by The Stories and "Obsession" by Animotion.
Wow, this episode blew me away because while certain parts grossed me out to no end and certain people annoyed me to no end, "Shari Noble" is the closest thing to excellence that was exhibited in the opening two seasons and with some great continuity and a series of truly mind blowing parts, even the most reserved of viewers should have a hard time knocking this episode.moreless
