Coming into this episode, the title of this column could’ve applied to both Julia and Ava Moore (pictured, left).I know the Julia character has taken her lumps over the years (and I’ve definitely done some of the lumping) for her wishy-washy nature and general shrewness, but I’ve never enjoyed Julia more than I did in the latest episode of “Nip/Tuck.”
Things started out promisingly with Julia (and actress Joely Richardson) looking VERY good, before taking a nosedive when it was revealed that she was in L.A. to announce that she was getting married to an Englishman (allowing Richardson to drop her sometimes-painful American accent) and wanted to take Conor and Annie with her. I mean, why can’t Julia just visit the guys to say hi? She either shows up to hijack Sean’s kids or to announce she’s a lesbian. (Nice job by Christian when he asked if she was marrying a man.)
Predictably Sean took things poorly and threw a tantrum, while Christian tried to sleep with her. That was when this episode revealed it had some tricks up its sleeves.
We learned that Julia stopped Christian’s classy bar bathroom hookup in its tracks. Later, she shut down Sean’s advances in a similar way. While the guys fell into their go-to pattern of behavior, Julia announced (correctly) that she had simply outgrown them. If this had been Julia’s series-closing arc, it would’ve been a beautiful way to end these three characters’ relationship (Christian cheekily suggesting a three-way), which used to be the heart of the show. Instead, there’s one more episode for these three fools to blow it.
And that final episode will not be short on drama, thanks to the return of Famke Janssen’s Ava Moore, possibly the best character in the history of this show.
I remember thinking Janssen was great during her outstanding season 2 run as Ava, but I didn’t realize how much I (and this show) had really missed her presence. Not only is the painfully underused Janssen still sexy (it’s like she dropped off the face of the Earth when they stopped making “X-Men” movies), but she also brings a presence and intelligence to the proceedings.
Ava made an eye-catching entrance (haha, Sean and Christian checked out a guy!) before giving us a quick recap of her past (Alec Baldwin’s Dr. Barrett Moore is dead) and asking the guys to operate on a third-world baby she’d adopted. Christian refused, which prompted Ava to (brilliantly) try to manipulate Sean – and it worked until he figured out that she’d kind of stolen the baby and threw her out.
Fortunately, Ava still had her ace-in-the-hole: Matt McNamara, who confirmed his standing as the biggest fool in the history of fools.
With little effort, Ava seduced Matt (including a little flirting in front of his fiancée’s face) before sleeping with him and convincing him to ask Sean and Christian to perform the procedure. Sean and Christian attempted to straighten Matt out, but once Ava showed up in a limo at his wedding, he was a goner.
This would’ve never happened if Matt had kept his word and banished Sean and Christian from his life like he claimed he was going to. (Does this guy ever follow through on everything?)
Now, the stage is set for the final episode of “Nip/Tuck.” The show’s had a rough go of it over the last few seasons, but I commend everyone involved for putting together a terrific final arc (and for luring Janssen back) for what’s shaping up to be an exciting two-part finale.
So what’d you think of this episode? Did you enjoy Edith and Walter Krieger, the Holocaust survivor patients of the week? (At this point, it’s SO predictable that the surgeries the guys perform are going to backfire. I also thought trying to apply the whole forgiveness theme to Sean’s storyline was a stretch.) Finally, what’s one thing you hope happens in the series finale, and who’s the one character you’re hoping makes a cameo comeback?
2 comments:
well- Famke hasn't completely dropped off the face of the planet since the last X-men movie. She was in Taken which grossed over $200 million worldwide. She's also had two pilots for tv shows which haven't been picked up, done a couple movies, and has a couple movies waiting for release.
creejay,
Obviously, I was exaggerating a bit when I said she dropped off the face of the Earth.
Still, let's get real: her role in "Taken" was, at best, a one-dimensional supporting role or, at worst, a glorified cameo. Also, though it's great that she's done two pilots, the fact that they haven't been picked up makes them kinda not count in terms of giving her visibility. To paraphrase Samuel L. Jackson in "Pulp Fiction": pilots that don't get picked up "become nothing", so I can't give you that one.
Anyway, my main point was that an actress of Janssen's caliber should be getting MUCH more work than she has in recent years.
Thanks for commenting though!
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