Every week, this show gets closer and closer to becoming a soft-core porno film. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing because this quasi-porn, unlike the real deal, has an unbelievable story line. If there were ever an episode to sell you on why getting into this show is worth your time, then this was the one. It's television crack and I'm a full blown addict.
Christian consults and operates on our title character, Abby Mays. She wants to feel beautiful and with the current shape she's in, that isn't going to happen. Keep in mind that Christian is still dealing with the fact that Kimber ditched(?) him at the aisle and this leads to a very well done scene, reminiscent of the first time he met Kimber in the pilot episode. Christian has Abby strip down to her lingerie and, using bright red lipstick, he marks her entire body with the areas that need work. However, a side of Christian we haven't seen in a while (remember when he dumped Natasha in season two?) comes out, and he's incredibly demeaning to Abby. He describes certain parts of her as "cottage cheese" and "mud flaps." When he's done, he refers to her body as a roadmap to hell while noting that her face is a lost cause. As disturbing as the verbal abuse was, what's bothersome is that Abby takes it and seems to relish it. After the surgery, Christian invites Abby over. They go at it, but Christian makes her wear a paper grocery bag over her head. The sex is rough and Abby cries, but later she admits they weren't tears of pain but rather of joy because she had her first orgasm.
While Christian is rediscovering his not so sensitive side, Sean and Quentin are having a full on war with each other. Q has been getting freaky with Julia, and this doesn't rest so well with Sean, because he knows Quentin is bi-sexual. Remember at the frat party, when both of them were in the same room getting a little oh-la-la when Quentin started winking at Sean? Anywho, the two of them are operating on a soldier returned from Iraq - the left side of his face is full of shrapnel. Post operation, Quentin examines the patient and he ends up receiving an examination of his own as the soldier shows Quentin how to, um... reconnoiter and survey a dark cave? Sean walks in and sees what's going on, but he slips out quietly to go warn Julia to make sure she has plenty of condoms. She does have plenty and apparently she gives lots of them to Matt who does nothing except play naked Olympics with Ariel in his room all day. They're in love, but between all the sex, do they have the time to be committing the hate crimes that have been occurring all of a sudden?
The last ten minutes were just about as good as it gets. Quentin makes on offer to Sean and Christian - buy out his contract for half it's worth. Sean eagerly agrees and, after the papers are signed, Quentin tells them he already as a new job as the plastic surgeon in residence at Julia's spa. This may put a damper on the business agreement they had going. Abby comes back to see Christian in her office. She wants to see him again and claims she's a masochist and Christian is a textbook sadist. Like two stray Legos in a sea of Lincoln Logs, they're a perfect fit. He tells her to come by his place again at nine.
Then everyone's speculation finally gets confirmed. Christian receives a Dear John letter from Kimber, so it looks like she left him... but then it happens. The scene cuts to a dark room, cement floors, with Kimber sitting on a ratty blanket. She's still wearing her wedding gown and she's bloody as she writes the letter that Christian now reads. Then a freight elevator comes into view and the Carver steps off it. He approaches Kimber and we see her face - butchered as we've seen the Carver do before. He flicks on his creepy voicebox and asks Kimber for the letter as it cuts back to Christian crying. It's safe to say we know what kind of tears those are.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-30-2005 @ 11:34AM
Elliott said...
Was it just me or was anyone else creeped-the-f-out by the close-up of Quentin's face when they first cut to the scene of him getting it from the Corporal? It was just wierd.
And yeah, and he's the Carver.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:40AM
Jefferson Burns said...
All I have to say, is after this episode, I felt that I had to go to church to repent.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:41AM
Lacey said...
Quentin's not the Carver.
Wasn't he in Atlanta or something when the carver first struck.
I mean, maybe it's a lie, maybe he wasn't.
But I don't think it's him.
I still think it's Matt.
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11-30-2005 @ 11:47AM
Jefferson Burns said...
I still think the Carver is two people working together. I do think it's Quentin (yes, it's obvious) but I also think there has to be a twist and it has to be someone we know. I am going with Julia's mother. Why the hell not?
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11-30-2005 @ 11:49AM
Nip/Tuck Fanatic! said...
Very nice writeup! All I could say initially was "WOW." That was an intense episode and had me seriously questioning who I thought the Carver was.
Great line about the show being "Television Crack!" I couldnt agree more. I put my own writeup about the show on my Nip/Tuck Fanatic blog linked to my name.
Keep up the great writeups! The Nip/Tuck fans are creeping up everywhere... :)
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11-30-2005 @ 12:10PM
Elliott said...
My favorite line of the show was when Abby went into the bedroom and said, "It's a bag".
Christian's priceless reponse, "yeeeessss" as though it were made of diamonds.
Also I don't want to give anything away, but the scenes from next week's preview disproves one of the carver theories.
I can't wait for this epsiode!
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11-30-2005 @ 1:12PM
Eileen said...
I don't think the carver is Quentin either--that's too predictable. I think the writers want to totally blow our minds, and I think Eva is the carver!! Yes, the victims were raped--ever hear of a strap-on? She's definitely sick enough to do it.
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11-30-2005 @ 2:25PM
Jim said...
How can anyone with any sense of the show and it's storyline possibly believe that Quentin is the Carver? Quentin simply has no cause or reason to commit these acts. Why would he be denouncing beauty when he helps to fix people up? The Carver is some overly jealous sicko who isnt satisfied with his own looks or has had a hard time finding a relationship with another. Quentin obviously gets a fair amount of dirty time with both sexes.
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11-30-2005 @ 5:09PM
Tom said...
Jim -
It's simple. Quentin's motivation would be his hatred for the people who come to him for help and for himself for choosing this empty career. Combine that with a little closet-case induced self hate and you have a great recipe for a psycho.
That being said, the Quentin from last season sure didn't resemble the Quentin we have now so I wonder if the writers just didn't have a carver in mind last year and picked him to fill the role after a successful guest shot last year...
Still, I hope it's someone else, too...
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11-30-2005 @ 5:22PM
lturbo said...
Thank you!! I don't have cable anymore and have been looking HIGH and low for recaps of the episodes...
You are my hero!!!!
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11-30-2005 @ 9:34PM
Lisa said...
Great article, right on point........does anyone besides me think the carver is Gina....only last night did that thought hit me when the 'gutter like' voice of the carver said.."the letter" it just sounded like gina's cheap way of talking.
c
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12-01-2005 @ 12:49PM
Meggie said...
Outstanding recap! I agree with a lot of you -- this particular show was insane. I have watched this show for a long time and this episode made the whole Ava thing last year look G rated. But is it me or has the show gone wayyy over the edge? Obviously, the show has crossed the line from the beginning (IE Sean gets it on violently with the Kimber doll) and I think that's why we all love it. But it seems like they have exhausted so many of their crazy storylines that they have gone onto almost the absurd -- I mean the Matt transexual bar thing was nuts and now this whole "I want to be a Nazi now," Christian's Mom being raped by his Dad, etc etc etc. Preposterous! But so damn good. As for the carver, I agree with whoever said it must be a tag team. That's what they did in the Scream movie and I bet that's what they'll do here. And Quentin HAS to be one of them!!! Gina would be a nice twist as would Ava. But if it turns out to be Joan Rivers...
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12-04-2005 @ 12:04AM
Mallory said...
ok.. I definetely think Quentin is the Carver..
But do you think he's going to kill Kimber? I dunno...
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12-01-2005 @ 2:02AM
tv junkie said...
Is it just me that think the carver is Merril Bobolit???? the carver storyline started after Bobolit's last appearance and i think he's desperate enough to do something like this. and remember he was himself a plastic surgeon? moreover, he hated Christian too. and according to some speculation that there might be "two" carvers...remember Bobolit was with a crazy Asian woman who own a barbershop? and they killed a woman during surgery who wanted to be J.Lo and then later chop her up into pieces???? that storyline was never given an explanation and Bobolit, who appear a great deal in Season One AND also have a brief fling with Kimber, fit the role of Carver perfectly. now that we know Kimber is in the hand of the carver, i believe Bobolit to be the carver. and the show wouldn't have to come up with some wacky storyline that the writers can't explain either.
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12-01-2005 @ 8:31AM
Malcontent said...
I posted a few minutes of my, umm, "favorite highlights" here:
http://malcontent.typepad.com/malcontent/2005/11/quentin_bites_s.html
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12-02-2005 @ 8:38PM
Missy said...
My TIVO cut out JUST as Abby was pulling something out of her purse. She had just told Christian about her first orgasm. What did she pull out? What else did I miss AND what about previews for next week?
Someone help. I almost threw my TIVO out the window.
THANKS
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12-02-2005 @ 2:24PM
Adam said...
Love the write up - outstanding!
Poor Christian - he's so lost right now. As mush as I don't like Matt, I hope he wises up with this Ariel chick and gets out.
I think Quentin is a great character for this show. He's so calm and cool in the office, but then once you get to know him a bit more, he's a little out there. I don't think his position with Julia will last long - Julia will become suspicious or find out he's bi, or she'll become jealous after he sleeps with Gina.
Good theory about Meril being The Carver. I forgot about him.
My wife and I are always find reasons that point to Liz as being The Carver....
BTW - what ever happened to Kit? Did McNamara/Troy fix her up or just send her on her way?
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12-02-2005 @ 2:19PM
Jonathan Toomey said...
Wait a second... lots of theories here, I like it. But let's think about this for a second here because I've rewatched most of the episodes from this season in past few days since I wrote this summary. I think Eva and Bobolit are a bit far fetched for being the Carver, just doesn't make sense to me. Same goes for Quentin - he's a whack-job but I don't think he's a killer. Matt I also feel is way off. But who showed up this season? If I've learned one thing from watching all the CSI shows and Criminal Minds, it's that crazy-nuts psycho killers like to insert themselves into the investigation of thier own crimes. Kit anyone? She's head detective on the case, would have been able to plant Christian's condom at the crime scene (she was sleeping with him), and she'd be nuts enough to slice up her own face to deflect any attention from her. This makes sense to me, anyone else?
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12-03-2005 @ 12:13AM
Christo said...
It is a toss up between Merril and Kit. Both could be absolutely looney tunes enough to do it. For sure it isnt matt, he couldnt even sense a 4 inch fake vagina. I am sure we'll all say, "I knew it!" before too long.
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12-04-2005 @ 1:20AM
tv junkie said...
here's a little more info on why i think Merril Bobolit is the carver. first of all, i absolutely agree with everyone that think Eva or Kit (and maybe even as crazy like Liz) might be the carver, but i think they're too far off. Eva has no reason whatsoever. Kit...might be, but that's too weird and insane that she cut herself (even more insane than the woman that fake her own carver-cut) because she was a pretty all-together-i-know-what-i'm-doing woman. she's not desperate is what i'm saying. also, i don't think the carver would be the detective that's investigating his/her own case....that's too cliche... but Merril Bobolit on the other hand has none of the problems above. he's been gone long enough to be able to come back and shock us. beside the reasons i state from my last post, here are more reasons that i came up. first of all, when Christian was caught, the carver was soo worry that people might believe christian to be the carver that he strikes again. if anyone remember Bobolit from first and second season, he was soooo worry about Christian being better than him because Christian is much better looking. and in Bobolit's last appearance, he was about to ask a girl out when he realize that girl was in love with Christian. then he got crazy and decided to do a "face-off" with Christian when he kidnap Christian and decide to do a face transplant. Christian escaped when Bobolit started to cut his own face. and then that was the last we see Bobolit....what the??? how about the girl he killed in that episode? what happen to Bobolt's face??? Bobolt must have destroyed his own face! now that's talk about the Carver. He hates beauty and he's jealous of Christian. Um, that's Bobolit to me. furthermore, didn't carver always have a mask on? ah ha! maybe he's horribly disfigured because he destroyed his face? and again, now that Kimber is in his hand, it just make me even more convince that Bobolit is the carver. because back in season one Bobolit wanted Kimber so bad that he traded with Christian to have her then lost her again to Christian. so with all of the carver's jealousy and hate for Christian('s good look) and that he capture Kimber, i think it's about the perfect timing for Bobolit to resurface again as the carver. ***to tell the truth, even if Quentin is the most predictable choice, i kind of want him to be the carver because i just hate him for coming into Sean and Christian's life and become such a smart-ass and always have something to "justify" all of his insanity. And BTW, from some of the things i've heard, Liz might be the carver because i heard that Roma Maffia might be leaving the show (now that's totally unconfirmed for all i know so...don't jump to any conclusion because for from what i've learned, Bruno Campos hasn't sign on for next year either)
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