TVSquad

(S03E13) Man, they did it again. Set up a potentially solid climactic final chapter to a "Volume" and then just kind of fizzled out. Sylar's antics bordered a bit on the ridiculous, and I don't at all buy Nathan's character path over the past three seasons as plausible. I was pleased with the continuation and ultimate resolution of Hiro's story as it involved also Ando, Matt and Daphne. As it turns out, while these are by no means the central figures in the plots for this Volume, their story was the best.

Maybe it's because there was a minimum of whining (Peter) or pouting (Claire), and quite frankly there's only so much of that crap you can take. With the end of "Volume Three" tonight, as we've done in the past, we got a sneak peek at "Volume Four: Fugitives." And as has been the case in the past, the few minutes we got on a preview of the next volume was much more compelling than the finale of this current volume. Just like real comic books, you usually get a great build up in these big stories, ultimately leading to disappointment.

(S03E08) Maybe they should have done this one a little earlier in the season. There was only one scene set in the present era, but it was a good one. The rest of the episode was "One Year Ago," weaving and interlacing with the events we did see during the show's first season, showing us what a lot of the characters we either didn't know or didn't follow then were up to, like Ma and Pa Petrelli, Linderman, Gabriel, Elle and even Claire's mother and uncle.

I remember that the second season was supposed to explore the elder generation, revealing more of their connections to one another and their motivations. We were going to learn more about The Company and what they were up to in regards to Peter and the rest of our main cast. It looks like those aborted promises are finally coming to fruition. It's unfortunate that the last season and so much of the start of this season was so lackluster, as things are really coming together nicely. And we're gaining sympathy for almost every member of the cast by learning more about them.

(S05E09) "I was never in any danger of being drugged by the gays." - Freddy

After a month off, Nip/Tuck is back. Only 14 of this season's 22 episodes were finished pre-WGA Strike, so it makes sense that FX threw that mini hiatus in there. I was really looking forward to this episode, and even though I liked it, there was still a lot of stuff that just didn't feel fresh to me. Recycled is probably more accurate. I love this show, but c'mon... Sean and Christian fighting over Julia is really getting old.

(S02E10) And we're back. After a month off for viewers to celebrate the holidays, and for the networks to try and figure out how to fill up the schedule as the strike stretches on, our old pals in Dillon have returned. And things picked up right where they left off. Riggins is still wandering from home to home. Buddy is still in denial. None of us are sure just why Shelley is still living with the Taylor's. And Landry has gone from being riddled with the guilt of committing murder to being emotionally pummeled by the fact that he's fallen for a passive aggressive nutjob. It's a lot to get to, but we'll give it a shot, after the jump.

(S02E06) And you may ask yourself - Well... How did I get here?

It's a great title for this episode as we find a lot of our pals in Dillon questioning, being questioned about, or owning up to the situation they are currently in. That doesn't make for huge plot points that you can point to and say, "Look at that!" But it does bring up some interesting questions, and pave the way for stories in the future. With so many of the characters getting time this week, all of these changes actually overshadowed the one big, holy smokes, moment of the episode. That little thing you see in the screen cap.

For those of you that missed the first teaser promo for the fifth season of Nip/Tuck (it ran for the first time during last week's episode of Rescue Me), don't sweat it. After snooping all over the place for a video of the promo, I finally stumbled on to it in the least likely of locations:

The exclusive video section of the Rescue Me official site.

Sure enough though, they've got the whole video posted there. Awesome promo too. A backwards pan of the iconic Hollywood sign as the city lights flicker in the evening shade. With McNamara/Troy opening up their west coast shop this fall on F/X, Tinseltown has no idea what it's in store for. Oh and for those racking their brains over the song in the promo, it's a cover of Chris Isaac's "Wicked Game." The band behind the cover is called Giant Drag and they have the song on their MySpace page. Enough of me talking though. The video is after the jump. Enjoy.

(S04E14) Well this was certainly a nice surprise. I was hoping that Gina would be back since Wilbur had come back, but I didn't expect her return to be this good. Jessalyn Gilsig is a great actress (minus her turn as LJ's mother in Prison Break), so it was good to see her back in the role that I associate her with. That being said, she hasn't changed a bit. She'd like to think she has, but she is just as mean as she was before. She sold her shares in the spa, started going to her sex addicts anonymous meetings again, and even renewed her real estate license. Rather than drag her story out though, she quickly realized that she is still in no position to be a mother. But her life is still a mess. She isn't the only one though.

(S04E12) What a well crafted episode. There was so much going on (not to mention a boatload of guest-stars) and it all flowed together so smoothly. I suppose the biggest thing to mention is that Christian proposed to Michelle. She accepted but on one condition: Christian had to sell his apartment so they could start fresh together. I loved what this set up. It forced Christian to examine all the women he's been with over the years and some pretty memorable characters made an appearance.

(S04E11) What a cool episode. This was actually the second really elaborate "What if?" episode that Nip/Tuck has done though. Remember the one where it looked at Julia's life if she had chosen to marry Christian instead? This episode was better I thought and technically, it wasn't a "What if?" scenario so I guess I misspoke there. This is what actually happens in the year 2026 to the McNamara's and their friends. Kind of a cool concept because we've never had a chance to see the future of our favorite plastic surgeons. Look at that picture! I love how Christian essentially became Burt Landau despite his dislike for the man. Getting old will make you explore your options though.

(S04E08) I'm really loving this season. Might be the best one since the first. The whole exploration of the McNamara family and their issues is far more compelling than any of the Quentin/Carver stuff. It's not that I disliked last season, I just think this kind of material works better for Nip/Tuck.

This was a really well crafted episode. It brought back a wonderful character in Mrs. Grubman and we got a rare glimpse into Sean's childhood. Plus, the surgery du jour was none other than young Conor McNamara, something that's been causing tension between Sean and Julia since the child's birth. On top of that, Peter Dinklage was back and Mo'Nique guest starred as Mrs. Grubman's sassy live-in nurse. Sounds like a winning combination right?

(S04E05) Jeez, kind of a slow episode but the final few minutes made up for it. We'll get to that later though. Let's talk about Rosie O'Donnell first. She was great! I had such low expectations for her role as a white-trash lottery winner. Rosie even showed a clip on The View a day or two ago and it didn't look all that good. I don't know, maybe it's just because she's everywhere right now. Regardless, she was hilarious as Dawn Budge and easily makes the list of great McNamara/Troy patients. Right up there there with Mrs. Grubman and Momma Boone.

(S04E04) Talk about a great episode, one of the best Nip/Tuck's in a while. So much happened, it's hard to recall it all. But before anything else, I have to give the writer's a high-five with this episode because Shari Noble may be the most unique (and disturbing) patient that McNamara/Troy has ever treated. If you missed the episode, I don't want to give too much away but it did involve peanut butter and her dog. Use your imagination. Fortunately, Shari played a small role in this episode and plenty of other bigger stories unfolded.

(S04E03) It's finally here. We told you about it months ago and now the day has arrived. Mario Lopez is on Nip/Tuck. Despite my excitement, I'm kind of creeped out by him. Just look at his eyes in that picture. Plus he's giving Christian butt lipo, which is a horrible thing to think about by itself. Actually, now that I think about it, forget the character he's playing (rival plastic surgeon Mike Hamoui), I'm creeped out by Lopez period. He's everywhere right now. Plenty of stations still air Saved by the Bell reruns, he's on The Bold and the Beautiful, and now he's making headlines on Dancing with the Stars. Enough!

Despite "The Lopez Factor" (that's right, I'm naming it), this was an outstanding episode. By far the best one so far this season. Plenty happened, most notably the birth of Connor McNamara, Sean and Julia's new son.

(S04E02) I'm liking this season so far, but it feels different than seasons past. Plot points are layering themselves very deliberately and it seems like things are really setting up for some explosive episodes later in the season rather than one blow-out after another as we've seen in the past. It feels much more intricate. In last week's premiere, I was quick to chide Ryan Murphy and Co. for neglecting to mention the events of season three, but now that I've thought about it some more, it only seems right that Nip/Tuck attempts to reinvent itself at this stage in the game.

(S04E01) Maybe it's just me, but does anyone else find it hard to believe that we're already beginning the fourth season of Nip/Tuck? I feel like this show just started yesterday and here we are on the 45th episode of this spectacular series. I guess time flies when you're having fun. And by "fun" I mean boob jobs, unprotected sex, and botox. Lots of botox.