IMHO: "Nip/Tuck" (5.15) "Ronnie Chase" AKA "Bloodbath & Beyond"

The premiere of the second half of the 5th season of Nip/Tuck aired on F/X last night, and after some trepidation, I decided to give it a go.

I haven't watched the series in a few years because, frankly, it had just become too silly and sour, and not even the occasional buttshot or Rosie O'Donnell guest appearance could draw me back. But I decided to approach it with a fresh attitude and give it the benefit of the doubt.

Would I regret it, or be pleasantly surprised? Find out after the break (but there are spoilers)!

For starters, there was no gay content in this week's episode (which may be a blessing) and lots of naked skin, but little of it male. (And actually, once you've been spoiled by seeing Ryan Kwanten constantly naked every week on True Blood, it's hard to get excited about a fleeting crack.)

But this episode did have at least one thing in its favor: a totally batshit Sharon Gless! As stalker Colleen Rose, she made mincemeat of poor Sean (Dylan Walsh), stabbing him and dragging his bloody body away in what must have taken up about a third of the show's running time.

Colleen ends up dead and Sean ends up in a wheelchair, which allows him to have wheelchair sex, which is apparently incredibly hot (and probably explains how Stephen Hawking gets laid so much).

Meanwhile, Christian (Julian McMahon) is in for a shock of his own: he has breast cancer! He has to have surgery to have a lump removed, and that gives him a special empathy for women as he's groping their funbags during anonymous sex.

The best character on the show is still Liz, the lesbian anesthesiologist wonderfully played by Roma Maffia. From the previews, it looks like she's going to sleep with Christian, which she'll no doubt regret (but at least he'll give her a free breast exam).

I'm giving this episode a sideways arrow because what it does, it does well. It's all style and flash, but that's about it. It wants to shock and "push the envelope", but after a while, it gets tiresome.

Will I watch again? When there are gay characters or issues brought up I probably will, but otherwise I can take it or leave it.

Oh, and where the hell was Mario Lopez?

I know there are tons of Nip/Tuck fans here, so feel free to tell me how wrong I am!