Back to Adelle Coffin
Next to Antonia Ramos
Back Home
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Montana/Sassy/Justice | |||||
| Original Airdate: October 7, 2003 | |||||
| Writers: Lynnie Greene & Richard Levine | |||||
| Director: Michael M. Robin | |||||
| Father, surgeon, husband, the only difference is all of mine are named Sean, and no operation can help them get along. -Sean | |||||
| We play multiple roles in our lives.� Our interactions, relationships, jobs and beliefs all add to the complexity of every human.� Unfortunately, the best interests and desires of these roles are constantly in conflict.� How can we find harmony with all of these roles in our lives as situations cause conflict between what various aspects of ourselves want?� We see how these characters deal with conflict of roles: pious/compliant, husband/adulterer and playboy/father. | |||||
| The doctors consult Ms. Caine, a woman looking to get her cankles, calves and ankles in one continuous form, changed to normal shaped legs.� It isn't anything special at first glance (although those cankles are gross), but later it's clear that she has to work hard to maintain stability. | |||||
| Liz informs the doctors that someone wants to speak with the "antichrist".� Christian excuses himself from that suddenly awkward situation.� In his office, he meets Gina, who informs him that she's pregnant with his baby and gives him a week to decide if he wants to have it.� She's had two abortions, one of which had complications that she thought would leave her barren.� This pregnancy could be her last chance at motherhood. | |||||
| Christian is shocked.� He has always taken so many precautions with birth control, even calling himself an expert on applying a condom.� He doesn't immediately suggest abortion though, which shows he is more humane than Gina would like to admit.� Luckily, I've never been in this position (because there's no way I'm ready to be a father at 21), but I know being told you're going to be a father is a life changing event.� It certainly changes Christian, even restricted to this episode alone. | |||||
| Christian brings the problem to Sean while they're prepping to operate on Montana.� Obviously, the impact of such a revelation is still very clear.� Sean is still distracted following Megan's death and telling his wife about the affair.� Before they head in, he slips that he was still grieving at Annie's birthday party.� Christian, her godfather, wasn't invited. | |||||
| At the McNamara's Christian arrives with a gift for Annie and asks for an explanation for why he was excluded.� Julia says she isn't comfortable having him in their lives now.� She asks him why he didn't tell her about the affair. He says that if he did it would've betrayed the friendship they have.� Then Julia mentions that they had a fling.� Julia is mad at Sean for cheating. �However, she did the same thing.� Julia's juggling the role of Sean's wife and the object of Christian's affection by casting him out for fear that she'd be too tempted. | |||||
| Cara has recovered from the accident that nearly left her blind.� She finds Matt and asks her to her prayer club.� When he goes, he's surprised to see Henry there and actively participating.� To cope with his guilt, Henry has decided to change his faith to Christianity. �Unfortunately, for him, this is merely a half measure.� He doesn't realize to be redeemed; he needs to confess his involvement.� Christianity is clear that sins must be confessed, not glossed over, to be forgiven. | |||||
| He has also developed a crush on Cara.� This is clearly a bad sign.� He's not attracted to her in a normal way.� Somehow, he thinks that this will make up for what he did.� ��His crush on Cara is an offshoot of this guilt.� He believes that somehow he can have a loving relationship with her.� This will be what will redeem him.� Guilt has warped him so that he thinks that he really loves her.� In reality, he only loves his chance of salvation. | |||||
| Following her cankle surgery, Montana wakes up and has a fit when she can't have Juicy Juice.� Sean realizes that there is an underlying problem so he and Grace meet with Montana's doctor. �She informs them that she has Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD).� When Montana acted out, it was actually Sassy.� Sassy is an 8-year-old and the only remaining personality aside from Montana.� The other personalities are controlled through her.� If Sassy is happy, then the other personalities stay dormant.� Her doctor recommends performing a breast reduction surgery on Montana so it will please Sassy.� | |||||
| I don't know if her statements have any scientific weight or if it's meant to continue the story.� From what little I know about MPD, it isn't as if one living with it could have a conversation between the personalities, but that they're so fragmented that a person can't function.� This version of MPD is more common in soaps, which fits for Nip/Tuck, even though it is very un-PC. | |||||
| That night, Sean and Julia talk about what they want to do with their marriage.� They play these scenes so well it feels as if I'm watching a real life couple.� Noises like the turning pages in Sean's book become much louder in the awkward silence.� Julia doesn't know if she wants to stay married to him and asks why they even married in the first place.� Here's another important piece of back story.� Julia's pregnancy with Matt was what provoked them to get married.� This is a big reason why they're not happy now.� Marriage felt more like an obligation than something they did for love. | |||||
| She is reluctant to resume intimacy with him.� To earn her trust, she makes him get a full STD test because Megan had many blood transfusions.� When his results show that he's clean, Julia rejects him again.� He wonders if the whole ordeal was to humiliate Sean the way Sean's affair humiliated Julia.� They both agree that the only way this relationship will work is if both of them are honest.� Despite that, Julia is still hiding something about Matt. | |||||
| With Julia's proclamation, Christian sees Gina's pregnancy as the opportunity to start the family he has never started.� Gina tells him that since he's a day late he missed the window to stop her from having the abortion.� Later we learn this is a lie, but it says a lot about what Gina has become.� She wants him to feel the pain that he caused her to have. | |||||
| Sean and Grace decide not to give Montana the breast reduction surgery, which provokes another personality, Justice, to emerge.� Justice is vengeful, like a cowboy demanding her namesake.� She threatens that this would be the beginning of a re-release of all the personalities and more.� This part feels a little hokey, like science fiction, which probably didn't please those in the MPD community. | |||||
| Julia makes an excuse to go to Christian's apartment so she can swipe a comb to use for a DNA test.� Initially, I was apprehensive by this storyline.� "Who's the father?" is a clich� storyline in soap operas.� However, watching this from the perspective of knowing what happens in season two, this gains credibility on a repeat viewing as a step in the storyline. | |||||
| After Justice's emergence, they decide to do the surgery, which suppresses Justice and satisfies Sassy.� Sean asks where Sassy goes when Montana has control.� She says "underneath".� Sean asks how he can do that.� Everyone in this episode is hoping for something that will make all their roles in life get along.� They still need to find it. | |||||
| We knew Henry's case for redemption was weak, and it's proven when they're eating lunch in the cafeteria.� Henry wants to go to the prom with Cara, but she asks Matt instead.� This sends Henry off again.� This is what happens when redemption is bargained instead of accepted.� Henry never thought about what he would do if Cara rejected him.� Although by the end, he seems determined to come forward. | |||||
| Gina comes forward to tell Christian that she didn't have an abortion.� Although she despises Christian, she sees this baby as a second chance.� Her life has been a struggle to fill a hole of loneliness.� No matter how much sex she has, it doesn't work.� This child changes that.� She already loves the baby unconditionally and wants to have a realistic arrangement with Christian. | |||||
| Julia's ready to tell Christian that he may Matt's father.� However, when she arrives, she finds out that Gina's pregnant.� She hastily leaves his apartment, leaving him confused as to what her real intentions were. | |||||
| It wasn't easy to follow up "Adelle Coffin", but they do a fine job nonetheless.� While MPD may not have been the most sensitive way to handle such a situation, it works.� All the characters deal with a situation where their multiple roles and their demands contradict each other.� Julia's pursuit of who Matt's real father is is enhanced knowing what happens in season two.� All the characters are dealing with conflicting roles, which works as the season ends. | |||||
| Score: 8/10 | |||||
| Back to Nip/Tuck Back to Adelle Coffin Next to Antonia Ramos Back Home |
|||||