Both Dr. Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Dr. Christian Troy (the delectably vile Julian McMahon) are battling their own health and physical issues--Sean, who is using a wheelchair in the aftermath of the truly shocking knife attack by Colleen (Sharon Gless), and Christian, who discovers he's suffering from cancer--a type that he and viewers may find ironic, given his choice of occupation. But the diagnosis forces Christian, finally, to look inside--and not to like what he sees. The arc of the story line over these episodes is striking for its ability to show Christian as multilayered and complex--maybe even in possession of a conscience, and a soul. Julia (Joely Richardson) manages to be divinely glowing even while deathly ill, and up-and-comer protégé Raj (the hilarious Adhir Kalyan, formerly of Aliens in America) makes a great impression as the longtime doc duo's new straight man, but also eagerly partakes in the sexual depravity that seems to follow that plastic surgery practice all over the country. And love can spring up in the most unlikely places--suffice to say that Christian may want to settle down for real--and that Dr. Liz Cruz (the rock-solid Roma Maffia) has touched his heart in a way that few apparently ever have. Another unlikely place--and this is Nip/Tuck, after all--is the designer sofa in Christian's office to which a visiting doctor forms, shall we say, an attachment. (If the viewer doesn't say "Oh, no, they're not going to do that!" it's not Nip/Tuck.)

The boxed set also comes with the hefty feature The Science of Beauty, in which plastic surgeons, mathematicians, and other scientists explain that the ideal of attractiveness truly can be broken down into planes and proportions. It's a fascinating counterpoint to the roller coaster fun of Nip/Tuck. --A.T. Hurley