My TwoCents – 10 Most Memorable Nip/Tuck Characters

Recently I posted a history of (IMHO disclaimer) my picks for the top 10 medical procedures Today I offer my picks for the top ten characters that have moved through the doors of McNamara/Troy (East or West). As always, I’m sure loyal viewers can recall many more.

10. Magda, Season Five, Played by Selma Stern

Of all the one-shot appearances, none are more memorable that the elderly Magda aggressively mounting her boy toy Jeff in the recovery suite, leaving him in a coma. Name any surgery performed on the show. None of them have left a deeper, more disturbing scar than this.

9. Dawn Budge, Seasons Four/Five, Played by Rosie O’Donnell

Lost doesn’t have the only hefty lottery winner. Dawn hit the show in Miami during Season Four, but it wasn’t until she paid a visit in LA that things really took off, between a string of random accidents to a marriage spent in joint denial of her husband’s obvious homosexuality.

8. Dr. Raj Paresh, Season Six, Played by Adhir Kalyan

As Sean recuperated from the attack by agent Colleen Rose, a teaching gig got him acquainted with Raj, a young prodigy. But the heavy pressure from Raj’s father, also a surgeon, soon became apparent. After his father asked him to perform his enhancement surgery, Raj grew more and more frustrated, eventually convincing Matt to ruin his hand to escape the trap.

7. Cherry Peck, Season Three, Played by Willam Belli

After discovering Ava Moore was a transsexual, Matt McNamara went through a string of troubles with the transgender community. Cherry Peck was a pre-operative transsexual who Matt had beaten. Cherry came to Sean, asking for pro bono work. Following the surgery, Matt bonded with Cherry, leading to their abduction by Eugene Alderman.

6. Ariel Alderman, Season Three, Played by Brittany Snow

Continuing the story…Ariel Alderman began dating Matt after hearing that he beat up a transsexual. Asking to interview Sean and Christian for a project, she began to inquire about surgeries that would allow other races to “pass” in the white community. But Ariel kept her mother’s secret about a distant relative, and nearly bleached her skin off, feeling she would never be white enough.

is escobar your most memorable?

5. Dr. Merril Bobolit, Seasons Two – Four, Played by Joey Slotnick

Merril arrived on the scene in Miami with a flashy, expensive car that he quickly traded to Christian for one night with Kimber. During a meeting of Narcotics Anonymous, he blamed Christian for ruining his life, rather than taking ownership. He also ruined several women’s faces with “faux-tox” parties that used an inferior form of botox. Abusing nitrus oxide, he killed a woman during a back-alley liposuction procedure, and came close to killing Christian. He landed in a cell with Escobar Gallardo, and was killed when he tried to double-cross the drug lord.

4. Megan O’Hara, Season One, Played by Julie Warner

Megan was a cancer patient when she came to Sean for breast implants. Sean began an affair with her. When she was pronounced terminal, she asked Sean to assist with her suicide, to which he eventually agreed. Since then, when Sean has had a moment of crisis, Megan has been his angel.

3. Marlowe Sawyer, Season Four, Played by Peter Dinklage

After Sean’s affair with a psychotic nanny, the diminutive Marlowe arrived at their door. The fit was natural: Marlowe’s stature put him in a position to be sympathetic to the issue with Connor’s hands. In other words, he would not allow the child to feel like a freak. Self-confident and self-reliant, Marlowe was (no pun intended) someone to look up to. Julia began to see a sensitivity in him that she was not getting from Sean.

2. The Carver, Seasons Two – Three, Played by…

Throughout seasons two and three, the Carver terrorized Miami, raping and mutilating women. With a black outfit, a creepy mask and a voice encoder, each victim was reminded that “Beauty is a curse on the world.” When Sean and Christian began repairing the maniac’s handiwork, the battle was on, and Liz was the only member of the practice not to be assaulted. When one patient imitated the Carver’s work for her own sympathy, the Carver became a murderer, and just about everyone (including Christian) was a suspect. If you don’t know the secret identity, rent the DVDs of season three. You won’t find out from me.

1. Escobar Gallardo, Seasons One – Six, Played by Robert LaSardo

Was there any doubt? Some shows have their own version of the Devil Incarnate, but LaSardo has the look for the part. Gallardo entered the picture smuggling drugs through breast implants. The potential model in South America would be told she would need large breasts for the American market. When they arrived, they would be told the opposite. Gallardo would claim the implants when they were removed. Sean and Christian were later blackmailed by Escobar after disposing of his associate in a Florida swamp. When he needed a new face to escape the law, Sean and Christian gave him the face of a wanted man, landing him in prison, where he burned himself to get his old face back. The heavily tattooed LaSardo looked even creepier. Even after being murdered by his wife in Miami, Escobar still returns periodically to haunt Sean.

Special nod to Nurse Linda. Now it’s your turn…Who did I miss this time? Post your favorite characters below, or drop me a line at: tom@thetwocents.com.

Tom R. – Sr. Staff Writer
tom@thetwocents.com

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