Just like Season 1, there is a lot to like about Season 2. There are a lot of great episodes to be found here as well as the seeds of The Carver story line being planted here that will pay off in Season 3. As much as I want to talk about that one in particular, I'm going to stick with the bulk of arcs that make up this season. A lot of gnarly stuff goes down in Season 2 of Nip/Tuck and one of the gnarliest happens early in the season when Christian breaks his nose and goes about setting it himself to disastrous results. What's even more gnarly is seeing him "assisting" in his own operation as Sean sets out to fix the problem. It's not the blood that makes it squeamish, but the sight of a rod being inserting into his nose followed by the 'Thunk' of hammer hitting said rod. Still makes the hair on my neck stand up.  Bobolit cutting off his own face is actually THE scene to be seen in Season 2 and makes a nice bookend to compliment what Christian couldn't do earlier in the season. This was actually the scene I had been waiting for as it's something I've never been able to forget the first time I saw it. JK Simmons with the best looking rack ever is right up there as well for memorable scenes. Disturbing, yes. But definitely an image you won't soon forget.

The show in Season 2 is less about plastic surgery and more about broadening the scope of the characters that make up the inner circle and it's a huge plus because of it. With Christian custody fight, Sean's mid-life crisis, Liz looking to get pregnant and Matt's relationship with Ava , how can you not want to tune in and watch episodes back to back? This season is definitely more on the 'Soap Opera' side for sure. Don't get me wrong, each episode still has it's share of surgeries, it's just not the focal point as it was in Season 1. Matt's story had a nice uptick this season. Sure, he had one interesting story in the previous season with regards to the hit and run, but it felt like the writers were just trying to give the character something to do, In this season, his relationship with Ava was designed to destroy his own family by driving a wedge between everyone and then of course having it revealed that he was in fact Christian's own biological son opened up more stories to be told as Sean and Christian's bromance is seriously tested because of his betrayal

One of the best episodes for this season, is the "It's a Wonderful Life" episode focusing on Julia. I liked them bringing back certain characters like Mrs. Grubman as well. But it's the Season Finale that elevates everything up another notch. First off, we finally get the 'why and how' of the Ava Moore arc. The entire season leaves the viewer scratching their heads with regards to the incest angle the story takes and even though I've seen this season a few times, it still leaves me feeling icky. Making this episode sing are the cameos by Joan Rivers, who is damn funny here and Alec Baldwin, who is on his A-Game as the surgeon that created Ava. The twist was great when it's revealed that Ava was once a man and makes everything that came before more enlightening.....and disturbing. Another thing that I really like about this episode in particular is how it feels very much like a stand along movie, which the Season 1 Finale felt as well. The icing on the cake was having Robert LaSardo returning as Escobar to give Sean a pep talk. Great addition to the series by having Vanessa Redgrave, Famke Janssen and Seth Gabel.As a whole, really dig Season 2 and I love the soundtrack that makes up all the song choices. They are perfect. Definitely worth a Rent.

The series has always been insanely impressive in their Special FX (Practical that is), but there is one scene that has always kept me guessing if it is or isn't an effect. It happens during the sex scene between Christian and the Blind Girl (Rebecca Gayheart) , who by the way is fantastic here, when she says to him "you are so beautiful". At this precise moment, he turns to her and a tear rolls down his cheek at being told this. Now, the thing that has always made me feel that this is an FX shot is because of the way he tilts and then turns his head with the lighting that illuminates this very profound moment of a single tear rolling down his cheek. It has to be an effect because it's so perfect in its timing. So, either it's an effect or we are talking about a one in a billion shot that they just happened to catch at that very moment. It's the timing of when the tear rolls in conjunction to the tilt, lighting, etc,,,Whatever the case is, it's still a kickass scene.

FYI, awesome cliffhanger with The Carver and Christian and the final shot with him slicing toward the camera.

The Joan Rivers episode... it kind of annoyed me at first, because the episodes are all named after the patients, and I thought "oh, if I hadn't known Joan Rivers was in this episode, it would have been such an amazing surprise."  Then Alec Baldwin comes out of nowhere and I'm floored, that was so awesome.  Although part of me couldn't help but think back to his "bad soap opera doctor" character on SNL, who boasted about doing all this medical research but pronounced every single technical term wrong (anal cay-nal etc).

I also loved that Bobolit's assistant when he's Blue Velvet-ing is Karen Muriyama, a staple from the UK Whose Line (she was also the fake southern maid in "The Campaign").  I'm sure there's TONS of other great casting bits I'm forgetting about, but I love that the show was getting big enough to attract all this awesome talent (I KNOW I've seen Ava's son somewhere but I couldn't place him for the life of me).