Nip/Tuck s03e04 Episode Script

Previously on Nip/Tuck Did he rape you? No.
We've given our lives for this family.
You don't have the right to walk out on it.
Watch me.
Oh, no.
Oh, my god.
Tell me what you don't like about yourself, Mrs.
Harkness.
My husband treats me like a stranger.
We do good work here, but we can't promise to save our patients from insensitive spouses.
No, I mean it literally.
My husband has alzheimer's.
He doesn't recognize me anymore.
Do you think you could make me look like this? This is the woman he remembers, the woman he loves.
He took that photo on our 20th wedding anniversary.
Do you think you could make me look like this again? Maybe it would jog his memory.
Here's my problem.
It would take several surgeries to recreate this face, and they'd all have to be done at once if you're racing against your husband's mental deterioration.
We'd have to put you out for many hours, and, frankly, we don't like to keep patients your age under anesthesia for that long.
Additionally, after all that work, - you still run the risk of his-- - Oh, I know.
I know.
He might not recognize me.
I've been all through that.
It's worth the risk.
I never said this out loud before, but it's my fault.
I know it is.
He's forgotten me because I abandoned him.
Most of our marriage, I was all about Carl.
And then, after menopause, I got this sudden surge of energy, and I just started writing these little murder mysteries.
And Carl was very supportive of me.
He even read my drafts for me, but then when he expressed feelings of missing me, I was pretty much, "don't rain on my parade.
" And then I called home one night I was on a book tour in London, and he claimed not to know who I was.
He said his wife had run away, and I became angry, and I told him his sense of humor was very passive aggressive.
And then, 3 days later, my son called and told me that they found him wandering in the neighborhood in his pajama bottoms, filthy and dehydrated, and he couldn't remember which house was his.
And, basically, he's never recognized me again.
I am so sorry.
Doctor, have you ever hurt anyone you loved in such a way that doesn't even seem like you? But then you can't go back and make it different.
It's a kind of pain I never could've imagined.
I don't suppose there's any way I can convince you to come with me and meet him, and see how it is with us? Mrs.
Harkness, you seem like a lovely woman, and I'm moved by your situation.
If I could convince myself it was medically sound, I'd do the work in a heartbeat.
But I can't justify taking that big a risk with so little certainty.
Well thank you for your time and your honesty.
Dr.
McNamara? Yeah? You got served.
Can we just order in? I'm not feeling very social tonight.
Let me call you back.
What's going on? Matt just served me with a restraining order.
I'm not to contact him or come within 200 yards of him.
Coming! Where's Matt? I've asked you to call first, Sean.
What do you know about this restraining order? Restraining order? He took out a goddamn restraining order against me.
Don't act surprised.
He didn't say a word to me.
But, I mean, frankly, Sean, I'm not that surprised.
You're breaking the law.
Matt, we got to talk.
We're family.
We don't treat each other like criminals.
You should've thought of that before you acted like one.
Or didn't you know it was against the law to beat your children.
I came to apologize.
Matt, I lie in bed at night reliving that moment when I hit you.
Social services told me you'd probably show up and try to manipulate me into dropping the charges.
They also said that if you do that, I should report you.
They said these events are never isolated, and you know what? They're right.
I told them how you almost choked mom when she told you about Christian being my father.
How do you know about that? Why would you do that? Did you tell them about your own violence, Matt? You think you can ignore your own behavior by demonizing me? Cutting me out of your life? That's another thing they said.
Abusers always try to make you think that they're the victim.
Yeah, hi.
I'd like to report somebody who's in viola-- I think you should go now, Sean.
I'm here to please-- It doesn't Matter why you came here.
This is about Matt.
- You need to leave now, Sean.
- This is vindictive.
Look, I understand your pain.
But until you can express it without frightening us, you're not welcome here.
This is machiavellian bullshit! You're setting me up to get sole custody of the kids.
You should have told me about the restraining order.
Remind me, why do we bother to repair her when she's only gonna do it to herself all over again when bikini season is over? I dated a woman who was into self-injury.
She said she felt some kind of release afterwards.
Release from what? Emotional pain, in her case.
Her father was an abusive bastard.
It makes a weird poetic kind of sense to me.
You treat one kind of pain with another.
External injuries are manageable.
I mean, they can be seen and treated, whereas emotional pain is elusive and shapeless.
Is this surgery or open mic night at the lesbian coffee bar? Um, I thought you should know.
There's been another carver victim.
She just called.
I put her on the books.
I referred the carver victim to Ian Saks.
I politely explained that we had handled our share of cases, and that he does very good work.
That's probably for the best.
You know, it's occurred to me that we haven't really talked since the beach.
How's the counseling going? How are you feeling about that restraining order? I feel shitty and pretty goddamn hopeless.
Your turn.
I didn't take the counseling route, Sean.
I've been fine.
Except for some physical issues I thought would abate over time.
Anyway, I hope they find him soon.
What kind of physical issues? Don't we have a brachioplasty in 30 minutes? You haven't answered the question.
My asshole is killing me, ok? It hurts when I stand, when I sit, when I shit.
In fact, it hurts just about all the time.
Glad you asked? Have you seen a proctologist? You're still the only one that knows, Sean.
Then let me examine you.
I think that pretty much defines the word "inappropriate.
" What's the big deal? What part of you being or having an asshole could shock me? Breathe out, Christian.
I don't see anything at all.
No fissures? No Not even hemorrhoids? Nothing.
I'm not an expert, but my guess is that this is some kind of phantom pain.
Who do you call for phantom pain? Ghostbusters? Emotional trauma can be experienced as physical pain.
That's not just new age mumbo jumbo.
In other words, if I embrace my inner pain, my pain in the ass will go away.
I've been dreading the inevitable moment when I'd hear about the next victim.
How would I feel? Would I come apart? And now here she is, needing to be healed just like me.
And I'm avoiding it.
I think this is an opportunity.
I want to treat her.
I don't know about that.
It's exactly what I need.
If I help her through her pain, I can experience my own.
Let it go.
I think that's something we both need to work on, Sean.
Pick up the phone, Matt.
Please.
Don't pretend I'm not here.
We have to talk.
This is the wrong way to-- I've been to see 3 other surgeons.
They all turned me down.
I came back to you because I know you're an understanding soul.
I am very sympathetic, Mrs.
Harkness-- Come with me to meet Carl.
No promises.
Just an hour out of your life that might change mine completely.
Carl? You have visitors.
Hi, sweetheart.
I brought somebody to meet you.
This is Dr.
Sean McNamara.
This is Carl.
Good to meet you, Carl.
Would you join us over here? Has he eaten anything today? No, and if he doesn't start eating soon, we're gonna have to put him on an I.
V.
We don't wanna do that, do we Carl? Carl? I brought you a guava pastry.
You look worried, Carl.
I don't know her.
Carl, I'm your wife Ellie, and I come every day, and today I've brought you your favorite pastry from Alba's.
Remember Alba's? We used to walk there every day, and we'd get a cortadito and a guava pastry.
I just keep trying.
I don't know what else to do.
Carl, your wife worries about you.
She wants you to eat more so you keep your strength up.
Do you know my wife? She's the love of my life.
She never comes to see me.
You must be very lonely without your family, Carl.
Just one little bite, sweetheart.
Come on.
If you'll excuse me, you two.
I'm in the middle of a movie.
I'm so grateful you took me on.
It's the least we could do, Ms.
Reynolds.
Sorry.
Dr.
McNamara had another appointment, and he asked me to sit in.
Hi, I'm Dr.
Costa.
I was just telling Dr.
Troy how you've all been so amazing in the work you've done on the victims.
Oh, well, that is the dirty little secret we doctors share.
It feels good to help others.
Oh, I couldn't agree more.
After I gave my statement to the police, I picked up the phone and I called stand up.
You know, the victims' rights group? You've heard of them? Yes, of course.
They do such good work.
Anyway, a lady came right over.
She stayed with me all night.
She herself had been brutally stabbed by her husband 16 times, so she knew how to relate to me.
How fortunate.
She told me this quote.
"Victims are but little lower than the angels.
" She was saying we don't need to be desTroyed souls, that god has chosen us, given us an opportunity to come back stronger, more compassionate than ever before.
I think this attack may have been the miracle I've been looking for all my life.
- Miracle? - It gave me purpose.
After you fix me, I'm going to take the training program, and dedicate my life to helping other people.
A word of advice, Ms.
Reynolds.
Don't quit your job before you've landed back on planet earth.
I'm sorry.
Have I offended you, Dr.
Troy? No, I'm just uncomfortable with all this transformation rhetoric.
It feels like you're avoiding something.
I'm avoiding helplessness.
I'm afraid my colleague played hooky during the bedside manner course in med school.
Ms.
Reynolds, shall we move on to the surgery? Based on your cardio work-up, 5 hours is the maximum time I want you under.
So I've chosen these procedures for optimum results in a limited time frame.
Are you sure you want to hear all this? I'd say 90% of our patients prefer to remain in the dark.
This surgery is my life now.
I thrive on every detail.
Ok.
We start with the fat deposits and skin over the eyelids.
We won't take out all of it since we know from the photo you've always had slightly hooded eyes.
We'll just cut along the loose skin here.
My Prada bags, as my daughter-in-law calls them.
That leaves us about 3 hours and 15 minutes for your rhytidectomy.
Rhytidectomy sounds like a wild animal in Africa.
Not quite.
It's your face lift.
After the incision, we use a tissue expander to make the skin more supple.
And then, my favorite part of the procedure, we use blood we've taken from you earlier, and turn it into a natural glue.
I hold it in place for 3 minutes.
It closes all the dead space, and aids in natural tissue healing because it's from your own body.
Any questions? Just one.
Are you this kind to all your patients? You asked me if I ever hurt someone close to me in a way I deeply regret.
I'm like you.
I wanna believe in second chances.
Ms.
Reynolds, before I send you off to surgery, I owe you an apology.
Because you don't like me? I have nothing against you.
You need to know that.
I'd like to make a contribution to your victims' rights organization.
Thank you.
I also feel an obligation to tell you the truth about something.
I was also a victim of the carver.
Oh, god.
I had no idea.
Listening to your story was difficult for me.
It was hard for me to accept how remarkably you've dealt with your attack, when I'm still resentful and struggling with residual issues.
I was harsh, and I'm sorry.
Are you all right? I don't think I can talk about it.
Would you mind if we don't talk about it? I'm sorry, I thought you said talking about it made you feel better.
It's just when I start to talk about it, I feel really sick.
Um, I feel for your pain, you know? But I have to take care of myself.
I'm about to go into surgery here.
I can't get all emotional.
Of course.
Now, about my face, I wanted to ask you something about my nose.
I've always hated it.
Do you think you could make it prettier, since I'm gonna be under anyway? After everything you've been through, I'd say rhinoplasty is the last thing you need.
What about my lips? Could we plump them up or something? Ms.
Reynolds, I think we should discuss elective surgery at a later date.
Daddy, we do they call it "high tea"? I don't know, sweetheart.
We'll have to ask the waiter.
Good afternoon.
We're from family services.
I'm Ms.
James, this is Mr.
Riskin.
Are you Mr.
McNamara? Dr.
McNamara.
How can I help you? Well, we received a call from one of our domestic violence centers reporting an incident involving you and your son.
This isn't a good time.
My daughter and I are on our way out.
When one of these reports come in, we're required by law to question other family children.
We'll need to speak with your daughter.
What's your name? Anne Katherine McNamara.
How's your hearing? Now's not a good time.
Now's the only time, mister-- Dr.
McNamara.
We need to determine whether or not action has to be taken.
Action? What are you talking about? What action? We need to determine whether or not your daughter is at risk by staying with you, so it would be helpful if you cooperate.
Where is a good place for your daughter and I to speak privately? Sweetheart, you and Ms.
James go into my bedroom.
It's ok.
Does your daddy ever get mad, Anne? Does it frighten you? Of course, I get angry.
Don't you? Is getting angry against the law? Anne, I'm gonna have to check your body for bruises now.
I told you he never hit me! Never! Your son said you almost killed your wife.
He says there's a dent in the refrigerator door where her head hit it.
Tell me about that.
What are you trying to prove here? How'd you get this bruise, Anne? Playing soccer.
Don't! That hurts! Ow! Stop! What are you doing to my daughter?! I told her you didn't hit me, daddy.
She has a contusion on her left thigh, her right shin, and a scab by her right elbow.
She plays soccer, you moron! You get your hands off my daughter, you get out of my house! Both of you! I'm afraid it's not gonna be that easy, Dr.
McNamara.
How'd the apology go? She's lying.
She made the whole thing up.
Rhea Reynolds is not a victim of the carver.
What are you suggesting, her cat did it? My best guess? It's a unique presentation of munchausen's syndrome.
She did it to herself to get attention.
Munchausen's.
And you would know this because Because she asked me to do her nose.
Well, I wouldn't call that munchausen's.
I would call that realistic self-assessment.
I think we should do it.
You don't get it.
"Beauty is a curse on the world.
" That's what the carver says to his victims.
He's looking to deface beauty.
She doesn't have an attractive feature anywhere.
Have you called Kit about your theory? Detective McGraw is no longer on my speed dial.
Christian, just because she isn't feeling the same pain as yours doesn't mean hers isn't legitimate.
What's going on here? I'll let Fric and Frac fill you in.
Hello, Mrs.
McNamara.
Lynn James, child protective services.
As your husband mentioned to you on the phone, we came by today to talk to your daughter.
It's mandated by your son's restraining order.
Where there's been violence in a home, we wanna make sure there aren't any other children who are being victimized.
But you didn't find any victims here, so what's this about? Well, we determined that your daughter's significantly affected by her father's anger problem.
I never said that! I assure you, Mrs.
McNamara, we are trained to detect subtleties and unspoken fears.
Uh, go get your stuff, sweetheart.
You have no right to put our daughter through this.
She has no fears, unspoken or otherwise.
Sometimes it's hard to see these things when you're close to them.
It's our job to protect the children.
You already said that.
Excuse me, but do either of you even have children? Here's the bottom line.
Until Mr.
McNamara completes a course in anger management, or the restraining order is magically rescinded, Anne must not be left alone with him.
I really can't believe this! Easy, Julia.
Can't have 2 violent parents.
Say good-bye to daddy, sweetheart.
I didn't say anything bad, daddy.
You believe me, right? It's not your fault, baby.
Will there be much pain afterwards? 'Cause after what that monster did to me I don't know how much more I can stand.
I think it's safe to say that you'll only be mildly uncomfortable, ok? Count backwards from 10 for me, ok, Rhea? Change of heart, doctor? This is still McNamara/Troy.
However they were caused, this patient's scars need to be addressed.
Ellie? What are you doing? I got anxious.
What were you thinking? I don't know.
I just woke up and all I could think about was how many days I'd have to be away from Carl.
So you thought you'd make time fly by ripping out your jut? You've torn some of your stitches out.
There's a healing phase.
It's crucial.
You can't just skip to the good part.
Life isn't like that.
I've been fighting time so long.
It just suddenly got the best of me.
Oh, I'm so embarrassed.
How badly have I screwed up your beautiful work? I can fix it.
But am I gonna have to put you on a 24-hour watch? Am I just full of drugs, or didn't you tell me you were gonna spend today with your daughter? It's, um difficult with my family at the moment.
I guess it'll take a while to heal.
The real pain is in the waiting, isn't it? That looks that way.
My toes are cold.
I can feel 'em.
When does the anesthesia kick in? W-w-wait! Wait a minute! That burns.
Why am I feeling this? Check it out.
Oh, my god! What are you doing?! Stop! Please! It isn't a clean cut.
There's avulsion of the underlying tissue - and maceration.
- I can feel this! Jesus.
This must've been done with a serrated knife.
Stop! Please! You'll have to excise a wider margin of tissue to get rid of those jagged edges.
The carver never used a serrated knife before, did he? I thought he liked precision.
I told you, she did this to herself.
Looks like she used a grapefruit knife.
Who cares what it was, shithead?! Stop! I can feel it! I can feel the pain! I can't take it! I can't take it anymore! Stop! Please! I can feel this! I can--stop! I can feel it! I can feel the pain! Aaaahh! Aaaaaah! Aaaaaah! I'm representing Ms.
Reynolds in her suit against McNamara/Troy.
She was traumatized during her surgery, and she called me.
I do pro bono work for stand up.
Traumatized in what sense? I told you, I felt the whole thing.
Every second.
My client didn't receive proper anesthesia during her procedure.
She was awake during the operation.
That's not possible.
She claims she was paralyzed and unable to communicate with you.
She's lying.
She does that a lot.
My client has no reason to lie, Dr.
Troy.
She's clearly suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and is thus entitled to financial restitution for the pain and suffering inflicted on her on these premises.
Your client is not just a liar, Mr.
Baerwitz, she is a fountain of grisly, insane fabrications.
I am onto you.
You just want our money so you can run off and book that nose job and that breast augmentation that you've been dying for.
Let me be clear.
We will not give you one dime.
You hate me.
You've always hated me.
Excuse me.
Ms.
Reynolds, why don't you-- Please, just tell us in your own words what you experienced during the surgery.
He did it to me because he wants everyone to suffer just like he did.
He admitted it.
All right, let's just try to remain as rational as we can here.
Let's just stick with the facts.
All of us.
Here are the facts, doctor.
I was lying there awake and completely paralyzed while you two excised a wider margin of tissue.
Does that sound familiar? It felt like you were tearing my face apart.
We'll check the stats with our anesthesiologist, confer with our lawyer, and get back to you.
This isn't going away because you want it to, doctor.
You will be held accountable.
And what about your client? Braying to the media about wounds she inflicted on herself, mocking the pain of the real victims.
I was a victim here.
I felt my surgery.
To do what you've done, you couldn't feel anything.
- Christian.
Chris-- - I felt it.
The only thing you feel is the glare of the limelight you think will validate your own existence! You said I used a grapefruit knife, but I didn't! I used a bread knife.
And that pain was nothing compared to how I felt on your table.
I couldn't take it anymore.
Being invisible, like a ghost.
I couldn't stand walking into a bar one more time and sitting down and having no one look at me.
It's not like they think I'm ugly.
It's like I'm just not there.
That's what really hurts more than anything.
So, yeah.
Cutting my face did hurt but it also felt so good later, on this other level.
People were so unbelievably kind to me when they thought I was a carver victim.
Except for you.
Why would you want to make me suffer like that? We'll walk over together.
And if things go as we hope, I will disappear.
The hair's not too much? Ellie, you look beautiful.
Inside and out.
Hello, Carl.
Hello.
You're very pretty.
Do I know you? My memory's not very good.
What's your name again? I'm Ellie.
Ellie? This is my girlfriend, Trudy.
Pleased to meet you, Trudy.
Hello.
If it would be any comfort at all, I would be truly honored to have dinner with you.
Thank you.
But I'm gonna stay here and visit with Carl and Trudy.
- Jesus, Matt, you scared the-- - I came by to tell you that I stopped by the courthouse today and rescinded the restraining order.
Thank you, Matt.
You made the right decision.
You won't be sorry, I promise you.
A toast to detente? I did it for mom.
You and me we're pretty much done.
Come back here, Matt.
Why? So you can hit me again? No.
You hit me.
Come on.
Come back here and give me your best shot.
Pain for pain.
Then we'll be even.
Come on.
Hit me.
I'm begging you.
You're very sad.
I thought I might find you here.
The bottle of diprivan I used on Rhea reynolds has disappeared into the greater dade county sanitation system, but I am sending the batch that it's from to the lab for analysis.
We'll figure it out, Liz.
Before or after she goes to the media, and my mistake bankrupts what you and Sean have spent a lifetime building? I want you to suspend me until the lab tests come back.
Why? Because then at least it appears we're taking some action.
It gives the appearance of a responsible internal investigation, which is what we need to do, Christian.
You want to help both of us? Test it on me.
If anybody knows what it's like to be paralyzed and still have feelings, it's me.
I can't do that, Christian.
Yes, you can.
I could use a few moments of oblivion.
Count backwards from 10 for me.
You've made a mess, Rhea.
That's all right.
Don't worry.
'Cause I'm gonna give you what you've been wanting all along.
Real pain.