"Dawn Budge" is the fifth episode in the fourth season of the FX medical drama Nip/Tuck. It originally aired on October 3, in 2006.
Synopsis[]
A lottery winner offers Christian a fortune. Christian certainly needs the money since he's being blackmailed by James. Christian and Sean are trying to get Matt away from Kimber and Scientology. Sean offers something to Julia.
Plot[]
Christian and James have lunch to discuss releasing Michelle. James agrees to release her debt for $500,000. “My girls are intelligent, sophisticated women. I just help them to get a little more out of life than they would on their own.” James explains to Christian that she had a deal with Michelle that if she sent her to medical school, Michelle would give her 5 years, but Michelle deserted her after 2 years and her loss of income was substantial. Christian insists that James’s loss could not have been worth $500,000. “She’s not worth that much to you? Do you love her?” James asks. Christian insists that he does not have that kind of money right now, but James won’t budge.
Sean and Christian go jewelry shopping for an engagement ring for Julia. Sean chooses a small ring, but after Christian reminds him that he slept with the night nurse Sean decides to purchase a 4-carat emerald cut diamond set in platinum, with four 1-carat diamond begets for $165,000.
Christian and Sean are speeding down the road in his new orange sports car, when they spot Matt, dressed in a blue button down shirt with khaki pants (the same as everyone else), picking up trash on the side of the road with other members of the scientology church.
Kimber invites Matt to join her in her new sauna that she had put in her home. “It cost a fortune, but it’s worth every penny.” She tells him that all the sweating he will do will help him to clean his body of all the poisons he has ingested from his food, drinking water and prescription drugs.
Matt asks her if she ever gets lonely, but Kimber tells him that with her activities at church she doesn’t have time think about it. Matt continues to question her “When you do think about it, what kind of man are you looking for this time around?” She tells him that she is looking for someone with “havingness”. She explains that “havingness” is self-respect, potential, and the ability to communicate.
“Tell us what you don’t like about yourself.” Christian and Sean question Dawn Budge (Rosie O’Donnell), who just won the lottery for $381 million, about the work she would like done. She states that she wants to start with body liposuction for herself. Then she wants her daughter, Mallory’s breasts done and her belly button changed along with a penis enlargement for her husband Dwight. Sean is uncertain about doing these surgeries, but when Dawn offers to pay triple, Christian puts her on the schedule.
Christian suggests to Sean that they should buy Matt a Porsche to lure him away from Scientology. Sean is reluctant at first but he soon gives in.
James comes to Christian at the office to blackmail him with photos of him and Michelle kissing. She tells him that he must pay her $100,000 by Friday to keep her from taking those photos to Michelle’s husband Burt. She offers to reduce his payment to $75,000 if he will rejuvenate her hands. Christian suggests that an accident could occur when she is on the table, but James assures him that if anything happens to her that the photos will still get to Burt.
While in the bedroom, Sean brings up the idea of buying Matt a new car to Julia, but Julia quickly changes the subject and asks him if he is having an affair. She confronts him with $500 of calls to 1-900-YOU-CUM on their phone bill. Sean tries to say that he was just checking up on one of his patients, but Julia tells him that it should not take $500 worth of calls to do that. Knowing that he was busted, Sean admitted that he was calling a phone sex operator, but he promised that he had stopped and that he would not do it again. Julia forgives him, because she knows that she has not been available for him, but she tells him that if she ever caught him having an affair that she would leave. Sean promises that that would never happen.
Julia asks Sean if he wants her to buy him some pornography. She questions him about what he likes; if he was into girl on girl or three ways. Embarrassed, Sean tells her that she is the coolest woman in the world and proceeds to propose marriage.
While scrubbing up for Dawn Budge’s surgery, Sean tells Christian that Julia accepted his proposal. Also, Sean tells Christian that he has ordered the car for Matt and that he needs Christian’s half by the end of the week. Desperate for money, Christian goes into the operating room ahead of Sean and sells his personal beauty advising services to Dawn for the $50,000 he needs for Matt’s car.
Christian and Sean present Matt with a brand new black convertible Porsche outside of school. Matt questions why they are giving him the car and they respond by tell him that it is because he has done well in school and that they would like to see him around the house a little more.
When taking it for a test drive, Matt hallucinates Kimber being all over him telling him that it is a hot car, but in reality, when he shows her the car she is angry. She insists that Christian and Sean are trying to bribe him into leaving the church and she tells him that he is not ready for that level of Materiality.
Back at the house, Julia and Sean are interviewing a wedding planner. After the planner suggests that Julia should drop a few pounds before the wedding, she tells Sean that they don’t need a wedding planner. She just wants to have a small ceremony with Christian and the family.
As the wedding planner is packing to leave; Matt, Kimber and an unknown woman named Parker from the church walk in the house, headed for Matt’s room with boxes. Matt throws the keys to the Porsche on the counter and tells his father that he can keep the car. Confused, Julia asks what they are doing and Kimber tells her that they are helping Matt move out. Sean freaks out and tells them that they are not taking Matt anywhere, but Parker replies by telling him that Matt is over 18 years old and that legally they can’t keep him there against his will.
Kimber tells Sean that he can’t bribe Matt into quitting Scientology with a $100,000 car. Unaware of the Porsche, Julia looks to Sean for answers. Sean informs her that he was trying to keep his family together. Angrily, Julia asks Kimber how many more men in her family she will need to corrupt to ease here own pain. Kimber stays calm and looks at the ring on Julia’s finger and states “nice ring, looks like it worked on you too” and then proceeds to leave the room.
At night after hours, James’s arms are strapped to a chair in the office where Christian is injecting her hands and explaining what she should expect from the rejuvenation procedure. As Christian is completing the procedure, James reveals that she is in love with Michelle, but the feelings were never returned. James tells him that he moves her and that once she gets all of her money she will leave his life forever. Before leaving, James reminds him that his next payment of $100,000 is due next Friday.
Dawn and Christian return to Dawn’s house after a day of shopping and Christian tells her that her house looks like “Liberace took a dump in here”. He informs her that she has no sense of style, but that she could buy his interior design skills for another $75,000. Dawn agrees and they proceed to go upstairs to her bedroom. When they open the door, they discover Dawns daughter and husband having sex in her bed. Dwight insists that it is not what it looks like, but Mallory tells her that she just wanted to try out her new breasts.
Desperate to get Matt back, Sean and Christian hire a deprogrammer to kidnap Matt and bring him back. They both agree that even if the deprogramming does not work, the gap in their relationship could not get any bigger.
Back at the house Sean and Julia argue about Sean buying the car without her knowing, but he insists that he told her about the car. She agreed that he did mention the car but he left out the fact that it cost $100,000. He continues to defend his decision to buy the car, because he felt like that was what he needed to do to get Matt back. Ending the argument, Julia puts her ring on the counter and tells him to hock it.
While walking down the street with several church members dressed in the same clothes, two men approach Matt and try to shove him in a van. Matt manages to get away and runs down a back ally. The two men and the deprogrammer Sean and Christian hired proceed to chase him, until they get to a room with many other male church members that are protecting Matt. Without saying anything, the three men turn and walk away, without Matt.
Distressed, Dawn shows up at Christian’s apartment looking for someone to talk to. While telling Christian about her husband and trying to make sense of the relationship between her daughter and husband she gets an idea and runs into Christian’s bedroom. Christian walks in after her only to discover her lying in his bed. When asked what she was doing, Dawn tells him that she wants to buy a night with him and that he can name his price. Christian agrees to $400,000 and Dawn throws in another $20,000 so that they can do it on the rug.
Lying on the rug in the missionary position, under a small sheet, Christian and Dawn are having sex, but Dawn won’t stop talking. She asks him if he is all the way in and he tells her that if she doesn’t shut up it is going to cost her another hundred grand.
In the bedroom, Dawn and Christian are getting dressed and Dawn reveals to him that she thought that it would make her feel better to get back at Dwight, but she feels worse now than she did before. While she is writing him his check, Christian tells Dawn that she is the one that pushed Mallory and Dwight into bed and that she is mean and selfish. Confused, she asks him why he helped her with her hair and clothes and he responded by telling her that he needed the money to help someone he loves. She threw the check at him and told him that money could not buy everything.
While eating a bowl of cereal, Sean tells Julia that he will be leaving a soon as the children are asleep. Julia explains that it is unnecessary for him to leave; that the family needs them to be together. To reassure him, Julia gets on one knee with Sean’s old wedding band and asks him to marry her.
Christian and James are at the office at night again, only this time Christian is writing her a check for the remaining $400,000 that he owes her. She turns over the photos and negatives and tells him that she hopes that things work out for him and Michelle.
In the parking garage, Michelle is walking alone to her car. When she gets in, she is surprised to see James sitting in the passenger seat. Michelle tells her to get out of her life, but James hands her the photos that she just bribed Christian with. James claims that she is short on girls and needs Michelle to work for her again. She threatens to take the photos to Christian, who she claims will tell Michelle’s husband about the affair, if she doesn’t work for her again. Unaware that Christian already knows and has paid James off, Michelle agrees to work for James again.
Still at the office, Christian tries to call Michelle, but she does not answer. She is sitting at a bar flirting with a man that just sat down.
Sean, Julia, Christian, Annie and Connor are outside in front of a preacher. Julia is wearing a casual white dress and is holding Connor when the preacher tells them to exchange rings.
Dawn reads a letter from her husband Dwight that says “Mallory and I moved back to Pensacola. You were more fun poor.” Upset she climbs into a huge red velvet and gold trimmed bed, alone.
Back at the wedding, the preacher pronounces Sean and Julia man and wife. Sean kisses his bride and Annie joins Sean, Julia and Connor in a group hug, while Christian stands off to the side looking uncomfortable.
Carrying a cooler, James walks down a hallway and enters a hotel room. Inside, Michelle, wearing surgical gloves, is standing over an unconscious man lying on the bed. James rolls the man to expose his side and hands Michelle a scalpel.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Dylan Walsh as Dr. Sean McNamara
- Julian McMahon as Dr. Christian Troy
- John Hensley as Matt McNamara
- Roma Maffia as Dr. Liz Cruz (credit only)
- Kelly Carlson as Kimber Henry
- Joely Richardson as Julia McNamara
Guest Starring[]
- Jacqueline Bisset as James LeBeau
- Rosie O'Donnell as Dawn Budge
- Sanaa Lathan as Michelle Landau
- Misti Traya as Mallory Budge
- William Allen Young as Mr. Staubeck
- Kelsey Batelaan as Annie McNamara
- Adria Dawn as Parker
- Randee Heller as Saleswoman (Randee Heller)
- Danny Wantland as Dwight Budge
Co-Starring[]
- Rod Britt as Justice of the Peace (Rod Britt)
- Linda Klein as Nurse Linda
- Philip Pavel as Simon the Wedding Planner
- Rhett Giles as Lonely Businessman (Rhett Giles)
Uncredited[]
- Vincent De Paul as Dawn Budge's Stylist (Vincent De Paul)
- Karen Elizabeth as Salon Waxing Beautician (Karen Elizabeth)
- Vincent Maeder as Guard (Vincent Maeder)
- Ronn Surels as Staubeck's Muscle 1 (Ronn Surels)
Music[]
- Unfinished Symphony No. 8 In B Minor by Franz Schubert (Christian and Sean at the jewelry shop)
- Bitch by Rinocerose (Christian and Sean driving around the city)
- Arrabal by Gotan Project
- Gimme Shelter by The Rolling Stones
Trivia[]
- This episode had the production code 3T5001.
- The episode had 3.34 million U.S. viewers upon release.
Gallery[]
