Plot

A transgender man comes in requesting surgery to make him more masculine.

As Christian becomes more physically weak as he starts chemotherapy treatments, he eventually ends up calling out to Liz for emotional support after both Kimber and Julia reject him. Meanwhile, Raj develops an attraction to the transgender wife of a trans-gender male patient who is being operated on for his lack of masculinity. Sean begins and down and dirty tryst with one of his med students, named Daphne, who has an unusual fetish, while he continues to hide the fact of his recovery from everyone.—Jayanna

Previously on "Nip/ Tuck:" Sean is stabbed and ends up in a wheelchair while Christian is diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. For the boys, life could be better.

Now on "Nip/Tuck:" Mr. Shelly and his/her lover Tracey discuss plastic surgery options. Mr. Shelly wonders who exactly will do the surgery to tighten up his stomach considering the condition of the two docs. It's a fair question -- and one that sends us into the opening credits.

Back from break, Christian undergoes treatment with the comforting hand from Liz. She is there to help him even when he vomits. "It means that it's working," Liz tells him. Barks Christian: "Stop being my mommy!" Sean, meanwhile, gets a visit from Julia -- his baby mommy. She seems disturbed by his current condition as well as her own. "I don't remember the actual incident," Julia says. Sean apologizes for lying to her.

Back at the clinic, Christian scrubs up while Sean watches from the chair. "Did you know that 17 percent of cancer patients don't actually lose their hair?" Christian asks. "That's going to me buddy boy." The false bravado rings, well, false. "I feel terrible you're going through this, but I'm here for you," Sean says. Christian blows off his friend.

We are then treated to a montage of Raj and Christian working on Mr. Shelly while Sean observes. A few nips and tucks later, the surgery is all but wrapped up. Christian takes a time out to vomit before continuing. Sean and Raj exchange a dark look.

Later, Kimber shows up at the apartment and the two soon begin to get it on. Christian insists that the blonde tell him that he is a "real man." She obliges and some light petting commences. She unbuttons his shirt to reveal a scar ... and then she laughs. "I'm sorry," Kimber says. "That's disgusting." OUCH. But Kimber isn't done. "You did this," she says. "It's karma." Christian does not respond well, shoving her out the door.

One commercial break later, Sean monitors his class -- the members of which are performing live consults. He seems to take a particular interest in a young, attractive student named Dr. Pendell. She seems to take quite an interest in him too. Moments later, we find the young doc on her knees in a compromising position. "Oh my God," Sean moans. Indeed.

The act seems to give the doc renewed strength as we find him walking with the help of a rehabilitation specialist. Soon, however, Sean runs out of breath and asks for his chair. No dice. "I've worked in rehabilitation for nine years," the specialist says. "I know when someone is ready to walk and I know when someone is refusing to!" Nevertheless, Sean collapses. Matt explodes, firing the specialist in a fit of rage. "It's OK, dad," Matt says. "You'll walk when you're ready."

Sometime later, Dr. Pendell continues to call Sean "baby" and herself "mommy." She then lifts Sean out of the bathtub and starts to shave him. It's officially become creepy -- although the doctor doesn't seem to mind playing toddler to his student's maternal nurse character. Yikes.

Christian, meanwhile, gets a visit from Kitty, a woman he ordered via the Internet. He is disappointed as her online picture appears to have been more than a few years old. "Afterwards, I will leave without asking for so much as a Hot Pocket," she says. That seals the deal for Christian, who decides to let her stay. He has trouble getting intimate, however -- and soon discovers that her breath reeks of garlic. "Get out," he says. Kitty doesn't like that. She elbows him in the chest and swipes his pills before leaving.

A few words from our sponsors later, Liz arrives at Christian's apartment to comfort him. "Your'e the real deal, Lizzy," he says. "Can you stay awhile? Just until I fall asleep?" Christian soon climbs on top of Liz, caressing her body. The two have sex. And, yes, it is as odd and uncomfortable as it sounds. Maybe more so. Liz begins to cry.

The next day, Christian acts like nothing happened -- but that doesn't fool Raj. He guesses that the two had sex. Sean is shocked. "It just happened!" Liz says. Christian, meanwhile, claims to have his "mojo back." That sets our favorite lesbian off. She calls Christian a "lousy lay" and claims to have faked an orgasm. Ouch.

Night time now. "You ready for mommy?" Dr. Pendell asks. Before we or Sean knows it, the student has put Sean into a makeshift diaper. That's one step too far for the doc, who stands up and escorts creepy mommy gal out. "You can walk!?" she screams. Says a sarcastic Sean: "It's a miracle!" And wouldn't you know it? Julia happens to be watching the unpleasant scene from the living room, although Sean doesn't know it. Uh oh.

The next day, we discover that Liz is undergoing something of a sexual crisis. Turns out one night with Dr. Christian Troy can make a girl all sorts of confused. "Labels are for cans of tuna -- not people," she tells Raj. Says the 17-year-old doc: "I think you are a beautiful lesbian, or not lesbian. Whatever you decide." In the meantime, Julia is telling Christian and Matt that Sean can walk. She says Sean has been using them all to live out some kind of "regression fantasy." Says Christian: "I'll deal with this. Alone."

Sure enough, Christian returns home to confront his friend. "I'm doing the best I can, alright?!" Sean yells. We think Christian is going to yell at his friend, revealing that he knows the doc has been faking for quite some time. But he doesn't. Instead, the playboy pretends nothing is amiss. "All I want to say is, you stay in that chair as long as you need," Christian says. He then rushes to the bathroom to vomit ... and soon finds a standing Sean holding his shoulder. "Don't fight it," the suddenly healed doc says. "It's less painful that way."