The Angels suspect that a prestigious plastic surgeon is about to perform a face-changing operation on a wanted criminal. Tiffany goes undercover as a nurse in his clinic, while Bosley enters the clinic as a patient (with Kris as his demanding wife!). An average "Charlie's Angels" episode, with little action (a car explosion at the start, a elbow to the kidney at the end), uplifted by a well-selected guest cast: the smooth Louis Jourdan as the surgeon, and especially Joanna Pettet as his wicked and deadly girlfriend who's manipulating him. Oh yes, there's Tab Hunter too, but he doesn't get to do much, in fact he spends more than half the episode with his face wrapped in bandages. Best line: "This may be the first operation where the patient lives and the doctor dies!" *** out of 4.
6 Reviews
Angels under the Knife
adamcshelby8 October 2021
This was a pretty good episode with an excellent cast, one of the best in recent memory. The Angels go undercover at a plastic surgery clinic in order to root out a man who skipped bail after fleecing millions of dollars.
French-born Louis Jordan (and Bond villain in Octopussy) plays the plastic surgeon, Tab Hunter plays his crooked patient, and Joanna Pettit plays an explosive expert who assassinates people by blowing up their car... just like the Corleone family.
Tiffany Welles goes undercover as a nurse, and she has one of her best performances of season 4. Bosley and Kris Munroe play a rich married couple, and Kelly Garrett is doing a magazine expose, which was what Kate Jackson's Sabrina used to do.
It's not often the Angels are confronted with a powerful female adversary, but Joanna Pettit plays her role to a T, and it would have been great just to see the Angels take her on solo under a different circumstance. Tab Hunter unfortunately doesn't do too much, spending a portion of the episode in bed awaiting his Pablo Escobar plastic surgery special.
It's interesting that every time the writers give Shelley Hack's Tiffany an important role, the episode is usually really good. Too bad there were not more of these episodes, this was a good one.
French-born Louis Jordan (and Bond villain in Octopussy) plays the plastic surgeon, Tab Hunter plays his crooked patient, and Joanna Pettit plays an explosive expert who assassinates people by blowing up their car... just like the Corleone family.
Tiffany Welles goes undercover as a nurse, and she has one of her best performances of season 4. Bosley and Kris Munroe play a rich married couple, and Kelly Garrett is doing a magazine expose, which was what Kate Jackson's Sabrina used to do.
It's not often the Angels are confronted with a powerful female adversary, but Joanna Pettit plays her role to a T, and it would have been great just to see the Angels take her on solo under a different circumstance. Tab Hunter unfortunately doesn't do too much, spending a portion of the episode in bed awaiting his Pablo Escobar plastic surgery special.
It's interesting that every time the writers give Shelley Hack's Tiffany an important role, the episode is usually really good. Too bad there were not more of these episodes, this was a good one.
A good episode
neilclack12 September 2022
I enjoyed this one a lot.
Ratings for Charlie's Angels were falling during this period, the 4th season, but maybe it's too easy to just blame the Tiffany (Shelley Hack) character for it - perhaps by the 4th season (we're now in 1980), the original novelty of three attractive female detectives had worn off - and would have done so, just the same, even if Kate Jackson had stayed.
I say that, because Shelley Hack's acting is more natural and less wooden in this episode, as she gets to play a much more central role than usual - far more involved than Kelly and Kris - and she's smart, and sensitive, her character beginning to take shape. And when she responds back to Charlie with a cheeky, 'Chercher yourself, Charlie', it's clear that the Tiffany character is growing in confidence. And we'll never know how much more the Tiffany character could have grown into the role as she was replaced for series 5 with the more curvaceous and energetic Tanya Roberts (the change had no effect on halting the falling ratings though).
Louis Jourdan, Joanna Poulett and Tab Hunter are all great in Nips and Tuck, and it's a decent plot.
Ratings for Charlie's Angels were falling during this period, the 4th season, but maybe it's too easy to just blame the Tiffany (Shelley Hack) character for it - perhaps by the 4th season (we're now in 1980), the original novelty of three attractive female detectives had worn off - and would have done so, just the same, even if Kate Jackson had stayed.
I say that, because Shelley Hack's acting is more natural and less wooden in this episode, as she gets to play a much more central role than usual - far more involved than Kelly and Kris - and she's smart, and sensitive, her character beginning to take shape. And when she responds back to Charlie with a cheeky, 'Chercher yourself, Charlie', it's clear that the Tiffany character is growing in confidence. And we'll never know how much more the Tiffany character could have grown into the role as she was replaced for series 5 with the more curvaceous and energetic Tanya Roberts (the change had no effect on halting the falling ratings though).
Louis Jourdan, Joanna Poulett and Tab Hunter are all great in Nips and Tuck, and it's a decent plot.
Good Episode!
leifhelland19 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A good episode and one of the best showcases for Shelley Hack. It's great to see the wonderfully elegant French actor Louis Jourdan (Gigi), Tab Hunter has little to do but lay around, but the actress playing Barbara is fantastic. I will definitely be looking for her in other roles.
One of the funniest elements of the show was the young woman having full facial reconstruction. When her plastic surgery bandages are removed at the end of the episode, the actress is revealed is have perfect hair (after being covered up for weeks), eyeliner, blush and lip gloss. I'm sure every patient would like to learn this trick!
One of the funniest elements of the show was the young woman having full facial reconstruction. When her plastic surgery bandages are removed at the end of the episode, the actress is revealed is have perfect hair (after being covered up for weeks), eyeliner, blush and lip gloss. I'm sure every patient would like to learn this trick!
One of the best of the season
hnt_dnl13 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This episode has several moving and overlapping plots that make it one of Season 4's best. First, it features several famous and talented actors in Louis Jordan, Tab Hunter, and the absolutely stunning Joanna Pettet, all of whom play their guest roles with conviction and don't just show up for the paycheck. Jourdan and Hunter were effectively cast against type as Jourdan plays the likable protagonist while Hunter plays the bad guy. Pettet was one of those incredibly beautiful and sexy women who would randomly pop up on shows and I would be in awe of her beauty and smoky, sexy voice. She was just as gorgeous as more famous actresses from the 70s/80s era, but because she was a character actress who made limited appearances, people ignore or forget about her. They really don't make women like this anymore. The episode starts out with a literal bang as a car containing an underworld criminal is blown to bits by Pettet's duplicitous character. The main plot involves a world renowned plastic surgeon played by Jourdan who is having an affair and is in love with his greatest surgical success Pettet, who unbeknownst to him is an assassin for hire working for Hunter's character, a notorious criminal who checks into the Doc's clinic to get a new face that would make him unrecognizable to the authorities. Pettet and Hunter dupe Jourdan and force him to agree to the surgery by making him think that her life is in danger, when in reality she is working for Hunter by coaxing Jourdan. Upon being hired by one of his political friends, Charlie tasks The Angels and Bosley to investigate the case by going undercover at the clinic. Kris and Bosley go undercover as a married couple, Tiffany as a nurse's aide, and Kelly does the legwork on the outside by pumping Jourdan's estranged wife for intel. The Tiffany subplot is really nice as she bonds with a teenage patient who is getting reconstructive surgery after being in a bad car accident. This episode solidified my belief that Shelley Hack was a great addition who hits the right dramatic notes when called for. The Kris-Bosley faux interactions as a May-December marriage are funny. Also, there's a good subplot involving Jourdan having second thoughts about leaving his wife and children for the sexy, mysterious, manipulative, and dangerous Pettet. The Doc has a convo with Bosley about first wives being THE ONE while Kelly has a convo with Jourdan's estranged wife about the fact that he may still love her. One of Season 4's best episodes and worth re-watching.
Cosmetic surgeon on a string
aramis-112-80488020 January 2023
Good guest stars in Louis Jourdan and Joanna Pettet. And Tab Hunter, who never could act.
To show the intelligence of this episode the surgeon, in the operating room, reminds the anesthetist that ether and oxygen are explosive and a single spark will blow them sky-high. I suppose he's warning them against smoking in the OR with a patient on the table? Or just giving the audience expostion and preparing us for a fiery climax? No spoilers, now. Just repeating the first words on the show.
Tiffany isn't bad but she lets her eyes flicker. The rule is to focus on the other actors' downstage eyes. Stillness on camera is always more effective. Watch "Remington Steele" and see how Pierce Brosnan keeps his head still and is niggardly with his body movements while Stephanie Zimbalist is sinuous and always emphasizing her words with head movements. Who became the big movie star? James Bond, in fact.
I like Tiffany. She injected something new in a tiring show. Kate Jackson was better in the later "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." She got her own show, Tiffany would shortly get the can, and next season the genuinely untalented Tanya Roberts gets hired. How'd she become a movie star in a James Bond flick? Albeit one who was so stupid she was abducted by having a blimp sneak up on her.
Two lessons: never keep anything club-shaped on your desk; and, once you start killing to cover your tracks, it never stops. Or, at least, never leave important evidence lying around on the floor.
BTW, Tiffany cites "Dr. Kildare." That's an old TV show that made a star of Richard Chamberlain. Ah, the hazards of being timely or on the cutting edge. The cutting edge gets dull fast.
To show the intelligence of this episode the surgeon, in the operating room, reminds the anesthetist that ether and oxygen are explosive and a single spark will blow them sky-high. I suppose he's warning them against smoking in the OR with a patient on the table? Or just giving the audience expostion and preparing us for a fiery climax? No spoilers, now. Just repeating the first words on the show.
Tiffany isn't bad but she lets her eyes flicker. The rule is to focus on the other actors' downstage eyes. Stillness on camera is always more effective. Watch "Remington Steele" and see how Pierce Brosnan keeps his head still and is niggardly with his body movements while Stephanie Zimbalist is sinuous and always emphasizing her words with head movements. Who became the big movie star? James Bond, in fact.
I like Tiffany. She injected something new in a tiring show. Kate Jackson was better in the later "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." She got her own show, Tiffany would shortly get the can, and next season the genuinely untalented Tanya Roberts gets hired. How'd she become a movie star in a James Bond flick? Albeit one who was so stupid she was abducted by having a blimp sneak up on her.
Two lessons: never keep anything club-shaped on your desk; and, once you start killing to cover your tracks, it never stops. Or, at least, never leave important evidence lying around on the floor.
BTW, Tiffany cites "Dr. Kildare." That's an old TV show that made a star of Richard Chamberlain. Ah, the hazards of being timely or on the cutting edge. The cutting edge gets dull fast.
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