Merrill Bobolit
| Dr. Merrill Bobolit | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Sophia Lopez (episode 1.04) |
| Created by | Ryan Murphy |
| Portrayed by | Joey Slotnick |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Plastic surgeon |
Merrill Bobolit is a recurring character on the television drama Nip/Tuck .
The Rise
When the show opens, and throughout most of Season 1, Merrill is on top of the world thanks to billboards he has put up all over Miami, despite the fact that he was the worst in the graduating class he was part of with Christian and Sean. He's so famous, and so wealthy, that he almost succeeds in stealing Christian from McNamara/Troy. Later on in the season, he is successful in swapping a Lamborghini for Kimber, Christian's then-girlfriend.
The Fall
Even though Sean and Christian hit a rough spot, being blackmailed into performing surgeries on the drug mules of Escobar Gallardo, they still have the sense to pass up a surgery on a show dog, even though the owner offers to pay them $150,000. Merrill performs this surgery during the final episode of the first season, but unfortunately for him the dog dies on the operating table. He is sued and loses his medical license.
The End?
Merrill is found during Season 2 to be doing cheap, illegal surgeries in the back of a Korean nail salon. What makes it worse is that, not only is he performing these surgeries in a non-sterile environment, but he's addicted to the anesthetic gas. Christian gets him to go to Narcotics Anonymous, even volunteering to be his sponsor. When Christian can't make it to a meeting, Merrill loses his mind. He accidentally kills a female who Sean and Christian refuse to perform unnecessarily liposuction on. The salon owner and Merrill then cut the girl into pieces to dispose of her. Christian shows up and Merrill and the shop owner attack him, and Merrill, obviously very high, tries to perform a face transplant. Christian, however, tricks Merrill into removing his own face first, the sheer pain of this causes him to pass out and allowing Christian to escape.
The Return
Merrill was not seen again after that Season 2 episode. However, the latest news on Season 4 indicates that the tenth episode of the season will be entitled "Merrill Bobolit", meaning that the character will return to be the focus of the main surgery of that episode.