Private Practice
News (Page 4)

Last night's two-hour Private Practice event featured a number of dramatic developments involving the characters we love, as we described in our lengthy review earlier.

Now it's time to explore "The Parent Trap" and "Blowups" even further.

Below, our staff breaks down some of the burning questions from last night's episode our Private Practice Round Table discussion. Here's how our panel saw it ...

1. Wow, two hours! What was your favorite scene from last night?

The Barnacle: It's hard to call it a "favorite," since it was painful to watch, but if we're going with the most powerful, Dell telling Heather how he really felt when he learned how the house blew up. You could see his anger and guilt building up as he just exploded.

Dr. Shepherd: Definitely Pete telling Heather "I forgive you" and "our baby will be fine," when she thought he was Dell. So compassionate, plus the parallels with Violet - he was probably channeling his own feelings as well. Great scene, however tragic.

M.L. House: At the end when Addison yelled at the Captain. Intense and three episodes (including last week) in the making. Love Kate Walsh so much!

2. Was Addison being too mopey?

M.L. House: Given what was going on with Dell, I'd have to say yes. Not saying Addison wasn't thrown for a serious loop or didn't have a right to be upset/confused/shocked, but I thought she should have tried to pull it together. I do feel bad for her, though. What a mess!

Dr. Shepherd: Sometimes I think she is, but I'll cut her some slack last night. She had serious family issues anyway, then learned her whole life was a lie. It was either fall into this fit of confused depression or go completely postal. She held up well, all things considered!

The Barnacle: No, I'm in Addison's corner all the way. Her parents used, abused (mentally) and damaged her, under the guise of protecting her, while they were only protecting themselves and their own lies. That it was so prolonged and calculated makes it much worse.

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Private Practice aired back-to-back episodes last night, and while one primary story arc - involving Addison's parents - continued throughout, they were very different.

In the first hour, Sam and Naomi's parenting struggles actually brought them closer together, while in the second, Dell's world was turned upside down by Heather.

If you missed "The Parent Trap" and "Blowups," follow the link for our full recaps. Now, a look at the developments of each, and why they worked for us (or didn't):

PART I: Addison and Pete treat a 60-year-old pregnant woman with a 30-year-old husband and work hard to save their at-risk baby, which they do ... at least for now.

This case was a plot device to keep Addison and Pete close after Violet stunned them both by jumping into the sack with The Captain after meeting him for 12 seconds.

Rather than worrying about Pete's feelings, or Addison's (her dad is married), Violet is pretty psyched she had sex, overcoming deeply-rooted issues the attack caused.

While we try to be happy for Violet, this is quite upsetting at the same time, and Addison and Pete are both irate, particularly the latter, who says he's "done with her."

Addison loses it with her dad, who had just come around and seemed like a decent guy, too. She wants to know why he's so wonderful to all women but her and Bizzy.

But perhaps his cheating ways aren't all what they seem. The Captain calls Bizzy and tells her if she doesn't come out to L.A. and tell Addison the truth, he's going to.

Umm ... yeah. To be continued until 10 p.m.!

Addison's father, The Captain, slept with Violet. But his marriage isn't what it seems.

Meanwhile, Violet crosses the line on the professional front as well in this episode! She, Cooper, and Charlotte work to try to help a Jewish couple practice birth control.

Their faith prohibits it ... or at least their interpretation of it does. In the end, Violet convinces the wife to take birth control ... without implicitly saying it's birth control.

Violet says the woman is iron deficient and needs the pills for (undiagnosed) "anemia." Wink, wink. Was this unethical or savvy? Quite a morally ambiguous hour for V.

Our favorite part of the first hour was Sam and Naomi disagreeing over how to handle Maya. The teenager is making out with a guy named Dink and Naomi is irate.

Sam offers to take Maya for awhile and tries his Mr. Cool Dad approach. That doesn't work either, as Maya runs roughshod over him. Sam and Nae are both at a loss.

What really worked about it, though, was that instead of pointing fingers, or lamenting their respective failures, they made a pact to stay together and work harder.

Perhaps soon they'll work harder at something besides parenting, too.

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Get ready for a double shot of Private Practice!

Two episodes, "The Parent Trap" and "Blowups," will air back-to-back tomorrow evening on ABC. The titles are telling. In the former, Sam and Naomi must cope with their teenage daughter growing up too fast, while Addison has to contend with the Captain.

The latter? Well, you can take it literally.

"We all knew some sh!t was going down," Chris Lowell told E!, and he wasn't kidding. Dell’s home explodes, landing both his wife Heather and their daughter in the hospital.

“When it first happens, there’s total panic and hysteria,” Lowell teased.

That's nothing compared to when the cause of the blast is revealed, he says: “It rocks Dell’s world in a bad way. After this episode, he completely loses faith in a lot of things.”

Our guess? Heather's a meth dealer.

Click to enlarge more Private Practice pics from tomorrow night's twin bill and tell us what you think we can expect from the Grey's Anatomy spinoff now and down the road ...

Private Practice is about to get a whole lot McSteamier.

As you probably know by now if you're a fan of the ABC Grey's Anatomy spinoff, somebody from that show is traveling to L.A. from Seattle to appear in an upcoming episode.

That someone has ties to star Kate Walsh (Addison).

“You’ll get a taste of what you love with Addison and Sloan [Eric Dane],” Kadee Strickland, who plays Charlotte, told TV Guide. "We know their relationship is never simple."

Their relationship, as well as the upcoming crossover is, however, "always fun to watch. They have great chemistry together. It’s really cool having him come over.”

What was it like having Dane on their set for a change?

“He kept saying, ‘Everyone’s so nice!’ I think it’s great, You never know, because he has his home [at Grey’s Anatomy]. I’m sure he feels safe and nice there and now he gets to come over. It’s like he just changed schools. He’s a very sweet man.”

The crossover is believed to center on Mark's teenage daughter, played by Leven Rambin, who revealed herself on last week's episode of Grey's. She also revealed that she's pregnant, a possible tie-in with Mark and neo-natal surgeon Addison.

As for Charlotte, Strickland loves where her storyline is headed.

“This whole sexology thing that I get to do? It runs the gamut from trannies to sexual dysfunction. I have tons of stuff to play with. I can’t wait!”

After an episode last week that felt a little over-dramatic and hokey at times, Private Practice returned to form last night. Also returning? The Captain. Addison's dad.

She was clearly shaken by the unwelcome arrival of her father, but Cooper was in even more dire straits after being arrested when he refuses to cooperate in a case.

Meanwhile, Pete fought to keep a terminally ill patient alive long enough for him to meet his new daughter. Addison, Pete and Cooper all really shined last night.

If you missed "Sins of the Father," follow the link for our recap. Now, a look at the major developments that took place and why we felt they worked so well (or didn't) ...

Aye, Captain: Addison is a rich trust fund brat who blames her problems on the man who provided said trust fund. Eh, we'll buy it. Money can't solve everything.

On the flip side, she's just doing what her father did and admitting fault. She certainly has a right to be mad, from what it sounds like she went through as a kid.

Still, blaming her cheating on Derek on her dad? That's a bit of a stretch. Then saying he's not family, because  the people she works with are. Yikes, that's harsh.

It also paints her kiss with Sam last week in a new light. Maybe she does consider him family. In any case, this Captain story is far from over, and we're intrigued.

Addison and her father aren't exactly on the best terms.

Dude, you're getting a Dell: This is true if your name is Betsey ... or Heather! That's right, Dell's back, and married. To Heather. Everyone understandable tweeks.

Violet and Naomi stage an intervention, but Dell's not having it. He says he loves Betsey, but he got married because of Heather alone, not just for their daughter.

Oh, Dell. You and your relentless idealism may be naive at times, but you're a breath of fresh air on this show and TV. If only Chris Lowell had a bigger role on PP!

He won't back down: The focal point of the episode, without question, is Cooper, who stands his ground when Evan's mom shows up demanding to know where he is.

Cooper ends up in jail, but he ain't talking. Talk about steadfast dedication to his patient. This ties into ongoing personal drama with Charlotte and their non-wedding.

Again, Coop says he's in the right when Addison sells him out protect him and the practice, as he tells her it's not the same just because they protected what they love.

In Addison's defense, she did end up saving the kid and clearing a wrongly-accused man. But does that mean Coop was in the wrong? Team Addy or Team Cooper?

The extra mile: Pete suggests Addison deliver a baby six weeks early so an ailing father can meet her, and the mother can one day say her dad held and loved her.

Addison won't until Pete plays the Lucas card. Pretty low, but it definitely worked - and everybody won in the end. We'd have gone for it too, who are we kidding!

What did you think? Comment away and let us know!

Gilmore Girls, rejoice!

Melissa McCarthy, who played Sookie on that CW cult smash, will guest star on a January episode of Private Practice.

Insiders have told Entertainment Weekly that McCarthy’s character will be pregnant and a patient of Dell's.

Since her long-running stint on Gilmore Girls, McCarthy has appeared on a few episodes of Samantha Who? and takes on a supporting role in the Katherine Heigl/Josh Duhamel comedy, Life as We Know It.

This Thursday's episode of Private Practice might not place Addison in a life-threatening situation or have her awkwardly make out with Sam, but that doesn't mean it isn't loaded with interesting storylines.

Addison's father, played by Stephen Collins, pays his daughter a surprise visit. There's also a marriage intervention and - as the clip below depicts - an arrest...

As always, TV Fanatic will recap and review the episode in depth.

For now, click on the photos below for an early look at scenes from "Sins of the Father."

The most recent installment of Private Practice drew mixed reviews from our staff - as our review of "The Hard Part" made quite clear. Now it's time to explore deeper.

Below, our staff breaks down some of the burning questions from last night's episode our Private Practice Round Table discussion. Here's how our panel saw it ...

1. What was your favorite Private Practice quote from the episode?

The Barnacle: Ooh, tough one. Anything with Pete and Sheldon, but specifically when they passive-aggressively bash the type of medicine the other practices.

Dr. Shepherd: The Addison-Sam exchange of "You're not Naomi" and "You're not Derek." So cheesy, so Shonda. Not sold on them as a couple but love 'em both.

M.L. House: No single line stands out but I thought the woman who played Kara was terrific. I couldn't believe she didn't make it after all of that. So Sad.

2. Addison and Sam: Up or down?

M.L. House: Down. I don't see the chemistry. Please let them stay just friends.

Dr. Shepherd: I felt like the Addison-Sam angle was sort of wasted on this episode, which was so good otherwise. It was sort of forced at the end in my opinion, after Kate Walsh and Taye Diggs had been so terrific throughout. A little bit strange.

The Barnacle: Up! Okay, so it's a blatant Girl Code violation for Addy to mess with Nae's man, even after they're divorced, but I'm starting to think she left the practice for a reason. Anyone else get the feeling we haven't seen the end of Saddy (Addam) ?

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After becoming such a solid show over the past year and a half following its shaky start, Private Practice took a bit of a step back last night. Sam and Addison? Really?

Both primary story lines Thursday night were a bit hard to believe, as well as difficult to watch - in terms of the medicine practiced and the character developments.

If you missed it, we're jealous here's a recap of "The Hard Part." Now, a look at the major developments that took place and why we felt they worked (or didn't) ...

Rising to the occasion: Charlotte, Coop and Violet team up to help a newlywed who went overboard with his Viagra so he could be a rock star on his wedding night.

His erection won't go down. It has to be drained with needles. First off, they did this on Grey's Anatomy. Second, the kid is a virgin. Why would he need ... forget it.

Complicating matters is the kid's new wife, who made a virginity pact with him, but who is pregnant. She wanted to get the first time out of the way, she says.

With someone else. With no protection. Sigh. Even more dubious? How Charlotte convinces the kid not to leave her, revealing how her first marriage ... failed.

Um, what? Someone in the writers room needs to brew another pot of coffee, because that segue made very little sense. And sadly, it paled in comparison to ...

The "What if" game: Hiking "hours from anywhere," Sam and Addie ponder what would've happened if they hooked up, rather than marrying Nae and Der.

With the obvious foreshadowing out of the way for now, they discover an injured guy in the middle of the canyon. His pregnant wife is trapped in a nearby car.

Addison climbs in the car to check on expectant mom Kara, but just then, there's an avalanche, the car sails down the hill, crashes and both are trapped in it!

Oh, and her due date is today. Right, because that makes perfect sense, driving around in the middle of nowhere, with no cell service, while 40 weeks pregnant.

In a nauseating display for viewers, Sam improves a way to keep her husband's collapsed lung functioning while he runs for help. On foot. Addison delivers the baby.

The husband makes it but the wife doesn't, sadly. This sets off an introspective, passionate moment for Addison and Sam when he returns. They totally kiss! FAIL.

Talk about an overdramatic, nonsensical development. We've come to expect that Private Practice, even when it's off it's game, is nuanced, with appropriate pacing.

Sam and Addison, though? They talked about how great things might have been if they were together, then after all this, decided to give it a shot ... just kidding! Yeesh.

Whether they are or not, the romantic subplot was not necessary and took away from what was otherwise great acting from Kate Walsh and Taye Diggs in the episode.

On a less dramatic note last night, Pete and Sheldon hitting the bars and flirting with the women - and maybe, kinda sorta becoming friends - was pretty priceless.

Uh-oh.

On this week's episode of Private Practice, it isn't just a patient that's in danger. Addison finds herself trapped inside a car, following a hiking trip with Sam that turns into a major medical adventure.

Check out the clip below from "The Hard Part."

There is some levity during the hour, of course:

Charlotte, Cooper and Violet treat a newlywed that has downed too much Viagra (The Hard Part? Get it?!?); while Pete and Sheldon fall for the same girl at a bar.

Click on the pics below for peaks at scenes from the episode:

We've updated our Private Practice music section to include songs from the previous pair of episodes. Visit it now to purchase these singles off iTunes.