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Private Practice Rundown: Episode 5, "In Which Addison Finds a Showerhead"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 14:26:48 -0700

Remember all that lovely character development Private Practice delivered us last week? This week, not so much. When I said I wanted to learn more about the inner workings of these characters beyond Oceanside, I wasn't asking for an episode largely devoted to the topic of self-pleasure. To read more of my thoughts, just read more

Seriously, they based an episode around the fact that Addison doesn't masturbate. You know, Molly and I were talking the other week about Private Practice seems like "a mom show" - no disrespect to our moms, of course, but it's just been very safe. Maybe Shonda Rhimes & co. got wind of that kind of feedback and decided to try to do something edgy? That's the only reason I can think of for this storyline, which also involved discussion of expensive showerheads and Violet's Bill Clinton fantasy (OK, that last part was kind of funny). But really, now - Addison doesn't "do that" because she's "from Connecticut"? I don't believe that for a second. I'm no prude, and I'm all for women taking their sexuality into their own hands, but this just felt forced and fake.

Anyway.

I thought the strongest of this week's medical cases was the return of Naomi's daughter, Maya, who showed up saying she needed a test for gonorrhea. This left Addison in a tricky spot: The 13-year-old Maya and her friend came to Addison in confidence, but Addison wasn't sure if she should let Naomi know what was going on. As it turned out, Maya's friend, not Maya, was the one having sex - and gonorrhea, and a dangerous ectopic pregnancy. (I should have figured it out as soon as Maya, who tested negative, asked for some pills to give the guy.) Naomi was peeved that Addison had seen her daughter without telling her, but I think I'm on Addison's side here.

Pete, meanwhile, had to deal with an elite runner with a breathing ailment who insisted on competing even though running could kill her. I was pretty shocked when Pete punched the coach - it's the angriest we've ever seen Mr. Eastern Medicine get, by far - but something about the storyline felt unfinished.

Other thoughts:

Go away, Allen. You're ruining what could be perfectly good Cooper-time.
The Addison/Pete hookup is so inevitable at this point, I wish they'd just get on with it. I did laugh when dream-sequence Pete told Addison he wanted her for "your red hair. And your brain."
I thought Sam and Violet's storyline with the woman who was attacked in her home was going to have some dramatic twist, but it was pretty straightforward. It was good to see Violet acting like a competent therapist, though.
Dell's pap smear sequence was mostly one big eyeroll, but I did like "You cannot say 'gynergy' if you want to work with me."
The comparison of Sam and Naomi to a corporation was good, accurate, and a perfect metaphor for the more passionless episodes of this show.

How are you feeling about Private Practice today? Glad it'll be around for the whole season? Disappointed that the show didn't use even more awkward metaphors for "scratching the itch"?

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 19, "What Women Want"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:00:41 -0700

I feel really lukewarm about this week's episode of Private Practice. On the one hand, there are surprisingly cute moments, including the budding friendship between Charlotte and Violet. On the other hand, there's a lame, super-crazy patient who I stopped caring about halfway through the episode.

And then, somewhere in the middle, there is this flirtation between Addison and Noah, the doctor married to Addison's pregnant patient. Last week I was annoyed that Addison would enter into a cheating type of relationship again, given her history, but now I'm mostly weirded out by Noah. I'll tell you why if you read more.

Addison does her best to control herself, and even tries (unsuccessfully) to pass the pregnant wife onto another doctor. Noah spends the whole episode making a case for why he can't control his emotions and - get this - he loves her! Hold up! Noah spent like, two days, making eyes at Addison and now he's in love with her? He says something about how he thought he loved his wife and is trying to be a good man by sticking with her but, you know, turns out he doesn't love her. So why on earth would Addison trust a man who said he thought he loved the woman he married but that turned out to be a mistake? The same guy who says he's in love with Addison after, what, three encounters? Um, sure you are, dude.

I'm also confused by the Dell story line. Do you think he blames Naomi for his wife disappearing with his daughter? She advised him not to call the mother of his child while he was angry, so I'm wondering if he resents that advice. Also, I thought it strange that he mopes around the office and talks to the crazy lady after discovering his wife is gone instead of say, calling the cops. That's kidnapping, I believe, and he might be wasting valuable time tracking the mom down. I don't know, maybe I'm being too pragmatic.

Finally, I'm loving Violet and Charlotte as friends. Somehow, compared to Violet's neediness and selfishness these days, Charlotte's starting to look cool and fun. Cooper wanted them to get along but then is weirded out when he finds Charlotte painting Violet's toenails. Be careful what you wish for, my friends! Also, Pete finally took interest in Violet's ultrasound, therefore he's taking a risk with his feeling that the child is his, which probably means the writers will make it Sheldon's. Can we all just pray Violet and Sheldon didn't make a baby? *Shudder*

Some more thought from this episode:

Sam broke it off with Sonya and now he's having a hard time setting Naomi up with other men. Poor guy is not finding it easy to move on.
Speaking of, I love when Naomi asks Sam if she looks slutty and he says she does, a little, and she goes, "Well it's not like I'm looking for a husband!" Ha!
How sad is that HPV couple? That is scary! And do you think that girlfriend is a horrible person for running out on her boyfriend? Or is it kind of understandable?
The best ever is Naomi showing up to work hungover after a big night at the bar with everyone ("Picking up people in bars is a bad idea.").
Violet's having a boy!

What did you think of this episode?

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 9, "In Which Dell Finds His Fight"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 13:34:26 -0800

This week's Private Practice was the last new one ABC has scheduled at this point; one more episode has been filmed, but on account of the writers' strike, there's no knowing when we'll see it. So I figured this would be a good time to take stock of the show. Are you enjoying it? Have you started to like it more - or less - since the start of the season? And when the strike ends, will you come back to watching it?

This week's episode wasn't my favorite, and it reminded me of the persistent problem I'm having with Private Practice: With the exception of Cooper and occasionally Addison, I'm still having a hard time caring about these characters. It wasn't a terrible way to end the series for a while, though, so to talk about it, just read more

Dell's love for Naomi is out in the open now, at least to Sam, but I'm still not sure I buy it. On the one hand, I'm glad Dell got a story beyond being the goofy midwife-in-training, and his concern for his grandfather and his old man fight club companions was sweet. But I thought the connection between Dell's Paw-Paw fighting for amusement and Dell's own fighting for Naomi was a bit of a stretch. Then again, maybe that's because I still find their relationship creepy; I thought Naomi looked terrified when Dell had her up against the wall. I think I'm supposed to be rooting for Dell, but I'm just not.

I do wonder, though, how Dell's professions of love (however misguided) will change Sam and Naomi's relationship. Sam knows that this midwife/nurse/receptionist/kid has a serious thing for his ex-wife; he also thinks he might want to be with Naomi again. What that means, it seems, is kissing Naomi in front of everyone, making their reunion public - and sending a signal to Dell to stay away. But did anyone else think he seemed disgusted after their kiss?

Addison's fighting for what she wants, too - and this time, it's the policeman from a couple of weeks back. Watching Addison stride into the police station and ask for a date wasn't exactly the old, assertive Seattle Grace Addison, but it may be the closest we get. And I'm glad she's expanding the dating pool beyond the walls of Oceanside; that place could hardly be more incestuous.

Some other thoughts:

I liked seeing Addison and Naomi's patients return; that should be one of the benefits of having a show set in a clinic, and I wonder if we'll be seeing them again as the pregnancy goes on.
Addison's storylines for the past few episodes have been almost exclusively "pregnancy against all odds," so I'm wondering: Is the show ever going to get back to having Addison try to have a child?
Cooper and Charlotte crack me up. Cooper seems so meek around Violet, but his antics in this episode - he stole an entire fathering class, for one thing - show that he can go toe-to-toe with a much tougher woman. Also, those bedroom scenes? Surprisingly spicy. Then again, didn't we once see Cooper tied to a bed? Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised.
'Nuff said: "It's like Rambo time . . . inside my testicles."

So, what's the state of Private Practice for you? Is there a chance Naomi will actually choose Dell? And would you rather have Cooper paired with Violet or Charlotte? Tell me below.

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 7, "In Which Sam Gets Taken for a Ride"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:15:38 -0800

Like watching women give birth? Then you'll love this episode of Private Practice! It was baby boom time around the Oceanside Wellness Group this week, as three sets of doctors got to deliver three babies with three different guest-starring patients, including Sara Gilbert as a pregnant woman who held up a convenience store. There was a lot of contraction-groaning and baby-wailing, in the midst of which came a proposal by Violet to have casual sex with Cooper, so to talk about all the drama, just read more

From the very beginning, Private Practice has put a lot of emphasis on its medical cases, and this episode struck me as another instance of letting the guest stars carry the show. That was fine by me - I'm fond of Sprague Grayden, who played the widowed Susan, and Sara Gilbert does that crazy/damaged thing so well these days - but it's a curious choice. At this point in the series, I wish I were marveling at how Kate Walsh or Tim Daly or any one of the show's big names played a scene, but the guest actors stick with me a lot more.

I wonder if this episode would have been better with just one subplot in addition to Sam's holdup in the convenience store. That's one of the first big, dramatic main-character-in-danger plots this show has tried, but I never felt the tension; it seemed like a given that Sam was going to find a way to calm Gilbert's character down, deliver the baby, and help her and the baby's father reconcile. It had a couple of nice moments ("Dr. Feel," not "Dr. Phil"), but it didn't carry the episode for me.

On the other hand, I was surprisingly touched by Addison and Pete's story with Susan, who'd lost her husband and couldn't relinquish control of her child's birth. Her life was already one big plan B; she clearly didn't want her labor going down that path, too. Addison climbing in the birthing tub with Susan was a moving scene; it reminded me that Oceanside is a chance for Addison and the others to do more personal medicine. (I also liked the small army of LAPD cops showing up to support Susan, even if she didn't want to see them.)

Some other thoughts:

Oh, Addison and Pete: Destined to screw each other over, yet be magnetically drawn to each other anytime they're in the same room. They're really stretching out the reveal of Pete's backstory, but I also think that's true to his character - reserved on the surface, deeper underneath. Addison, meanwhile, might be feeling some sparks with this David Sutcliffe character. I wonder how they'll be keeping him in the story.
Meanwhile, I'm still struggling to get invested in Sam and Naomi, but that last scene with them hooking up was fantastic. Can anyone out there persuade me to love them?
The woman who was so upset over having a boy was the lightest of the plots, and as such, it had some of the best lines. I liked this exchange with her husband: "I hang with the boys." "Upside down! Out windows! That's not any help!"
Cooper! Good for him for not giving into the easy, but certainly heartbreaking, temptation to have casual sex with Violet. Best exchange:

Cooper: "I'm getting laid tonight!"
Pete: "Congratulations! What's your screen name?"

I'm still not feeling the best-friendship between Addison and Naomi, but I do like the little touches the writers are giving their relationship - like Naomi cautioning Addison that being with Pete wouldn't be changing.

What did you think? Were all the baby stories sweet or just too much? And do you think any moments will end up locked in your version of the "Dell vault"?

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 6, "In Which Charlotte Goes Down the Rabbit Hole"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 13:29:17 -0700

If I had to choose a theme for this episode of Private Practice, it would be "hidden pain." Whether through their patients or their personal stories, each character had to face some sort of uncomfortable, repressed secret. To read my take, just read more

When I saw Charlotte's name in the title of the episode, I was sure it was a typo. I've found her to be the most boring, one-note character thus far; she comes in to be the taskmaster, but then she fades back into the background. Does having her carry her own plot line in this episode indicate that she'll be playing a bigger role around Oceanside in the weeks and months to come - or was it just a one-time adventure meant to give her some depth and personality? Either way, I think she's more interesting than I've given her credit for; she's got her pill-popping past, for one thing, and it's curious that she respects Oceanside enough to go there with her personal medical problems even while she bashes it all day long.

In my personal rankings of Private Practice characters, Cooper is about as far away from Charlotte as you can get. I could watch Cooper all episode, every episode (hey, let's give Cooper his own spinoff! I kid, I kid). So I was pleased that, once again, he got one of the meatiest medical cases: a teenage who kept showing up with various injuries that suggested her mother, a patient of Sam's who suffered from multiple sclerosis, was abusing her. The case pitted Sam and Cooper against each other, but the biggest revelation there was Dell, who knew right away that the girl was being hurt at home. That goofy boy has some dark secrets in his past.

Addison and Naomi, meanwhile, treated a woman who didn't want to get pregnant because she could be carrying the gene for Huntington's disease. She'd never been tested for the disease and never told her husband she might have it; the solution she saw at first was to lie and leave. But after Addison gave her a speech about being a whole woman, she relented, reunited with her partner, and decided to try and have a baby after all. That paved the way for Addison's flirtation with Pete to reach the actual kissing level (finally), though he still insists he's only in for fun. I predict weeks of sex and regrets.

Some other thoughts:

I loved the opening scene with Addison snatching the bottle of wine away from Pete as she shut the door. But why was Naomi leaving from Addison's for her date? Wouldn't Addison have just gone to Naomi's place?
I like Dell. I do. I like him even more now that he's got some hidden history. But something about the way he pines after Naomi feels weird and stalker-ish to me.
Did it seem to anyone else like Naomi was confused about what Huntington's disease was? I'm no genetic specialist, but I've still heard of it.
I've finally been compelled to look up one of the songs from this show! The song playing over the final scenes was Matt Nathanson's "All We Are," and it left me feeling all warm and fuzzy ... at least until I saw the previews for the next episode.

So, do you have more interest in Charlotte now? And how creepy would it be if Dell and Naomi actually got together?

Private Practice Rundown: Episode 4, "In Which Addison Has a Very Casual Get-Together"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 11:31:10 -0700

Hi, character development! Welcome to Private Practice. I hope you're settling in for a long stay at Oceanside Wellness, because when you're around, this show is so much better. Downright enjoyable, even! I'm finally starting to feel like this thing is going somewhere. To read my thoughts and add your own, just read more

In addition to character development, we got something new this week: a coherent theme! The episode began with Sam demonstrating his amazing mind-body connection theory before a live studio audience, and all of the cases from there on out had some relation to mental issues expressing themselves as physical problems: the woman with Crohn's Disease whom the hospital folks and even her own mother thought was faking; the kid who was, literally, lovesick; the older woman who thought her husband was randomly falling asleep because he didn't really love her.

All of this was set against the background of Addison's party, a gathering that nobody (save for Dell) wanted to attend. I wish we would have learned a little more about why they didn't RSVP - Violet, at least, admitted that she was done with new people - but maybe it boils down to the fact that Addison's still an outsider. I'm finding her personality inconsistent - one minute, she's tough Addison, the next she's weak and needy (despite Pete's insistence that Addison "doesn't need"). But for the moment, I'm willing to chalk that up to her being in a new place.

I thought the whole Addison-wants-a-baby storyline had been dropped too abruptly, so I'm glad that it resurfaced. Now she knows Naomi lied to her, and she still craves the hope that goes along with knowing there's a chance, however slim, that she could have a baby. Does this renew Addison's quest to get pregnant? (And is that where all this sexual tension with Pete is going? Their hookup seems pretty inevitable.)

A few other thoughts:

Violet still bugs. I know it's a bylaw of television that every shrink must have personal problems, but this is just annoying. And now Cami's given her a little shred of hope that Allan might still be interested. Greeeeeat.
I'm really glad we're seeing more of the interactions between the doctors at Oceanside as they collaborate on cases. This episode was the first time I really got a feel for how the clinic works.
Shonda Rhimes has a thing with Jane Does who turn out to be named Rebecca, huh?

My love for Cooper continues to grow, even though he's still this gross guy who has sex with women he meets online. This is two weeks in a row that we've seen him being a good doctor and a good friend. I'm even rooting for him to be honest with Violet, even though it's such a cliche.
Am I evil for laughing when the sleeping man fell over the first time? Yeah, probably.
Yay for seeing the doctors hang out beyond the confines of Oceanside for once! Might they actually evolve into characters with full lives and logical feelings? A girl can dream.

Your thoughts? Anyone else kind of feeling the Private Practice magic (or, at least, non-mediocrity)? And can someone defend Violet?

"Private Practice" Rundown: Episode 3, "In Which Addison Finds the Magic"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 13:29:52 -0700

This week's episode of "Private Practice" presented me with a whole new problem: overwhelming boredom. I've found previous episodes to be eye-rollingly bad or, in the case of last week's, actually kind of OK. But this one really had me struggling to keep my eyes open. The ratings have been good, so people are definitely still watching - but I really hope the show picks up soon. For more of my thoughts, just read more

This was supposed to be the original second episode of the series, and I think it would have made a lot more sense that way. It was strange to have Addison feeling alienated from her coworkers when we'd seen her working pretty seamlessly with them the previous week, and it's obnoxious that all of her conversations still end up with "you kissed Pete!" On the other hand, her whole disgust with the rain in LA, and with LA not living up to her expectations in general, made sense. I was glad to see her acknowledge that making this drastic change did not automatically make her life magical (though if one more person said "magic" or "magical" in this episode, I was going to slug them on the nose).

Speaking of characters not advancing: Violet, what are you doing? Are we supposed to dislike her? I thought she'd made a little progress on not mooning over the ex when she destroyed the bike last week, so it was jarring to have her listening to his lame phone messages on repeat again. Hopefully that will be an issue that shakes itself out once we're back to having the episodes airing in order, but sheesh, that character needs something else to do. I giggled in joy at the sight of Andy Milder, aka Dean from "Weeds," as her patient, but other than that, the case didn't grab me.

I'm so not interested in Sam and Naomi at this point, either. Are we still supposed to think Naomi has a crush on Dell, or did that go out the window when Merrin Dungey did? The cake thing was kind of cute, but it was also weirdly sexist - did Dell actually say something like "you have to give women what they want?" Dude, you're barely legal. He did have one great line though: "They're women, Cooper. Tiny, blue women. But still."

Speaking of Cooper, he was a bright spot this week. I was glad the kinky-sex bit was tamed down this week to allow him to play up the goofiness of his character. That scene with him in the fairy wings and the wand was priceless, and by visiting the blue girls' house and figuring out what was wrong with them, he actually seemed like a good doctor.

I'm glad this episode gave Pete a little more depth; finally, a character with a real back story! We already knew his wife had died, but it's interesting to learn that their marriage wasn't that happy when she was alive, either. Did that teach him not to take the good things in life for granted? Or did it give him even more emotional damage?

Am I being too harsh on "Private Practice"? Or are you in danger of tuning out? I felt like this week's installment was utterly mediocre, and I have to believe the show is capable of more.

"Private Practice" Rundown: Episode 2, "In Which Sam Receives an Unexpected Visitor"

BuzzSugar — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:14:06 -0700

It's week two of the season, and I'm beginning to wonder when I'm going to start tuning into "Private Practice" because of its inventive plot and compelling characters. Mostly, I'm still watching because I can't see Addison on "Grey's Anatomy" anymore. On the other hand, I thought this week's episode was somewhat better than the first one, and there might yet be the makings of a solid series in there. To chat about it, just read more

Interestingly, this week's episode was supposed to be the season's fourth episode, but it was moved up because ABC thought viewers would be sucked in by the swapped-baby story. I can't lie: I was sucked in. It was certainly the best medical case of the two (or three, depending on how you're counting) episodes we've seen, and even though it's a story that pretty much every medical show ever has done at some point, that doesn't make it less emotionally affecting. I was impressed by the scene where the mothers talked to each other about their babies, sharing all the things only a mother would know. It's an emotional note the rest of the show hasn't quite managed to hit yet, but it's nice to know it's possible.

My biggest problem with the show so far is that it hasn't quite figured out how to tie the cases and the doctors' lives together yet. Sam and Naomi's marriage issues aren't that compelling, and I really, really don't care about Violet and her ex (though watching her take out her aggression by hammering away at a $6,000 bike was pretty awesome). "Grey's Anatomy" has always made a point of making its medical cases mirror the doctors' lives, and while that's occasionally annoying - as with last week's change = change situation - it still makes the show more cohesive. I would have liked it if Sam's case with the poisoning grandma, in particular, fit more neatly into the theme of the episode. (Was there a theme to the episode? Maybe that's the problem.)

A few other thoughts:

One person who had the potential to be a scene-stealer is KaDee Strickland as Charlotte, the tough hospital administrator, but I just can't believe her as a tough whip-cracker. I keep imagining how much better Brooke Smith (Dr. Hahn, Burke's rival from the second-season finale of "Grey's Anatomy") would be in the role.
I actually thought it was kind of amusing that they ordered Sam a stripper. At least they didn't order him a stripper at work.
Will every conversation between Addison and Pete end with Pete saying "You want me to kiss you again"? His whole "I like my women real" speech also didn't ring true for me as something he'd say to someone he's known for such a short time, but maybe that's where the plan for this to be the fourth episode comes into play.
Naomi's best reason why Sam should appreciate her: "I do the New York Times crossword puzzle in pen."

Did this episode help you warm up any to "Private Practice"? Or do you still see it lacking? And will you keep tuning in?

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 05 May 2007 09:05:48 -0700

Peter Krause is very good looking. He's now in a movie called Civic Duty. I also interviewed him. In the flesh.
It has been "Grey's Anatomy" and "Private Practice" Central 'round these parts. Check out my "Grey's" recap, and then my "Private" recap, and then vote: which show will you prefer?
Can you think of new actors to play the characters in Clueless? Recast that movie and you might win a prize.
Seriously, listen to Kevin Michael. He is an artist to watch!
Check out my rundown of the interesting-looking summer dramas, and then tell me which one looks the best. Also, which big-budget summer flick can't you wait to see?

I recently asked you which show you would cancel if given the option, and here's what you all decided. However, this has nothing to do with the fact that Gilmore Girls has been canceled, I swear!
Do I have a great song for you: Listen to Franz Ferdinand covering LCD Soundsystem. It is amazing.

Source

Rewind: This Week's Buzz

BuzzSugar — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 08:00:38 -0700

Hooray for "Ugly Betty"'s Becki Newton! Check out my interview with the thoughtful and funny lady. Also, did you notice how funny Tyler Labine was in "Reaper" this week? I interviewed him, too!
Welcome back, fall TV! Want to weigh in on what you thought of this week's wave of season premieres? Check out my rundowns of this week's "Heroes," "House," "Private Practice," "Reaper," "The Office," "Grey's Anatomy," "Chuck" and "Ugly Betty." If you watched closely this week and think you know your stuff, take my TV quiz!
Speaking of fall, get in the mood for the chilly season with Matt Pond PA's distinctly autumnal album Last Light. I think it's pretty darn great.
Tell me: in this hypothetical situation, who would you cast in a modern remake of Fast Times at Ridgemont High?
Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman star in Hotel Chevalier, Wes Anderson's short film that is now available for free on iTunes.
What's your favorite one-liner from TV or movies? I had a hard time choosing between "I'll have what she's having" (When Harry Met Sally) and "May the Force be with you" (Star Wars).