Yo Adrianne!

So, among the things we learned during this phenomenal double episode of Private Practice is that Addison does, in fact, have a girly middle name.  Addison Adrianne Forbes Montgomery.  How in the world did she learn to write all of that?  But, then again, this is Addison we’re talking about, the world renowned double board certified doctor.  She’s a smart girl.

I guess I should start at the beginning.  The first hour was so different from the second hour.  I loved the humor in it, especially between Sam and Naomi.  I can relate to the parenting of a child who is trying to become independent while said parent is trying to hold onto her youth.  The good cop/bad cop scenes between Sam and Naomi were so funny.  Poor Sam was trying to be the calming force between the two of them and ended up getting burned doing so.  He found out it’s not so cool to be the cool dad.  I’m glad Shonda went back to a storyline involving Maya.  It was time that we saw these two people trying to work together to parent her.  I had to laugh out loud when Maya said to Naomi, “maybe if you had a boyfriend…”  Sam’s look was just so hilarious.  Even if they do want to kill Maya, we can see how much they love her and want what’s best for her.  I’m hoping for more of these scenes in the future because it shows the realistic side of divorce and I just love seeing Sam and Naomi forced to work together on something.

I’ve got to admit that it was kind of uncomfortable for me to watch Ronald and Eleanor, the 60 year old pregnant patient, be intimate with each other.  It looked more like she was his mother than his wife.  So, yeah, I’ve got Violet’s double standard going on too.  Aside from the creepy fact that the Captain is Violet’s colleague’s father, I didn’t mind seeing them together.  I didn’t get the eww, incestuous, factor with Vi and the Captain that I got while watching Ronnie and Eleanor together.  Yes, double standards suck, but that’s life, right?  Okay, back to Pete and Addie’s patient.  You know what I found ironic?  In the first hour, Pete tells Ronald, “When things got hard, you acted like a father.”  But, did Pete act like a father when he stole Betsey from her hospital room and was going to show a 7 year old her burnt to a crisp mother?  Yeah, yeah, Pete doesn’t think keeping a mother from her child is a good thing, which, of course, relates to his relationship with Violet, but, seriously, what good would come out of what he was about to do?  Betsey’s 7!  She’s a child.  What kind of nightmares would she have?  I liked Pete’s concern for Addison in this episode, but other than that, he was his usual cocky, self-centered self, using his baby as a shield for his emotions for Violet.

The Golds’ issue of wanting to continue the marital bed, but not procreate, certainly gave way for some humorous and intense Cooper vs. Charlotte scenes.  Again, the first hour gave way to some fun moments with Charlotte vying against Violet for Cooper’s patient, Rachel.  Too funny!  It also gave way for the second hour where it all comes crashing down on Charlotte.  I hope Cooper forgives her.  Yes, it was a big, huge, omission.  Yes, she should have told him.  And yes, he’s already forgiven her for other things, like the big mistake of sleeping with Archer.  But, Cooper isn’t perfect either.  I was not a big fan of this pairing in the beginning, but their complex and dynamic personalities are drawing me more and more into their storylines.  I’ll be waiting for the make up session.  It should certainly be an entertaining one.

Violet, Violet, Violet.  She’s a mess.  She admitted it.  When I first saw the preview about Vi sleeping with Addison’s father, it made no sense to me.  I couldn’t figure out why she would do that to Addison or Pete (no matter how much I dislike Pete, I still thought it was a cruel thing for Violet to do to him).  But, then I saw the entire scene and I have to admit that it was brilliantly written.  It wasn’t just about sleeping with someone.  It was about the ability of Violet to make a part of herself whole again.  To feel good about her body.  To feel as if someone wants her (since Pete has clearly told her that he doesn’t give a crap about her anymore).  She needs to do normal things to feel normal about herself.  She needs to fill these voids that she has had since the brutal attack so that at some point, she will feel normal feelings for her son.  Violet pointed out that the decisions she makes are always with Lucas in mind so as to protect him like a mother should.  Maybe Violet could’ve chosen someone else to sleep with but as she said, things happen; sometimes they happen for a reason.  Sleeping with Violet also helped Addison’s father find a way to try to get closer to his daughter.  Violet used the Captain and the Captain used Violet, but neither of them felt used and that’s a very important distinction.

I missed Dell during his break from PrP.  These two episodes have brought him back with a vengeance.  Chris Lowell was amazing.  His breakdown at the sight of his daughter, his nervous inability to help her in the ER, and his anger towards his newly remarried wife was truly inspiring.  He laid out all of Dell’s emotions in such a transparent way.  This is a far cry from the good looking surfer dude from Season 1.  Major kudos to Mr. Lowell for such a fine, heart-wrenching, portrayal of grown up Dell.  It will be interesting to see where Dell goes from here while being a single parent and working as a Doula.  Can he balance the two and somehow have a life of his own?  We’ll have to wait and see what else Shonda has in store for him.

I’m not even sure where to start with Addison and her storyline.  It was such a roller coaster of emotions that it’s hard to even describe everything that I felt while watching the episodes.  The first hour, I enjoyed seeing her in her element as a doctor; seeing that confidence that being a physician brings to her.  I also loved Addison’s curt, sarcastic, comments to her father.  You may find that odd, but it always makes me laugh, because I can understand where those comments come from.  If you know me at all, you know that I tend to drip sarcasm on occasion.  But, like Charlotte, Addison’s storyline took a turn for the worst when she found out about her parents’ joke of a marriage.   And as an Addison fan, it crushed me seeing her beaten down by her parents.  Who else wanted to choke Bizzy when she was talking about how her children stole everything from her and how Addison wouldn’t understand until she was a mother?  How could Bizzy not see what she was doing to her own daughter?  I wanted Addison to scream about her inability to have a child, but then again, Bizzy doesn’t deserve to know that about Addison.  She, (along with the Captain), has no idea who she is.  Dysfunction doesn’t even begin to describe this family.  I really enjoyed seeing Addison as a child in these episodes.  Kate Walsh does an astounding job of portraying a grown up daughter who still feels like a child when she’s around her parents.  She still needs her father’s approval and she still feels a need to protect her mother.  It was captivating to see that vulnerability still there even as Addison’s an adult.

I didn’t expect to see Sheldon in the second hour, but I loved how he was written in.  Addison tends to open up to strangers much better than she opens up to family or friends.  Remember when she poured her heart out to Pete about not being able to conceive?  They certainly weren’t friends then.  So, I think the pairing of Sheldon and Addison was perfect.  It allowed her to speak freely and I think it also forced her to truly talk to her mother.  Chatting was something routine, but having an intense discussion was foreign to them.  Sheldon helped to bridge that channel.

The friendship between Addison and Sam certainly took on another level this week.  She freely walked into his house and into his bedroom.  The only boundary Sam seemed to have had was when Addison started kissing him.  Being the incredibly sweet guy that Sam is, he stopped it, and immediately forgave her when she apologized to him.  He got it.  Addison was doing what she knows to do, but he knew that’s not what she really needed.  She needed someone to hold her.  She needed someone to tell her that everything was going to be okay.  Although I can’t ship them as a couple because I see it as a betrayal to Naomi, I couldn’t help but love their scenes together.  They are becoming each others best friends.  And best friends can surely be family.

The Captain said, “Love is complicated.”  It certainly is.  Parental love, child love, new love, old love, and friendship love are all intertwined and intermixed.  The best part of these episodes is that these friends are there for each other when times get tough.  They prop each other up.  They catch each other when they fall.  And although they aren’t blood related, they are more like family than their biological families.

Returning on January 14, 2010, we get to see an all new cross over event with Grey’s Anatomy.  Cross overs are a little bit of love for me.  I enjoy seeing my favorite characters from both shows interact with each other.  So, until then, I wish all of you a happy, healthy, holiday season.  Enjoy this time with your families no matter how they are related to you.  Use this time to show them your gratitude and your love.  See you on the flip side.  =)

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