Rewatching ‘Private Practice’: “The Other Side of this Life, Part 2”

As a new segment on WhatSamWatches, I will now be doing more informal reviews/commentaries on what I’m watching. And it’ll include shows I’ll be rewatching just because I feel like it. I know I just did a review on Private Practice but I’m just not ready for it to be over. So I’m binging the show from the beginning all over again. I already wrote a piece on part one of this episode so check that out to get some context for this episode.

The Other Side of this Life, Part 2

• I love that the show goes back to Addison wanting a baby. They kind of forgot about it for a while but I’m glad they brought it back up by the third season with Pete, Lucas and Sam.
• I know Dell’s supposed to be the hot surfer receptionist but his haircut later is so much better. But the idea that Naomi and Violet sit around watching Dell to cheer themselves up is hilarious.
• I actually love that the writers didn’t use Pete’s alternative medicine as a joke. With so much of Grey’s Anatomy being about western medicine, I love that they show how alternative medicine can actually work.

Lisa and the Baby

• I never understood why patients in some kind of emergency always showed up at the practice instead of the hospital. First, it’s Lisa in this episode who’s going into labor (knowing she’ll need to deliver at the hospital). But later, there’s that woman, Joanna, who comes in after her husband almost beats her to death.
• Lisa really just kept pushing even though both Addison and Cooper just told them not to push. And of couse she just lost a lot of blood.
• Addison snapping at all the potential parents was justified. Both Lisa and the baby almost died and all they seem to care about is who the father is.
• I love that Carol redeems herself a little. She’s clearly desperate for a baby and I love that Lisa gave the baby to Carol in the end. The whole unknown paternity and extended family thing kind of reminds me of Mamma Mia.

The Main Cast

• I wonder if they always planned to have Pete and Violet hook up considering Pete says, “Is that why you won’t sleep with me?” in this episode.
• I completely forgot how insecure and clingy Violet was with Allan. But Violet seems less involved with her patients here. And I forgot that Cooper initially likes Violet. I’m glad they didn’t end up together though.
• Kate Walsh and Tim Daly really do have great chemistry together (no wonder they’ve worked together so much – just check their IMDb pages). If the writers actually gave Addison and Pete a real chance at being a couple, I think they could’ve worked. But it just ended up being bad timing with them.
• I’m going to say this again: I still love Merrin Dungey as Naomi. I just don’t think I would’ve loved Naomi and Dell as a couple.
• I love that they call back to this episode in the series finale (As a reminder, Addison tells Jake that Sam told her years ago that he never knew why he left Naomi).