Rewatching ‘Private Practice’: “In Which Addison Finds a Showerhead”

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 not that long ago but I’m not ready for it to be over. So I’m binging the show from the beginning all over again. So since I rewatched the fourth episode last week, we’re now onto the fifth episode of Private Practice.

In Which Addison Finds a Showerhead

• It might be super cringy but I love Addison’s elevator dream of her and Pete. Especially since I always remember it making the season one blooper reel.
• My parents definitely didn’t let me have a sleepover on a school night. So Naomi probably got some cool points there. Or if she didn’t, she at least should’ve.
• Saying “you look hot” at the morning meeting probably isn’t very professional. Pete should’ve just used the word “flushed”.

The Runner

• Leave it to Pete to offer his medical services without using drugs.
• Nicole (the runner) definitely has the runner mentality.
• I love that Charlotte’s a fan. It’s so random but I guess it’s one way to get her in this episode.
• I know athletes are competitive but the coach really took things too far.
• It’s pretty unprofessional to punch a patient’s coach. But I would also be pissed so I definitely get where Pete’s coming from.

Dell’s Solo Pap Smears

• Considering the fact that Naomi’s always the one that defends Dell, I can see why he had a crush on her for the entire first season (and backdoor pilot episodes). But it definitely feels like the writers forgot about it. Or they just knew they didn’t want it to last long. Plus, I think the writers always wanted it to go back to Sam and Naomi eventually. But getting them together at the very last episode was definitely cutting it close.
• A pap smear is definitely not the time to be flirting. Especially not with your doctor.
• I love that Dell stands up for himself. And the patient just opening up her knees is hilarious.

Dell’s Future Storylines

• I wish we also could’ve seen more of Addison mentoring Dell. I know he just wants to be a midwife but OB’s pretty close. Plus, I still think of Addison as being one of the best attendings from Grey’s Anatomy because of how good of a teacher she was. She always let interns/residents scrub in and never seemed to let personal issues interfere. I mean, she did keep Alex on her service just to piss him off but he really became a better doctor because of it. Plus, it ultimately helped point him towards becoming a great pediatric surgeon. People probably argue that Arizona got him into peds, which is true. But Alex never would’ve even considered it without Addison.
• Poor Dell. Even his patients underestimate him. I know he’s young, but still. It would’ve been really interesting to see more storylines that included Dell. I know they have some later on but I feel like they barely scratched the surface with his character when they killed him off. Plus, most of his storylines later on were more about Heather and Betsey. I would’ve liked to see him have more medical storylines. The writers wanting to kill him off was one thing. But the fact that they added the part about him getting into medical school was just cruel.

The Burton’s

• I love how different this case is. It’s an attempted sexual assault but the focus becomes more about the husband.
• Beth’s pretty brave for fighting back when a guy’s got a gun on her.
• Beth’s such a strong survivor. So much so that she’s more concerned about how her husband will take it.
• John seems like the nicest guy.

Addison’s Dreaming of Pete

• Violet’s a little too comfortable with her sexuality for just talking about her sexual fantasy with a co-worker. Especially one she doesn’t know very well yet. Although, I guess this is where we first see Violet’s philosophy when it comes to therapy. And by that I mean, Violet likes to talk about her own similar experiences to encourage her patients to open up. I don’t see her use it that often in the first season but I do remember that it became an issue in the later seasons.
• The encouragement for women to pleasure themselves sexually has definitely become more present in today’s culture. It’s even a sign of female empowerment so it’s kind of cool to see how well this has held up. Even though this episode is more than ten years old (it’s 14 years old to be exact).
• I don’t think “I’m from Connecticut” is a valid argument here. But then again, I don’t really know what that means.
• Sam shouldn’t have even heard that conversation. But even after he did, he definitely shouldn’t have told Pete.
• Early Pete and Addison stuff is the cutest. And I love that Pete admits to possibly fantasizing about Addison too.
• I guess this means Addison finds fighters attractive. Whether it be cowboys or gladiators. But it’s weird that Addison basically tells him about her sexual fantasies.

Allan Stops By

• It’s weird that Allan just stops by the practice. Especially when remembering the fact that Violet called him so much before that he yelled at her to stop calling.
• Now he just wants to be friends? That’s a little unfair considering the fact that Violet’s clearly not over him and he knows it. He almost acts like there could still be something between them, which is just cruel.
• Cooper’s right. Violet should not have let Allan back in. However, the writers just seem to forget about him by the time the second season starts. It’s so forgetten that I actually don’t remember how this “friendship” ends. But I’m sure it ends badly.
• I, like Sam, also would’ve walked away. But just to answer Violet’s quesiton, I don’t think a skirt would’ve sent a flirty message. But I guess it also might depend on the skirt.
• Allan’s just making it worse. It just cruel to become friends with your ex just to talk about how you and your wife are trying to get pregnant. At least not when your ex is clearly not over you. And he knows it.
• It’s nice to see Sam be the one to comfort Violet. It’s always Cooper so it’s a nice change.

Addison and Maya

• I love that Maya confides in Addison. Even though she doesn’t end up being the actual patient. I wish we would’ve seen more of their friendship.
• Even though Maya lies about possibly having gonorrhea, she’s not as innocent as she seems. I mean, she does get pregnant two seasons later.
• I know Addison asks Cooper for a consult but it’s definitely one of those instances where it’s not medically needed. It’s really more of a chance to vent because she knows she can’t tell Sam or Naomi.
• But Cooper’s right. Right now, Addison’s her doctor and her confidant. And she can’t betray that trust by telling Sam or Naomi. And she knows it.
• I’d like to believe that Maya’s telling the truth when she says she isn’t doing what Ruby’s doing. But maybe part of why she gets pregnant later is the fact that she has friends like Ruby.
• Naomi’s always the stubborn one that can never let anything go but she knows Addison’s right here. I know Maya’s her baby and she’s clearly emotional but trying to blame what happened on her isn’t right.
• I know Addison tells Naomi that she should talk to Maya about sex but it doesn’t seem to take that advice. Naomi and Sam talk about it but it clearly didn’t do any good.