Private Practice

In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired 9/26/07

Episode Summary

Addison resigns from Seattle Grace and heads to the Oceanside Wellness Group in Los Angeles to accept the gynecology position. But things get off to a rocky start when she learns her new colleagues didn't exactly know she was coming. In the meantime, the doctors of Oceanside must deal with a slew of problems involving a pregnant teenager, a nervous breakdown, and an argument over a dead man's sperm.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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Audra McDonald

Dr. Naomi Bennett
Kate Walsh

Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery
Timothy Daly

Dr. Pete Wilder

Fan Episode Reviews (41)

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A pretty good show!

7.5

"Good"

By holden_potter, Apr 09, 2010 Report Abuse

Private Practice is pretty different from Grey's Anatomy. There aren't so many surgeries, so many medical cases and is warmer. I decided to start watching this show because I wanted to make e difference between the new medical shows and because of the change Addison is facing-a change which I want to come to my life too. The start of the episode was pretty funny with Addison dancing naked and runs into Sam who is watching her. Addison has made some decisions about changing her life but she is not so happy with the beggining of the change-nobody in the clinic knows she is starting there as a doctor,she is told that she will have only one medical case a day and conditions that are not so medical as they were in her previous job in Seattle Grace.

I think the medical cases of the episode were pretty good but not great as they should have been for a premiere episode. Addison and Pete are dealing with a young pregnant girl whose father blames her for gtting pregnant. At the end of the day after the father realized that he could have lost his daughter finally understands how much he loves her and her newborn baby. Violet and Cooper deals with a woman who is in a shock after her son's death. This story was the most touching one in the episode. Naomi and Sam are dealing with a young woman who wants a sperm from her dead lover battling for the sperm with the dead man's wife. That was the funniest story in the episode.

What I don't like for this episode is that as a premiere it should have given more information about the characters' personalities and was not that great comparing to Grey's Anatomy. You tell yourself it deserves a chance but somehow it was not enough great.

Favorite medical case: The depressed mother who has lost her son.
Favorite character: Cooper/Violetmoreless

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The first episode of Private Practice.

8.5

"Great"

By Danny2312, Jul 16, 2008 Report Abuse

In the beginning, I never actually thought that Grey's Anatomy will have a spin-off. It's very obvious that "Private Practice" is also a very good series. This episode is good, much better than "The Other Side of This Life". This is a good start to a new series, and I like it very much.

We have many different patients in this episode. But I like Naomi's most. Fighting for sperm? That's new to me. I never watch a series, or a drama about fighting for sperm. This episode is creative, informative and interesting. I would definitely watch the next episode of Private Practice.moreless

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I know I know, another medical show?

9.5

"Superb"

By SweetPeaSurry, Feb 10, 2008 Report Abuse

Well ... I for one don't mind another medical show if it has a cast like this. I just love all of the characters. We've got the 'power couple' Naomi and Sam who have recently divorced, but still work together. Then we have the kooky holistic doctor Pete, the over-sexed pediatrician Cooper, and psychiatrist Violet. Each character is wonderfully complex with their own neurosis and problems and quirky behaviors. The ensemble melds together nicely ... and there's a sexual friction throughout that keeps things very interesting. I think I'm going to like Addison's new digs and can't wait to see what the writers have in store for us. This episode was really about getting to know the players, so there wasn't a lot of drama, we'll be getting into the meat of it next week I suspect. Eppy was well done.moreless

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Addison resigns from Seattle Grace and fights to settle into her new job at Oceanside Wellness. Addison must adapt to transitioning from her big city busy job, to a big city with not so many patients every day, and gain approval of her new team.moreless

9.2

"Superb"

By breezy2281, Jan 07, 2008 Report Abuse

I have to say Addison looks great. Showing the scene where Richard told her she'd be begging for her job in a short amount of time was good too. I do miss her at Seattle Grace but i'm glad to see her again. This is not looking bad so far for being a spin off of Grey's Anatomy. I was a little concerned that it wouldn't live up to the hype of Grey's becaues it is such a hit, but after watching the first episode of Private Practice it definately shows promise. I think the show will be just fine. That being said, let's start with the first day. I thought the scene with Addison dancing around naked was hilarious...then it got awkward after Sam sees her. This is how Addison finds out she lives right next door to him! After Addison doesn't get quite the welcome she was looking for, she finds out that Naomi didn't tell the team she was hiring Addison. The team appeared to be a little threatened and jealous, and they were also mad at Naomi for not allowing them all to vote as a team on whether or not Addison should have been hired. We then learn that Naomi owns 55% of the business. A man named Ken Wilson and his girlfriend come in wanting to have a baby. I thought the scene where he was nervous about doing it in a cup was funny, especially when he and Naomi agreed to "keep your eye on the prize." After some obvious noise coming from Ken's room we assume that he's having a little too good of a time, until is girlfriend Leslie comes out frantically asking for help. Ken has a stroke and winds up dying, and Leslie announces that she wants his sperm. The chief of staff, Charlotte says no way in hell to Sam, so Sam calls Naomi in. After she shoots Naomi down too, they take it to a higher power, where Sam and Naomi were granted permission to give the sperm to Leslie...Until a woman named Maria comes in who was actually Ken's wife. Apparently they were getting a divorce, but this was her way of getting revenge. After Naomi tells her she needs to let go sometime, Maria agrees to let Leslie have Ken's sperm. A 17 year old named Lucy comes in already in labor and her father expresses his unhappiness about the situation verbally. When the baby goes into distress and his daughter passes out, he changes his feelings quickly and announces that Lucy's mother died giving birth to her. Addison doesn't have the equipment she needs to perform a C-section in the birthing room at Oceanside Wellness, and she must cope with what she does have to try to help Lucy. After she says Lucy will feel every cut, Pete says he can treat her so she won't feel any pain. After Addison not taking him seriously and not allowing him to do anything hands on all day, Dell gets his chance to help also. The team pulls it off and both Lucy and the baby live. Somewhere in all of this Sam and Naomi have a quarrel about their marraige and Sam tells her how he feels. He said that he was hurt too and he was sorry for hurting her, but he wanted to see her fight for him, for them just once and that's why he left. Meanwhile, Violet works on a case with one of her patients named Jenny, who has her ears plugged with something and is on her hands and knees in her brother's store counting tiles on the floor. She freaks out when Violet touches her, and no one knows what has set off this episode. With the help of Cooper, (a co-worker who earlier called her a stalker for continuing to call her ex who is married) they find out that Jenny had a son who died from brain cancer. They finally get Jenny to talk and it seems to have helped a bit. Towards the end of the episode Naomi admits to Addison that the reason she didn't tell the team that she hired her was because she needed Addison around because she was lonely and everything else. The team demand a meeting, and Addison stands up and defends herself. She makes a kick-a** speech and basically tells them that she's there to stay whether they like it or not. Then Naomi said "That's why i didn't tell you i hired her." This was a great first episode and i will definately keep watching.moreless

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I think that was the best thing for Addisson to do

9.9

"Superb"

By mythillos, Dec 12, 2007 Report Abuse

n this spin-off Grey's Anatomy, neonatal surgeon Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (Kate Walsh) relocates from Seattle Grace Hospital to the Oceanside Wellness Group in sunny Santa Monica, California following a failed marriage and two affairs. There she reconnects with medical school friends, Sam (Taye Diggs) and Naomi Bennett (Audra McDonald), friends she thought had the ideal life -- a successful marriage, lucrative wellness group, and a beautiful 14 year-old daughter. However, Addison finds that Sam's success as a TV health guru lead to the end of his marriage to Naomi, leaving them both lonely and searching for another relationship. The Group's surfer receptionist, Dell (Chris Lowell), thinks he's the one for Naomi, but she's unsure that a younger man is the answer to her relationship problems.

The other members of the Oceanside Wellness Group have their own share of personal issues as well. Peter Finch (Timothy Daly), an alternative medicine doctor, is dealing with the pain of losing his wife through a series of one-night stands. Cooper Freedman (Paul Adelstein), a gynecologist, relies on the Internet to hook up with women, but after having his car stolen by one of his hookups, he's slowly finding that the Internet may not be the best means to meeting the woman of his dreams. Violet Turner (Amy Brenneman), the resident therapist, doubts that she's doing any good for any of her patients and wonders if she's even able to help herself.

But aside from each of their personal problems, together the staff at Oceanside Wellness group combines cutting-edge work and alternative medicine to save lives. By joining the staff, Addison finds that a move to sunny Southern California may just be the right prescription for life.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- List of the main characters's professions: -Addison Montgomery: Neonatal surgeon, OBGYN. -Pete Wilder: Alternative Medicine Specialist. -Naomi Bennett: Fertility specialist. -Cooper Freedman: Pediatrician. -Charlotte King: St. Ambrose Hospital Chief. -William "Dell" Parker: Receptionist. -Sam Bennett: Internal Medicine Specialist. -Violet Turner: Psychiatrist. Edit
- Private Practice films a lot of their exterior shots (as well as some of their outdoor storylines) in Santa Monica, California. The Oceanside Group building can be found at the corner of 4th and Wilshire in Santa Monica, California. It is actually a bank. Edit
- Music featured in this episode: I Don't Feel Like Dancin' by Scissor Sisters - plays when Addison is dancing naked with Sam onlooking. California by Belinda Carlisle - Complications arise with Addison delivering Lucy's baby. Maria talks about her late husband, and her bitter marriage with Naomi. Sad News by Chris Garneau - Leslie pays her final respects to Ken. Cooper and Violet confront Jenny over her child who passed away when he was only 10 years old. Something's Got Me Started by Swingfly - Addison starts dancing naked with her curtains closed, with Sam watching and smiling through his window. Edit
Notes
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- This episode was nominated for the 2008 Image Award for "Outstanding Writing In A Drama Series". Edit
- Actress Merrin Dungey was originally cast as Naomi, but was replaced by Audra McDonald. Edit
- Tim Daly (Pete) and Audra McDonald (Naomi) also worked together in the 1998 movie The Object Of My Affection. Edit
Quotes
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- Addison: Why didn't you tell them that I was coming? (Naomi sighs) Truth. Naomi: Alright, fine. I need you here. I need you here because I am tired and I'm lonely and my best friend divorced me and I have no one. I need you here to be my someone. Addison: Okay. Edit
- Violet: Thanks... for comin' down. Cooper: Well, I'm a better person than you are. Violet: The thing is Cooper... Okay, the thing is that... I am kinda a stalker. Cooper: I know. Edit
- Addison: How're you doing there, Pete? Pete: Kicking ass and taking names. You? Addison: Ass kicking and name taking are on my resume. Edit
Allusions
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- Naomi: I need you here to be my someone. This line is similar to a recurring phrase of Grey's Anatomty (this show's predecessor): "You're my person", used by Meredith and Cristina to each other. Edit
- Addison: I just did my crazy MacGyver surgery. This is referring to the 80's adventure show, MacGyver. The character MacGyver, played by Richard Dean Anderson, was famed to have known to be able to solve extreme problems with limited items. Edit