The best TV characters (and actors) always have a hook, a charm, a bit that makes them intriguing and magnetic. The best of Addison Montgomery (no Shepherd please) is Kate Walsh's subtlety. When the subtlety is on, and the Best Eyebrows in TV are employed, the effect on the scene is perfect. Our first introduction to Addison in Grey's Anatomy was stunning – she was all New York, perfect, biting, and the Eyebrows were on overdrive. She was in control, and offset the always out-of-control Meredith so very well. Even in her worst moments, Addison's quiet grit, her continual realization that the events she had set in motion were out of her control, were achingly perceptive.

Spoilers from this point forward...

But to use the trendy phrase ... seriously? The Private Practice Addison is the kind of woman who would dance around the house naked? Seriously? This Addison would take a job with seemingly no knowledge of what she was getting into? This "world-class neonatal surgeon" wouldn't know that "midwifery" is a word but she'd use the words "gynie" and "booty" in the same sentence? Thank goodness she wasn't named chief of surgery at Seattle Grace.

This isn’t the Addison I was hoping for.

Let's all hope the next episodes find Addison using this move, this opportunity to plant new seeds in a careful garden, to find the best of her subtlety. But I'm a bit of a pessimist, so I'm doubting it. Especially when the hooks and charms of the supporting cast of unprofessional doctors aren't absorbing, but really scary.

Oh, but Cooper the pediatrician/sex and internet addict scares me AND grosses me out. Even more than sperm foraging from a philandering stroke victim, dead by masturbation, and the disjointed scene of Moon (no Unit) Zappa reliving the loss of a child to a brain tumor. But less than the completely unrealistic birth scene. And that's saying a good bit.

But it was nice to see Moon.

Comments

It was a terrible episode, and the brevity of your blog confirms my disdain for the unengaging storylines and general lameness.

AC | Sep 26, 2007 8:33:33 PM | #

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Yeah, it truly sucked. The Addison we knew and love must have fallen out of the car somewhere between Seattle and LA.

And there was the biggest, glaringist medical mistake that I've seen in a while. Who would let a freaking newborn leave wherever it was within, oh, a half hour or so of being delivered. Because dad is clearly leaving with baby as the EMTs are taking the daughter to the hospital, which couldn't be more than a half hour after the baby was delivered.

Can we please just cancel this and move Addison back to Seattle?

Nate | Sep 26, 2007 9:36:46 PM | #

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I'm curious as to why if only 1 part was going to be re-cast from the Grey's spinoff ep. that it was the Naomi part and not the Taye Diggs part?

I concur with the above sentiments about this being a really bad ep.

I'll give the show a couple of more weeks as Kate Walsh has earned that much goodwill from me, but if they don't learn very quickly how they want to focus the show I predict their audience numbers will tumble especially since they have decent competition in Criminal Minds (safe choice and you know what you are getting every week), Bionic Woman (much better 1st ep.) a show with decent buzz; and Gossip Girl - although I'm not sure how much of a crossover there is between the 4 shows -> with myself of course being the exception since I'm watching all 4 shows, luckily I can see GG on Tues. and PP is on at 8pm for me.

Rishi | Sep 27, 2007 1:59:53 AM | #

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What a crappy show Private Practice is and to be honest i'm not sure why Grey's Anatomy got a spinoff so soon anyway this show is just awfully bad and I can see it getting canceled which is a good thing and I was shocked last season when Grey's Anatomy was beating CSI in the ratings I mean WTF??? Are people just tired of thinking anymore when watching a show because CSI is sooo good and really makes you think while Grey's Anatomy has McDreamy and McSteamy and McDonalds it's just so stupid CSI should win the ratings war this season with the season premier looking really good atleast to me i'll be watching it oh and Bionic Woman very good show and I love her blue eyes

Joseph | Sep 27, 2007 2:49:30 AM | #

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I actually liked the show last night. I went into it with an open mind and was entertained through the whole episode. Addison went there without all of the facts because she needed a change. She probably wasn't in the best mental state anyway after being rejected by every guy at Seattle Grace. I am going to keep watching and give it a shot. I am not going to pan it just because it is the "trendy" thing to do.

Bo | Sep 27, 2007 4:46:57 AM | #

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Just a very poor episode. It seems like Addison is a different person now that she's in LA. I was looking forward to this show so much and was really disappointed!
Did anyone see her on The View? I felt like she was talking so fast about nonsense that she looked like she was on something!!!! Anyone else notice?

shell | Sep 27, 2007 5:50:58 AM | #

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Bo, I completely agree with you. My daughter and I both enjoyed the show. I wasn't too impressed with the 2-hour episode last spring, so I wasn't expecting much. But I thought they really improved it and I really liked it. The only thing that bothers me is the pediatrician/sex addict guy. I would never let my child go to a doctor that creepy. I really liked the actor when he was on Prison Break, but he definitely deserves a better role.

Sheri | Sep 27, 2007 6:12:38 AM | #

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Was ABC thinking just because the show was from the producers of Grey's Anatomy that they could just stick anything on TV before us? I'm thinking that the version of Private Practice we saw during Grey's Anatomy last season was better and that sucked. Off my TiVo with this stuff!!!!!

Craig C | Sep 27, 2007 6:12:54 AM | #

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The pilot was SOOO bad I never even considered watching this first episode. In fact forgot it was on. I feel badly for Kate Walsh WASTED on this dumb show.

Kate 2 | Sep 27, 2007 7:19:30 AM | #

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I've never watched Grey's Anatomy, but I did watch this, and I had the same impression. It felt like Ally McBeal reborn, except not so self-centered. WHy are Addison and Tim Daly engaged in cute banter with a dying woman between them and her father still in the room? Yeesh!

JT | Sep 27, 2007 7:19:42 AM | #

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Was it just me, or did you totally miss Merrin Dungey? Audra MacDonald is a fabulous actress, but I couldn't get Merrin out of my head--it seemed like the character had become more bland, less fun.

Liz E. | Sep 27, 2007 7:23:48 AM | #

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Open Letter to ABC Execs:

Please call your litigation department because I fear David E. Kelly will be calling. If you mixed 1/3 Boston Legal, 1/3 Chicago Hope and 1/3 Ally McBeal, you have a concoction called Private Practice.

With Private Practice, Shonda Rimes exposes her limited imagination as a writer/ producer. There is never one honest moment. It is plagued with paper thin characters, bad dialogue and a weak narrative. If it weren't for Grey's Anatomy would this pilot have been picked up? This makes me wonder how bad Football Wives must have been.

Minus Taye Diggs, you have the one of the best ensemble casts assembled. Each has acting trophies or a successful series to their credit. How is possible to give such a talented cast so little to do? Instead, we are left with mature adults behaving like newbie college grads. If I wanted to see kids behaving badly I can watch Gossip Girl and get the real thing.

This show is not terrible. It is worse. It is mediocre and it is in one of the most competitive time slots on TV. Just wait to Amercian Idol comes back and see what happens.

David E. Kelly is TV veteran who is unable to sustain the momententum of his own series. He always sells out and trashes the concept.
i.e. The Practice became Boston Legal.
Ally McBeal killed Billy and gave Ally a surprise grown daughter.

Shonda Rimes, again, is duplicating his footprints. She sold out the characer of Addison Montgomery and morphed her into Ally McBeal in its final seasons. The new wasted Addison McBeal lacks energy, authenticity, and focus. It's a real shame because Kate Walsh is an incredible talent.

Shonda Rimes is obviously spread too thin. Do you remember what happened to Desperate Housewives when Marc Cherry bacame overly ambitious?

Please cancel this show so Shonnda can take some time to find her an original thought and we the loyal viewers can see Addison put out of her misery so Kate & crew, minus Taye Diggs, can audition for projects that are worth their efforts.

Opinionated | Sep 27, 2007 7:31:22 AM | #

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AWFUL,AWFUL,AWFUL...SO SHALLOW
AND INANE ITS SAD. GREYS ANATOMY
IS JUST AS STUPID..THESE ACTORS
SHOULD BE ASHAMED. ARE THEY THAT
BROKE? CAUSE EVEN I KNOW THIS CANT HAVE EVER "READ" WELL.
ON THE OTHER HAND, CRIMINAL MINDS WAS FAB! AS USUAL..

l | Sep 27, 2007 7:45:49 AM | #

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I wanted to like this show, but couldn't. I realize this is fiction, not a documentary, but if one knows anything about the medical world there was simply too much here that rang false.

When we first met Addison in Seattle, she was first and foremost a world-class obstetric surgeon. And she behaved as one would expect such a person to behave, including having a dysfunctional personal life.

In real life, a rockstar medical professional such as Addison would never chuck it all away to work in a tiny SoCal 'feel good' medical practice. She'd last a week, tops. You don't get to the top of such a professional without being pretty relentlessly driven. In real life, an Addison would never find the career challenges and satisfaction she'd require with her education and background.

And I agree that the cutsie banter over the potentially-dying woman was out-of-place and verging distasteful.

I'll give it a couple more weeks, but if it doesn't improve dramatically, I'll wave the talented Kate Walsh a regretful goodbye.

Teri | Sep 27, 2007 8:22:14 AM | #

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It is almost like they completely reinvented this character, which doesn't make any sense, considering this is a spinoff, not a new show! Its almost like they don't know how to create a show without a ditzy, insecure female lead. Now that Addison doesn't have the Meredith lead to take on that role, she is left to fill it.

Mandy | Sep 27, 2007 8:43:03 AM | #

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Wow. I was bored. I wasn't expecting that. I actually watched this on TIVO and fast forwarded through a few scenes. The character of Addison was unrecognizable. I loved the character on Grey's and like a few of the supporting actors on this show so I'll give it another episode or two, but this is definetely already a distant second to Bionic Woman. If the next few episodes are as bad I'm not going to keep wasting my time. What wasted potential.

Jennifer | Sep 27, 2007 9:02:47 AM | #

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I didn't see last night's episode and actually forgot to tape it while I was out. From the sounds of it I'm glad I didn't. I saw the two-hour episode last spring and wasn't impressed then. Why is it that any show that Tim Daly and Taye Diggs are in get cancelled after the first few episodes??....maybe because they're not great actors??? Tim is 'always' cast as the handsome ladies man and it just doesn't work for him. I feel sorry for Kate Walsh. She's a great actress and deserves better than this crap. I hope the writers get their act together soon.

Linda | Sep 27, 2007 9:29:37 AM | #

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Solid start, but I did miss Merrin Dungey. I agree that McDonald is tough, but isn't going to bring the addition "fun" that Dungey brought to the role. Dungey has so much laid-back charm, and the best moment of last year's episode was because of her when she told the kid he didn't have a shot to get with her.

graeme | Sep 27, 2007 9:39:05 AM | #

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hmmmm...well I watched it last night with no expectations. I was curious to see how Paul Adelstein would be as Cooper, as I am used to seeing him as Paul Kellerman in Prison Break (I miss him from that show soooo much), and he was mediocre to say the least. I think the show will last maybe one season, then Addison will magically appear back on Grey's...If they haven't wrecked that show by getting rid of her and Preston...Anyway, I will give P.P. two more weeks to impress me, then I'm out. As for Grey's YAY, it's on tonight, and it better be awesome!

Hilary | Sep 27, 2007 9:43:38 AM | #

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I loved this show! Some of you guys are just plain whiny. Good thing no one will force you to watch it again...or talk about it or even think about it, for that matter. I totally agree with Bo. I watched it with an open mind and was totally entertained. Oh, and Nate, it was clear to me that The baby's grandfather was just carrying the child to be transported via ambulance to the hospital with the mom...not taking the child home! I don't think the show is supposed to be a mirror image of Grey's...otherwise, wouldn't it just be redundant? I loved it, and hope it's not yanked!

Becky | Sep 27, 2007 10:06:21 AM | #

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This is SUCH a step down for Addison. I can't believe she won't be bored out of her mind after two weeks. What is a world-class natal specialist doing with one patient per day?? And how long can it be before a sex-addicted pediatrician loses his license? Tim Daly doing acupuncture just doesn't seem realistic, somehow. I'd much rather see him in The Nine. I'm in for one more week. After a complex show like Grey's, this seems a little pedestrian.

Joan | Sep 27, 2007 10:12:21 AM | #

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To ABC and Shonda Rhimes:

I really want the new drama, Private Practice to be a successfull. I adore Kate Walsh and want this to be a smash hit.

However, on its current course, I can't see that happening. As it is, this show is a mess. Why? Because the Addison character is not the same person we grew to know and love on Grey's Anatomy. Don't you guys know that all successful spin-offs were successful because they retained the main character(s) retain the same "feel" from the show they came from? Please review such great spin-offs as Rhoda (from the Mary Tyler Moore show), The Jeffersons and Maude (from All in the Family) and Frasier (from Cheers).

When I tune into P.P., what I really want to see if the flip side of Grey's Anatomy set in L.A. with Addison. I don't want to see some new incarnation of a show that is neither watchable or familiar.

Please fix this show!

Jeff | Sep 27, 2007 11:01:13 AM | #

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Not sure why Cooper's porn proclivities would make him unsuitable to be a pediatrician. It's not like it's kiddie porn. I don't think my male gynecologist is getting off on his job, but considering he's married with kids I assume he has a healthy attitude about sex.

Samantha | Sep 27, 2007 11:54:37 AM | #

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I just wanted to say that there was some good and some bad about this episode and I agree with the poster who called it mediocre. Some of the dialog was, in the tradition of Grey's, sparkling and witty. A LOT of it was not. Some of the plot points and elements were fascinating (I enjoyed Moon Zappa's performance and in comparison to Grey's which has twelve A plots and twelve medical B plots to back them up, I liked that the medical story lines were fewer and given more time to develop properly.) But that being said, some of the plot points and elements totally sucked! (i.e. Addison conveniently moving in next door to Taye Diggs, Audra McDonald not telling anybody that she had hired Addison,the rest of the staff getting way to bent out of shape over it and the last scene in which I don't think between the seven characters in the room, anybody speaks anything in a compete sentence. Talk about un-crisp dialog. Personally, I always thought if they wanted to spin off GA, they should have let Callie find out about George and Izzie, divorce George and give Sara Ramirez her own show. (Not that I don't love Kate Walsh but she fits into the GA ensemble so well, whereas Sara Ramirez is way too underused at Seattle Grace and could stand to be somewhere else. Maybe Doctors without Borders?

David | Sep 27, 2007 12:54:48 PM | #

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that's some really poor stuff. Oh, well. Positive thing about it for me: one less hour of watching tv. Just "Heroes" and "CSI".

Vince Young | Sep 27, 2007 1:38:50 PM | #

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BAD--just bad. nothing was exciting about this show.
i see it being canceled. it had ok ratings, in fact, it won last night. HOWEVER, not many people are going to tune in next week.

Laryn | Sep 27, 2007 1:52:10 PM | #

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OMG I watched the first couple of scenes and had to change the channel. I watched a Law & Order: SVU rerun instead. In regards to Private Practice, the acting was bad, Addison was a COMPLETELY different character, and it sounded stupid and contrived. You could tell the writers have no medical background at all, and didn't even bother to do any research.

Lazy writing.

Mira | Sep 27, 2007 4:15:05 PM | #

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I was very disappointed with the show especially with all the hype. I like Addison on Grey's!

Ann | Sep 27, 2007 4:57:45 PM | #

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I enjoyed Private Practice. It does need alittle tightening but it was well acted and the story lines were interesting.

I must say that I hated Addison all through her run on Greys... but thought this was better. I dont think that Mark or Derek brought out the best in Addison and now she can really be herself.

The opening scene of her dancing around the living room disturbed me at first but I came to realize it symbolized that she is now free to be who she wants to see. It also set up the beginnings of a flirtation with Taye Diggs (those 2 have great chemistry)and the final scene sent that idea home.

I love all the actors that are on this show but am alittle disapointed with the Amy Brennamen charactor. I know all phyciatrists are nurotic but they are not whiney.

I will continue to watch.

darrpub | Sep 27, 2007 8:55:39 PM | #

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okay ppl why dont we all say what we truly feel.........we're just mad to see addison leave GA and thats just it. im not saying that this was the best show ever ...but i will say this i was entertained. true i had low expectations i mean after the really really sucky May pilot i was prepared for the worst.but i must say that the show is waaaaaaaay better than the one we saw in may. ofcource it has some things to work out but im ready to give it a shot. and jsut while im at it bionic woman sucked seriously ppl who are ranting that its not beleivable that addison would leave seatle for ocean side as its a bad career choice well in BW the woman just ben throgh a really bad accident, lost her baby, got all her body parts replaced, found out about boyfriend dears secret life and she is totally calm ...yah totally believeable adn might i not forget she dosnt knows her powers but masters them within a few minutes and kick the old experienced and super killer bionic womans butt........yah my mind is made im staying with private practice.

zac | Sep 27, 2007 11:07:49 PM | #

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Boring is the main thing I felt so I won't be watching. All the characters have the depth of a kiddie pool.
What struck me was how incredibly unrealistic it was that Addison would drop her previous life, buy a home, take a new job without ever knowing or asking the details of the position. To see her standing there asking where her "staff" was only to learn she had no staff, that she didn't realize she would be delivering babies there, that she would have but maybe one patient each day was embarrassing and stupid.
She seemed incredibly unprofessional to me and with that, I'm out.

lee | Sep 30, 2007 5:54:13 AM | #

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Love Audra MacDonald. She's a great actress! But what happened to Merrin Dungey? I think I like her playing this role better. Loved her in Alias and was hoping she was coming back with this new show. Disappointing...

miss merrin | Oct 3, 2007 6:19:52 PM | #

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On one of the episodes Addison said what her favourite baby name was... does anyone know what that name was?

Monxxx | Oct 27, 2008 7:18:23 PM | #

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