Show them the money on 'Private Practice'

Out with the old, and in with the new. With Addison's help, Sam is now large and in charge of Oceanside on Private Practice. He's taken over, running it more like a business, and less like a touchy-feely practice, much to Violet's dismay. And Naomi is letting them do it their way, but she's cut them out of her life. This isn't going to go well.

Our dear Addison, who can't have it both ways, is missing her best friend and sounding board. She constantly tries to get Naomi to talk, mostly about Officer Kevin, who hasn't called, but Naomi is remaining "professional and courteous."

There's a ditzy (but cute) temp working Dell's desk, and a big giant whiteboard in the breakroom, marking who has appointments booked when. Violet feels it's a "Board of Shame," pointing out who is bringing in the most money, and Oceanside was never about the money. Pete, in order to bring in the moolah, has a new machine that will break down fat, supposedly. Violet finds it repulsive, but Pete's new clients seem really into it.

Sam's day is booked solid with a corporation he's partnered with to do physicals. The head of the corporation, Charlie, knows Sam - his son, Kirk, has been a patient for a while. Kirk is chronically ill, but he's done with it all, and asks Sam to let him die. His dad, however, wants to try every thing possible to keep Kirk alive. Kirk won't be eighteen for another month, so Charlie gets the final say. Pete and Cooper take opposing sides on the case - Pete thinks Kirk's wish for a dignified death should be honored, and Cooper believes no seventeen-year-old kid should be making life and death decisions.

Violet tries to get Cooper to tell her about Charlotte, but Cooper isn't spilling the beans. He does begin to understand, though, that choosing Charlotte over Violet will more then likely end their friendship. She calls him out about lying to her, and he still won't talk to her.

A new couple come to see Naomi and Addison. They're young, but are having trouble getting pregnant. They gush about how they've been best friends since junior high, and that they're exactly alike - same allergies, likes, dislikes, head over heels for each other. Naomi takes them on as a client, and after a quick DNA scan, Addison and Naomi realize that the lucky couple are siblings. After perhaps the easiest informational phone call ever, Addison finds out that the same sperm donor was used 25 years ago for both of them. Naomi and Addison struggle with how to break it to the couple that they're siblings, and they bring Violet in to figure it out - how do you break it to the most ga-ga couple ever that they're committing incest? However, they don't really care. After a few moments alone to contemplate, they tell Naomi and Addison they're still soulmates, and they still want a baby.

Addison and Naomi explain to them that they're unable, morally, to help them get pregnant, and that adoption or sperm donation are also out, since legally they're not supposed to be married. Addison also throws it out that sex is off the table because no birth control is 100% safe. Lisa tells Addison to tie her tubes so they don't have to deal with it again. The couple who desperately wanted a baby is now asking to be sterilized. Later, Lisa meets with Addison alone, and explains that Brian is all she has, and is all she's ever had. Giving up Brian would be like giving up the missing piece of herself. Charmed, Addison starts to think about doing the surgery, but Naomi doesn't agree. Lisa and Brian, soulmates and siblings, come back, hoping to get Lisa's tubes tied that day. Brian blurts out that it doesn't matter to him now, just like it didn't matter to him when he found out - that he still married Lisa.

Lisa, understandably, freaks out. End of moral dilemma.

Later, Kirk lands in the hospital, and Sam tries to explain to Charlie that Kirk is dying, no matter what. Charlie threatens to take the executive physical business elsewhere. Sam ends up intubating Kirk against his wishes, even restraining him to keep him from pulling out the tube. Pete calls him out on it, telling him that he chose to ignore his own patient's wishes in order to profit from Charlie's corporation. Sam pulls rank him, belittling Pete's efforts, and Pete throws it back to him that the patient shouldn't suffer for the good of the practice.

After realizing that Cooper really isn't going to talk to her about it, Violet's self-esteem issue flares up, and she goes under Pete's fat machine, the same machine she scoffed at. She knows she doesn't need it though, and it's just a symptom of a larger problem - the fat machine, really is the symptom of the practice turning into something she's against. Later on, Cooper comes to her, needing her help. It seems he's come down with head lice at a health fair he attended to drum up new clients, and Violet is the only person he can trust to help him. Cooper ends up telling her about Charlotte, and admitting it's not just a physical thing, even if Charlotte forbade him to tell his best friend about them. Quietly, Violet thanks him.

In the end, Pete removes all of his appointments from the giant whiteboard, Cooper refuses to do another health fair to get new clients, and Violet confronts Sam on their practice's theories and spirit. Sam asks for a little faith to get through it. He then heads to the hosptial, and tells Charlie that prolonging the inevitable with Kirk isn't the kind of doctor he needs to be. He explains that the care of Kirk (and we also know he's talking about the care of Oceanside) can't be all about business and nothing else. Sam removes the breathing tube, and Kirk passes away.

Cooper tells Charlotte that he told Violet about them, and after Charlotte says she hates him, and Cooper says he does too, but he tells her that she does matter. She seems to accept that, and him.

And Naomi hates Sam for the mutiny of the Oceanside in her own special way.

Random thoughts:

• Incest trumps equipment hiding. Ha.
• Oceanside was never about the money. But it should have been somewhat. Violet shouldn't be so short-sighted. Nice ass or no. And that was a stupid scene.
• Is Addison that needy again?  I thought we were going to get kick-butt Addison now. Without her best friend to talk to, Addison calls Officer Kevin and leaves a long and rambling message that will no doubt embarrass her in the morning. It embarrassed me at least. I'll miss Officer Kevin.
• Pete, going through a mid-life crisis, sleeps with the ditzy temp, who tells him old guys are better than she thought. Pete needs to stop hanging out with Violet so much.  Her butt shared the self-esteem problem, I guess. 

Is it just me, or was this, the second episode of the season, a massive yawn fest?  It was no Presidental debate, I tell you. What did you think?

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