'Private Practice': New night and time, and it just may be catching

When last we saw our happy doctors, well, they were on Wednesdays. But now they're on Thursdays! Happy New Year, Private Practice fans! Violet and Pete are still madly in lust, Addison is missing Officer Kevin, and Naomi is digging working for Wyatt, and also just plain digging Wyatt. But that's only part of what's going on this week. We also have highly communicable diseases!

Claudia, if you remember, is Wyatt's patient who wants to have a child with Naomi's help. Her first transplant of healthy ovarian tissue didn't take, and Naomi wants Addison to take another run at it. Addison isn't hearing a word of it though. She doesn't want to just be the person doing the cutting; she wants the whole process. Wyatt tells her that would be fine with him if she stayed involved, and to think it over. She agrees to do the surgery, but tells Naomi that the only way she'll do it is if Naomi agrees to only help Claudia, and then sever ties with Wyatt.

So Addison goes ahead with the surgery, and during the transplant procesure, Wyatt hits on Addison. Naomi says that Addison is involved with a cop. Well, not quite, but that doesn't stop Wyatt anyway. Tension abounds. Addison then realizes that she can't stitch the new tissue in without Claudia bleeding like crazy. Wyatt tells her that she has to implant the tissue or Claudia won't have a chance of having a child, to which Addison says she'll die unless she stops the surgery. Claudia begins to bleed heavily as Addison fights to stop the internal bleeding.

Claudia survives, and tells her doctors that she should just be thankful that she's alive. Wyatt, however, says that he's not giving up, and leaves the room. Addison follows him, and he tells her that he picked the wrong person for this job. Addison is outraged, but Wyatt says she didn't push the situation.

Ilene and her three boys come in to see Cooper, They just got back from Switzerland where Jeffery, the eldest boy, who is autistic, was receiving special treatment. Cooper diagnoses Michael, one of the other boys, with the measles. The mom is anti-vaccination since she believes vaccinations are linked to autism. So her other boys have been exposed, along with all of the patients at Oceanside, and now everyone has to be quarantined. Not only that, but the mom got some free coffee from Pacific, so Charlotte has to be notified too. What fun.

In the meantime, over at the hospital, Michael has become incredibly ill, and Ilene tells Cooper she can't understand why he's so sick. Uh, duh, he has the measles. Against Cooper's advice, she refuses to get Will, the last son, vaccinated due to her fear of losing him to autism.

Later, a very attractive health department worker named Sonya shows up and takes Sam to task on how they've handled the situation. Turns out Oceanside isn't up-to-date on all of their standards and practices and Sam doesn't know where certain required paperwork is at the moment. The next day, after an all-nighter by Sam to find everything requested, Sonya returns and after a quick argument about whether or not she's a bully or a real doctor, she admits that she's been a bit distant with him because she's been thinking about his lips. They don't kiss, but man, it's close.

Meanwhile back at the hospital, an angry Charlotte corners Cooper and waives her own health department papers at him. Moments later, Ilene runs out of Michael's room and says Michael isn't breathing. Cooper almost has to perform a tracheotomy on Michael, but ends able to use a scope to open up his throat. Michael stablizes for the moment, and Cooper slips out to Will, and vaccinates him as Ilene screams for him to stop. Ilene threatens to sue if anything happens to Will, and while Cooper and Charlotte try to calm her down, Michael codes.

Unfortunately, Michael dies. Afterward, Charlotte tries to comfort Cooper, as they witness Ilene break down.

After the measles exposure, Dell can't get hold of Heather, his daughter Betsy's mom, to find out if Betsy has been vaccinated. Later, Heather shows up late to get Betsy, but she doesn't know if she's ever been vaccinated. She tells Dell that she's not using anymore, but he's wary. Heather comes back later, angry that Dell has applied for full custody of Betsy. She got a new job, and tries to convince Dell that she's getting her act together, and says fighting him for custody will push her back over the edge into using drugs again. She also says that Dell was the one who got her started abusing drugs. Man, Dell... still waters and all that.

Dell confides in Violet, and Violet says that people can change, and that Dell does have to protect Betsy, but ultimately, Dell has to do what is best for his daughter.

Cooper still doesn't believe that Violet is sleeping with Pete. She proves it by telling Cooper about Pete's tattoo (which looks suspiciously like it was done with a marker... come on, makeup) and then Cooper then freaks out.  During a conversation about vaccination with the rest of the practice, Cooper blurts out that Violet and Pete are sleeping together. And so then all of Oceanside knows. Stunned faces all around. Minutes later, Violet follows Cooper into the bathroom and calls him out. Cooper says that, like he and Charlotte, it may be only about sex at first, but it will get messy, and he doesn't want Violet to go through that. Violet tells him to chill, and that it's all going to be fine. Not likely. Addison is also unconvinced that Pete and Violet are a good thing, and she tells Pete that.

The next morning at the elevator, Violet runs into her old pal Sheldon. He's feeling a little bolder, and is about to make a move, when Pete jumps in and steals his thunder. Later, Pete tells Violet that, even with all of the naysayers, they could, indeed, be more than sex buddies. Violet, however, is worried about how Pete has slept his way through the practice, and she doesn't really want more than what they have at the moment. They leave the possibility of "more" for later. But Sheldon throws his gauntlet down, and the next day asks Violet if he could be the "more" instead. He doesn't want sex, just to be her friend. Ooo. Love triangle with Violet, Pete and Sheldon!

In the end, Dell apologizes to Heather for starting her using, and asks that they figure out a custody arrangement that assures him that Betsy is safe. Naomi confronts Wyatt, who apologizes to Addison for how he treated her, and Addison tells Naomi she can work with Wyatt again, if she wants to. Which she probably will. And we see Sam and Sonya out on a date.   

We close with Addison calling Officer Kevin and confessing that she misses him.

Thoughts:

• I don't do dead kid stories well. Really don't. And from the look of things, next week isn't going to get any better. Ugh. Can't we have drama that isn't on that end of the spectrum?
• Yes, the chemistry between Pete and Violet is great, but I don't think it's what Violet needs in the end. She needs a Sheldon!
• Cooper and Charlotte just need to get back into the swing of things.  I miss them. Yes, I admit it. I do. They are an interesting couple.
• But I don't miss Officer Kevin. A Kevin/Addison/Wyatt love triangle is coming, and I think that's the easy way out.

What about you? Liking the new time slot? I am! Because if it doesn't survive here, it's not going to!

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