Grey’s Anatomy became a bastion of estrogen-infused primetime goodness. It did. We can’t fight that fact. Just as the OC dragged in viewers by the boatloads with its promises of youth and promiscuity, Grey’s uses alluring females pining for the sexy bachelors they work with on a daily basis. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Private Practice, the spin-off series of Grey’s Anatomy retains a lot of the romance-heavy themes; however, it may shock the male demographic to find out what the faithful female audience has known since its first season: there is actually some medical know-how to the show’s core. The same can be said of Grey’s earlier seasons, but it slowly shifted off-base so that any medical relevance has little to no impact on the plots – not so for Private Practice.
Imagine if the procedural elements of House were stripped away to just “interesting cases” and then infused with the overwhelmingly romantic sentiments of Grey’s and then coupled with the twisted workplace politics of ER. It fuses together quite well to form a cohesive show, but minor faults lie within. The cast has its share of star-hitters and weak links, but the show’s inherent problem was basing it about Kate Walsh playing Addison Montgomery. Not because she’s a poor actress, she’s actually quite excellent – but because she’s somewhat of a contrarian character who didn’t retain the loyalty of the people who were fans of Grey’s Anatomy. You either loved or hated Addison Montgomery and that truth carries over to Private Practice. Maybe you think she’s smug or maybe you think she represents one of those ideal empowered women archetypes that are so few and far between on television.
That’s the entire issue that at once strengthens and condemns the show – both within the plot and without. Addison Montgomery is a polarizing force of nature. Long time members of the medical practice run by Dr. Naomi Bennett (Audra McDonald) resent Addison for her quick rise after arriving only a year ago. Before Addison, Naomi was fully in control of the practice and fellow doctors Sam Bennett (Taye Diggs), Violet Turner (Amy Brenneman), Pete Wilder (Tim Daly), Charlotte King (KaDee Strickland) and Cooper Freedman (Paul Adelstein) all understood their places within the firm. Maybe they were always in secondary positions or even barely invested, but they knew their place. The addition of Addison, Naomi’s long time best friend, shook things up and in the second season her influence has an even greater bearing on the proceedings.
Naomi’s management of the firm has lead the practice into a financial red zone and no one’s quite sure who can lead the firm to safety. With everyone’s job at stake tensions begin to rise until the dam just breaks. Sam, Naomi’s on-again off-again perpetually dog-housed husband, charges forward with a coup d’etat which brings a new wave of resentment towards his actions in the firm and doubts as to whether or not anyone in the firm can lead without enormous amounts of strife from one part of the staff or another. So the season sets out under the premise of a unanimously voted leader: Addison Montgomery. She may not be the most popular doctor in the firm, but everyone’s convinced that she’ll at least be able to lead without butting heads on either side. Therein lays the premise of the show’s second season: Addison’s trial by fire as the manager of the practice. It tackles interesting medical questions on ethical and practical fronts (an HIV-infected youth who wants sex, a couple who discover they’re technically brother and sister, children birthed to be tissue donors, etc.) but it’s all very balanced between the medical and the emotional. It helps a male demographic latch on while still providing that healthy dose of drama that fans of the genre desire.
Even when the writing is superfluously sentimental or vapid, the cast proves to be pretty darned talented. Throw in Taye Diggs who seems to be capable of pretty much everything and all you need to do is find three or four decent female leads for a decent show: and they did. Kate Walsh may play Addison as a somewhat manipulative iceheart at times but she injects the rest of the moments with enough levity to keep it all even. It’s not a perfect show or cast, but it has enough to warrant viewing by fans of the Grey’s Anatomy concept who want more of the experience without having to rewatch the old seasons over and over.
DVD Bonus Features
For the most part you’ll find yourself skipping over the deleted scenes, taking a quick glance at the so-so blooper reel and then focusing on the two featurettes which actually qualify as extras. First there’s a longview of the season’s highs and lows in a retrospective piece which makes you wonder when you’re supposed to watch it. Are you supposed to give it a view when the third season hits DVD and you want a quick refresher on the season? It’s the only answer that makes sense. Then we have a glance at the filmography of Chirs Lowell who plays an office assistant to Naomi and rest. I’m not sure why this was deemed a good idea as his filmography is neither all that impressive nor that inspiring. Maybe you think he’s hot? If so indulge. Otherwise eject the disc and move on to the next series on DVD.
"Private Practice: The Complete Second Season" is on sale September 15, 2009 and is rated NR. Drama, Television. Directed by Michael Zinberg. Written by Shonda Rhimes. Starring Amy Brenneman, Kate Walsh, Tim Daly, KaDee Strickland, Paul Adelstein, Audra McDonald, Chris Lowell, Taye Diggs.
