SEASON FINALE REVIEW: Grey’s Anatomy “Unaccompanied Minor” S7 E22

We have a new chief resident, an unwanted and wanted baby on the way, a child adopted, a new mother and father, two marriages on the rocks, a new relationship forming, a relationship going to the next level, a potential rekindling of a previous relationship, a relationship ending, and friendships in turmoil.    So basically nothing happened in the 7th season finale of Grey’s this year!!

Derek and Meredith

The fallout from the news about Meredith tampering with the Alzheimer’s trial has made its way to the Chief and Derek.  At the end of the last episode, Alex, in a drunken stupor, told Owen, who is making the final decision and was just bragging about how great Meredith is, that Meredith tampered with the results of the Alzheimer’s trial.  Owen of course tells Derek who tells the Chief.   Not only is the trial ruined but they are considering firing Meredith.  Chief wants to know who Meredith tampered with and she refuses to tell him.   Her point, and I agree, is that the trial isn’t compromised as long as she doesn’t divulge who was involved with the switch.   But the Chief figures it out that it was Adele that received the benefit of the switch.   As a result he wants to suspend her vs. firing her.  Derek still can’t seem to forgive her so he is now staying at their new home that isn’t built yet.   The problem with that is, they were approved to adopt so Meredith was able to bring the baby home with her but she can’t get a hold of Derek to let him know since he won’t take her calls or return her calls.

Here is what bugs me about this whole thing.   The Chief was ready to fire Meredith.  However, once he found out that she did it to help his wife, now he’ll just suspend her to save face?   What?   If she ruined a trial and put the reputation of the hospital at risk, it shouldn’t matter who she saved.  If she should be fired, she should be fired.  Logically, you know it had to be someone she knew.  Why else would she tamper with the trial?  Not to mention, she’s right.  If no one knew who was effected by the switch, the trial still works.   But the whole situation is ridiculous because the Chief was just as guilty as Meredith here.  He let his personal feelings affect his decision-making and made a choice he shouldn’t have based on personal connection.

Cristina and Owen

This is a perfect example of why you should have conversations about having children BEFORE you get married.  Cristina is pregnant and has made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t want children.  Owen has made it perfectly clear that he wants children.  I don’t know how they thought they were going to be able to move past this since both are firmly entrenched in their view-point.

I have to say, I am on Cristina’s side here.  She was always very clear about her thoughts.  Owen thought he could change her opinions over time.  And now that she is actually pregnant, he wants her to go through with it because he knows she will change her mind about being a mother.   Could he be any more disrespectful to her and her feelings?   This isn’t the same as asking her to like one of his friends and give him a chance because once you get to know him he’s great.   This is bringing a human life into this world.   This is not a decision you enter into lightly or crossing your fingers hoping that you eventually change how you have always felt about parenthood.   And I give her credit for standing her ground about this very serious, life changing situation.  She also brought up a great point.  What if she has the baby and doesn’t change her mind and doesn’t feel any different?   How is that fair to the child?   I guess what really bothered me is that Owen never really seemed to listen to what Cristina had to say.  Every time she would try to explain how she felt and why she felt the way she did, Owen seemed to just blow her off and brush off her feelings.   That really pissed me off.  She’s your wife so whether you like what she is saying or not, you have to listen to her.  Just as she should give you the respect of listening to you.

I have no sympathy for Owen.  You knew how she felt about being a mother.  She never kept it from you and she never lied to you.   YOU just assumed you could change her mind overtime and never respected her true feelings.  So it shouldn’t shock you that she made an appointment to terminate the pregnancy.  And your solution is to kick her out?  Screw you.   I understand that you are angry and upset because it’s your child as well.  But again, this is the woman you married.  If having a child was THAT important to you, you shouldn’t have married Cristina Yang.

I never liked Cristina and Owen as a couple and never bought into them the way I did when she was with Burke.  So if they break up over this, it wouldn’t bother me at all.  In fact, I hope they do because Cristina deserves better and Owen should be with someone who can give him what he wants.

Meredith/Cristina/Alex

I don’t know how this friendship will ever be the same again.  Alex has made a lot of very self-destructive decisions over his tenure on the show but this has to be the biggest.  He wasn’t in the lead for Chief Resident so he sabotages his best friend to knock her down because he’s pissed.  Cristina was right.  There were so many times Meredith stuck by him when no one else would.  And he can disagree with what she did because there were lots of times Meredith disagreed with him, but he still should have had her back the way Meredith always had his.

This group dynamic should be very interesting moving forward and I’m curious to see how the writers are going to handle it.

Teddy/Henry/Andrew

Finally, Teddy saw what we have all seen all season long…she should be with Henry!!!!!  I was so mad at her because of the way she was handling this relationship with Henry.   She knew he was falling for her.  She’s not stupid.   But she would go to his apartment and tell him about her dates and I hated that.  While it set up and showed how good they are together and how comfortable they have become with one another, I hated how clueless she was.

But she finally woke up to not only his feelings for her, but her feelings for him.  You knew it was going to happen, it was just a matter of time!  Plus I hate all the hinting around.  She would ask if she should go so she can test to see if he really does have feelings for her.   And he doesn’t tell her to stay because he loves her and isn’t sure how she feels about him.  For gosh sake will one of you have the balls to tell the other person how you feel and just have an honest discussion?   dear Lord people!!!   But Teddy finally did and kissed Henry and told him she was falling in love with him.   Yeah!!!!

So I hope Scott Foley will be back next season and they don’t kill him!!!   Do you hear me Shonda Rhimes?   DO NOT KILL SCOTT FOLEY!!!!!

Eli and Bailey

I love these two.  I love how he doesn’t take her crap and she respects him for it.  However, I don’t think it was fair of him to push her into bringing him home when her son was there if she wasn’t ready to introduce her son to Eli yet.  Now maybe she needed that push because Bailey has always been hesitant in the relationship department since her marriage broke up but when it comes to kids, I have no problem with parents being extra cautious.  Bailey throws up her walls very fast and Eli brought up some valid points.  So valid that Bailey agreed to let him come home with her.  I just hope he respects that she may have to let their relationship move forward at her pace because she does have a son.  But I think these two are in it for the long haul because they are really great together.

Slone/Lexie/Avery

Slone and Lexie still love each other.  It’s quite obvious.  But she’s with Jackson and he’s got his life with Callie, Arizona, and the baby.  But something tells me the love story between Slone and Lexie is far from over and this episode’s interaction between them I believe was purposely done to remind us of that connection.  So we’ll see where this goes.

Alex and Lucy

Alex turned down the Africa position and Lucy ended up taking it.  So she’s leaving to do Charlie’s Angels, I mean help children in Africa and she goes to see Alex to beg her not to go.  He tells her to go to hell and she leaves.   Good riddens Lucy.

April

Dr April Kempner was named Chief Resident.  Ok I didn’t see that coming.  I hope she proves me wrong and she is fantastic.  But I would have picked Dr Jackson Avery.

A much different season finale from last year but lives were still turned upside down.  Just in a very different way.  This was a better season of Grey’s than they’ve had in a few seasons.  Still not as good as the old days, but better than it had been.  So I will be tuning in next season…especially since it may be Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo’s final season.  I don’t know how you have Grey’s Anatomy without Meredith Grey (and don’t give me Lexie because you know this show is about Meredith and her perspective on things) so I wonder if this will be a final season of Grey’s or not.  I would think not because it’s still pulling in huge ratings but you never know.   But I will be back next season to see how all these hanging storylines play out.

 

QUICK REVIEW: Grey’s Anatomy

While I mention in the titles that these are “quick reviews” you may notice that they are still quite long.   Keep in mind, I am pretty much recapping about 3-4 episodes in here (although this one is only 2) so there is still a lot to talk about.  I’m just not posting 3-4 different reviews so I can catch up.   But I am just going to hit the highlights here.

Derek and Meredith

The clinical trial is moving along but after an eye-opening conversation with Adele (and after seeing a post-it note on Chief Webber that dropped where it said “I am Richard.   Richard is my husband”) Meredith realizes Adele really needs help.  She sneaks in to see her test and sees that she is schedule to receive the placebo.  She checks the next patient’s chart (patient # 123) and sees they are scheduled for the active agent.   At that moment, she switches the results so she can give Adele the active agent and patient #123 the placebo.   WOW!!!!  I would never, ever think Meredith would do something like unless it was for Derek or Cristina.  And even then I wouldn’t be sure she would do it.   So this action really surprised me.   As fan, I love the fact that she did it for Adele and Richard.   But as someone who knows better, what she did was awful on so many levels.  She denied the real patient the active agent they deserved.   She lied and falsified results.   She compromised the integrity of the clinical trial and the hospital.   And she compromised her own integrity.   I can’t wait to see how Derek reacts to this news.    He will find out you know. I understand why she did it but it still never should have happened.  It’s exactly why she should have never been part of this trial.   She’s too close to the disease and the people involved.

On a happier note, as a result of Alex bringing African children to the US to give them medical assistance (more on that later), Derek falls in love a beautiful little girl and decides that they should adopt her.  Meredith’s first reaction is shock but after holding her and hugging her, she warms to the idea.   So they decide they are going to adopt.   One tiny problem though, they aren’t married….legally.  Unfortunately, a post-it wedding will not suffice in a court of law when you are trying to adopt a child.   Down to the JP they go and make it legal.  I have to say, I loved how the show intermingled MerDer’s wedding wtih Calzona’s wedding at the same time.   And I love how they are going to adopt this baby.   Love the story line!!!

Owen and Cristina

Not much on the Owen front other than he is being tasked to pick the next Chief Resident.  But Cristina has some issues with Teddy, her current mentor.    I haven’t been a big Cristina fan this season.  Actually, throughout the series, she’s been one of my least favorites from a personal standpoint but one of my most favorites from a complex character standpoint.  I really like how her trauma was handled this season but her attitude since has bugged me.   Cristina has always thought she was better than everyone else.   Cristina wants to learn how to be the best surgeon but she has no interest in learning how to be the best doctor.   What I mean by that is that she wants to learn all the newest techniques and procedures but when it comes to patient care or proper hierarchy in the hospital, she has no time.  I’ve always disliked that about her.   However, I don’t know how I feel about the situation with Teddy.  While she needs to be respectful to her attending, when it comes to life and death and you think you have a better way to do something but your attending is too proud to let you help, I have no problem with Cristina stepping in and saying let’s do this.  At first, she suggests something and Teddy says it’s too risky.   So she looks at Owen to back her up.  I would be pissed at Cristina too.  Don’t look at your husband for back up and disregard my opinion as the expert in this particular situation.  It would be one thing if she was seeking another attending’s opinion but she wasn’t.  She was looking for her husband, the attending, to back her up so she could get her way.  And that’s what pissed Teddy off and rightfully so.  But then when they get into surgery, Teddy’s procedure isn’t working so Cristina wants to try hers.  She even had Owen on her side in the OR since Teddy’s way wasn’t working.   Teddy kept saying no but eventually Chief Webber told her to back off and step away.  She does, Cristina takes over and her procedure works.  Later when she sees Teddy, Teddy tells her that she is off her service since she has nothing else to teach her.  Uh, ok.  I’m still not sure about that one yet but alright.  Owen tells Cristina that she needs to apologize to Teddy.   Maybe for the earlier portion but for the surgery, I don’t understand…I’m with Cristina on that one.   She sees Teddy in the elevator and apologizes but you can tell it isn’t sincere, she’s just saying it to get back into the OR.  Teddy doesn’t accept and tells her that it’s important it mean something.   Finally at Calzona’s wedding, Cristina goes up to Teddy and tells her what she really thinks.  That she is sorry about the fact that Teddy is threatened by her and her success.  Teddy tells her that she still doesn’t get it.   You know what Cristina, neither do I!   Maybe Teddy will it explain it to all of us at some point!   Then maybe it will make sense!

Callie and Arizona

Wow, is Callie’s mom a bitch or what?  I understand being true to your religious beliefs….but at the expense of your only daughter’s happiness?   That’s cold.  But let’s back up.   Callie is still recovering from her injuries and it is a slow and painful process.   She also has yet to see her daughter who is fighting for her life but getting stronger every day.  I have to say, I like how Grey’s did a FF, if you will, with the one episode, showing the steady progression of both Callie and Sophia.  Obviously they were both going to be in the hospital for a long time and Grey’s isn’t going to show that in real time.   So the way they did it worked very well.  And it was nice to see Arizona and Mark start to come together as friends and family after how things had been between them.  At one point, Callie was so frustrated by not being able to see her daughter that our favorite crew of residents rolled her bed down to the NICU so she could finally meet her Sophia.  It was such a sweet moment.  It also gave Callie, even more strength.

She and Sophia are eventually cleared to go home and while everyone is cheering for both of them, Callie is freaking out.  Sophia is in a car seat and Callie burst into tears saying cars aren’t safe and she doesn’t want her daughter in the car and screams at Mark to get her out of the car seat.  Bailey comes over and calms her down and tells her that she’s just taken the first step in becoming a mom.  There are so many dangers out there and she can protect her as best she can but she also needs to live and enjoy life with her.  It was a really terrific speech and it did calm Callie’s nerves to the point where she agreed to take Sophia home.

Now, it’s time for the big day…..the wedding!!!!!  Both Arizona and Callie’s parents are in town and everyone seems to be a having a great time and getting along.   But something seems off with Callie’s mom.  She is polite and social but just off.  Things start to fall apart though.   The major problem is the minister who would marry them couldn’t perform the service (I think his wife was in the hospital or something) and since he was the only minister who would perform the ceremony, they are screwed so Callie wants to call off the day.  Bailey to the rescue again!   She tells her that a wedding is about sharing your love and committing to your partner in front of all your friends, family, and God.  God doesn’t have to be in a church.  He’s everywhere.  So no matter where they profess their love to one another God will be there to support and witness it.  So the wedding is back on and Bailey will be the officient.   Love it!!!  However, we have a few more issues….mainly Callie’s slit ass of a mother.  Callie is trying on her veil which is very similar to the one her mother wore at her wedding and Callie’s mom could care less.   Finally she asks her what is going on.   Why all the nasty stares, indignance, and the fact that she refuses to hold or spend time with Sophia.   Callie’s mom finally admits that it’s because she can’t support a lesbian wedding or a baby out-of-wedlock.  What is this 1950?  Does she not realize that her daughter and granddaughter almost died????   She’s lucky they both survived!   Now, Callie has found someone who makes her incredibly happy, someone she wants to share her life with, and a beautiful and strong baby girl to add to their family.  I’m sorry, exactly what can’t she support?   Shouldn’t her daughter’s happiness trump anything else?  I would think so.  But she is so selfish and cruel and she can’t see beyond the wall of judgement that is blocking the view of her daughter’s happiness.  I’m glad she’s not there to ruin Callie and Arizona’s day.  But I think it’s also a shame that her father (who had his own issues but eventually came around) had to leave and not share this day with his little girl.   But we never should have worried!!!   Calzona gets hitched in a beautiful service and have an awesome reception.   When it comes time for the father daughter dance, Arizona goes to dance with her father and Mark dances with Callie.   But there is Callie’s dad to cut in and have his dance with his girl!!   Oh the tears!!!   So stick it Mama Torres!!!!!!

Everyone Else

The fight for chief resident is still going on with Alex taking a slight lead at this point by using a dying woman’s money (that she gave to him) to bring children over from Africa to be able to save their lives.  Alex is also the only one who knows what Meredith did during her clinical trial with switch the placebo for the active agent in Adele’s case.   So we’ll see how that plays out.

Teddy is still married and dating.  I find it horrible that she goes to her husband’s apartment to share her leftovers with him after every date she goes on.  It’s terrible and heartless!!!   Doesn’t she see how much he has fallen for her and this is probably killing him?  And how come your husband (the adorable Scott Foley) isn’t on your list of potential suitors?  Ugh.  Unfortunately, the shrink is back and he has received a crazy job offer in Germany (I think it was Germany) and he is planning on taking it.  As an added bonus, he made them offer Teddy the chief cardio-thorasic position as well.  So now she has a choice.  Does she stay with hubby or go to Germany?

 

QUICK REVIEW: Grey’s Anatomy “Song Beneath the Song” S7 E18

I’m going to do a full review on this tomorrow or over the weekend.  But I wanted to share some quick thoughts on the episode.

Being a fan of Broadway, I LOVED Sara Ramirez from her Tony Award winning performance in Spamalot.  When I first heard about the “musical” episode of Grey’s, I’ll be honest, I rolled my eyes.  But then I remembered that Sara would be singing so it made it more tolerable.  I also knew that Chandra Wilson has an amazing voice so I figured this may not be too bad.

While I thought the performances were pretty impressive (including some surprisingly impressive performances by Kevin McKidd and Chyler Leigh) I don’t know if it fit the gravity of the episode.  In all honesty, I though it took away from some of the power of the scenes when all of a sudden a song broke out.  It seemed strange to me that Lexie would be singing to Slone while he is crying in the stairwell.  It’s one thing to incorporate the songs from Callie’s subconscious and if she thinks she is hearing people singing like Hunt and Bailey due to a brain injury.  But I think it’s another to have the doctors consciously singing in the OR, in her room while taking care of her, or while they are having sex.

I thought the one song that was perfectly placed as the 11 o’clock number (as they call it in the theater) was Callie singing Brandi Carlisle’s “The Story.”  Wow.  Did she belt it out of the park or what?  It moved me to tears (especially when she woke up and said “yes” to Arizona’s marriage proposal.)  The words behind the song were perfect and it was Callie pushing herself to wake up and survive for all the people in her life who need her.  It was awesome.   The rest of it though, I’m not so sure.  There were times I was so moved by what was happening and then a song would pop in that I wasn’t sure how it tied in exactly and then the moment was lost for me.   Maybe it would have worked better if it was a patient we either didn’t know and didn’t have as much of a personal interest in or maybe had a slight connection with (like Scott Foley) or possibly still used Callie but maybe had less songs and put the songs in more appropriate spots in the show to not take away from the emotional moments.  I don’t know.

I want to reflect on this a little further but that is my initial gut reaction.   Great performances from the entire cast.  I love the songs themselves, obviously.  And I really hope I can get Sara’s rendition of “The Story” on iTunes.  But for the impact it provided to an already emotionally charged episode, it missed the mark.  In fact, it actually detracted from it.  But maybe I’ll feel differently after a few days.   So check back because I may have changed my thoughts after letting it sink in a bit more and watching the episode again.

Here were some of my favorite song renditions:

Chasing Cars

Breathe

Wait

How to Save a Life

The Story

 

Body of Proof Premieres This Tuesday March 29th on ABC at 10pm

I have been anxiously awaiting this premiere because I think it looks awesome and I love the cast!!  Body of Proof stars Dana Delany as Dr. Megan Hunt, a former top-level neurosurgeon turned medical examiner who is estranged from her husband and daughter.  It premieres tomorrow night on ABC at 10pm.

I hope by premiering this late in the year, it hasn’t set this show up for failure.  I already have lots of 10pm Tuesday night shows I already watch, like The Good Wife and Parenthood.  And by this time of year, many people are already set with their viewing habits and aren’t looking to add new shows to the mix at this point.  So that already has me concerned for Body of Proof.  It also doesn’t seem like ABC has promoted this show very well.  I’ve seen a commercial here or there but nothing to the level that you would think.  Especially considering ABC has really bombed on the drama front this year with shows like No Ordinary Family, Detroit 1-8-7, The Whole Truth, My Generation, and Off the Map, you would think ABC would like to see at least ONE new drama make it to next fall.  Those other 5 shows are either already canceled or about to be.  Not good for ABC.  So Body of Proof is their last chance to have a new show for this TV season to succeed.

Check out the clip below and if it peaks your interest, tune in tomorrow night!

 

REVIEW & RECAP: Private Practice “Blind Love” S4 E13

I know what part we really want to get into but let’s get the other cases and storylines out-of-the-way so we can dive into what happened with Charlotte tonight.

Baby Natasha

I really didn’t like Pete in this one and it confirms why I would never want him as my doctor.  He makes so many decisions based on his heart instead of what is right.  And while it’s a somewhat admirable quality, it can cloud his professional judgement a lot of the time.  In this case, a solider has come back from Iraq after her fiance was killed from a car bomb and that same car bomb caused her to lose her one eye and semi-blind her in the other.  She has a newborn baby named Natasha.  Pete has asked Amelia to help out on the case since there may be a chance for her regain her sight in one eye.  She has shrapnel lodged in her brain that is causing the blindness.  Amelia thinks if she can remove it, there is a chance she may be able to see out of her one eye again.   While explaining this to her, they notice Natasha turning blue due to lack of oxygen they successfully resuscitate her but realize that Lizzie (the mom) was suffocating her but didn’t know it.  This starts to cause a rift between Amelia and Pete.  Amelia calls Eric’s (her dead fiance) mother and she wants to take Natasha with her if the surgery isn’t successful.   Pete is furious with Amelia but Amelia said she is looking out for Natasha’s best interests.  She performs surgery and when it comes time to see if it worked…Lizzie tells them all the colors in the room that she sees…the surgery was a success!!!!   Or was it?  Turns out the surgery didn’t work and Pete coached Lizzie on what to say to make it seem like it was success.   IS HE FOR REAL?   Did he really think so little of Amelia’s intelligence and abilities that he coached the patient to lie and think Amelia would never find out?   That is beyond appalling to me!  The guilt finally eats at him and he does the right thing and tell’s Eric’s mother the truth.   She and Lizzie come to agreement that his mom will stay and help her as long as she needs and Lizzie agrees.

I am so floored by what Pete did I can’t believe it.  If I were Amelia I would never work with him again and insist that they have a meeting about whether or not Pete should stay in the practice. How could he do that?  This woman had no family, friends, or money to pay for help to assist in raising her baby.  In front of them, she showed how dangerous that is with her almost suffocating the baby.   Amelia was simply looking out for the baby’s best interest and safety and Pete was making her feel like she was an awful person.  There have to be so many ethical medical rules Pete broke when he came up with the genius idea to have the patient lie about her true health.  Was he not concerned for the baby’s safety at all?   Just because she’s her mother doesn’t mean she’s the best fit for raising her in her condition with no help.  I really don’t understand how he didn’t see that.  And I really don’t understand why it was an all or nothing deal….either the baby was with Lizzie or her grandmother.   If Lizzie really had no family or friends around to help her and she wasn’t working because of her condition, then why not move to San Diego to be closer to Eric’s family so they can help her?   Wouldn’t that have been the best and easiest solution?   Lizzie would still be her mom everyday but his family would be able to be in her life more often by helping her.   Seemed like a no brainer to me.   Seriously though Pete, you are now the person on this show I most dislike.

Bizzy/Susan/Addison

Continuing from last week, Susan is rushed to the hospital and after he announcement to Addison last week about how she signed a DNR, you know where this is going.  They are able to stabilize her but when Susan wakes up the next day, she can’t breathe.  Addison goes to help her and Susan reminds her not to take any extra measures.  Just as she is crashing, Bizzy comes in.   Now remember, Bizzy has no idea about the DNR, which is another issue I will get to.  Addison doesn’t bring the crash cart in and follows Susan’s wishes and allows her to die.  Bizzy is furious and blames Addison for the whole thing…how surprising and uncharacteristic of Bizzy (cough..sarcasm…cough.)  Knowing Bizzy the way she does, why would she tell Addison about the DNR but not Bizzy?  She should know that if Addison doesn’t help her, Bizzy is going to blame her for it, which is exactly what happened.  Susan should have told Bizzy the truth.  The only person who was spared any pain from that decision was Susan.  But she made it 20xs worse for Addison and Bizzy.

Addison is devastated not only over losing Susan but that her mother is so angry with her.   She goes to see her in the chapel and tries to talk to her but it doesn’t work.   Bizzy is still furious with her and won’t let her forget it.  She storms out and leaves Addison there.  Later Addison goes to her hotel room where Bizzy’s room is in complete disarray and Addison tries to help her.  Bizzy just wants her gone but Addison refuses to go.  Bizzy finally stops and tells Addison how alone she is going to be without Susan and she finally starts to ease up on Addison and let her off the hook.  Addison tells her that even though Bizzy’s never told her this, she will tell her: “I love you” she tells her mom.  Does Bizzy tell her “I love you too?”   Nope.  But she hugs her and instead of agreeing to let Addison spend the night with her asks her to meet her for breakfast in the morning.  Addison agrees and she looks really happy when she leaves because she and her mom have made peace.  Now at this point, I knew when Addison came back that she wouldn’t be happy.  But I thought it was going to be because her mom left.  I had no idea what was really going to happen even though all the signs were there.  Addison does come back, but later that night.  When she walks in Bizzy’s room, she drops everything and runs to the bed.   And now I know exactly what is going on.  Bizzy has killed herself.

I’ve never liked the Bizzy character and I really hated her after this.  Not only did she do this, knowing her daughter would be the one to find her, but when they were having their conversation earlier about saying I love you, I think Bizzy knew at that point what she was going to do.  And instead of her giving her daughter the one and only thing she has ever wanted from her mother, to tell her she loves her, she didn’t do it.  I think that’s awful.

Charlotte and Crew

I know I have mentioned this before but I still think it warrants mentioning again that I think KaDee Strickland should be up for an Emmy this year.  She has been simply sensational and she brings it again this week.  I also think Paul Adelstein and Brian Benben deserve consideration as well because they have also been terrific.  Just when it looked like, over the last couple of episodes, that Charlotte was slowly starting to show some signs of her old self again and let her guard down slightly, reality smacks her right back in the face.  Guess who was rushed to the hospital with a stab wound to the chest?   Lee McHenry!  You know why he was stabbed in the chest?  Because he was beating the tar out of his girlfriend and she needed to defend herself or he was probably going to kill her.  Sam is the doctor in charge of treating him which I find to be a great choice considering what we learned about Sam earlier this year.  He goes and tells Charlotte that he is in the hospital and why.  Her first instinct…let him die.   That would be mine too.  Sam has basically told Charlotte that whatever she wants him to do, as the Chief, she needs to let him know.  It looks like she is going to want him to die.  Again, me too.  When she bumps into Cooper back at the practice she tells him what is going on.  Cooper, shockingly, wants her to tell Sam to let him die.  She enlightens Coop on a very difficult dilemma:

“If I tell Sam to kill Lee, that’s on me, forever.  If I tell Sam to save Lee, he’ll always be out there.  Either way Coop, I lose.”

To get away, she hides out in Sheldon’s office.  I really didn’t like Sheldon when he first came on but now he is one of my favorite characters.  With all the insanity that is on this show, Sheldon always seems to be the rational voice of reason.  Charlotte starts to talk to Sheldon about this and how she wants to inflict pain on the man who destroyed her world.  He gives her the best piece of advice in regards to how she should handle this: ”

“You make life and death decisions for patients every day.  I see you do it.  You’re logical and brilliant and dispassionate and if I ever had an emergency, I would want you to my doctor.  If you saw him on the street and he tried to attack you again, I believe you could kill him but when he comes into your hospital needing help, that’s different.  He took a lot from you Charlotte.  But you can’t let him take what makes you, you.”

That was brilliantly stated.  And I also agree that if I were in need of medical attention I would want a doctor like Charlotte King to treat me.   Sheldon is 100% right.  If she okays this, it would be understandable but it doesn’t make her any different from Lee.  She would be taking away someone’s husband, father, son, brother, whatever.  By law, even though we all know it isn’t true, she would be taking an innocent man’s life.  Again 100% justifiable.  But Charlotte King isn’t like that.  She’s better than that and Sheldon is just reminding her to look past her pain and deep into her soul to remember that part of her.

At the hospital, Sam is checking on Lee when Cooper comes in ready to rip Lee to shreds.  Sam is able to stop him and calm him down but you can see the devastation, anger, contempt, fear, sadness, and disgust all over his face.  Cooper tearfully asks Sam why he isn’t letting him die and Sam doesn’t answer him.  He tells him that he can’t see Charlotte get this hurt again after starting to get her life back on track.  Sheldon comes in and backs Cooper off Sam.  Cooper gets in Sheldon’s face and tells him to back off since he has nothing to do with this.  Sheldon (again the voice of reason) reminds Cooper that yes he does and that by the way, he and Charlotte are friends and is devastated at the fact he feels that he has let his friend down.  Cooper realizes he is right and apologies to him and to Sam.  But before he leaves politely asks Sam to let Lee die.

Now I know everyone’s emotions are on overdrive here and rightfully so but no one ever stopped to think about what they were asking Sam to do and the position they were putting him in.  They were basically asking Sam to betray his Hippocratic oath and either let the man die or outright kill him in surgery.  Talk about putting Sam in a horrible spot.  What makes it even more horrible is that Sam was already in this position before (with the child molester) and he chose to let the man die.  It has been haunting him to this day.  In fairness, I think the only people who know this are Addison and Naomi.  But still.  It’s a little much to ask Sam to do this and then to try to make him feel guilty if he doesn’t.  Obviously, it’s not people’s intentions to do that but that’s exactly what they are doing to him.

Outside of Lee’s room, Charlotte is watching Lee’s wife Nancy stand vigil by his side.  She can’t understand that at all and neither can I.  Naomi (the other voice of reason on the show) comes to talk to her.  Charlotte is still going back and forth over what she should do and Naomi reiterates, to some degree, what Sheldon already told her.  Basically she told her that if she allowed him to die, would that really bring her the peace she is looking for?  Charlotte asks her how she is supposed to know that.  Naomi says she doesn’t know but for her, when the man who almost killed Maya and Olivia was in the hospital, her gut told her that the only way she could let go of all of her anger and find true peace, was to forgive him.  Wow.  I don’t think I could do that and I can’t see Charlotte forgiving him.  I can see her doing the right thing, but forgive him?  I don’t know.   When Sam comes to see her, she tells him she’s made a decision…do what you can to save his life.  That’s my girl Charlotte!!!!

Before the surgery, Sheldon is still trying to calm down Coop and when Coop sees Sam getting ready to go in, he stops him and asks him one more time not to save him.  Again, do you realize what you are asking this man to do?  Sam tries to remind him of the oath they took and how he doesn’t have the right to do this no matter how bad this man is.  He tells him that Charlotte wants him saved.  Coop still doesn’t understand how Sam can do this and Sam tells him, because it’s wrong and where does it stop once we start.  Where is the line drawn?   He’s right and I know deep down, Coop knows he’s right too.  Coop leaves and Sam goes in.  Sam is prepping him for surgery and Charlotte comes in.  She goes and puts her face right in front of Lee’s.  It was so tense and at one point I could feel my breath catch for a second not knowing what she was going to say to him.  He looks absolutely terrified which is fantastic!!  She tells him that just in case he didn’t survive surgery, she wanted to be sure that the last face he saw, was hers!   She then looks up, confidently, at Sam and nods her head to move forward.  It. Wa. Awesome!   I love seeing Charlotte get her power back!

Nancy comes to see Charlotte.  There was a part of me that just wanted to throw things at her, like beer, and scream at her for being so incredibly insensitive to Charlotte.  But the other part of me felt so bad for her because she probably lives her life everyday in fear of this man.  She asks Charlotte if Lee is going to be ok and she tells her she has the best doctor working on him.  She looks around her office and asks if this is where it happened.  Charlotte now realizes she knows all about the rape (and is still with him anyway!!!!)  She apologizes to her and turns to leave.  Charlotte asks her just what she is sorry for.  That her husband raped her, that she’s too gutless to leave him, or that the male role model in her son’s life is a monster?   She tries to tell Charlotte how sweet and gentle he can be when he wants to.  Are you kidding me?  This woman, with a battered face so swollen and bruised she can barely see, is trying to tell the woman he brutally raped and beat, how GENTLE he can be?  I really don’t know how Charlotte kept her composure.  She tells Nancy that her relationship with Lee is going to end badly and she has one of two options.  The first one being trying to kill him again when he goes to attack her again, which he deserves.  But that won’t do her or her son any good.   The second one, is to take her son and run.  Run as far away from Lee as she can.   Nancy gives her a look and turns and leaves.

Now comes the scene of the episode.  When Lee wakes up from surgery in his room, it’s very dark.  He goes to life his arm and he sees it’s handcuffed to the bed.  Charlotte is standing by his window and you can only see her silhouette.  She comes toward him and tells him his wife called the police and told them that he admitted to raping Charlotte.   Thank God Nancy came to her senses!!!!  Lee asks Charlotte if she is going to hurt him and she laughs in his face.   And she puts him in his place in quintessential Charlotte fashion:

“If I wanted you dead, you’d be gone by now.  I spent all this time building you up in my head as some big bad monster.  Truth is, you’re nothing.  Nothing but a sad little man who has to beat and rape women to make himself feel big.  You got no power over me.  I’m not afraid of you, but I do pity you.  And I forgive you.”

Charlotte, as calmly and as powerfully as she made her statement to Lee, walks out of his room, shuts the door, turns around, holds her head high, and walks away.  Utterly amazing!  I have to say, I am SHOCKED she forgave him.  I knew she would put him in his place but I never thought she would forgive him.  I thought the writers did an excellent job of handling this and staying true to character.  There was no screaming or crying.  No ranting or raving.  Just a cogent, strong woman getting her ownership back and letting the disgusting, vile thug know, that she is just fine and that he is nothing to her.  From start to finish, this storyline was handled so beautifully and respectfully.  Not only do all the actors, in particularly KaDee Strickland, deserve mad props for their portrayal of this, but the writing team was outstanding!

In the end, Coop comes to find her in her office and asks how she is doing.  She is smiling and she tells him honestly that she’s ok.  Her office is just her office again and for the first time in a long time, she really feels like everything is going to be alright.   They hug and it’s a wonderful moment for the two of them.  I am so happy for Charlotte and Coop and think this was handled exactly how they wanted it to and on their terms.  You’re probably thinking, wait a minute…not on Coop’s terms because he wanted him dead.  I still say that Coop got what he wanted because deep down, all Coop wanted was for Charlotte to be alright and get the peace, she needed.  Not him.   Coop probably also realizes that with Lee going to jail, what will happen to him in prison being a rapist and wife beater, will be 50xs more horrible than what they would have ever done to him.

I am looking forward to seeing Charlotte and Coop rebuild their relationship together after getting some closure with Lee.  I think there will still be work that needs to be done, but with one enormous obstacle out of their way, I think these two can handle anything life throws at them!!

 

New Shows: Body of Proof

ABC has announced the premiere date of their mid-season med show Body of Proof.   Body of Proof stars Dana Delany as Chief Medical Examiner Dr Megan Hunt who was previously one of the top neurosurgeons in the world.   Circumstances have caused her career change and she is getting used to living life as a med examiner and trying to rebuild her relationship with her daughter.   Body of Proof also stars Jeri Ryan, John Carroll Lynch, Nicholas Bishop, Sonja Sohn, Geoffrey Arend, and Windell D. Middlebrooks.

Body of Proof will premiere Tuesday March 29th at 10pm (the time slot of Detroit 1-8-7 which looks to be headed for cancellation.)   Check out the trailer for Body of Proof below:

 

REVIEW: Private Practice “Can’t Find My Way Home” S4 E9

I have very mixed feelings about this week.  I am very happy that Charlotte picked that jerk out of a lineup and decided to put him behind bars.   But I am really not sure about how Cooper found out.  I am so pissed about it but happy at the same time, if that makes any sense.   Let’s clear out the other cases first.

Pete/Adam/Mama Wilder

During the Halloween episode, we found out why Pete is estranged from his family…his mom was a drunk and skanky ho who always had a different man around all the time and his brother always made excuses for her.  The one man who stuck around, Henry, and was the closest thing Pete ever had to a father, she killed him and was sent to prison for manslaughter.    Pete never forgave her and Adam stood by her side.   Now she is dying and Adam has come to see Pete to ask for his help.  Adam is an attorney and he wants Pete to find a way to get her released from prison, medically, which is apparently possible if she has a condition that can’t be treated in prison.  Pete is really struggling with what he should do and Violet is being very supportive by not pushing him but offering up different reasons for both sides and having his back on whatever he chooses.  He decides to visit his mother and he agrees to come up with a reason to get her out.  But when he goes back to see his mom and she says she’ll tell Pete whatever he wants to hear because she doesn’t know what he wants from her, he realizes he knows exactly what he wants from her….absolutely nothing.   He leaves her and decides he will not lie to get her out of jail because she deserves to be there.  When he is back at home, Adam stops by and is pretty upset with Pete.  He asks once again to help their mom and Pete refuses.  Adam gives him an ultimatum and says if he doesn’t help their mom, then they are done.  It’s not much of an ultimatum since they hadn’t spoken in about 20 years.  Pete sticks to his guns (good job Pete) and Adam leaves.

Addison/Amelia/Seizure Case

A woman and her daughter come in to see Addison because the daughter hasn’t gotten her period and all her other friends have.  When Addison tells her she’s fine and not to worry, her mother collapses and has a seizure.  Her daughter knows exactly what to do and is able to help her mom through it.   Turns out the seizures started after a car accident they had in which her father was killed and her mother suffered head trauma resulting in the seizures.  Amelia wants to perform a surgery on the exact spot that is causing the seizures so they will stop and her mother can live a seizure free life.   Addison is there to tell the patient all the side effects and all the things that can go wrong and that maybe waiting and seeing if the seizures can be managed without the surgery.  The mother decides to opt for no surgery stating that she and her daughter are managing just fine.   Amelia asks to see Addison private and they have it out about their different sides.   Now I have to agree with Amelia on this.   Addison isn’t a neurologist.  Even though she’s a physician, what gives her the expertise to tell this patient what is the right course of action?   She doesn’t.  She should have deferred to Amelia’s judgement and discussed her opinion with her in private or suggested and second neuro consult.  In the end, the daughter just wants her mom to do whatever makes her happy but the daughter would rather her have the surgery.   She tells her mom this and they decide to go for it.   Amelia performs successful surgery and the mom will be just fine.  She is really excited and wants to go celebrate and she sees Cooper in the elevator and asks if he wants to go out.   He tells her that when Charlotte was attacked, he was with her, flirting with her, and getting drunk with her.   He doesn’t want to go out with her and basically wants Amelia to never be near him ever again.   Ouch.     That’s not fair.   However I can understand his reaction (but I hope he apologizes to her later) which leads us to….

Charlotte/Cooper/Violet

Cooper and Charlotte are at the police station because Charlotte was asked to identify the man they have in custody (thanks to Sheldon) in a lineup.  She refuses to do it and leaves.  Back at Oceanside, Addison, Violet, and Sheldon are all in the break room when Charlotte comes in to ask who else they told.  Sheldon admits he told the police and Addison admits she submitted the rape kit, Charlotte asked her not to do to being with, to the police as well.   Charlotte is livid at this point and I don’t blame her.   She storms out to her office.   Cooper, who is the only one besides Naomi who still doesn’t know,  goes to Violet and asks her to talk to Charlotte about going back to ID the perp so he can go to jail.  Violet goes to Charlotte and tells her the story about her rape trial and how she noticed one particular woman in the seats everyday of the case.  In the end, the woman thanks Violet because she had the courage to do what she couldn’t…face her attacker.   Violet’s rapist had raped that woman 6 months before.   Violet tells Charlotte she just wanted to punch her because if she had come forward and put the bastard away, Violet would never have been raped.  Charlotte tells her to get out.  Next, Sheldon comes to see Charlotte about doing the line up so they can arrest Lee.  Seriously people, can you leave this poor woman ALONE!!   She shoos him away too and he leaves dejected.  But something worked, because Charlotte tells Coop that she will go back to police station to ID the guy but that she wants Violet to go with her, because of her experience with Katie.  Coop is fine with that.

The go to the cop shop and Charlotte and Violet are going through the line up.  When Charlotte gets to #4, Lee, she says “he’s not here” and she leaves.  Outside, Violet asks her “it was #4 wasn’t it?”  Charlotte denies it but Violet sees right through it.   When Violet goes to bring up another one of her stories, Charlotte has had enough.   She lets her have it and tells her to back off and stop comparing their situations.   Violet is really frustrated with her and Charlotte is ready to kill Violet.   Now here is where things get fuzzy.  Back at the office, Coop sees Charlotte and asks how it went and she tells him the guys wasn’t there.   Coop is confused because the cops were so sure they had the right guy, but Charlotte says no.  Coop is really upset and Violet sees this.   She goes into Cooper’s office and announces she is going to break a promise  because the lie is wrong and it’s a bad thing.   She tells Cooper that Charlotte was raped and he is devastated.

Later that night, when Coop comes home and he looks at Charlotte, she knows immediately that he knows and she begins to cry.   Coop then sits across from her and says that he loves her and that he will always love her.   He tells her that the guy needs to pay.  She has to be able to sleep, and breathe, and be her again.  He’ll get a gun, he’ll make it look like a mugging, he doesn’t care what happens to him, but the man will not go free.  He says it calmly but firmly, but you know that he is dead serious.  Charlotte knows it too and she makes him stop talking, touches his face, and gives him a smile thanking him for his love and support.   I love how Cooper handled this situation.  It wasn’t about him or the fact that she didn’t tell him about this.   This was about wanting to punish the man who did this to her and to show Charlotte his never-ending love and support of her.  This was the kick in the ass she needed to get her strength to go back to the police station and positively ID Lee, while holding Coopers hand.   You the see the power, the control, the “Charlotte” back in her face as she IDs Lee.  And you start to notice that Charlotte will be Charlotte once again, eventually, with Cooper right by her side, not letting her fall.

Here is where my mixed feelings come in.  I think it’s great that everyone wants to rally around Charlotte and punish the bastard who did this to her, not only for Charlotte’s state of mind, but for the safety of other women.  I think it’s great that she has so many people who love and care about her that they will put their friendships on the line to make sure she is protected and safe.   BUT, they have no right to force her to handle this how they think she should handle it.  I understand wanting justice and wanting to make sure he doesn’t do this to someone else.   But that is Charlotte’s decision, not theirs.   And however she chooses to handle it, they should support it.    After some time has passed, if they want to try to broach the subject of her fighting her attacker again, that’s fine.   But respect her wishes and choices.   And how DARE you tell her fiance?  She should tell him when she is ready.   And if she is never ready, so be it.  Again, HER decision.  Not Violet’s.   But I guess you can’t argue with how it turned out because had it not been for Violet doing what she did and Cooper reacting the way he did, Lee may never have been IDed and gone free.  So was it really wrong?  I still think it was.   Even though the result is what we all wanted, Lee getting arrested for the crime, I don’t like the way it went down.  And I’m sure down the road when Charlotte starts to recover and get back to part of herself, she will thank everyone for pushing and showing their support.   And what really is the right thing to do?   Ignore the wishes of your colleague/friend and submit evidence to the police and tell her fiance so that she can start to heal and they can protect this from happening to someone else?  Or support her decisions, whether you agree or not, and be there for her and not judge her.  It’s a tough call.

 

RECAP: Private Practice “What Happens Next” S4 E8

Guess I should have kept the Kleenex handy for this week as well.  You know what, I am just going to hit my Wegmans and load up for the rest of season just to be safe!   This week deals with the aftermath of the aftermath…everyone getting back to their lives and jobs after Charlotte’s attack.   There were also 2 cases this week so let’s get them out-of-the-way and then we will jump into Charlotte’s storyline.

The first case was about a young girl named Elisa who was battling lymphoma.   She has gone through many bouts of treatment. including chemo, and it looks like she will have to go through Chemo once again.   Her father Diego, would rather not put her through that again so he suggests taking her to the Shaman for treatment.   Cooper is dead against this and Pete tells him to let Diego take Elisa and see what happens.  While with the Shaman, Elisa has some setbacks and they can’t find a heartbeat.  Diego is begging for the them to let the Shaman finish her ritual and Cooper and Pete call 911 to get her back to the hospital.   Diego is furious about this and wants his daughter released.  Cooper decides he is going to get a judge to rule that Elisa has the chemo.  Pete tells him that due to religious practices being the reason for Diego’s decision, Coop probably won’t win.   He disagrees and moves forward.   Pete goes to Elisa and asks her what she wants.    She says she doesn’t want chemo but never mentions that she wants the Shaman’s treatment either.   When the judge is there, Pete supports Diego’s request for treatment via the Shaman and Cooper stresses how important the chemo is to her health.   Finally Elisa speaks up and says that she doesn’t believe the Shaman can cure her but that the reason she doesn’t want the chemo is because it is bankrupting her family and she doesn’t want her father and siblings to suffer because of her treatment.   What an amazing kid!!!    Naturally the judge orders the chemo and Charlotte also agrees to allow the Shaman to come in and perform her ritual in the hospital for extra measure!

I think due to Charlotte’s situation, you may have Cooper wanting to over involve himself in his patients’ care.    I know he was always very involved before and wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to his patients, but I think it’s different now.   He can’t help Charlotte.   He can’t make her better.   So he is going to run through walls to make all the other people in that hospital better if it kills him.  At least with these other patients, he is helping them.   He is curing them.  Which is something he currently cannot do for the love of his life.  It’s only one week, but I think this could be a sign of how we are going to see Cooper react.

The second case involved a husband and wife, Rachel and Jimmy Berlutti!!!    They have a very loving marriage of 20+ years and Rachel has been struggling with cancer over the years.  Lately she has been having fits of rage and beating on Jimmy Berlutti.  Sheldon wants this reported and Jimmy Berlutti doesn’t want that.  He says he can take care of his wife.   He loves her and he can handle anything.  Rachel goes to see Addison to get checked out and it turns out she has a tumor on her ovary that is spilling high levels of testosterone into her system…which explains the rage outbursts.  Addison wants to perform surgery to check the extent of the tumor and Rachel agrees.   After surgery, it’s revealed to Rachel and Jimmy Berlutti that the tumor was more advanced than they thought and while they removed some of it, they couldn’t get it all and that she is terminal.   This also means the rage episodes will continue and they suggest hospice care for the remainder of her life so she can be with people who have the expertise to manage it.  It’s a heartbreaking scene between them because he wants to spend her last moment together and he promises her he can manage her episodes.   She tearfully tells him she doesn’t want that for him or to hurt him anymore and that she wants the hospice care.   Rachel tells him he can visit her everyday and tell the staff how to properly care of her.    It was really moving and it’s always good to see Michael Badaluco back on TV!!!

While everyone else is getting back to work, so is Charlotte.   She goes into her office at St Ambrose and she flashes to the rape in her head.  She immediately leaves and heads over to Oceanside.   The crew is in the kitchen and Cooper asks everyone to please act normal around Charlotte.  When Charlotte comes in she tells everyone to look now and move on with it.   One by one, people are going up to her to check on her.  Addison wants to get her coffee and let her know that she is there for Charlotte.  Charlotte reminds her that they are not friends and that the only thing she wants from her is to keep her mouth shut.   Amelia brings doughnuts (smart girl)  and offers to take Charlotte to a meeting if she starts to have the urge to take pills again.  “I wrestled my 2 older brothers growing up.  My pain threshold is very high.”   Pete comes to see her to check her injuries and she reluctantly agrees.   You can see in her face that with every touch of Pete against her skin, she is cringing in pain.   I’m sure physically but it’s more emotional trauma than physical.   Finally, Sheldon sees her in the coffee-room and treats her the most normal of everyone.   Charlotte notices this and thanks Sheldon for leaving her alone.  “I’d do nothing for you anytime.  You know that right?”  Sheldon tells her.  “Yes I do.”   Great scene.

Behind the scenes Addison is really struggling with what has happened to Charlotte.   She wants to talk about it but she can’t.   Then we realize there is more to what is bothering her.   She confides in Sam that she was treating a rape victim and the victim did not want a rape kit performed because she didn’t want anyone to know.   Unbeknownst to the victim, Addison performed the rape kit anyway, in case she changed her mind later and wanted to press charges.   By law, Addison is supposed to report the rape to the police.  Sam reminds her of this and wonders why she didn’t call the police.   It then dawns on him that it was because the victim was Charlotte.    Now, I think Addison did the right thing by performing the rape kit.  I think there is nothing wrong with having it performed and if the victim doesn’t change their mind, you discard the evidence.  If they do change, you have it.   But what bugs me is her telling Sam.   What about doctor/patient confidentiality?   I can’t BELIEVE she told Sam this.   And I don’t care that she never said it was Charlotte.  Sam isn’t stupid so of course he would figure it out.    She had no right to do that.   I understand this is hard on her and she wants to help Charlotte, but this isn’t her call and it’s not about her feelings.  Charlotte asked her to keep quiet and she should, to Sam.   To the police, I’m not so sure.   As a doctor Charlotte should know she is putting Addison in a bad spot by asking her to do something illegal, but I don’t care.  I am certainly not going to blame Charlotte!   And I can see where Addison would struggle to tell the police so she can help put the bastard behind bars.   But she had NO RIGHT to talk to Sam about this.   Because look at what happened…Sam goes to Violet, Violet goes to Sheldon, Violet also talks to Pete, Sheldon talks to the police, and then Violet talks to Charlotte.   So it went from 2 people knowing to at least 5 more people knowing.   Let’s look at each scenario:

• Sam to Violet: never tells Violet what is going on and what happened but he stresses to Violet in a very strange way that she NEEDS to talk to Charlotte.   Violet, at first, is extremely confused and she just wants to leave Charlotte alone because that is what Charlotte wants.   But Sam keeps pushing her to talk to Charlotte.  Violet is also a smart woman and has her opinions as to why Sam is pushing this so hard.
• Violet to Sheldon: Violet talks to her fellow colleague about what happened and tells him she wishes he was there so they can compare notes.  They begin a very cryptic conversation but then Sheldon mentions that he was with a felon who is accused of raping someone and Violet’s face completely changes.  Sheldon, also a very smart man…who is really growing on me as a character by they way…sees the reaction Violet has to his telling her this news asks Violet if she thinks Charlotte was raped.
• Violet to Pete: they have a very normal husband/wife discussion and Violet starts to tell Pete about what happened to her in college.   She also asks him why he never asked her about it.   He tells her that he knew she would talk when she was ready.    Violet asks him if he thinks Charlotte was raped.   He tells her he can’t discuss a patient and she agrees but she is just asking his opinion.   Now in fairness, Pete already had these thoughts back from the initial exam of Charlotte.   You could see it in his face.  But he tells Violet that yes, he thinks she was raped.
• Sheldon to the police: After his conversation with Violet, Sheldon goes back to his detective friend and tells him he thinks he knows who asshole bastard raped.  Oh boy.   Shouldn’t he be talking to Charlotte about this first?
• Violet to Charlotte (KLEENEX MOMENT):  Violet enters Charlotte’s office at St Ambrose, who by the way just started to feel a tinge of comfort in there after not being able to go in before.   There are no niceties and Violet begins to tell Charlotte about what happened to her in college.  Violet was raped by a man who came in through an open window and beat her head until her hair was caked with blood.   She thought if she stayed quiet about it, then it would be like it never happened.   “Because things like that, they don’t happen to people like me.  Or to people like you.  So I just wanted you to know that I get it.  I get it Charlotte.  And I’m here for you.”   Then she leaves.   And Charlotte loses control.

Violet had gotten on my nerves a lot this season, but this one scene completely reminded me of why I liked her so much in the first place.  Violet can very calmly, respectfully, and compassionately let you know that she understands exactly what you are going through and be there for you the way other people can’t.    She can talk you through something and get you to a level of clarity you couldn’t see before.  In this instance, she handled it perfectly.  She explained to Charlotte what she went through, how she can understand her and her decision-making yet not judge her, and leave the door open for her to talk to her.   Then she leaves her alone.    It was perfectly written and excellently executed by Amy Brenneman!!    When Violet leaves, Charlotte loses control and trashes her office.  I think this is a result of many bottled up feelings: anger for what happened to her, anger for not being able to talk about it, anger that what happened to her got out now people know, anger that she is in fact a victim, anger that this happens to women too much.

The domino effect of this information coming to light is Sheldon going to the police, Addison calling police reporting the rape kit information she has, and Charlotte starting to take the small steps of asking for help by going to Amelia and asking her to go to a NA meeting with her.  Amelia drops everything and leaves with her immediately.

Doesn’t it seem like everyone knows right now except for one person….Cooper.   I really hope that Charlotte is the one to tell him.  Because if he finds out some other way, that won’t be a pretty sight.  This group of people, while their intentions most of the time are good, have a tendency to not respect other people’s wishes and do what they think is best.   I know they all have her back and I know they all want that person punished and castrated for what he did to her.   So do I.   But this is Charlotte’s decision, not theirs!!!   It will make her feel more like a victim and out of control if everyone is making decisions for her.   Like I said I know their intentions are good.   But if they really want to help her and help her get her power back, let her decide how to move and when she will move forward.   You can guide her and direct her on the path of turning the asshole in.   But they need to let her do it her way.  Otherwise, they will hurt her recovery more than help.

I want to give props to the PP writing team for really being so genuine and careful with this story.  Rape storylines are very challenging and you want to tell it with respect as well as power.   The writers of PP are doing just.   And I think it goes without saying that the acting of the entire cast but especially KaDee Strickland, Paul Adelstein, Kate Walsh, and Amy Brenneman have been remarkable.   I really want to hear what you think about the cast, the writers,  and the storyline.

 

RECAP: Private Practice: “Did You Hear What Happened To Charlotte King” S4 E7

I thought a lot about how I would start this post.   There are very few times on TV when an episode hits you to your core.   And not to be sexist, but I think if you are a woman, watching an episode like last night, it just impacts you harder and affects you more.    Private Practice went there last night.   They have done violent episodes before (Violet’s attack comes to mind) but something about the way this episode was filmed and executed just resonated with me.   Unfortunately we witnessed the brutal and vicious beating and rape of Dr. Charlotte King….one of the strongest but one of the most emotionally challenged women on the show.  I’m glad the show decided not to show the entire rape scene.  To see Charlotte’s condition, the condition of her office, and the few clips of the actual attack, were enough to demonstrate what a horrific trauma this woman just went through.   And to sensationalize more would have been distasteful.  I thought the show handled that very well.

The opening scene shows the immediate aftermath of the attack.   You see her office in disarray.  A broken fingernail.  Lamps are broken.  Glass all over the floor.  Tables turned over.  An overturned coffee cup.  Charlotte’s bloody arm surfacing on her desk in an attempt to stabilize herself.  She grabs her underwear off the floor and hides them in a file drawer in her desk and then locks it and hides the key in a flower-pot.   It is very consistent with what her character would do instinctively….hide the evidence of what truly happened to her so no one will know.   She walks down the corridor to a supply closet where she is gathering medical supplies so she can treat herself.   Pete walks in and see her.  She collapses and he picks her up and carries her to an exam room.   He begins to help her and she requests a nurse who will “keep her mouth shut” for assistance.  As soon as Pete leaves, she makes a phone call.  You think it’s to Cooper but it isn’t, she calls Addison.    When the exam resumes, Addison comes in and Pete wonders what she is doing there.  Charlotte shakes her head “no” and Addison said she was called in on another case and heard about what happened.  At this point, Charlotte vomits and Addison shoos everyone out of the room, including Pete.  She starts to clean up Charlotte and suggests a HIV cocktail, the morning after pill, some other test for STDs, and a pelvic exam.   She asks if her assumption is correct and Charlotte confirms she is right.

One of the more painful scenes to watch was the pelvic exam.   You see Charlotte shaking and crying and then Addison reaches for her hand for support which Charlotte grabs onto.  It would be fair to assume Charlotte’s cries were for the pain of the exam but it was much more than that.  It was the pain of someone being around an area where she was violated and the idea of someone else with their hands on her (even her friend who is a doctor) is excruciating.  Addison suggests a rape kit and Charlotte refuses immediately.  “I was robbed, I wasn’t raped.”  Addison is stunned and says she needs to do this so she can turn evidence over to the police and it is her legal duty to do so.  Charlotte says no.   The story is she was robbed and beaten, nothing else happened.  She stresses it again, nothing else happened.  Addison reluctantly agrees with her and she begs Addison not to say a word to anyone.   “He took my wallet, he didn’t take anything else.”  KaDee Strickland and Kate Walsh had incredible scenes together.  Both of their emotions were very raw and real and it was touching to see Charlotte lean on someone for help (which she never does) and Addison being there for her every step of the way and the pain she exuded for Charlotte.

At this point, Cooper has finally been told that Charlotte is in the hospital (he was out drinking with Amelia and Sam) and he leaves the bar to be with Charlotte.  He’s pretty hammered so he needs to sober up in order to go see her.  I read that the scene where Cooper sees Charlotte for the first time is also the first time Paul Adelstein sees Strickland in her makeup so the reaction you get from him is real because he hadn’t seen her yet.   Cooper is completely distraught over the sight of her but you see him trying to pull himself together to be strong for her and Charlotte sees right through it.  She asks to come to her bedside.   He goes over and lays his head in her lap as he starts to cry.  Vintage Charlotte, being the strong one, being the one to comfort him and tell him she is ok and that she will be alright.   I wonder how often that happens?   The victim of a violent crime needs to comfort the family around them so they don’t worry and get too upset.  I bet it happens a lot.

Amelia suggests they do a CT scan since she threw up and had damage to her head, she may have a concussion.  As Amelia preps Charlotte, you can see she is uncomfortable and doesn’t know what to say so she goes into doctor mode telling her what to expect and Charlotte reminds her she knows how a CT works.  Amelia then begins to recite the Serenity Prayer and Charlotte chimes in and they finish the prayer together.  “I thought you seemed like you were one of my people” Charlotte tells Amelia.  And Amelia smiles and tells her that she has been drinking a lot lately.  No pills, just a lot of drinking.   Charlotte asks her if she has gone to a meeting and Amelia replies no.  Charlotte tells her that they will go to a meeting together.  “Thank you” Amelia says, “no problem” Charlotte responds.   Again, in the midst of everything she has just been through, she reaches out to help and comfort Amelia.   In one sense it’s a good thing because it takes her mind off what had happened to her and gives her some power back if she is helping someone else in need.  At the same time, I just want to burst through my TV set, throw my arms around her, tell her to stop worrying about other people, take care of herself, and let her cry it out!

In another very painful scene, Charlotte has to get stitches in her arm and she can’t take drugs due to her background with drug addition and her allergy to local anesthesia.  So Amelia has to sew her up with nothing to ease her pain.  Her screams of pain are almost unbearable to watch and listen to and Cooper nearly loses it at the sound of her agony.  He can’t take it and Charlotte realizes this and asks him to get her a latte.  He doesn’t want to leave her side but she convinces him that she wants that latte so he leaves to get it for her.  After she is cleaned up Addison comes back in to see her and begs her to tell the police what has happened so that this won’t happen to another woman.   Addison tells her “if you keep this secret, it will eat you alive, I know it.”  Charlotte begins to enlighten Addison with what she is going through:

“You ever been violated?  Anybody rape you lately?  Let me tell you what it is like.  You know those made for TV movies that always show some woman naked in a shower crouched down on her knees and sobbing?  ‘Cause when she closes her eyes she can still feel the guys hands on her?  How when they show the attack the woman’s eyes go all blank and still?  She goes to some other place in her mind just so she can deal with the horror of what is happening to her while some Lilith Fair song plays (I have to say that made me smile a little because it’s true.)  It is nothing like that.  It’s dirty and sweaty.  And he licks your face and he wipes himself off in your hair and when you try to scream he punches you so hard you see God.  And then he goes at you again…raping stuff you didn’t even know you had ’cause he enjoyed it so much the first time.  I know you are trying to help.   But if helping me, means that everyone, that Cooper, is going to be looking at me the way you are looking at me now?   Please.  Do not help me.”

I was so mesmerized and so attentive during her talk with Addison I couldn’t move.  I could feel her pain, her anger, her fear in my bones.   It made me want to hunt this guy down and torture him with any means possible to try to have him feel of a tenth of what he put her through.  I can’t even imagine or begin to understand that kind of terror.  And she says it perfectly when Pete comes in to help her pain with his “voodoo” medicine and he asks her where it hurts the most?  “My soul” she very matter-of-factly replies.

Cooper is sitting with Charlotte when she realizes that she needs to write a memo about what happened.  She feels people are going to be concerned about their safety since a doctor was attack and she needs to write this memo.  Cooper tells her someone else can do it and don’t worry about it.  She reminds him she’s Chief of Staff and she has to worry about.  “I’m the boss” she says.  “You’re the victim” he says and she slaps her water cup and pitcher all over Cooper and the floor.  She tells him if he ever calls her the victim again their marriage is off.  He apologies and says he understands.  Her face turns very soft and she apologies to him for which he says, she doesn’t need to.  He leaves to give her some space and walk off his anger towards her attacker.  He ends up at her office and goes in to see the destruction and brutality that occurred.  He can see how much she fought back.  Even Violet who follows him was not prepared to see the complete and utter chaos in her office.  Cooper at this point completely breaks down and Violet shuts the door to give him some privacy.

Cooper comes back in to check on her and sees her trying to get dressed.  She asks him to help her and he just wants her to get back into to bed and rest.  But she doesn’t want to be in the hospital anymore, she just wants to go home and he agrees and helps her.   She tells him “thank you for loving me.   Take me home.”   He walks her out of her room and into the hallway where the PP crew is waiting for her.  Pete offers to get her a wheelchair and she informs him that the only way she doesn’t walk out of there on her own 2 feet are if she is in a coma or a body bag.  When she begins to walk down the hall is when you start to see the flashes of what happened to her in her office.  Just those 60 seconds of her ordeal are enough to make me want to throw up.  The look of terror in her eyes as she realizes what is happening to her is bone chilling.  And as we flash back and forth between the attack and her walking down the hall, we see her trying to stand strong in front of her subordinates (“Don’t you all have some place you need to be.?”) she barks at them, while telling Cooper very softly “Don’t you let me fall.”  “I won’t” he says.  And the meaning there isn’t just about her walking out of there on her own 2 feet, it’s about him being there for her through the impossible struggle of recovery they are about to face.

While this entire episode is happening as laid out above, there is Sheldon who happens to be called into the police station to question an unstable man who has blood all over him.  While we witness Charlotte being attended to and the reaction of her friends and colleagues, Sheldon is questioning the dirt ball who raped her and he has no idea.   We find out the man did this to Charlotte because he found his girlfriend in bed with another man and when he went to the hospital for help, Charlotte was mean and told him to wait.  I am now incensed by this statement.  And when he told Sheldon he “gave it to her and he gave it to her good” I just wanted to throw up again.   If I could have jumped through my TV and beaten him within an inch of his life, I would have.  In the end, Sheldon and police determine he has raped someone but the police say that unless some comes forward, they have no case.

“What Happens Next” is the title of the next episode.  This will surely resonate throughout this entire season and have permanent life changing effects for the characters.  How does Charlotte begin to rebuild her life?  How will Cooper be able to stand by and support her?   Will Addison be able to keep her secret and how will that effect her?   Will the other members of Oceanside figure out what really happened on their own?   And will Charlotte decide to come forward and put this asshole away forever?   “What Happens Next?”   That’s what we all want to know.  My money’s on Dr. Charlotte King.

 

QUICK REVIEW: Private Practice “All in the Family” S4 E6

The 2 big cases are a comatose woman whose husband can’t seem to let go and actually has sex with her and gets her pregnant and a husband and wife who are trying to get pregnant however it turns out he is gay and having an affair with a prostitute and is HIV positive.

First, how did they not know it was the husband who got her pregnant? That guy was a few burgers short of a happy meal so how is it they were shocked to learn it was him? Again I find myself siding with Addison here. I can understand not being able to let go of your wife and best friend. But you have sex with her and get her pregnant while she is in a coma??? I can’t even begin to express how disgusting and repulsive that is. He should never be allowed near his wife again. I can see wanting to give this man counseling, but keep him away from his wife in the meantime. But I think he should be in jail for having sex with his wife without her consent.

As for the second case, another light one, I feel for both parties. On one hand you have the husband hiding who he truly is because he doesn’t want to hurt his wife because he does love her. On the other hand you have the wife who, as it turns out, has known about her husband’s true feelings for a long time. She is amazingly calm and understanding and you can tell how much these two love and respect one another. Everything seems to be ok until Pete reminds the husband he has one more thing to tell her. And he tells her about being HIV positive. But Pete tells her right away she is ok. When the husband goes to apologize again, she slaps him and leaves crying. I don’t blame her there. It’s one thing to understand that your husband is gay and you deal with that however you choose. But it is something else to endanger her health. Especially since his boyfriend is a prostitute.

The 2 personal stories I wanted to get into are Pete and Violet and Sam and Addison.   Let’s start with Sam and Addison.  They were both on opposite ends of the coma case and when they got back to Addison’s apartment, Sam was ready to let it go but Addison was still stewing about it.   Sam can’t understand why Addison is still upset and she admits she can’t just drop it because they are home.   I agree with her on that.  I think that would be really hard to do.   Sam thinks it’s best to leave work disagreements at work.   Hey that’s what he and Naomi did!  Oh boy Sam…that is a BIG no no.  Addison rightfully yells at him that she is not Naomi.  That’s not fair of him to do that.  Not only is she is ex, but her best friend.   You don’t cross that line.  But there are so many lines being crossed with this relationship, why not cross one more!   I think we are starting to see that this will be a big road block for them.  As I have mentioned before, I am not ok with this romance.  I don’t think Addison should be dating her best friend’s ex-husband.  This relationship comes across as one of pure lust and the idea of finally getting something you could never have before.  I think these 2 are good friends, but I don’t see it for the long haul.  I see the sexual chemistry there, but not the long-term love like I see with Charlotte and Cooper.

As for Pete and Violet, I wanted to kill Violet this week.   Seriously, what is her problem?   That is Pete’s brother and HE gets to determine if he wants a relationship with him.  Not you!!!  And I loved her comment to Cooper “Maybe Adam can help me understand Pete more.”   How?   They haven’t spoken in over 20 years!!!!  How will this guy know Pete better than you?  And then she forces his hand (while Trick or Treating with their son by the way) to tell her what happened to their relationship.  Trick or treating with your son in public is not the best time to make him tell you something so painful he is still destroyed by it.  I was so angry with her about this because this was all about her.   She can try to talk herself into believing this was about Pete but it wasn’t.   This was about what Violet wanted and what Violet thought was best.

Hey does anyone else find it a bit odd that one of the leading neurosurgeons in the country goes to the office everyday like she’s headed to a club?   What’s with all the belly shirts?  She already looks about 16 years old, and the belly shirts aren’t helping.   I really am getting old!!!

So I’m sure everyone saw the last 2 minutes of this week’s show.   This was the big storyline that will change everyone at PP that I talked about before but didn’t want to spoil.   I’ve heard Charlotte’s attack next week is pretty brutal and that KaDee Strickland’s subsequent episodes should put her on the Emmy list.  This will certainly be a game changer for the show and I am curious to see how all the characters will react.