Acceptance
Updated 2009-02-06 09:13:09
We go straight from that Grey's episode ending with Derek's phone call and disappearance to Addison calling him. There aren't previews for next week or commercials or anything. Private Practice starts right up while the Grey's black bar of credits flashes across the bottom of the screen, in fact. That obviously means this is a big, important crossover, right? Well ... don't get your hopes up.
We start in a hospital with a tearful Addison calling Derek, and telling him she needs him. Then a whiteout flashes us back fourteen hours, where we see an orgasmic Naomi laying against a very cool lime green pillowcase. She tells Archer that he brings something out in her. He likes to think it's the best in her, but she suggests it might be the worst. They start kissing, and as he works his way down her body, he stops, and she calls him a tease, then her smile quickly turns to panic when she realizes he's seizing. I don't know how an actor can make this look so real, but Grant Show totally sells it, all red faced and veins popping out on his neck as he moans and writhes. That leads us to our sunny opening.
When we come back, we have another red-faced, groaning person, but this one's a woman having a baby at Oceanside, with the help of Dell and Addison. They wonder where Naomi is, since she hasn't returned their pages. The patient worries about Naomi not being there, but Addison promises she's in good hands. Dell tells Addison the patient is "at plus-2 station." Addison thinks this is good, and I will trust her, since she's the smartest person in the world.
Archer and Naomi argue in his hospital room about his health. He says he's fine, and she thinks that seizure indicates otherwise. He tells her his pulse, blood pressure, and other stats are all completely normal. She says that a healthy person doesn't have a "tonic-clonic" seizure out of the blue. He, as the "bad-ass brain guy" (last week he was calling himself a "good-time guy," and now this? I'm not sure which one makes me hate him more, but I guess I don't have to choose) begs to differ. He talks a bunch of brain gibberish, and then says he's signing himself out against her medical advice, making her his doctor, so now he tells her she has doctor-patient confidentiality and must lie to Addison.
Cooper and Violet are arriving at work, waiting for the elevator, weighed down with food and beverages. He tells her she's a doctor and knows she needs to see Naomi or Addison about the pregnancy today. Then she coughs and he tells her she sounds like crap (which she does for the entire episode; I think they just wrote Amy Brenneman's cold in or something). She's annoyed he's acting like the pregnancy police, but he says he's just her friend and -- oh yeah! -- a doctor. They get in the elevator, and Sheldon joins them there before it closes. Sheldon (who is so very short next to Cooper, by the way) comments on how often Cooper and Violet are together. They tell him they're just friends, but you can tell he's not really buying it. He gets off on the fourth floor, and Charlotte happens by and snits, "Oh look! The happy couple." Cooper gets off the elevator, and follows her. She won't talk until he'll tell her why he moved in with Violet. Until then, he's just a guy who moved in with another woman.
Dell and Addison are continuing the delivery. The father wants to know what's taking so long, and Addison tells him the labor's not progressing (still at "plus-2") and that the baby has "variable D cells," so they are going to have to help guide the baby out through assisted delivery. She instructs Dell to get the vacuum extractor, a term that freaks the mom out -- as it would any sane woman. Dell has never used one of these, but Addison has him do it anyway. It basically looks like Dell is holding onto a hose and pulling it out of the woman, which I guess is what's happening, but the other end of the hose is attached to the baby's head. The baby's out before we know it, and Dell's freaking out about the shape of the baby's head. Um, seriously? Has he never seen a newborn baby, because I am no expert, but I have seen several of them with crazy head shapes. That's because heads are too big to fit through a hole that size so they get misshapen. Addison tells him it's normal to have a head like that with a vacuum delivery, but he's still worried. She tells him not to. He worries some more.
In the break room, Sam tells Cooper he thought they were back together. Cooper says they were, but Charlotte is ... complicated. Sam rubs it in, all, "You know what I like about Sonya?" Pete: "She's not complicated?" I don't know why that's funny, but it is. Sam ignores him and says that Sonya says exactly what she thinks. Cooper tells him to be careful what he wishes for, which is weird because no one wished for anything. I think Sam just said that he likes what he has. That's not wishing last time I checked. The guy talk over breakfast is interrupted by a cute little girl on crutches, who's looking for Cooper. He calls her Patty and says he thought he was meeting her at the hospital. She says her mom brought her here first, and that her mom went to get money and isn't back yet. Patty goes to use the bathroom, but gives Cooper a note from her mom first. While she's gone, he reads it and tells Sam and Pete that Patty's parents dumped her, and aren't coming back. Is it stereotypical of me to think that someone who would go to a pediatrician at a place like Oceanside isn't just going to dump their child?
Addison walks into Naomi's office, surprised she's here since she ignored her pages. She tells Naomi that her patients had their baby and named her Beth. Naomi says she had a rough morning, and Addison says if it's Archer related, she can just dump him. Naomi looks deadly serious and Addison tells her that was supposed to be funny. Naomi asks Addison to excuse her for a minute and she goes to the fourth floor to tell Archer she hates lies and knows something's wrong. He says he's fine, but she pushes and he finally caves and admits he has a glioma in the third ventricle of his brain. It's inoperable cancer. Naomi's sad.
We return from commercial on an extreme close-up of Sam's profile. It's strange, but I'm not complaining because ... well, you know: He's hot. Naomi walks into his office and tells him she wants to tell Addison something, but can't because she was asked specifically by someone not to tell. Sam obviously knows it's Archer. She tells Sam it involves doctor-patient confidentiality. Sam says that would apply if she were Archer's doctor, but unless he's trying to get pregnant, she's not. She tells him it's something medical. Sam asks if Naomi keeps a secret for a man she cares about or lies to her best friend? I think both, Sam. That is not an either/or. I think you should have asked if she keeps a secret for a guy she cares about or tells her best friend the truth. How is it possible that everyone involved in making this episode let such a logical fallacy slip through. Or am I the one lacking logic, and misunderstanding what Sam meant?
Addison's showing Dell how perfect the baby he vacuumed is, but he thinks she should order a CT or MRI just to be sure. She tells him this is all within the range of normal, but he thinks if there's a chance something could be wrong, they should do something. He just wants her to be okay. Addison does too, and she assures him this baby isn't sick.
Cooper's telling Violet, exposition style, all about little Patty: She was in a car accident when she was five, but they had to wait for the bone to grow more before they could do the surgery. Violet can't believe her parents walked out the day of the surgery. Pete comes in and says Patty's out there reading to her teddy bear. Cooper hasn't told her yet, and Violet says he has to report this and Patty already knows something's wrong. Pete and Violet tell Cooper this is abandonment, but Cooper wants to keep looking for the parents, who he thinks just freaked because of money. Also, the surgery's elective, so if they turn her over to child and family services, she won't get the surgery. Violet tells him that some parents shouldn't be parents, but if he wants to go look for Patty's, he can -- AFTER Violet talks to Patty and makes sure this family's worth saving.
In Violet's office, Patty tells Violet that Felix (her teddy bear) is her best friend. He lives at home with her family. Violet asks what a family looks like, and Patty's answer is normal: mommy, daddy, me, and Felix. Violet asks her a bunch of open-ended questions, and she answers them all in such a way that her family sounds completely great. Her mom makes dinner, her dad works and then comes home and crawls into bed with her. When Violet presses about that, Patty says he either reads to her or starts snoring.
Naomi walks into Addison's office and says she has to tell her something. She starts with, "Archer asked me not to tell you..." Addison interrupts and asks what he did to Naomi. Naomi continues that he had a seizure last night, and it's not his first one. She says it's cancer, and that he says he saw everyone in New York, and there is nothing to do. Naomi says he's downstairs but doesn't want to talk about it. Addison gets all fixy and says she'll get scans from New York and find some way to fix this. Naomi tries to tell her that's not possible, but Addison, Our Hero, won't listen.
Violet tells Cooper everything about Patty's family seems normal and healthy, so go find the parents. He takes off. Sam comes out and asks Violet if he can borrow her for something important. It's the Archer situation. Pete, Naomi, Sam, and now Violet are gathered in Addison's office, offering condolences. That pisses her off, though. She says to stop talking about him like he's dead. She is trying to get his scans from New York before she talks to him. She yells and says that she doesn't need the super friends right now. She is fine, and Archer isn't, and she's going to fix it. Sam tries a reassuring approach -- that Naomi says Archer's doing well. Addison says Archer's creating drama like he always does, with these secrets. Pete says he's sure Archer is scared even if he won't admit it. Addison gets the scans, and looks at them. It's basically a brain with a white dot in the middle, and it makes everyone very somber. I think that means it's bad.
Archer comes into Addison's office asking her about a consult she called him up there for, but he quickly sees it's his cancer denial intervention. Addison tells Archer the tumor's operable. He tells her one doctor did think so, but three didn't, because they'd have to tear through half his brain to get it. Sam and Pete suggest chemo and radiation, but Archer poo-poos those ideas too. He tells Addison he's not giving up. At this rate, he has five great years, and can keep his hair. She asks when his last CT scan was, and he goes to the scans and reads them. When he reads the date, though, he tilts his whole head back to read them. Sam asks him to read them again without tilting his head. He can't. Sam tells Addison he has an "upward gaze palsy." Pete points out this isn't consistent with third-ventricle glioma. Naomi wonders what else it could be. Addison says he needs another CT scan, and now.
Cooper, meanwhile, shows up at Patty's parents' house. Shockingly, no one's home. Usually when people abandon their kids, they go straight home and wait to be found, right?
Dell's still stressing about the baby girl. He goes in and takes her hat off and inspects her head. Mommy wakes up and sees him. She talks about how beautiful the baby is, and thanks Dell for taking care of her so she can sleep. He asks if she's nursed yet; she hasn't. She asks if something's wrong, and Dell tells her everything's fine, but we can tell he doesn't really think so.
Archer's in a hospital gown, when Addison starts lecturing him about not telling her. He says he wanted to make up for lost time with her, but she thinks lying isn't the way to do that. And then she's annoyed he told Naomi. He says the seizure sort of forced him to. He didn't want to see the pity in her eyes. She says it's not pity, but then says he's the only sane family she has (I think calling Archer sane might actually be a stretch, though). She's interrupted by him having to go ahead with his CT scan.
Cooper's giving Patty a shot, which she talks Felix through, and then she has him put a band-aid on Felix. Cooper asks where her parents would go if there were trouble at the bank, and Patty says her mom talks to her aunt Katie a lot. She lives near Disneyland. Patty asks if something happened to them, and Cooper says, "No, no, God no!" I don't know if I'm just a prude, but it seems weird for a pediatrician to say "God no" to a child. He tells her that her parents are going through a hard time right now, but she thinks he's lying.
Sam, Archer, Naomi, and Addison are all looking at Archer's scan. The "tumor" has doubled in size and there are more lesions, which mean it's not a tumor. They guess about what it is, and Archer figures out it's a parasite he picked up in Zihuatanejo.
In the hospital waiting room, Archer confirms that it's a parasite. Addison's calling Derek to take them out. And we're only halfway through the episode. But, nope, Archer's not having it. He says it's still in the middle of his brain, and therefore too risky. She says he needs to do this so these parasitic worm sacs don't rupture and kill him. He's going to take anti-parasitic medications, which Sam explains also is risky, because they could work or they might also cause them to rupture. Archer says the drugs could cure him and even in Derek's hands, there's a one in four chance he ends up a vegetable. He tells Addison it's her instinct to cut, as a surgeon, but it's not his. Naomi tells Addison it's Archer's choice, and Addison says the bitchiest thing ever, "Nae, you've been sleeping with him for a few weeks and you're on his side?" No, Addison, she's a doctor and a human and probably wants him to live, too, but realizes it is HIS CHOICE. God, why do I hate Addison on this show when I loved her so much on Grey's? Sam just says it's risky. Archer tells Addison it doesn't matter because this isn't her choice.
Violet's having some sort of pain in her office when Dell walks in and tells her he delivered a baby and he thinks he did something wrong. He thinks he placed the vacuum too low and used too much force. He says there's a red mark, and he's afraid there's bleeding in the brain. Violet asks him if he asked Addison. He says he did, and she said it was fine, but now she's gone. He wants the baby to have tests, too, like Archer. Violet tells him that he wants Addison to run a test to treat his anxiety, but if Addison says the baby is healthy, he should trust that. Dell finally notices Violet's in pain and asks what's up. She says, "Can I trust you with something?" ...
... Then he's giving her an ultrasound in a different room, telling her he can't believe that she's pregnant. She tells him she doesn't want anyone to know, and he asks about the father. She says it's complicated, and Dell says she doesn't owe him any explanations. She blurts out, "It could be Pete or it could be Sheldon!" Dell tells her how cool it is that she's "keeping it local." Like anyone in this building does anything but keep it local, Dell. Where have you been? Then he shows Violet the baby's heart and tells her everything looks good. He says the cramping is probably nothing to worry about. She says "Oh my god," and he thinks she's happy and he makes this cute little, "Ahhhh!" sound, like, "Oh my god, this is awesome." But then she starts panicking about her baby and he tells her to breathe because she's having a panic attack. He talks her through it.
Cooper's going up to yet another door. This time, Patty's mom answers. He goes inside, where they have all of their belongings in boxes. He makes an impassioned plea, but they're all, "I'm sorry." "We're done." It's ridiculous and stupid, and I don't get this plot. I mean, maybe things like this actually happen, but it seems so far-fetched. The bills are high, they don't have insurance, it's all just too much. So ... declare bankruptcy or something. But giving up your kid is not an option. That is just idiotic. Cooper agrees with me. He yells at them about how awesome Patty is and how he would walk over broken glass to help her. Then he tells them they are done, because they don't deserve her, and walks out.
Back at Oceanside, Dell tells Violet that the cramping is not about the baby, but about her not telling either of the possible fathers. What she's doing keeping this a secret is bad for her and the baby. She tries to stop him, but he won't stop, just saying, "You need to tell them." She says she can't, kisses him on the cheek, and leaves. He gives her the ultrasound images, and she leaves.
Addison's on her balcony in her pretty lawn chairs when Archer joins her. I like the angle that isn't looking out at the ocean, which is such an obvious green screen that I was almost too distracted to hear this scene. Which doesn't matter because it was just Addison telling Archer a story about the two of them. They were little and she fell off her bike and he carried her home. He was her big brother. She needs him to not die. She fixes things, and wants to fix this for him. He tells her she can't fix some things. You know, I know she's crying and isn't supposed to look lovely, but I have to comment on how I used to think Kate Walsh was gorgeous, but between the weird lip things she does and the strange way she looks with her eyes, I find her looks very off-putting lately. Maybe she's just prettier in rainy Seattle, in scrubs instead of in sunny California, in fancy outfits and makeup.
Cooper's back at Oceanside, where Patty's still in the waiting room. She knows they're not coming, and he confirms it. He tells her he's sorry, and it's not what he wants to be telling her. He says they love her, but right now they can't be here. She hugs him and cries. It's sad, but it just makes me love Cooper more. Cooper goes to the fourth floor to ask Charlotte for a favor: He needs Patty's surgery to happen even though her parents aren't there. But he can't turn her in to Children and Family Services or she won't get the surgery. Charlotte's reluctant to violate ethics and commit fraud for him, since he won't break Violet's confidence for her. He tells her not to do this for him, but to do it for the little girl who's been waiting for this.
Violet's sitting in her office where she's apparently assembled both Pete and Sheldon. Sheldon's sitting and Pete's pacing. They both tell her to just say whatever she's going to say. She tells them she's pregnant. She says she knows it's crazy, wrong, and awful, but that she expects nothing. She then tells them she doesn't know whose it is, which she knows is also crazy. They are both in shock. She tells them that Cooper's moved in with her to look after her, so she doesn't need them, and she knows neither of them wants kids. It's all taken care of. Violet ends her spiel, "Okay?" Pete asks if she thinks this is how either of them wants to handle this. Sheldon says she doesn't want a conversation, since she's decided how they both feel. Pete says she's decided on her own without consulting anyone who might... and he drifts off, then asks her if she's going to keep it. She is. I think this is the moment she decided that, actually. She smiles. And then she runs out to be sick.
Addison's bringing Archer a 1945 wine, but he's seizing again. She runs to Archer and yells for Sam, who comes over. She tells him to call 911. Archer's in a hospital bed, as Addison, Sam, and Naomi look on. Charlotte comes in and tells them that a paralyzing agent has calmed his body, but the seizures aren't stopping. There's a black screen next to the bed that looks like one of those old Windows screensavers. But it's pulsating with colors, apparently when Archer seizes. Only his brain is seizing, though, thanks to the paralyzing agents. Grant Show is lucky they didn't make him continue seizing through the rest of the episode, I think. Thank goodness for Charlotte and her paralyzing agents, right? Addison says the seizures will stop, but Charlotte's neurologist told her they might not. Charlotte says her neurologist isn't Archer, but he's good and knows what he's doing. Naomi asks how long until the seizures cause permanent psychological damage. Charlotte says there's no way to know, but with the duration and intensity she doesn't think there's a lot of time. The other neurologist wants to induce a coma to stop the seizure. Addison doesn't like the coma idea, but Naomi says the longer these seizures go on, the higher the chance that everything that makes Archer Archer gets burned away. Sam says he'll do it, and he gets the general to induce the coma. Addison talks sweetly to "Archie" (but I thought she called him that when she's mad ?), as Sam induces the coma.
They leave the hotel room, and Addison says he needs the surgery to remove the parasite. Naomi reminds her how clear he was about not wanting the surgery. Addison says that was before this, but now there isn't time to try the drugs. They're not fast enough. Naomi says she's as scared as Addison is, but they have to respect his wishes. Addison wants to call Derek, and cannot accept standing by and watching him die. She says it's her choice and she's making it. Naomi tells her to make the call. I like that Naomi gave Addison that. Even if she didn't agree with it, she has Addison's back, so if this goes bad, she knows she had her best friend's support. Addison makes the phone call from the start of the episode, telling Derek she needs him.
Pete's in his office looking at his computer when Sheldon comes in. Sheldon's shocked. Pete's pissed. Sheldon doesn't know how he feels, but Pete insists he's pissed, because she kept it from ... us. He was about to say me, I think, because he knows it's his (just like we all do) and he wants to be there. He loves Violet, and he wants this baby. That's why he's so pissed. But if we didn't figure that out yet, Sheldon's here to ask Pete if it's true he doesn't want kids. But he tells him first that kids don't like him, and he wishes they did because he's always liked them. He says, "Maybe, if it were mine." Pete says he wanted kids a lot a long time ago, but he told himself it was better that he didn't have them. But it's not better. He looks sad and hopeful.
Speaking of kids, Dell's baby is crying. He goes into the room and the parents ask him what's wrong with the baby. He says she's hungry, and so Mom feeds her. The parents talk about how perfect she is, and Dell agrees. You can tell he's realized that Violet was right; the panic was his, but the baby was fine.
Cooper comes in as Patty's waking up after surgery. She asks if she's better, and he says the surgery went really well. He predicts that she will be dancing and doing anything else she wants. Violet's on the other side of the bed. She wants to introduce someone to Patty. She brings in Michelle from Children and Family Services. Violet says Michelle's really nice, a friend of theirs. Cooper explains to Patty that they take care of kids when their parents can't. Patty cries and asks Cooper, what about him and Violet? Why can't they take care of her? He apologizes to her. This little girl is so cute and seeing her cry would be heartbreaking if I weren't aware of how much this show is manipulating me. Patty just wants to go home, but Cooper gives her a pep talk, and says he'll still be her doctor. She thanks him. Right. Because it's all better now. It's that simple, after all.
Charlotte's waiting when Cooper comes out. He thanks her, and tells her he called Social Services and the police as soon as Patty went under. Charlotte adds, "And Violet." She walks off, but he follows and stops her. He tells her what a terrible day it's been, what with Patty and the parents who don't care. The surgery will help, but Patty doesn't have parents anymore. And all Cooper can think about is being with Charlotte, because that's the only thing that will make him feel better. He says Violet's pregnant and that's why he's moving in, because she's freaking out. Charlotte asks if it's his, but he says no. He's the best friend, but Violet's always been there and shouldn't have to do this alone. Charlotte asks what about her? He says he loves her. But she asks what about when she has their baby, because those first child moments he'll be spending with Violet were supposed to be with her. Since when is Charlotte sentimental? And since when do I care? I guess I do want these two together after all, except that I want them to stop finding reasons to fight and break up, because that is stupid and boring. But I really think Violet and Pete should give the parents thing a try. We'll see. I am sure that no one will ever stay with anyone on this show.
Dell comes in to Violet's office and sits next to her on the couch. He asks if she's going to keep the baby and she says she is. He tells her he thinks he might be a pretty good midwife, and she says she thinks he is. It's a really sweet moment, and I'm glad Dell got it, even if his story seemed sort of insignificant otherwise.
Back at the hospital, they are wheeling Archer on his stretcher out of the hospital. Addison's explaining that Medivac will meet them at Santa Monica Airport; they'll be in Seattle in three hours and in the O.R. 45 minutes later. Naomi tells Archer he's going to be okay, and kisses him. Sam tells him he better get better. The paramedics put him in the ambulance, and Addison follows. She turns and tells Naomi to come, too, because he would want her there, and Addison needs her there. Sam tells her to go; he's got Maya. It's really a sweet, sad moment all around. The ambulance doors shut, and they're off.
Holy crap! Was that an entire episode without any sex?! What show am I watching? I hope I didn't just weecap the wrong show.
Anyway, finally, our preview for next week's actual crossover event (all Grey's viewers were apparently expected to stick around for this preview since it's the only one). It looks exciting, actually. I'm sort of embarrassed at how much I'm looking forward to seeing people like Sam and Naomi crossing paths with the likes of Sloan and Callie. Anyway, preview: Meredith wonders why Addison's there, and the Chief says her brother was admitted. Derek looks concerned. Meredith asks Derek what happened, and he looks solemn. Derek's shining his tiny light in Archer's eyes. Sam's standing in front of Sloan. That's right, y'all: Sam's in Seattle, too. Yay! The chief hands some images to someone. Bailey is in a room looking at some images. Addison tells Derek there could be permanent brain damage, and he says, "Let's hope that doesn't happen." Addison: "Hope?!" Sam, Naomi, the Chief, Callie, and Bailey all stand together in Seattle Grace. Then Derek's telling Sam that Addison's expecting a miracle. Addison tells Derek he can do this. Derek's saying, "No! No!" to Addison. Cristina's storming off from Hunt, then telling Meredith that his fiancé's in the hospital. She sees them hugging but then he tells her it's not what she thinks. Alex yells, "Page Shepherd! Now!"
The music changes slightly -- gets softer, more melodramatic, and Addison says that totally annoying "Today, I need you to be a god" that they keep promoting. I didn't like it the first time, so please stop using that, ABC people. Cooper and Violet continue to do some stuff back at Oceanside. Derek tells someone that a baby's going to die, or the mother's going to die. We get a glimpse of George in a hall. Addison tells Naomi that Derek's proposing. And she kisses him on the lips, in a FRIENDLY way. They're operating on Archer. Someone says to get the crash cart, and Derek says, "No. Stop. Nobody move." Then we get a whole bunch of scenes, including the Chief, Cristina, Owen, and Derek pounding on something. I don't think I saw Izzie in that whole thing, though. Is that weird? But, seriously, that was the most packed preview I've ever seen. See you next week. Same time, same place.
DeAnn is a writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. You can contact her at twopmodmars@gmail.com .
Discuss this episode in the Private Practice forums , and see our list of reasons never to seek medical attention at Oceanside.