In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else

In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else is the season one premiere and thereby the series premiere of Private Practice.

Short Summary
Addison resigns from Seattle Grace and heads to the Oceanside Wellness Group in Los Angeles to accept the gynecology position. But things get off to a rocky start when she learns her new colleagues didn't exactly know she was coming. In the meantime, the doctors of Oceanside must deal with a slew of problems involving a pregnant teenager, a nervous breakdown, and an argument over a dead man's sperm.

Full Summary
In the scrub room of the O.R., Dr. Addison Montgomery is explaining to Chief Webber the reasons behind her decision to leave Seattle Grace and join the Oceanside Wellness Group in Los Angeles. The Chief is angry and confused and tells Addison that she won't last a month in that clinic. But Addison stands her ground. "I am changing my life. Now I can walk away angry or I can walk away with your blessing. Either way Richard... I'm going." The Chief sees the determination in Addison's face and new respects dawns in his eyes. And with it, his reluctant acceptance. He sadly accepts her resignation, promising to keep her job open as long as possible. Addison says goodbye to her mentor and heads to the sunny beaches of Santa Monica.

Addison arrives in bright, sunshiny Santa Monica – its blue skies, warm beaches and sparkling water a far cry from dark, rainy Seattle. It is a fitting metaphor for the changes Addison is so desperately trying to make in her life: to leave behind the heartache and betrayal and to embrace the warmth and friendship L.A. seems to offer.

Waiting for her at the Oceanside Wellness Group are five partners, all with their own specialties and their own special brand of drama. First there is Naomi, Addison's best friend from med school, and the clinic's own fertility specialist. Her ex-husband Sam is an internist with a gift for understanding people – unfortunately he can't seem to communicate with the person who matters most: his ex-wife. There's Violet, the "incredible and grounded psychiatrist" whose obsessive habit of calling her now married ex-boyfriend contradicts all of her own advice. Next is the incredibly talented pediatrician Cooper, whose sexual addictions get him into more trouble than they are worth. Finally, there is Pete, the alternative medicine healer whose method of medicine doesn't always impress Addison... but his lips do. Their shared kiss, Addison insists to everyone, is not the reason she is moving to L.A.

In a bright and spacious ocean-front house, a somewhat uplifted Addison steps out of her shower and starts dancing happily, letting her towel fly off. Just as she does, she catches sight of her friend Sam, and Naomi's ex-hubbie, through the window. They recognize each other at the same time. Like two deer caught in headlights, a split second of frozen horror lapses before the two throw themselves to the floor on either side of the window. The two were clearly not expecting to be seeing each other.

They meet outside their homes, Addison now clad in the more respectable attire of a bathrobe. Addison is clearly less shocked to see Sam than he is to see her. After all, as she explains, she used the same realtor he did – Naomi recommended him. It's not such a coincidence that they became neighbors. Sam, however, is more confused. Why is Addison even in L.A.? Addison is stunned to realize that Sam doesn't know that Naomi offered her a position at the practice.

At the Oceanside Wellness Clinic, Sam and Addison attempt to confront Naomi for her deception. Before tempers can erupt, the doctors are waylaid by the arrival of a patient and his girlfriend, Leslie. The patient is there to deposit some sperm to help get his girlfriend pregnant. Naomi promises to be with the couple in a moment. In the meantime, she and Sam have an angry confrontation in the conference room regarding Addison's unauthorized hiring. As they do, psychiatrist Violet is surprised to notice Addison standing in the lobby. She greets her enthusiastically but is stunned to learn that Naomi hired Addison. Did the woman consult any of her partners on the new addition to the practice?

Apparently not. And none of the other doctors are thrilled by Naomi's high handed decision either... nothing against Addison, but the breakdown in the clinic's democracy is far from appreciated. Except by perhaps the flirtatious pediatric Doc Cooper, who welcomes the beautiful redhead with open um… arms.

Later Pete, Cooper, Violet and Sam express their anger over Naomi's decision. Sam believes that Naomi's move is a power play designed to empower her own position within the clinic and belittle his. To Sam, it's directly involved with their divorce. Arrogant Pete, however, believes it was his kiss that lured the redhead away from Seattle. Violet is just angry because their carefully structured democracy is crumbling, and Violet needs order in her life. Only horny Cooper seems unperturbed.

Meanwhile, Naomi is with the couple, Mr. Wilson and his girlfriend Leslie, who are attempting to have a child together. He is understandably nervous about delivering his sperm into a little cup, but Naomi reminds him that once he has his child in his arms, how it got there won't matter. "Eyes on the prize," she tells him and leaves the couple to it.

As Naomi shows Addison around the clinic, Addison confronts her about not talking to the other partners about her hiring. Naomi is unconcerned, reminding her friend that she does, after all, own the majority share of the clinic. She shows Addison the birthing suite, a comfortable room where patients deliver their babies. Addison is startled to realize that she won't be delivering children in a hospital, and even more shocked to realize that she has no staff, except perhaps Dell, the cute kid who answers the phone and is studying to be a midwife. Oh and Pete, the alternative medicine "witch doctor" whose ego actually allows him to believe Addison came to L.A. just for him. So much for Addison's state-of-the-art OB-GYN and staff of sixty. Welcome to L.A. Addison.

As the impromptu tour comes to a close, Naomi is bombarded by the other doctors who tell her that she can't just bring someone into the practice without voting. But Naomi is firm. Before the argument can escalate, moaning sounds are heard from one of the patient rooms. Thinking that it's Wilson having an orgasm, a couple of the doctors go to have a joking look. But a moment later the hilarity comes to a shocking end when Leslie bursts from the room in terror, shrieking for help. Wilson is on the ground, eyes closed. Something has gone terribly wrong. Internist Sam realizes that Wilson's pupils have blown: he's having a stroke.

Sirens wail as the ambulance delivers the stroked-out Wilson to the hospital. Stricken Leslie looks terrified, as the doctors examine him. Dr. Charlotte King, the Chief-of-Staff calls his time-of-death as Leslie collapses in sobs. "No!" she screams. "No, use the shocky things!" But the doctor is firm. "No point turning this into a show." Leslie tries desperately to calm herself and tells the shocked doctors that she wants his sperm.

Back at the practice, Cooper and Violet converse in the lavish kitchen area, alternately complaining about Naomi, Addison, and Cooper's latest sexual exploit. Violet accuses Cooper of being a sex addict, but he turns the tables on her, calling her a stalker... after all, she can't seem to stay away from her married ex-boyfriend. Just as things heat up, Addison enters the room, apologizing for her abrupt appearance. Unfortunately for Addie, Violet gets a 911 page and rushes from the room without acknowledging the apology.

A moment later Addison gets her first patient, a 17-year-girl named Lucy Henderson, who has gone into labor, much to the chagrin of her clueless father who isn't impressed by his daughter's choice to hide the pregnancy from him until the moment her contractions began. Meanwhile, Sam and Charlotte argue over Leslie's rights to her boyfriend's sperm. A power play ensues with Charlotte telling Sam "that dead man's swimmers are staying exactly where they are." He warns her that she's going to have a fight on her hands and threatens to call Naomi. Clearly, these two have a history, and the less-than-sympathetic Dr. King's refusal to release the sperm has less to do with morals than it does past hostilities. Mmm, drama.

Back at the clinic, Pete actually asks Addison if their kiss was the reason she joined his practice. She is quick and clear in her amused amazement at his arrogance. His pride takes a blow as he reminds her that it was, after all, a good kiss. She assures him that she is not the type of person to pick up her whole life for one kiss. Pete looks as if he's not sure how he feels about that. Dells offers his midwifery skills to Addison but is brutally rebuffed.

Meanwhile, Sam followed through on his threat and places a call to his ex-wife who joins him at the hospital. Dr King warns her that if she so much as touches Wilson's corpse she will have her arrested. A power struggle is clearly in place here and King's hostility has placed Naomi and Sam firmly on the same side; something that is at once touchingly familiar and completely foreign to the ex-couple.

Addison is collecting supplies with which to deliver Jenny's baby when Dell enters the room with a clear chip on his shoulder. He is hurt that Addison rejected his offer and accuses her of thinking of him as nothing but a cute surfer-boy with nothing to offer. Addison assures him that she has "total respect for him and his midwifery skills" but Dell is not reassured. He leaves the room in frustration as Addison stares after him in amazement.

Violet answers her 911 page, arriving at a department store where one of her patients, Jenny, is on the floor on her hands and knees obsessively counting the titles. She is rocking back and forth whispering numbers, completely unresponsive to the shocked onlookers. The shop assistant Paul is less-than-sympathetic, telling Violet if she is unable to remove Jenny he will have to summon the police. Violet begs him for a few moments, assuring him she can handle the situation. She crouches down next to her patient, removing the tissue paper that is blocking Jenny's ear canals. "You're getting charged by the hour, so you might as well hear me," she says, with a try at humor. Meanwhile, Addison and Pete try to calm Lucy, who is beating herself up for her decision to hide her pregnancy. Pete starts to speak but is silenced by Addison, whose gentle consoling manner soothes the frazzled teen. Pete looks at Addison with new respect, impressed by her bedside manner and wise words.

Back at the hospital, Naomi and Sam have gone over Charlotte's head to the hospitals administration. Naomi presents him with contracts Wilson signed in her office, which definitely implied his consent to donate. Charlotte starts to argue but stops when she realizes that the hospital's head agrees with the other two. She is forced to give in, but declares that they will have to do the procedure and take possession of the sperm. Sam and Naomi walk away pleased with their win. Sam compliments Naomi on her handling of the situation. But the power struggle behind them, their formerly united front falters when Naomi tells the startled Sam to get away from her. Instead, she turns to hug the delighted Leslie, whose grief is only slightly lessened by the knowledge that she can still have her lover's child. However, her happiness is short-lived as Ken Wilson's wife arrives, threatening a lawsuit if her husband's sperm is given to anyone but her.

Violet continues to try to calm the obsessive tile-counting Jenny but her attempts aren't working. She is also hampered by the less-then-helpful shop assistant, Paul, who continues to hover over her shoulder making inane suggestions. When Violet reaches out to touch Jenny, her patient rears in anger and lashes out violently knocking the psychiatrist to the ground. The woman is clearly having a serious breakdown.

In the birthing suite, Addison and Pete prepare Lucy Henderson for delivery. They ask her father if he would like to hold her hand, but he continues to sulk. Instead Dell rushes over, much to the exasperation of Addison. Just as Lucy starts pushing, Pete becomes aware that something is wrong. He tells Addison, who deduces that the girl is going into congestive heart failure and that the baby is in trouble. Her father stands up, now more worried than angry and decides that now is a good time to tell them that Lucy's mother died in child birth. And for the second time that day an ambulance is summoned to the Oceanside Wellness Clinic.

Unfortunately, with Los Angeles traffic that ambulance will take ten to twenty minutes to arrive. And Lucy doesn't have that much time. Neither does her baby as Lucy's umbilical cord is cutting off the babies blood supply. In minutes, both mother and child could be dead.

Violet and Paul discuss Jenny's situation. Paul hands her something to eat, but Violet's grateful smile is cut off abruptly when he lets her know she'll have to pay for it. Oh, and the ice pack she's got pressed against her head from the blow she took from Jenny will have to be paid for also. Violet becomes appalled when she catches sight of two police officers standing off to the side looking wary. Paul apologizes, but feels it was necessary... after all, Jenny did display violence. Just then Cooper shows up to join the fray, looking amused at Violet's plight. Violet begs them to let her have just a few more minutes. The police agree and Violet asks to have a look at the security cameras. Maybe if she can find out what triggered Jenny's episode she can find out how to end it.

Naomi and Mrs. Wilson are walking down the hospital hallways discussing Mrs. Wilson's reasons for wanting her husband's sperm. Turns out she and dead hubby were separated. After seventeen years together, he left her for a younger model of herself: Leslie.

Mrs. Wilson is understandably hurt and angry, but her rage has manifested itself into a thirst for revenge. Now she wants her dead hubby's sperm … but not from a need to have his child. No … she just doesn't want Leslie to have it. "Now we'll see who ends up alone," she tells the shocked Naomi.

Addison and Pete have transformed the clinic's room into a makeshift operating room. Addison knows the only way to even have the remotest possibility of saving both mother and child is to perform an emergency C-section. But the surgeon is terrified to do it, knowing that the room isn't sterile, there's no extra blood, and without anesthesia the shock of being sliced by a scalpel could cause untold damage to the young girl. Addison psychs herself up and starts issuing orders to her tiny staff. Pete tells Addison he can treat her so she won't feel any pain. Addison isn't impressed by his witch doctor routine but allows him to proceed.

Violet, Cooper and Paul are still trying to work out what may have triggered Jenny's episode. Standing near a camping display, Paul makes more vapid suggestions while Violet stares at a television scene depicting a family camping at the lake. Comprehension dawns in Violet's eyes, as she suddenly understands something.

Meanwhile, Pete has administered lidocaine and blocked Jenny's pain receptors. He is positive Jenny won't feel a thing when the scalpel slices through her stomach. Addison still isn't so sure about these Eastern techniques and looks at Pete, her large blue eyes begging him for reassurance. He tells her to trust him and they cut on three. The scalpel slices cleanly across the girl's abdomen but Jenny remains peacefully asleep. Pete is pleased with his handiwork and Addison is reluctantly impressed.

At the hospital, Sam and Naomi discuss who has more right to custody of Wilson's sperm. Sam sides with Leslie, while Naomi sympathizes with the wife. Their argument turns to their own marital problems and Sam tells Naomi that he wanted to see her fight, just once, for them… for their marriage. He wanted to see the passion she has for her patients, reflected in their own life, for once, directed towards him. "Naomi, I'm sorry profoundly for hurting you. But you're fooling yourself if you think you're the only one who got left."

Violet has figured out that something in the television ad triggered her patient's episode. She zeroes in on a picture of a young boy leaping off a rock and then there's nothing but bright light. She theorizes that her patient may have had a child she never mentioned in therapy; a child that may have died. When she asks Jenny about this, the woman rears in anger again, shouting that they're making her lose her place.

Naomi crouches down next to Mrs. Wilson in the hallway. She warns the woman that even if she's successful in gaining custody of the sperm, all the legal wrangling will take at least 24 hours, and by that time the sperm won't be viable. No one gets anything. That pleases Mrs. Wilson. "Okay," she agrees. "Let's do that." Naomi just looks at her. She commiserates with the woman, letting her know that she knows the pain of being abandoned. She tells her that "at some point you have to let him go."

Meanwhile, Addison delivered Lucy's healthy baby girl. She hands her to Mr. Henderson, whose anger has long since evaporated and he lights up in pleasure as he holds his granddaughter. Unfortunately, Mama Lucy is in distress and the surgeon rushes to close her abdomen... it's Lucy's only chance. Pete administers the "shocky things" to Lucy's chest, while Addison closes the wound. Just then Dell appears. The paramedics have finally arrived and want to come in with a stretcher. Addison and Pete yell "No!" at the same time. Addison tells Dell that she has a barely sterile environment and an open body cavity... no way are those paramedics to cross the threshold until she gives her permission.

A while later, Jenny is stabilized, on a stretcher, and on her way into the emergency room. No one is rushing. Clearly the girl is all right. Addison orders a lidocaine drip just as Jenny opens her eyes, with two questions: Is her baby ok? Yes. Is her dad mad? No. Addison smiles down at the girl as Jenny closes her eyes in relief and drifts off to sleep. Mr. Henderson walks up, his granddaughter cradled in his arms, a look of intense relief awash his face as he thanks Addison for her heroic efforts to save his family. He steps into the elevator with his daughter and granddaughter, their little family now safe and intact.

Addison, Pete, and Dell watch them go, enormously pleased with themselves. This is what being doctors is all about: the rush of saving a life, healing a family, bringing people back from the brink of death. Dell turns to go, but Addison calls him back, thanking him for his part in the events of the last few hours. Finally, the eye-candy surfer-boy is getting the respect he craves.

Now alone, Pete and Addison turn to look at each other. A smirk plays around Pete's mouth and Addison once again assures him she did not come to L.A. because of their kiss. She forces him to agree – but as they walk away in different directions she hears the words: "You so moved down here because I kissed you."

At the hospital, Naomi tells hospital chief-of-staff Charlotte King and Sam that Mrs. Wilson agreed to let Leslie have her husband's sperm. Charlotte is amazed and wants to know what on Earth Naomi could have said to make her agree. Naomi tells Charlotte that she just told her that it was time to let her husband go. But though the words are directed at Charlotte, her eyes are trained on Sam's. The message is clear: they're done. She's not going to fight for him. Sam winces, the blow hitting him like a punch to the stomach.

Meanwhile, Cooper has managed to procure Jenny's son's hospital records. It turns out Jenny did have a son; a vibrant young boy named Will who was brought into the hospital for double vision. Unfortunately, the double vision was indicative of something much worse; an aggressive brain tumor. They tried to treat him with chemotherapy, but the drugs sent him into kidney failure. Jenny and her husband made the difficult decision to take him off the medication and try to improve his quality of life: quality not quantity. They spent a few blissful months together at the lake as a family. Violet assures Jenny that she made a brave decision... one that not many people would have had the strength to make. And Cooper tells her that he would have made the same choice... to spend a few last happy months together rather than lose him to the cancer anyway, but in a much more painful way. Jenny's body is wracked with sobs as Pete recounts what happened next. They brought the boy to the hospital when he began having trouble speaking. At the hospital, the boy fell into a coma. The family made him comfortable, made sure everyone had a chance to say goodbye and then took him off the machines. His mother held him in her arms, as he breathed on his own for the next four hours... the last four hours of his young life. "You did everything a great mom could do," Violet tells her comfortingly. "So no matter how you second guess yourself or what your head tells you, you didn't let your son down. You did not let your son down." A guttural moan escapes Jenny's lips and she finally stops counting tiles and lets the tears escape her, collapsing into a heap of sobs. The kind psychiatrist holds Jenny tightly, as she cries for her dead child.

Also crying is Leslie, who is in the hospital saying goodbye to her dead lover. Tears slip down her face as she kisses him one last time. Watching through the door window is Wilson's wife, Maria, whose face wears none of the same grief that Leslie's carries. Leslie thanks Naomi for her help, and Maria slips away unnoticed. Naomi completes the procedure to capture the dead man's sperm as Sam watches silently in the background.

Finally having recovered herself, Jenny leaves the department store, accompanied by a concerned looking younger woman. Violet thanks the store assistant for his help and he reminds her to pay for the flip flops, ice pack and food. Some things never change. She and Cooper collapse into chairs in the camping section. And reverting to their earlier discussion, she finally admits to Cooper, that he's right… she is a bit of a stalker.

Naomi and Addison are sitting on the floor, sharing a cheesecake and finally relaxing. Addison asks Naomi to tell her the truth about why she didn't tell her partners she'd hired Addison. The truth this time, please. Finally, Naomi gives in. "All right, fine. I need you here. Okay? I need you here 'cause I'm tired, and I'm lonely, and my best friend divorced me. And I have no one. I need you to be my someone." Addison smiles at her, with the understanding and acceptance only a best friend can give.

But their moment is interrupted as the four other partners burst into the room. Their crises behind them, they finally have the time to confront Naomi for her decision. They four of them tower over Naomi, who for once wears a troubled and vulnerable expression, rather than the toughness she usually displays. The four partners demand to see the two of them in the conference room, stat.

In the conference room, the others force Naomi to admit that she had no business hiring someone without their vote. After discussing the breakdown of democracy in the clinic, Naomi apologizes and Violet calls for a vote. But before the others can raise their hands Addison jumps to her feet, defending her position in the clinic. "Hold on a minute," she yells throwing her hands in the air, like stop signs. "I have been working here less than 24 hours and in that time I discovered that I am not welcome here. I learned I am a one man gynie show, I performed crazy MacGyver surgery and Sam saw my booty! So this has not been a great day for me! This day kinda sucked. But you know what? I had one patient. One patient the entire day and I loved it. So you want me gone? Too bad! I'm in! See, I'm putting my foot down. My foot's down. I'm not going anywhere. So… yeah. I thought I had a big finish but I don't. So, I'm not… No. No! I do have a big finish. If I hadn't been here today, if you'd had someone else, that girl would have died delivering her baby. I saved her life. I saved your asses. I'm a world class neonatal surgeon and I'm here to stay. Welcome to the new Oceanside Wellness." And with those parting words, she turns on her heel and flounces off.

The four others stare at each other in shock, especially Violet, but Naomi is unsurprised. She does know her best friend after all. "That's why I didn't tell you she was coming," she says with glee.

The episode concludes with Sam and Addison in their homes, smiling at each other through their respective windows. Addison shuts the curtains firmly, drops her robe and starts dancing again, once again filled with all the excitement and happiness of starting a new life.

Main Cast

 * Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery
 * Tim Daly as Dr. Pete Wilder
 * Audra McDonald as Dr. Naomi Bennett
 * Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman
 * KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King
 * Chris Lowell as Dell Parker
 * Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett
 * Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner

Special Guest Star

 * James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber

Guest Stars

 * Bruce Nozick as Bill Henderson
 * Stacy Edwards as Maria Wilson
 * Rebecca Mader as Leslie
 * Moon Zappa as Jenny
 * Max Arciniega as Paul
 * Marcella Lentz-Pope as Lucy Henderson

Co-Starring

 * Matt Riedy as Ken Wilson
 * Ming T. Lo as Lawyer

Uncredited

 * Noah Dahl as Video Play Back Kid

Notes and Trivia

 * This episode scored 14.41 million viewers.
 * Like all other episodes from the first season, this episode's title originated from the original Winnie the Pooh series.
 * This is the first episode to air under the Private Practice credits, although the backdoor pilot aired in Grey's Anatomy.
 * The scene showing Pete and Addison kissing is from The Other Side Of This Life, the Private Practice backdoor pilot that aired as an episode of its predecessor, Grey's Anatomy.
 * This episode was originally called In Which We Meet Addison...

Quotes

 * Addison: Why didn't you tell them that I was coming? (Naomi sighs) Truth.
 * Naomi: Alright, fine. I need you here. I need you here because I am tired and I'm lonely and my best friend divorced me and I have no one. I need you here to be my someone.
 * Addison: Okay.


 * Violet: Thanks... for comin' down.
 * Cooper: Well, I'm a better person than you are.
 * Violet: The thing is Cooper... Okay, the thing is that... I am kinda a stalker.
 * Cooper: I know.


 * Addison: I need to be in a hospital, there is no way I can perform the C-section here. It's not sterile. I don't have any surgical equipment... No extra blood. And an epidural would take way too long to take effect...
 * Pete: Addison! Addison, she is a completely healthy seventeen year old, no one could have foreseen this complication.
 * Addison: What happens to a person when a scalpel slices into them without anesthesia…
 * Pete: Addison!
 * Addison: Shut up! I am trying to talk myself into this and I cannot do it when you keep ‘Addison-ing’ me. So… just hold on.