Ex-Life is the sixteenth episode of the second season and the 25th overall episode of Private Practice.
Short Summary[]
As Archer recoups from surgery, Derek has Addison work with his pregnant neuro patient. After Sam suffers a sudden asthma attack, Bailey and Naomi work together to find the root cause of Sam's sudden attack, and at Oceanside Wellness, Cooper, Violet and Pete work together to treat a mother suffering from postpartum depression.
Full Summary[]
Back at Oceanside Wellness Group, the remaining team worry about Archer, Addison, Naomi, and Sam. However, the four of them are enjoying themselves over a successful surgery with Mark and Derek.
Derek returns to the hospital after Jen develops breathing problems, and the rest, believing it to be about Archer, run back to Archer's bedside, only to find Bailey. Instead of Archer having a problem, Sam does instead, having an asthma attack and collapsing. Addison wants Sam to be on the surgical floor so at least Naomi and herself can monitor him, but Bailey tells her to find the Chief, as asthma is not surgical. Addison implies to Naomi that Sam isn't actually over her, while Bailey spends the day finding out what caused the attack. Sam doesn't respond to the meds as well as Naomi would like, but eventually discovers Sam's allergic to the generic asthma pumps, so it was an allergic reaction, not a panic attack over Naomi.
Cooper tells Charlotte about Archer and Sam, while Cooper tries to explain about the arrangement with Violet, but Charlotte doesn't want to hear it.
The Chief wants to publish Archer's case and use Archer's name. However, Archer feels Derek screwed up, and Addison requests Derek to order another CT scan, but he refuses, saying her brother's an ass and his post-op neuro exam was fine - no CT needed. Addison shouts at Derek, claiming this is unlike him, when he admits about clipping an aneurysm during Jen's surgery, he's ordered tests and they've all come back fine. Addison tells him to check the baby, and she does, indicating Mirror Syndrome: the baby's anemic, and so is the mother due to the blood transfusion during surgery and its incompatibility with the child's own blood type, causing congestive heart failure in both of them.
Cooper sees Rachel, who accidentally let her daughter, Cindy, fall into the tub while she answered the phone. Cooper notices she may have post-partum depression, and asks Violet to consult. To buy some time, Violet asks Pete to do some acupuncture to get her to sleep for a while. Pete goes to Violet, suggesting to her that this is more than some sleep deprivation, when Violet tells him that she believes it post-partum psychosis, annoying Pete as he now sees that he's been used while Violet rings her husband and pre-admits Rachel into the hospital.
Since Derek refuses to do a repeat CT on Archer, Addison goes over his head to the Chief, and considering he wants the paper published, agrees to order the CT and asks Bailey to do it.
When the results come back, Alex asks Addison if she was happy running away, to which she replies she walked away and then ignores the rest of the question, asking to repeat the tests. Derek, still feeling guilty, shouts at Addison for not telling him the first set of test results.
The test results come back, and Addison tells Derek she has to deliver the baby or they both will die. Jen refuses this, demanding to wait two more weeks. Derek undermines Addison by suggesting in-utero blood transfusion, and Jen immediately chooses that, but Addison is against it as the risks are far too high for her. Jen chooses the in-utero procedure, tying Addison's hands.
During surgery, Jen begins to crash, and Addison scolds Derek, just like the "Hot Dog Thanksgiving" where Carolyn breaks her wrist, Addison's never cooked a turkey in her life and Derek invites 34 people to their house for thanksgiving, giving her Nancy salmonella and Derek then cooks hot dogs and saves the day - same principle here, Derek gives false hope, Addison has to do the work and then Derek looks like the hero afterwards, until Addison successfully completes the procedure.
After the procedure, as Derek and Addison scrub out, Derek admits his mother did hate Addison, until Richard interrupts with the CT. Archer's seen the scan and see two persistent cysts. Derek didn't get them all, and he's going to die, so Archer breaks down, admitting to things he should have admitted to, such as sleeping with Mark's girlfriend, wrecking Sam's car, until Derek barges in, telling Archer he's wrong and that it is common for post-op neurosurgery patients to have a fluid build up.
Rachel wakes up, running to Cindy who's crying as she wants a bottle. Violet refuses to let Cooper or Dell give Cindy back to Rachel, when Rachel then admits she tried to drown Cindy. Violet begins to panic about her child: What if her baby doesn't sleep?
At St. Ambrose, Violet talks to Rachel's husband, until Rachel wakes up and wants to see her baby. Violet, again, refuses to let her see Cindy. Pete disagrees, and Cooper tries to get Violet see Pete's perspective. Violet comes round, letting Rachel see Cindy with her husband.
Pete confronts Violet about her baby, and telling her she is selfish for cutting him out of the baby's life.
Sam confides in Miranda that he thought he'd still be with Naomi, spurring Miranda to try and save her marriage, unlike Sam and Naomi.
Addison apologizes to Derek for second guessing Derek, and tells Jen and Rob the good news, the procedure worked and that both mother and son are OK, until Jen's speech becomes jumbled.
Cast[]
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 Stars[]
- Justin Chambers as Dr. Alex Karev
- Chandra Wilson as Dr. Miranda Bailey
- James Pickens, Jr. as Dr. Richard Webber
- Eric Dane as Dr. Mark Sloan
- Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Derek Shepherd
Guest Stars[]
- Jennifer Westfeldt as Jen Harmon
- Ben Shenkman as Rob Harmon
- Abigail Spencer as Rachel
- Steven W. Bailey as Joe
- Grant Show as Dr. Archer Montgomery
Co-Starring[]
Medical Notes[]
Archer Montgomery[]
- Diagnosis:
- Doctors:
- Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
- Miranda Bailey (surgical resident)
- Treatment:
Archer woke up after his surgery and had trouble speaking. He also had blurry vision and his hand was shaking. He believe Derek had missed something. Richard then had Bailey run the CT that Derek refused to run. The CT showed persistent cysts and Archer believed he was going to die. However, when Derek came in to see him, he told him they were just filled with fluid, which was common, and they'd be relieved quickly.
Sam Bennett[]
- Diagnosis:
- Asthma attack
- Bronchospasms
- Allergic reaction
- Doctors:
- Miranda Bailey (surgical resident)
- Treatment:
- Steroids
- Bronchodilator
Sam had trouble breathing. He used his inhaler, but it didn't help and he collapsed. He was admitted to the hospital for treatment. Because of the timing of his asthma attack, Mark believed it was related to Naomi being with Archer. They later found out that when Bailey had refilled his inhaler, she had substituted the generic, which used a corn-based propellent, which he is allergic to.
Jen Harmon[]
- Diagnosis:
- Pregnancy
- Mirror syndrome
- Congestive heart failure
- Hemolysis
- Fetal anemia
- Aphasia
- Doctors:
- Derek Shepherd (neurosurgeon)
- Addison Forbes Montgomery (OB/GYN)
- Alex Karev (surgical resident)
- Treatment:
- Bronchodilator
- Intrauterine transfusion
Jen was having trouble breathing. Alex tried using the bronchodilator, but it didn't help. Derek ran further tests to find the cause. He then consulted with Addison, who said the baby might be the problem. Jen was mirroring her baby's anemia, which caused congestive heart failure. Addison said the situation was dire and ideally, she'd do an intrauterine blood transfusion, but given the situation, she suggested delivering the baby. Jen said they could wait two more weeks to deliver him, but Addison said they didn't have time to wait. Derek mentioned the in-utero option and over Addison's objections, Jen decided on that. Derek pushed Addison to do it because he believed Jen's condition was all his fault. Addison ultimately agreed. The transfusion was successful and Jen was stable after surgery, but then she presented with aphasia.
Cynthia[]
- Diagnosis:
- Doctors:
- Cooper Freedman (pediatrician)
- Treatment:
Cynthia's mother brought her into the practice after she slipped and was submerged in a bath. Cooper examined her and said she was completely fine.
Rachel[]
- Diagnosis:
- Sleep deprivation
- Post-partum psychosis
- Doctors:
- Violet Turner (psychiatrist)
- Pete Wilder (alternative medicine practitioner)
- Treatment:
- Acupuncture
- Anti-psychotics
- Benzos
Rachel brought her daughter into the practice to be examined by Cooper. He realized she was exhausted and he took her daughter for a moment so she could rest. When he came back with Violet to talk to her, Rachel was gone. They found her in an OB exam room. Violet stayed and talked to Rachel while Cooper took the baby. Because she was still breastfeeding, Violet took Rachel to Pete to get acupuncture to help her sleep. Pete later came to Violet, saying it was worse than sleep deprivation. She said she suspected postpartum psychosis and her husband was going to pre-admit to the hospital to admit her to the psychiatric ward. Rachel then had an episode at the practice in which she admitted that she'd started to drown Cynthia on purpose. Violet started her on anti-psychotics and benzos. When Rachel wanted to see Cynthia, they debated over whether or not to allow it. They ultimately allowed her to see the baby with supervision and Rachel apologized to her daughter.
Music[]
Song | Performer | Scene |
---|---|---|
"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" | Naked Eyes |
|
"Big Bird In a Small Cage" | Patrick Watson |
|
"Lullaby" | Rosi Golan |
|
"Worried" | Tyler Ramsey |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode scored 14.10 million viewers.[1]
- This is the second part of the Grey's Anatomy-Private Practice crossover.
- This episode continues directly from the Grey's Anatomy episode Before and After.
- This episode has 5 credited special guest stars, which is the highest number of special guest stars of all episodes of Private Practice.
- The episode was also written by 4 credited writers, also the highest number for any episode of all three shows to date.
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Behind the Scenes[]
Quotes[]
- Naomi: I've never seen an attack this bad before. He wasn't exerting, he wasn't walking through a field of wild blooming flowers. He was in a hospital.
- Addison: And, yeah, watching you doting over Archer and he was unable to get oxygen into his lungs. Do I need to draw a picture?
- Cooper: I know you're upset about me living with Violet, I know you feel excluded, but it doesn't have to be like that. You can be part of it.
- Charlotte: Part of it, Cooper? Really? What exactly do you think that would look like? Me living with the two of you, reading Mother Goose to Violet's swollen belly while you're giving her pregnancy massages? Or how about me putting on my Bo Peep outfit, trying to seduce you while she's calling out from the next room for a puke bucket? Or better yet, me taking video of you and Violet bringing your little snot home.
- Cooper: It's not my little snot. And I'm not trying to be the father. I'm trying to be a friend.
- Charlotte: Above and beyond.
- Cooper: If you got to know Violet better...
- Charlotte: I'd rather have teeth pulled.
- Cooper: She's my best friend. If she were a guy, wouldn't you make an effort?
- Charlotte: If she were a guy, she'd be on 20/20 for getting pregnant.
- Bailey: I always liked Addison. Don't always like everybody, but I always liked her. She smells nice, she's polite, and she saves babies. So, what happened to the brother? Was he lost at birth, raised by wolves?
- Sam: He's not always such an ass.
- Mark: Yeah, he is.
- Alex: Are you happy?
- Addison: My brother just had brain surgery.
- Alex: No, I know, I just... I'm with lzzie. Did you hear? We're together now, and she's a mess. She's a mess and I know it's my own fault. I'm always picking the crazy chick. Present company excepted. I love her. I do. I love her. And I wanna be with her. Except I kind of don't. I kind of wanna run. Because it's like there's a train coming. There's... I can feel the ground shaking. Something's coming, and I kind of just wanna run. Go somewhere new, start over, like you did. So I'm asking, are you happy you did it? Did it work?
- Addison: I didn't run, Alex. I walked. I walked away. There's a difference.
- Bailey: I'm afraid you'll have to step out.
- Naomi: No, I'm a physician. And I'm his girlfriend.
- Bailey: You're not his physician. And as for girlfriend, Washington State Medical Code doesn't consider that a legal role.
- Naomi: Fine. Can you give me some idea of what you're doing for Sam? He's not responding to the meds. I'm his wife.
- Bailey: Ex. And I thought you were this one's girlfriend.
- Naomi: Are you like this with everyone or am I just special?
- Mark: You know what's weird?
- Naomi: You, who has never worn flannel a day in your life, living in Seattle and having a semi-incestuous relationship with your best friend's almost-sister.
- Mark: I was gonna say it's weird that I dislike Archer as much as I do, and somehow this you-and-Archer thing gives me hope. Lexie.
- Naomi: What, the sister?
- Mark: Yeah, she's a good girl. She's a nice girl. Well-raised, kind and understanding, and sane. She's like you. So if you can find happiness with Archer, I'm thinking, maybe there's hope.
- Naomi: You really think this thing is real between you and this little girl?
- Mark: I'm afraid to hurt her.
- Sam: Ha!
- Naomi: Excuse me?
- Sam: I said ha! Ha because I was right. Ha because it was an allergic reaction, so ha to Mark and Addison and you if you believed them. It wasn't a panic attack, it was an asthma attack. I am not pathetic, I am a man. I am a man with asthma, so ha! Gimme some, Dr. Bailey!
- Addison: This is the hot dog Thanksgiving all over again...
- Derek: What?
- Addison: Oh, you know what. Your mother breaks her wrist so the day before Thanksgiving you invite 34 people over to our house, without even asking me, knowing I've never cooked a turkey in my life. Your sister gets salmonella, and your mother, who never liked me, accuses me of trying to kill everyone, and you make hot dogs and you're the hero.
- Derek: Addison.
- Addison: No, it's the exact same thing Derek, you make a cavalier statement and then I gotta do all the work and no matter how it turns out you're the hero and I'm incompetent.
- Alex: Her respirations are stabilizing.
- Addison: How's her pulse ox?
- Derek: 92, her lungs are clearing. You did it.
- Addison: I did it. I did it.
- Derek: Who's the hero now?
- Addison: Shut up.
- Addison: Just admit it. Your mother never liked me.
- Derek: Well, she didn't dislike you. It's just when you gave Nancy salmonella, it didn't help.
- Addison: Oh, come on. She hated me long before I poisoned your sister. She hated me from the moment she met me and that never changed. She thought that I was rich and privileged, and wrong for you. And that's why she didn't give me the ring. Just admit it, so at least then I'll know that I wasn't crazy for 11 years.
- Derek: She hated you.
- Addison: Thank you.
- Charlotte: I get that she's your best friend. But there comes a point when you can't have a woman be your best friend, because there's a more important woman in your life. There should be. But you and Violet, it's intimate. And she needs you. And I think, at the end of the day, you need her. I'm outside of it. It's your thing. Your thing with Violet. And you want me to be a part of it, but I don't have it in me to make it work that way. I'm supposed to be your best friend, Cooper.
- Pete: You don't think your baby needs a father? You think that Uncle Coop is gonna fill that void?
- Violet: Cooper gives me support with no strings. And that's what I need. That's all I can handle right now.
- Pete: I get that he loves you. He might even love your kid. But it's not the same. It's not what's best for your baby. If I'm the father... You give a great speech, Violet. But really, all you're thinking about is you.
- Bailey: I'm gonna go home to my husband, with whom things have been difficult lately. And I'm going to hug him and kiss him and thank him for all the good things that he is that I sometimes don't bother to notice. And I have you to thank for that, because I'm not gonna make your mistake. I don't wanna end up standing outside the window, watching my life go on without me.
- Sam: Ex-life.
See Also[]
A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
Private Practice Season 2 | |||||
#01 | "A Family Thing" | #09 | "Know When to Fold" | #17 | "Wait and See" |
#02 | "Equal and Opposite" | #10 | "Worlds Apart" | #18 | "Finishing" |
#03 | "Nothing to Talk About" | #11 | "Contamination" | #19 | "What Women Want" |
#04 | "Past Tense" | #12 | "Homeward Bound" | #20 | "Do the Right Thing" |
#05 | "Let It Go" | #13 | "Nothing to Fear" | #21 | "What You Do for Love" |
#06 | "Serving Two Masters" | #14 | "Second Chances" | #22 | "Yours, Mine & Ours" |
#07 | "Tempting Faith" | #15 | "Acceptance" | ||
#08 | "Crime and Punishment" | #16 | "Ex-Life" | ||
<< Season 1 | Season 3 >> |