Pete Wilder was an alternative medicine specialist at Seaside Health and Wellness and a critical care specialist at St. Ambrose Hospital until his death. He was married to Violet Turner, with whom he has a son named Lucas.
Quick Answers
What was Pete Wilder's profession in Private Practice?
Who was Pete Wilder married to in the series?
What circumstances led to Pete Wilder's death in Private Practice?
What was Pete Wilder's role at St. Ambrose Hospital?
History[]
Early Life[]
During his childhood, Pete had to clean up after his mother while his brother, Adam, made excuses. She was an alcoholic 'A party all by herself', and liked a lot of men. She met a serious partner, Henry, but later stabbed him to death when he tried to leave in front of Pete, who was especially close to Henry and the age of fifteen. He is now estranged from his brother and does not know who his father is.
Violet's Pregnancy[]
Before her pregnancy, Violet was sleeping with both Pete and Sheldon. During her whole pregnancy, no one knew who was the biological father. Cooper came to live with her to help her with her pregnancy. She was treating Katie Kent, who was pregnant, but lost the pregnancy. Kate refused to accept this and wouldn't allow them to do a D&C to remove the dead tissue. With Violet's help, Katie came to terms with it and she continued treatment with Violet.[1] During this time, Violet chose to be with Pete and Sheldon had to just sit back and did not really say anything but hoped the baby would be his. She was overdue and was tired of being pregnant and wanted it out but still went to work every day. One day, Katie came to her door while she was home alone. Katie stabbed her with a syringe that caused Violet to be conscious but unable to move from her head down. Katie believed Violet's baby was her own. Unable to stop Katie, but wanting to make sure the baby was okay, Violet talked Katie through a C-Section.[2]
Frances' Death[]
Violet visited Frances' room. Frances asked Violet to get Pete to visit her. She needed Pete to forgive her before she died. Violet talked to Pete about forgiving Frances, but he said he couldn't. However, he brought Lucas to visit her. He talked about the love he felt for Lucas and wondered how she didn't feel that love. She said it was because of the drinking and the drugs. She asked if it was too late to start over. He introduced Lucas to her. Sam then informed Pete that the damage to her heart was extensive and she would die soon. Pete and Adam sat by her bedside as she died.[3]
Heart Attack[]
Pete had a heart attack mere hours after Violet left for her book tour with only his son Lucas as a witness. Fortunately, Cooper came by to hang out and discovered him on the floor. He started CPR and called 911. Pete was taken to St. Ambrose, where Sam and Amelia saved his life. Violet came home as soon as she found out and later became the object of Pete's post-heart attack frustration.[4]
Marital Problems with Violet[]
After Pete's heart attack, their relationship was strained and uncomfortable. Once Pete was cleared for all physical activity, they slept together, however they both confided in others saying it was awkward and not as good as it used to be. While Pete was grieving his attack, he said passive aggressive comments to Violet, and treated her poorly, however Violet dismissed it because the psychiatrist in her said it was just the grief talking. During Amelia's intervention, she verbally attacked both of them saying to Violet that Pete didn't want her anymore and she was just an aging old woman, and told Pete that saving his life after the brain bleed following the heart attack, may not have been worth it, and "God's angels should have just taken him then". Both Pete and Violet escaped into the kitchen where they laughed hysterically at the things Amelia said to them, and it felt like the old them. However time past and things were still strained and not normal. Violet and Addison had grown closer as Addison was trying to get pregnant and Violet was helping her, and while they were talking one day, Violet realized something. She found Pete in his office and started talking. She said that she didn't want to be like Anna, Pete's previous wife until her death. She didn't want Pete to feel obligated to stay with her even though he was miserable. But she also knew that Pete didn't have it in him to leave. So she said that if Pete didn't want their marriage to continue, she would leave him, so he wouldn't have to feel guilty, and they would figure out a way to share Lucas. She told Pete to think about that, and left his office. Later, while they were sitting at their table, Violet asked if Pete had thought about what she said. He responded saying, "I'm sorry Violet." Meaning he wanted to end their marriage. Violet's reaction was unclear but she said that they should keep things as normal as possible for Lucas, and they should still go to Addison's thanksgiving dinner together, for Lucas. She then picked up her bag, and walked out of the house.
Death[]
Pete had had a heart attack previously. He also got in trouble with the law because he illegally took a man who wanted to die off of life support. He was resistant to agree with the court so he was held until he cooperated. Violet talked Pete into cooperating with the court and he got out and had to go to a preliminary court hearing. On the day of the hearing, Pete went for a run and texted Violet, "I went for a run. No matter what happens, I will always love you." Violet showed up for the hearing, but no one could find Pete. Violet got a call later from his phone. It was a police officer telling her something had happened to the owner of the phone and asking if she could come and identify him. It turned out that Pete had had a second heart attack and died on the side of the path and was lying there all day until someone found him.[5]
Personality[]
Pete could be cold at times but had a loving heart. He was loyal to his wives even though he hated them at some point.
Relationships[]
Romantic[]
Addison Forbes Montgomery[]
During Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery's first visit to Oceanside Wellness, Pete and Addison established a teasing and often flirtatious relationship. Addison initially labelled Pete a “quack,” but she allowed the “cute hippy boy” to treat her with acupuncture. Although Pete was immediately attracted to her, he promised their mutual friend, Dr. Sam Bennett, that he would stay away from Addison. However, after finding Addison crying over her newly discovered infertility, Pete kissed her to prove that she wasn’t “dried up.” Addison seemed open to pursuing a relationship with Pete, but was warned off by Sam. According to Sam, Pete is a serial monogamist, unable to emotionally connect with any woman since the death of his wife. Pete's last foray into office romance was apparently disastrous, and resulted in the unnamed OB/GYN's sudden departure from the practice. In response, Oceanside Wellness instituted a strict "no consorting" rule. Later, they got together again, after Violet left Pete and Lucas behind. They raised Lucas together for a while. They split up after Violet's return.
Anna Wilder[]
Pete's relationship with his wife is somewhat mysterious and he appears reluctant to discuss their marriage. During a visit to her grave on the anniversary of her death, we discover Anna Wilder died in 2001, at the age of 40. In a discussion regarding a patient, Pete hints to the other doctors that he stayed in an unhappy marriage because his wife was sick and that they were unable to make the marriage work. Pete eventually tells Addison that he went to bed with his wife on a Tuesday night and when he awoke the following Wednesday morning she was dead and that he thought she was ignoring him and argued with her dead body for 5 minutes before ripping the blankets of the bed and realizing that she had been dead. He further states that no night was perfect during their marriage, not even their wedding night. This information was the most that Pete has ever divulged to any of his co-workers about his wife. During a second visit to his wife's grave, Pete unleashes his pent-up anger to his wife's headstone. After stating that Anna was "a mean, cold bitch" and that he hated her, Pete softens and apologizes for not being able to save her. Pete later reveals to Violet that at the time of Anna's death they had been trying to conceive a child.
Meg Porter[]
Pete and Meg met when they were both residents and later worked together as Doctors Without Borders. Meg reveals to Pete's surprised co-workers that once during the war in Bosnia, Pete refused to evacuate and, despite the mortar fire, stayed with sick children for the whole night, saving the lives of most of them. Later Pete told Meg, who has a smoking habit, that his wife was a smoker and she didn't quit the habit before she died. Despite their renewed relationship, Meg decides to come back to Ghana, where she works in malaria fighting program, but Pete asks her to come back to him, because she makes him happy. Despite that, Meg returned later to LA and even tried to give up smoking for Pete, the relationship didn't work. Meg wasn't sure if she wants to live in LA and Pete admitted that ever since his unhappy marriage he doesn't trust women anymore. When Pete and his Oceanside Wellness Group colleague Violet hooked-up, the relationship with Meg was definitely over.
Violet Turner[]
The relationship with Violet started with just sex, but later Pete realized that he wanted more. When he asked Violet if they could move to the next level and begin a real relationship, she turned him down, saying that she didn't trust him because of his past. But it was Violet's behavior that really caused the end of their relationship, when she started secretly dating Sheldon, the therapist from the rival practice, Pacific Wellcare. Pete ended their relationship because of Violet's infidelity. Afterward, Violet revealed to both Pete and Sheldon she was pregnant, and willing to raise the child, but ignored who the father was. Pete confronted Violet and said that he loved her and they could be a real family. Violet turned him down, but later she kissed him and told about her feelings towards him. In the end, Violet was kidnapped by her patient, Katie, who believed that Violet's baby was her own.
Pete found Violet lying unconscious on the floor of her house, bleeding to death. Katie cut the baby out of Violet and ran away with him. Pete saved Violet and together with Naomi rushed her to the hospital where Addison and Naomi operated on her. In the meantime, Katie appeared at the hospital with Violet's baby and was apprehended by Pete, Cooper, and security. While waiting in the hospital for Violet's surgery to be finished, Pete thought about their first meeting. They met just four days after Pete's wife's death, when Sam and Naomi, Pete's friends who just opened their private practice, recommended Violet to him as his therapist. Pete at first was reluctant to talk with Violet, but finally he opened to her and admitted that he hated his wife and argued with her all the time, even the night she died. The next morning, he was still yelling at her and only a few minutes later, he noticed that she wasn't answering because she was dead. Pete admitted that he was relieved after his wife's death and felt free. After that, Pete, who was the owner of an Infectious Diseases practice in Beverly Hills, decided to change his job, and started working in Oceanside Wellness Group as an Alternative Medicine specialist, where he still worked eight years later.
A month after Lucas's traumatic birth, Violet was still trying to recover and get over her trauma. Pete lived with her and took care of her and Lucas. Violet was not leaving her house and had panic attacks every time the doorbell rang. After getting advice from Sheldon, Pete decided to move out, to help Violet recover and push her to go outside. Violet realized that after traumatic events in her life, she couldn't bond with her baby and gave Lucas to Pete, asking him to take care of the baby.
A couple of weeks later, Sheldon requested a paternity test and it was revealed that Pete is the biological father.
A few months later, Violet returned and wanted joint custody of Lucas. Pete didn't want to let this happen and battled her in court. Their relationship was strained for a while until Pete discovered that Violet had changed and that she was a good influence on Lucas and him. After Dell's death, Pete and Violet decided to get married.
After Pete had his first heart attack, he started to resent Violet, believing she was coddling him, and that resulted in their separation.
When Violet started seeing Scott, Pete realized he was still in love with Violet.
Eventually, after Scott and Violet broke up, Violet also decided that she was still in love with Pete. Pete and Violet attempted to go to couples therapy, but Pete decided that they were in love and that was enough for him. Violet still wanted him to work, for them to work and sort out their problems.
When Pete went out for his run, he texted Violet, telling her that he loved her. Concerned when Pete didn't show up for the hearing that he was meant to go to, she thought he had left. When she realized that Pete was dead, she told Cooper that Pete didn't look like Pete at all. According to her, Pete had always looked warm, even when he was angry, but now he just looked cold.
Lisa King[]
Pete briefly dated Lisa after her son, Ben King, one of Pete's patients, set them up. After realizing that he needed to be there for Violet and the baby, he showed up at Lisa's doorstep and broke things off with her.
Career[]
Pete worked at the Oceanside Wellness Group as a naturopathic doctor and licensed herbalist. He graduated from medical school and practiced traditional western medicine for a number of years before spending five years in China studying alternative medicine. Pete’s medical practice combines eastern and western medicine in an integrative approach, and he is often asked to provide expectant mothers with holistic birthing plans. Pete has also lectured locally and internationally on the subject of Oriental and Eastern Medicine. He used acupuncture on Addison during her first visit to the Oceanside Wellness Group and made her release negative energy.
Before Oceanside, Pete owned a practice in Beverly Hills which worked in infectious disease. Pete also had training in critical care.
Pete was offered a job at Oceanside Wellness Group when the doctor they originally hired, a dermatologist, was sued for inappropriately touching his patient's feet. However, Violet had doubts as he was seeing her for therapy following the death of his wife. Eventually, Violet saw progress and allowed him to work at the practice.
After some time at Oceanside, Pete accepted Naomi's offer and left the Oceanside Wellness Center to start working in Pacific Wellcare; additionally, he has picked up shifts at St. Ambrose Hospital's ER, becoming employed as an attending critical care physician.
Notes and Trivia[]
- Before settling on the name Pete Wilder, the creators of the show considered and rejected "Pete Finch" and "Pete Fisher."[source?]
- Pete rode a Triumph motorcycle.[6]
- According to Sam, Pete couldn't parallel park to save his life.[7]
- Pete wanted a Balinese party instead of a normal funeral.[8]
- Pete never ate the crust off his pizza.[9]
- He loved mint chocolate chip ice cream.[10]
- He liked meatloaf.[11]
- He spoke Spanish.[12]
- Pete and his brother Adam used to egg trick or treaters on Halloween.[13]
- Since his heart attack, he drinks decaffeinated coffee and eats broccoli, even though he hates it.[14]
Gallery[]
A more complete gallery with pictures of Pete Wilder can be found here. |
Notable Episodes[]
These episodes are Pete-centric or otherwise very informative about his life.
- In Which Addison Finds the Magic
- A Death in the Family
- War
- Take Two
- All in the Family
- Can't Find My Way Back Home
- The Hardest Part
- God Laughs
- And Then There Was One
- True Colors
- Gone, Baby, Gone
- Mourning Sickness
Memorable Quotes[]
- Pete: My wife went to sleep beside me in bed on a Tuesday night, on Wednesday morning when I woke up, she was dead. It was one bad night. But... all our nights were bad and we never had a perfect night. Not even our wedding night. Nothing's perfect, nothing's ever perfect.[15]
Appearances[]
Grey's Anatomy, Season 3 | |||||
#01 | "Time Has Come Today" | #10 | "Don't Stand So Close to Me" | #19 | "My Favorite Mistake" |
#02 | "I Am a Tree" | #11 | "Six Days, Part 1" | #20 | "Time After Time" |
#03 | "Sometimes a Fantasy" | #12 | "Six Days, Part 2" | #21 | "Desire" |
#04 | "What I Am" | #13 | "Great Expectations" | #22 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 1" |
#05 | "Oh, the Guilt" | #14 | "Wishin' and Hopin'" | #23 | "The Other Side of This Life, Part 2" |
#06 | "Let the Angels Commit" | #15 | "Walk on Water" | #24 | "Testing 1-2-3" |
#07 | "Where the Boys Are" | #16 | "Drowning on Dry Land" | #25 | "Didn't We Almost Have It All?" |
#08 | "Staring at the Sun" | #17 | "Some Kind of Miracle" | ||
#09 | "From a Whisper to a Scream" | #18 | "Scars and Souvenirs" |
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" |
Private Practice, Season 3 | |||||
#01 | "A Death in the Family" | #09 | "The Parent Trap" | #17 | "Triangles" |
#02 | "The Way We Were" | #10 | "Blowups" | #18 | "Pulling the Plug" |
#03 | "Right Here, Right Now" | #11 | "Another Second Chance" | #19 | "Eyes Wide Open" |
#04 | "Pushing the Limits" | #12 | "Best Laid Plans" | #20 | "Second Choices" |
#05 | "Strange Bedfellows" | #13 | "Shotgun" | #21 | "War" |
#06 | "Slip Slidin' Away" | #14 | "Love Bites" | #22 | "In the Name of Love" |
#07 | "The Hard Part" | #15 | "'Til Death Do Us Part" | #23 | "The End of a Beautiful Friendship" |
#08 | "Sins of the Father" | #16 | "Fear of Flying" |
Private Practice, Season 4 | |||||
#01 | "Take Two" | #09 | "Can't Find My Way Back Home" | #17 | "A Step Too Far" |
#02 | "Short Cuts" | #10 | "Just Lose It" | #18 | "The Hardest Part" |
#03 | "Playing God" | #11 | "If You Don't Know Me By Now" | #19 | "What We Have Here..." |
#04 | "A Better Place to Be" | #12 | "Heaven Can Wait" | #20 | "Something Old, Something New" |
#05 | "In or Out" | #13 | "Blind Love" | #21 | "God Bless the Child" |
#06 | "All in the Family" | #14 | "Home Again" | #22 | "...To Change the Things I Can" |
#07 | "Did You Hear What Happened to Charlotte King?" | #15 | "Two Steps Back" | ||
#08 | "What Happens Next" | #16 | "Love and Lies" |
Private Practice, Season 5 | |||||
#01 | "God Laughs" | #09 | "The Breaking Point" | #17 | "The Letting Go" |
#02 | "Breaking the Rules" | #10 | "Are You My Mother?" | #18 | "It Was Inevitable" |
#03 | "Deal With It" | #11 | "The Standing Eight Count" | #19 | "And Then There Was One" |
#04 | "Remember Me" | #12 | "Losing Battles" | #20 | "True Colors" |
#05 | "Step One" | #13 | "The Time Has Come" | #21 | "Drifting Back" |
#06 | "If I Hadn't Forgotten..." | #14 | "Too Much" | #22 | "Gone, Baby, Gone" |
#07 | "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough" | #15 | "You Break My Heart" | ||
#08 | "Who We Are" | #16 | "Andromeda" |
References[]
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