
(S03E22/S03E23) "I'm just saying, it's a relief to be on a "not horny" elevator... you know?" - Addison
Well that's it. We speculated. We ooed and ahhed. We wondered what could possibly be in store for a Grey's Anatomy spin-off starring Kate Walsh's Addison Montgomery. Well now we know and based on my initial diagnosis (doctor lingo!), I have to be honest -- it feels a lot like the exact same show in a different city with different players. Is that a bad thing? I don't think so because we've got a formula that works here. Did I like it? Sure. Did I love it? Well... love is a strong word.
So Addison is in Los Angeles. She had sex with Karev, got lied to by Sloan, and now she's about 1,200 miles south with the sudden urge to have a baby. Mid-life crisis anyone? Fortunately, her best friend Naomi (Merrin Dungey) is a fertility expert who works for a well-known practice. Cue the rest of your new spin-off cast:
-
Pete (Tim Daly), the laid-back new age doctor with specialties in herbs and acupuncture. He has trouble with commitment and has been a widow going on eight years now. Digs Addison.
-
Sam (Taye Diggs), Naomi's ex-husband and one of the lead doctors at the Oceanside Wellness Group. He has no honest answer for why he left his wife.
-
Violet (Amy Brenneman), the resident shrink who thinks her profession is becoming obsolete. She also recently found out that her anti-marriage ex-boyfriend just got married.
-
Cooper (Paul Adelstein), the socially inept pediatrics doc. Has a thing for Violet.
-
Dell (Chris Lowell), the hunky male receptionist who parades around the office every day at 1:05 wearing nothing but shorts and carrying his surfboard. Has a major crush on Naomi.
See what I mean though? Don't you feel like you've met all these characters already? I mean, they're new... but not quite. Everything definitely feels like it's been sewn from the same thread though. I do find it interesting that both Daly and Diggs are in the show. Did they have some kind of pending ABC contracts that needed to be held up following the cancellations of The Nine and Day Break?
Much of the spin-off followed a lot of the same conventions we've come to expert from Grey's, so it made it easy to follow. Questions about who's sleeping with who, plenty of quirky patients, and lots of emotional blabber all helped to create the same feel. Fortunately for Addison, there's an empty office... if she can ever get used to Tilly, the security guard who speaks to everyone through the elevator intercom.
The episode ended with her on her way back to Seattle Grace presumably, but I see no reason for that to come to fruition. When the series (Private Practice is the tentative title) finally premieres, it would make sense for her to change her mind and take Naomi up on the job offer. Plus there are factors pulling her in the new direction. Beyond her obvious attraction to Pete the Quack, the revelation that Addison can't conceive is going to push her to help other women do just that. The Oceanside Wellness Group is the place for that to happen. All we can do now is wait for her to turn the car around and hop in the sack with Pete.
Back in Seattle, it was a little jumpy, but a lot happened. I wasn't too drawn to the Preston/Cristina angle as the entire story of the marriage is growing tiresome for me. He wants it, she doesn't. It never gets interesting. At least with the return of both their mothers, it's planted a seed of doubt in Preston's mind. It's something I suppose. Same goes for Gizzie. They've continued their little dance and canoodled some more in the elevator, but George is still firm about transferring to Mercy West and not divorcing Callie. With only two episodes to go, I doubt very much he'll be able to keep his hands off Izzie much longer. At first I questioned if this could signal George's exit from the show. Now I'm starting to think it might be lights out for Callie.
The big bombshell was Susan Grey. After developing a bad case of the hiccups, things just went downhill fast until she went septic and died on the OR table. It was hard for Meredith because we've seen her grow close to her step-mother over the past few episodes. More importantly, we saw her get much closer to her father Thatcher in this installment, and to see him turn on his daughter so fast following Susan's death was hard to watch. This certainly doesn't bode well for the future of Derek and Meredith. We all know what happens when she gets overly emotional. Maybe she should take off for L.A. too.
All in all and considering everything that went into this monster story, I have to say I liked it. There really were a lot of positive things and I do look forward to the spin-off. Will it be earth-shattering? Far from it. But it will definitely be worth watching. 5 out of 7.














Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-04-2007 @ 8:49AM
Giza_Breck said...
The possible spin-off looks to be boring. Nothing about those characters made me want to see more. George and Izzie are just awful, the whole storyline makes me want to gag. Actually, the whole show is getting old, or maybe it's just me.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:50AM
asad said...
you know what would make even more sense than pete being a widow? pete being a widowER.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:50AM
Meesh said...
I adored this episode. I think the spin off will be fantastic. Great cast. Great characters. Interesting setting that will provide interesting storylines.
Great writing.
And sorry, but those were two HOT kissing scenes tonight.
If y'all are hatin, you're just McJudgey ;-) and expect too much from your nightly tv escapism.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:50AM
Paul Little said...
I'm looking forward to the spin-off and will likely enjoy it much more than "Grey's" itself. It seems a little (okay, a lot) less overly-emotional than "Grey's". And it's the humour that I like most from the show, not the melodrama. Plus, I'm a fan of Taye Diggs and Tim Daly, and I enjoyed the other characters, too.
Meanwhile, on the mothership, why the hell does EVERYTHING possible go wrong with Meredith. It's ridiculous!
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:50AM
Ryan said...
Well I loved the spin-off. The cast worked and Addison fit right in. I do want to get to know them, but maybe that's just me. I'm a psych major so I like that there's a show that has a psychiatrist as a regular cast member. Plus Addison can do no wrong. I'd follow her anywhere. Plus even though I still like GA, this whole Gizzie thing and marriage thing is too blah for me to care about. So... greener and sunnier pastures!
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:50AM
Nola said...
I can't believe that they all just stood there and watched Mere get slapped and no one said anything. I don't care that his wife died, if that was another doctor he would never have done that. He slapped Meredith, because it was Meredith. And Derek, Bailey and the Chief all stood there and watched him and said diddly.
Funny how The Chief is all up in Derek's business claiming he's trying to protect Meredith, but he didn't seem to consider protecting her from the one man that keeps hurting her and has been hurting her since she was a child.
I'm sick of watching Meredith be everyone's punching bag for when they feel bad. Let's take it out on Meredith, she's already screwed up.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:51AM
Francisco said...
I wouldn't call this an episode of Grey's Anatomy because I felt a lot of the time was spend on addison story. I just felt like it was the fusion of two show (Grey's/ "Private Practice"). I just didn't like the concept of the L.A. thing
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:51AM
1iPete said...
Boy, this came off as a real non-event. The spinoff actors are all charsimatic and likeable, but most of the tone of LA seemed really forced to me with a serious dose of fast-forward 2-dimensional, cliched character development. If you ripped out all the spinoff scenes and made it a standalone pilot, I have a hunch the show would die quickly like that fertility show NBC had earlier this season. Of course, ABC will pick it up and either follow Grey's with it or continually cross-promote it and it will be a reasonable success.
It was nice to see Diahann Carroll looking good at 70+.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:51AM
RedStarRevolution said...
Still loving Grey's and the spin off seems pretty good, although they really have to change the name. Private Practice just doesn't sound right.
The parallels between the two shows are pretty obvious though. Tim Daly seems like a cross between Alex and Sloan, we get all the same kind of situations, the elevator, the stairwell...but frankly, I love Grey's, its one of my favs, and if this is nothing more than a carbon copy, then sign me up. 2x the sex and scalpels sounds good to me...
...Maybe that should be the show title, Sex and Scalpels...lol
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:51AM
BigTed said...
More than "Grey's" itself, the new show is made for middle-aged women. All the talk about dried-up eggs, and how the men are babies for not dating women their own age -- and, worst of all, making a sex object out of "Veronica Mars"' nerdboy Piz -- was just annoying for anyone not in that demographic. (P.S. to the producers: Santa Monica is a separate city from L.A., and it's nowhere near the Hollywood sign.)
Meanwhile, when Meredith's stepmother came into the office with something ridiculously minor at the start of the episode, I think we all knew how it would end. But it's too bad they decided to get rid of a great actress like Mare Winningham.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:52AM
D Colin said...
I loved this episode. I thought the cast for the spinoff was great, and really worked well together.I've missed Amy Brenneman (loved her on Judging Amy, yes I always liked that show). Merrin Dungey, Taye Diggs are so great and I can't wait to see where their story takes them. Tim Daly- great, and he hopefully has a show that sticks.
I know from the ABC board I saw, that many didn't like it but I don't know why. Maybe they don't like the thought of Addison leaving Grey's. But here's a thought-- I really liked with Kate Walsh in the mix with the new cast, but I also think that they could make the new show work with out her. I hope the pick up the new show. I'd love to see it Sunday before Brother's and Sister's.
hey and any show that can bring Evil Francie and Sark back to TV together is fantastic.
On the Grey's portion I loved how Cristina was with Callie tonight. From how she asked her to be a bridesmaid to her telling her about the dress she found. I wish they shared more scenes together cause I really enjoy both actresses. And Nola I agree with you, her father would've never slapped another doctor. He has sh-t on her so much and the there is Derek. So what she walked by him, she was in shock. Then he gets moody when he sees her drinking with her friends and leaves (just like he always does) I'm sure if he came in she'sd of shared her feelings but he never gave her the chance
anyways I enjoyed all two hours and can't believe only two episodes til the end of the season.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:52AM
Alicia said...
I laughed more at this episode of Grey's than I have in a while. I actually yelled things at my tv and I hadn't done that in ages with Grey's before.
I really liked it. I liked the Addison in CA thing, and I liked the interaction between Callie and Christina. That mouthing the "I'm going to kill you" sent me into a gaggle of giggles.
The ONLY problem I had with it, was that Mer told her dad. I mean.... EVERYONE knows that history... and they let her tell him?
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:52AM
janmarie said...
BORING!! I am definitely not interested in the "silly" spinoff. I just wished that Grey's Anatomy would stick to the medical story line and not get so involved with daytime soap opera like stories. Such a shame, it was a great show when it started out--but definitely going downhill. Especially with the "drowning" episode.
Please bring back the original Grey's!!
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:52AM
zombie_willow said...
I was so upset with this episode(s) the spin off looks like, as my hubby puts it, the oprah crowd plus addison. I cant stand any one of the new manufactered characters. I kept thinking to myself "when is greys coming on" than realizing I was watching it, and than getting angry that i was forced to watch the spin off against my will. I hope it fails and Addison comes back to where she belongs. Without the Greys cast her character loses its brilliance in my opinion. I took a poll this morning at my work, and out of the 10 people that watch greys, none of them would watch the spin off.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:52AM
BC said...
My diagnosis is that I liked the "new" show and think it has potential. The way they introduced the characters was well written, and we found out some small information about each of them. Also there seems to be some "name" actors on the new show instead of a lot on newbies that are on new shows nowadays, which could help the appeal. Overall it was a good "first" introduction episode for Private Practice, and I will at least watch the first few shows when it actually begins, just to see how it develops!
I would recommend ABC come up with a more appealing name than "Private Practice", maybe since they work at Oceanside Wellness Group (which is another dumb name) they could call it Oceanside Medical or even LA Medical ?????
But did anyone besides me think that is was irronic that both Tim Daly and Taye Diggs are on another highly promoted "new" ABC show? They were the stars of the very, very highly promoted, but then cancelled, The Nine and Day Break, earlier in the season. I am sure ABC will put a lot into this show, but putting those two on it seems risky since both the other shows they starred in were both cancelled.
What day/time will the new show air? If its Thursday's after Grey's Anatomy that seems like that would be a risky move also since everything they put there seems to fail.
As for Grey's Anatomy --- they jumped the shark with the Meredith drowning and I think the show is on a respirator....and if it don't get better soon I will be pulling the plug on it!
BC
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 8:53AM
Liz Finn-Arnold said...
The episode was seriously disjointed. It was hard for the regular Grey's stuff to gain momentum with all the interruptions. And the spin-off stuff was just really forced and kind of boring. It's like they thought if they mentioned the word "sex" 100 times it somehow would make the show McSexy. It didn't.
I love Addison (I actually hope she stays in Seattle and hooks up with the Chief). I don't want her to become "Meredith" in a new location -- just another neurotic, single, childless career-woman whining about her inability to have a stable love life.
On a positive note, I have to say that Kate Walsh and Timothy Daly do have great chemistry together. Their scenes together on the short-lived "Eyes" was part of the reason I wished that show lasted longer.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 10:04AM
radwimp said...
Ugh, I can't take this Gizzie garbage anymore. Callie deserves better than this. Her scenes with Christina were great though.
I have seriously been waiting 3 years for someone to do that Meredith, but damn...
I liked the spin-off part. Much more interesting than what was happening at Seattle. Wasn't wild on the whole "having a baby" reason, but when we found out she couldn't, that was really sad. The cast was interesting (Paul Adelstein!!)... Dell has freakishly large nipples... but I'll be tuning in to see how it goes.
"hey and any show that can bring Evil Francie and Sark back to TV together is fantastic." Haha, I completely agree.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 10:04AM
Tina said...
Wow, to have such a great cast (and Kate Walsh), the spin-off plot was pretty stilted and clunky. Let's hope it gets better in time. But yeah...Francie and Sark!
At the very least, perhaps there'll be far fewer 'Mc-whatever' dialogue tics.
In the Seattle plot, some riduculous stuff there. No way the Chief, who has pledged to take care of Meredith, lets her be the one to break the bad news to her father. And as much as I like Cristina, the wedding plot is a bore.
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 10:04AM
TFrog said...
Loved the spin-off - it's great to see Amy Brenneman back on TV....I think I like watching the grownups more than the angst driven 20 somethings.....I agree with those that say the GA's story lines are getting tired - better shake them up!
Reply
5-04-2007 @ 10:05AM
Dave said...
Private Practice - McSucked. Addison belongs in Seattle.
She desperatly wants to have a baby? Well, I guess she shouldn't have had that abortion, should she?
Reply