Private Practice Season 5 Review

15th Mar 2013

Do you ever find yourself continuing to watch a television series where you find the lead character to be extremely unlikable and most of the rest of the cast extremely unlikable. This is where I find myself with Private Practice. It’s now onto its sixth season in the US and still I continue to watch.

For those who may be unfamiliar, Private Practice came about as a spin-off from Grey’s Anatomy (a great show – filled the hole that ER left behind and always has an amazing soundtrack). The premise was build around Derek’s ex-wife Addison (Kate Walsh), who for some reason everyone loved and the creator Shonda Rhimes thought should have her own show. And it is the character of Addison who makes me question why I keep watching this programme. She is the most self-centred, narcissistic, whiney, “oh poor little me”, non-ironic character you could imagine. Why why do I watch a programme which centres around her…the only conclusion I can reach is that she does have great hair.

The only characters I truly love in Private Practice are Charlotte (KaDee Strickland) and Cooper (Paul Adelstein). Now if you are a fan you’ll know that season four was utterly heartbreaking when it came to their storyline (whilst Addison is off shacking up with her best-friends ex-husband – nice work woman, couldn’t find anyone else in the entire world could you!). Pete and Violet are together, not together, together, not together (who gives a monkeys). Where we pick up in season five is that Addison is still moaning about how she wants a baby and this sets the theme for the entire season; parenthood in its many forms.

Now readers you are probably thinking this is a negative review due to all my bitching but I do actually enjoy Private Practice and if you’ve stuck with the last four seasons there are some treasures in season five. Ignoring Addison (unfortunately each episode is tail ended with her therapy session this season), Sam, Pete and Violet there are some interesting character developments and as is always the case with any Shonda Rhimes show tear-jerker and distressing moments.

My particular favourites this season is the story arch of Charlotte. To be honest she could sit and do nothing and I would love her but from the traumatic events of last season we see the hard-arsed bitch and then destroyed Charlotte not turn into another character but evolve, specifically with her learning about what it is to be a parent and her love for Cooper. Amelia is also given a weightier role this season with them tackling her addictive background and around mid-season when the shit hits the fan I thought they didn’t sugar coat her experiences with drugs. I don’t want to reveal anything about the ending to her story this season but oh my. Her relationship with Sheldon is also a star of this show and for once doesn’t follow convention; I never really knew what the next step for them would be.

Private Practice like any Shonda Rhimes show is what it is. There are characters you wish would get killed off in plane crashes (Grey’s – sob) but there are also diamonds who make the eye rolling parts worth sticking out for. Season five has taken a different, and to be honest rather obvious, turn into the concept of adulthood and creating a family but it hasn’t lost it yet. I don’t think they should have many more seasons but if you have watched the others season watch this.