Private Practice, The Complete Second Season DVD Review

PRIVATE PRACTICE: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

Own it on DVD on September 15, 2009

Feature run time: 946 Minutes
Rated: ‘TV-PG DLSV’ (US); ‘14A’ (Canada)

Synopsis – Another electrifying medical drama from the creator of ABC’s runaway hit “Grey’s Anatomy,” Private Practice: The Complete Second Season, comes to DVD on September 15, 2009 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Every gripping Season Two episode comes packaged in this multi-disc collection, which also includes exclusive bonus features that go behind the scenes with cast and creator for an in depth look at a unique series.

From Shonda Rhimes, the Golden Globe®-winning creator of “Grey’s Anatomy,” comes a standout show about the personal and professional lives of a group of passionate doctors. Featuring steamy storylines and a dazzling ensemble cast, the show stars Kate Walsh reprising her “Grey’s Anatomy” role as Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery. With Seattle Grace Hospital and all its complications behind her, Addison embraces the sunnier weather and new possibilities of the Oceanside Wellness Group in Los Angeles—but life and love are never that simple.

Private Practice: The Complete Second Season stars Kate Walsh (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Tim Daly (“The Nine”), Audra McDonald (“A Raisin in the Sun”), Paul Adelstein (“Prison Break”), KaDee Strickland (American Gangster), Chris Lowell (“Veronica Mars”), with Taye Diggs (“Rent”) and Amy Brenneman (“Judging Amy”).

Bonus Features

• Patient Confidentiality: Creator / Executive Producer Shonda Rhimes, Executive Producer Betsy Beers and actors Paul Adelstein (Dr. Cooper Freedman) and Amy Brenneman (Dr. Violet Turner) take a look back at the controversial issues encountered by the doctors of Oceanside Wellness Group in Season 2 of Private Practice.
• Life Through The Lens: The Pictures Of Chris Lowell
• Extended Episodes
• Deleted Scenes
• Bloopers

If you like Grey’s Anatomy then you will probably enjoy its spin-off Private Practice as well. It just needs more complications. Its episodes center around eight dysfunctional individuals plus some recurring guests. These characters are three dimensional. The stories are well grounded, tackle human issues, but have less drama than Grey’s.

Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh), a renowned neonatal surgeon, has joined the Ocean Wellness Group, a clinic in Los Angeles. Recently divorced, she is searching for Mr. Right, but things keep going wrong. She breaks off with Kevin Nelson only to fall for married Dr. Noah Barnes. Meanwhile her practice is in danger of bankruptcy. Her brother comes to California and joins Pacific Wellcare which is syphoning off Ocean’s patients. A quarantine does not help business finances or personalities either.

Patients stirring the plot and emotions include a bigamist, a criminal, a possible murderer, and a abandoned seven-year old. Some of the medical issues dealt with bring ethical and legal issues– unethical fertility treatment, malpractice, patient confidentiality. Others are more conventional–post-traumatic stress disorder, post-partum depression, Alzheimer’s, Type I diabetes, couples therapy, paternity testing, insomnia, an infant with a large head, autism, c-sections. The rest are controversial–embryo switching, gender reassignment, euthanasia, abortion, child molestation, sibling marriage, sexually active preteens, sexual predators.

Sam and Naomi’s friendship takes a hit. Violet and Cooper’s is falling apart. Meg and Pete (Tim Daly) are having problems too.

Professional and personal lives are in conflict. Archer has issues. Naomi (Audra McDonald) is concealing things. Dell (Chris Lowell) is getting over his crush. Cooper (Paul Adelstein) is keeping secrets. Sam (Taye Diggs) is involved with Charlotte (KaDee Strickland)who uses bedroom favors to her best advantage. Archer suffers a seizure. Sam has a severe asthma attack.

The season finale is a cliffhanger. Pregnant Violet (Amy Brennerman) is being held hostage in a baby drama. Will she survive? Is the father Pete, her best friend with benefits, or Sheldon, her Dr. Feelgood ex-husband? Meanwhile Charlotte is being fired by Bill Buchanan. What will she do next?

The complete second season of Private Practice is being released to DVD on September 15, 2009. Season Three will premier on ABC October 1, 2009 at 9:00 P. M. EST. Past story lines have read like prime time General Hospital without the mob. I wish that the writers would write Maurice Bernard, Jr. in. It certainly would reinvent casting dynamics.

Here’s the Season 2 trailer.