Private Practice: Season 3
Episode 17

Title: Triangles
Episode: 48
Episode #: 3.17
First Air Date: March 11, 2010 (10pm)
Writer: Steve Blackman
Director: Tom Verica
DVD: Private Practice: The Complete Third Season
Guest Stars:
Brian Benben as Sheldon
James Morrison as William
Michael Patrick Thorton as Gabriel Fife
Christina Chang as Vanessa
Monica Keena as Kayla
Derek Phillips as Eddie
Judith Hoag as Angie
Michael Reilly Burke as Simon
Madeline Carroll as Maggie
Lauren Bowles as Cyndy
Todd Babcock as Joe

Music:

Macy Gray, "That Man"
A woman makes an assumption about Addison. Pete tells her people see what they want to see. Sheldon and Cooper both tell Charlotte about their dreams. Addison's patient Kayla (a surrogate mother to be) has blood clots and needs to reduce her pregnancy from 3 to 1. The expectant parents want to wait.

Barrett Johnson, "Portraits"
Naomi and Fife meet up. Pete talks to Addison about William and Naomi. Addison's uncomfortable playing mommy to Pete's son and makes a hasty exit. Sheldon tries to explain himself to Charlotte. Addison comes to talk to Sam. He understands her dilemma.

Sanders Bohlke, "Misdirection"
Addison tells Pete something very serious. Cooper and Sheldon are with Joe and Cyndy as they allow Maggie to be admitted. Addison talks to Sam about Pete. They wish each other well. Naomi is irate. Sheldon apologizes to Charlotte, and she accepts. Addison is with Pete and Lucas.


Fan Rating: ??/10 (Average of all fan submitted ratings)


Synopsis:

When the lives of Addison's patient and her three unborn babies hang in the balance, Sam's new girlfriend and Addison are divided on the course of treatment; Cooper wants Sheldon's help with a young patient; Naomi faces a dilemma.

(Preview From ABC)
When Addison's patient and the life of the three unborn babies she is carrying as a surrogate hang in the balance, Sam's new girlfriend, Vanessa, and Addison are sharply divided on the course of treatment. Meanwhile Cooper seeks Sheldon's help with a young patient, but their personal quarrels over Charlotte get in the way, and Naomi has a dilemma of her own between William and an unexpectedly charming Dr. Fife.


(Recap From ABC)
Addison is treating Kayla, a surrogate who is carrying triplets for a couple, Simon and Angie. If Addison doesn’t reduce the pregnancy to one baby, Kayla could die. Simon and Angie have been trying to have a baby for years, so they’re not willing to sign off on Addison’s diagnosis. Guess who they ask for a second opinion? Give yourself a gold star if you said Sam’s new girlfriend Vanessa.

Vanessa suggests an option that would allow her to deliver three healthy babies. It involves Sam operating on Kayla to remove a blood clot. Angie and Simon are all for it. Addison is vehemently against it. Kayla’s husband, Eddie, isn’t crazy about the idea either. But Kayla opts for the surgery. Addison voices her objections as Sam operates, but Vanessa gets the last word, as the procedure is successful.

Dr. Fife has done a trial for an ALS antibiotic. William wants to get the human trials going ASAP. Naomi doesn’t want to rush things. Fife suggests taking Naomi to dinner in an attempt to win her over. It sounds to us like he’s trying to sneak in a first date under the guise of a business dinner. William doesn’t mind. He wants this project up and running pronto. Pete suspects his reasons may be personal as opposed to scientific.

William admits to Pete that he has ALS. This has Pete wondering if he’s not pushing the project forward prematurely. At dinner, Fife does a speedy summary of all the reasons they should do the ALS trial. He wants to get the business part of the evening over as quickly as possible so he and Naomi can get on with the date. Told ya he was trying to sneak it in there. Naomi doesn’t seem to mind.

Cooper treats a young girl named Maggie, who has an imaginary friend. But there may be more to the story. With Violet on vacation, Cooper asks Sheldon for a psych consult. Things have been a little weird between these two ever since Cooper caught Sheldon naked on the couch with Charlotte. So when Sheldon suggests that Maggie may be schizophrenic, Cooper is skeptical. He also tells Sheldon that Charlotte is just using him.

Maggie’s parents refuse to believe that there’s anything wrong with their daughter. Dad, Joe, is especially critical of Sheldon. Cooper’s also critical, but it has nothing to do with his analysis. It’s all about Charlotte. The two of them actually get into an incredibly awkward fistfight while rifling for food in the kitchen. Charlotte catches them rolling around on the floor. While she’s appalled by the brawl, we’re completely cracking up.

The reason Maggie’s dad has been so reluctant to accept his analysis is because he’s scared. His sister was also schizophrenic and committed suicide. He feels responsible for what’s happening to Maggie because the illness runs in his family. He doesn’t want anyone to take her away. Sheldon and Cooper tell him that he can stay right by her side the entire time. As Joe takes his daughter’s hand, we know that’s just what he’ll do.

Now, Addison is supposed to be in love with Sam and Pete is supposed to be in love with Violet. But the wise Dr. Wilder wonders if maybe they can be in love with each other, too. This thought makes Addison very uncomfortable, especially when she sees Pete holding Lucas. Only Sam seems to know why. He says, “You bond with a baby, if you break up, you’re devastated. It makes sense.” Whoa! Stellar analysis by the Sam man!

After Sheldon asks Charlotte if she slept with him to get revenge on Cooper, she slams the door in his face. She obviously doesn’t want to talk to him. But Addison does. She corners him in the elevator to talk about the Pete situation. Sheldon spews out a bunch of psychobabble. In short, he tells her to grow the hell up. Think she will?

Addison and Sam are paged when Kayla develops another clot. Despite her best efforts, Kayla is only able to be kept alive through life support. The babies are fine, but Kayla’s husband, Eddie, is devastated. He blames Angie, Simon and Vanessa for killing his wife. Addison was right; though we’re sure she’s not feeling any joy about that fact after this tragic turn of events.

Pete tells Fife about William, so Fife suggests to Naomi that maybe they shouldn’t rush the trials. Naomi asks Fife to raise his chair to the point where they are face to face. They’re close enough to kiss. So they do. Speaking of kissing, Addison kisses Pete as she says, “Maybe I can be in love with you, too.” That’ll work.

There’s more kissing, when Sheldon shows up at Charlotte’s door again to apologize for his behavior. She drags him inside to assure him that her feelings have nothing to do with Cooper. Back at the office, Addison tells Naomi that she and Sam kissed. All Naomi can say is, “Shame on you.” Back at home, Addison asks Pete to tell her that everything is going to be okay. He does. The question is…when?