Private Practice: Season 4
Episode 22

Title: ...To Change the Things I Can
Episode: 76
Episode #: 4.22
First Air Date: May 19, 2011 (10pm)
Writer: Debora Cahn
Director: Rob Corn
DVD: Private Practice: The Complete Fourth Season
Guest Stars:
Michael Patrick Thornton as Dr. Gabriel Fife
Hailey Sole as Betsey Parker
Benjamin Bratt as Conor

Music:

Morcheeba, "Easier Said Than Done"
Addison talks to a shrink. She examines pregnant women. Addison watches Sam. Addison lies in bed alone. Addison performs surgery.

Shelly Fraley, "I Don't Know"
Addison convinces herself to go on a trip. Pete and Lucas say goodbye to Violet. Charlotte and Cooper discuss the fate of their patients.

Sara Swenson, "Time To Go"
Addison tells the shrink about her life. Violet stands in the middle of the office with no patients. Violet talks to pete.

Katie Herzig, "Make A Noise - Unreleased Track"
Addison runs into Naomi and they talk about Fife. Naomi and Fife have an intimate conversation. Addison goes to the airport. Addison discusses business with the people of the OWG…

The Rocketboys, "I Saw A Stone"
Amelia calls Charlotte to ask her for help as she is about to perform sugery. Cooper helps Jason regarding his doughter. Charlotte tells Kaiten she can help her deal with the rape situation. Sam instructs Naomi about Fife.


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


Synopsis:

The doctors face a tough decision regarding the future of Oceanside Wellness; a new admirer offers Addison a tempting proposition; Charlotte receives a case that hits close to home.

(Preview From ABC)
The doctors of Oceanside Wellness are faced with a tough decision -- to point out all areas of vulnerability within the practice and risk the termination of some of their own, or to dissolve the practice and each go their separate way. Addison has a new admirer in town who offers her a very tempting proposition. Meanwhile, Charlotte is assigned to a case that hits very close to home.


(Recap From ABC)
Addison is trying to make a change in her life. Her first order of business is flirting with the handsome man (guest star Benjamin Bratt) she meets in the pineapple aisle of the supermarket. Addison wants to live in the present with pineapple guy. He’s game, if living in the present means kissing a woman he just met. It does. Wow, Addy is really embracing that “change” philosophy.

Violet receives word that they are suspending her license for six months. Now the medical board is going after everyone else at Oceanside. The lawyers advise the group to either defend themselves or dissolve the practice and hope the board doesn’t go after them individually. Tough call. Tough call, indeed.

Violet tells Pete that she wants to do a multi-week book tour. It’s better than sitting around with a suspended license, right? Wrong, according to Pete. He’s already been feeling run down lately, this only adds to his stress. At work, Pete and Cooper treat a terminal young girl. They perform a risky procedure that could add few more years to her life. Things go south and the little girl slips into a coma. She’s not going to get any better.

The girl’s father, Jason, wants Cooper to help him stop his daughter’s suffering, which means ending her life. It’s a tough decision, but one that Cooper is considering. As for Charlotte, she treats Kaitlin, a woman who was the victim of a sexual assault. The patient has no idea that Charlotte had a similar trauma not so long ago. Both of these cases are obviously hitting our favorite newlyweds very hard.

Cooper ultimately tells Jason that he can’t do what he’s asking. Ending that little girl’s life would be crossing a line that would surely destroy all those involved. Coop advises Jason to love his daughter for as much time as she has left. As for Charlotte, she gets up the courage to talk to her patient to say that she’s not a victim. She’s a survivor. She’ll get through this. Her words hit home, as the patient can see proof of this in Charlotte’s eyes.

Naomi tells Fife that she can’t go to DC with him. The practice is in peril…Betsey is still in recovery…yadda, yadda, yadda. These are just excuses Naomi is creating to avoid happiness. At least, that’s what Sam thinks. He basically tells her to go run off and be happy with another man. She’ll do just that provided she can get to the airport before Fife’s flight takes off.

As for Addison, she’s headed to the airport to go away with pineapple guy. Yeah, we know she just met him and, as far as we can tell, she never even got his name. But it’s all part of that “change” thing. Speaking of change, Violet is defying her hubby’s wishes by going away on the book tour. Pete says he loves her, but he’s also done with her.

Charlotte has been desperately trying to get Amelia to go to an AA meeting. She senses something is amiss and a frantic phone call before a tricky surgery only adds to her suspicions. Charlotte knows Amelia is drinking. She revokes her surgical privileges at the hospital. Obviously, this ticks off Amelia. She seems to be less angry a short time later. Unfortunately, that’s only because she’s out downing beers at a bar.

Addison is heading down the airport terminal when she sees Violet waiting for her flight. She also runs into Naomi, who is trying to catch Fife. Sadly, the plane is already backing away. That’s fine. Fife wasn’t onboard anyway. He knew Naomi would come running after him. That’s why he was standing by with an engagement ring. Naomi says yes to his proposal, but they will not be going to DC. Their new family will be moving to New York to be close to Maya.

Of course, that means Naomi must say goodbye to BFF Addison, who is not going away with pineapple guy after all. Instead, she goes back to the office to announce to her colleagues that they should dissolve Oceanside Wellness Group and open a new practice. They’ll start over. They’ll still be a family; they’ll just need to change. More change comes when Addison and Sam end up in bed together. She’s still going to have a baby even if it isn’t with him. Hopefully Sam will be able to deal.

At the end of a long day, Pete is home cleaning up toys. Remember how we said he’d been feeling run down? Well, it’s a bit more serious than that. Pete clutches his chest. He collapses to the floor. Violet is gone and Lucas looks scared. He has every reason to be frightened. It looks like his dad is having a heart attack right in front of him.