By Mia Cerrato – Editorial Editor

“Private Practice” is a show that takes place in the same universe as “Grey’s Anatomy.” It is a spin-off from “Grey’s” in which a neonatal surgeon named Addison Forbes Montgomery moves to LA where she works at a clinic called Oceanside Wellness Center. She builds close relationships with her colleagues including Sam Bennet, Naomi Bennet, Cooper Friedman, Violet Turner, Pete Wilder and later on in the season, Amelia Shepherd and Charlotte King.

Just like “Grey’s Anatomy” there is a lot of drama between relationships in the workplace. It allows viewers to get a glimpse on how doctors decide on what is most ethical treatment for patients. For most of the patients, the doctors discuss what they believe is the correct path regarding treatment. For instance, there was conflict between Pete and Sam. Pete’s patient was an elderly man who had cancer and was severely ill. He wanted to die and expressed that to Pete. Pete argued with Sam about physician-assisted suicide and their opinion on it. They were debating whether it was ethical or not. Pete felt as though it was justified because his patient was not living a good life due to the fact he was so ill. However, Sam felt otherwise.

Private Practice tackles popular societal issues that are commonly seen in real life. For instance, there was a patient who was a man who identified as a woman. She wanted to go through with gender reassignment surgery. Yet, the psychiatrist said she was not mentally fit enough to go through a surgery like that. Since she was denied the surgery, she executes it by herself at home. Through this patient, we see the struggles that the transgender community goes through in real life and all of the challenges they face. Another societal issue the show touches upon is the sexual assault of men in the military. In the episode, the man comes home to his beloved wife. They begin to have issues since they seem to be unable to reconnect. The wife did not know what had happened while he was away. They began to see a psychiatrist and it was revealed that the soldier was sexually assaulted by his commanding officer. He said he felt like he could not tell his wife due to the stigma surrounding the sexual assault of men. Even he couldn’t understand why he was unable to fight back when he was in the situation.

Overall, “Private Practice” was a thoroughly enjoyable show and is highly recommended. 

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars