TUESDAYS 10|9c
Season 6
PRIVATE PRACTICE - "Aftershock" - Addison settles into her new life after making a decision between Jake and Sam; Violet fears the worst when Pete doesn't show up to his preliminary court hearing; and Charlotte swears Cooper to secrecy when she receives shocking news. Meanwhile, Amelia celebrates one year of sobriety and Sheldon rekindles a romance with his ex-wife, on the sixth-season premiere of "Private Practice," TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/COLLEEN HAYES)PAUL ADELSTEIN, KADEE STRICKLAND
Aftershock
Season 6 | Episode 1 | Aired 09/25/12

Amelia has been sober for a year. Sheldon is present at her AA celebration. Also present at the party is Violet's patient, Ed. She echoes the advice his therapist gave him earlier. It's not too late for him to make amends with his daughter. As for Sheldon, he giddily expresses how much he's enjoying the long distance relationship he's struck up with his ex, Laura. His smile fades when Sam asks to have a private chat with him about his blood work.

Remember how we mentioned Stephanie the nurse earlier? Well, she's Sam's new lady love. The one he's been keeping secret from the rest of his colleagues. Of course, it's hard to keep your private life private with his friends. At the hospital, Sam happens to run into Ed just as he's having a cardiac event. His new patient believes they were supposed to cross paths. He wasn't meant to die. He was meant to live and move forward. This has Sam later telling Jake that the two of them are good with each other re: the Addison situation.

So, there's a lot going on in the lives of our favorite docs. Here's what's happening with them at day's end. Amelia has a chat with Debra, who visits dad Ed in his recovery room to show him his new grandchild. We don't know what Sam told Sheldon regarding his lab results, but the news has him downing lots of liquor at his desk. Charlotte smacks Cooper on the arm hard when she learns she is, indeed, pregnant… with triplets! Jake knows he and Addison are in love with each other. That's why he's moving in with her.

Violet learns that Pete didn't run out on his family. A police officer called to let her know that he had a heart attack while jogging in an isolated part of the canyon. He was lying in the dirt by himself for the longest time. By the time someone found him, it was too late. Violet lets Cooper know that Pete is dead. She has no idea how to tell Lucas that his dad is never coming home again.

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  • Little Earthquakes By Nancy Kiu, Director of Medical Research  Welcome to Season 6! As you might have already noticed with this first episode, we're going about our storytelling a little differently: the bread and butter of Private Practice will still be the ethical debates, but we'll be playing with time, structure, and expectations throughout the season, and each episode will either feature an event or be told from the point-of-view of a specific character. Big things are coming this season for all our characters, and we wanted to find a big way to tell these stories. We're excited to share these episodes with you, so let's get started!   In Los Angeles, we're always holding our breath for "the big one" – be prepared, because you never know when it'll hit. But sometimes, it's not the big moments that can change your life the most – it's the little ones you never see coming.   Violet certainly didn't see it coming when Pete didn't show up for his court date, prompting every one of our characters to question whether in any given situation you run, or you stay and fight. Or, if your inclination is to do one thing, is it ever too late to change tactics and do something different? This episode questions whether Pete is a runner or a fighter, and by extension, who each of our characters are.   Pete certainly has reasons to flee – he's facing trial for the death of Troy Davis (episode 521), and he could lose his family, his medical license, and his freedom if he sticks around. By running away, he can still help people and save lives. But, should you ever give up and run from the tough problems? Is it better for a child to grow up with no parent at all, or a parent potentially in jail? Or, as Violet posits, is there ever a situation where you leave your family behind?   The idea of fight or flight pertains to our medical story as well. Ed is a recovering alcoholic, and, a father who ran his whole life. He claims it was to give his daughter and wife a better life without him, but what kind of life is it for a child raised without a parent? When he tries to make amends, Debra, who understandably has been hurt and abandoned by her father her whole life, pushes him away. But when the universe conspires to give Ed a second chance, he realizes that it's never too late to stay and fight. There's always a chance to start again.   If there's one person who has proved that you can start again, it's Amelia. Given all that she's gone through, she of all people has reason to cut and run, be it running away from the people in her life or running back to drugs and alcohol. But she's grown up, and is finally starting to come out on the other side, so much so that she now counsels and helps others. And so, as she tells Debra: for Ryan, and her baby, it's too late. But Debra and Ed are still there, and maybe it's time both father and daughter fight for their relationship.   Poor Sheldon. While Amelia is making her amends to everyone, including Sheldon, he sees Sam for an ordinary physical that causes him to reach for a stiff drink by episode's end. What happened during that physical that would cause him to go to the bottle? Whatever it was, chances are Sheldon wishes he ate that slice of cake now.   Addison, Addison, Addison… Addison's traditional response is flight. When her marriage to Derek wasn't working out, she fled into the arms of Mark Sloan. When Derek left, she tried to fight for him by going to Seattle. When that didn't work out either, she left to start a new life in Los Angeles. As a doctor, Addison will always fight for her patient, but in her personal life, Addison's traditional response is flight, and so she needs someone who will fight for her and make her stay. Sam wouldn't fight for her or the life she wanted with a baby; at least, not until it was too late. Jake, on the other hand, knows exactly who she is – brilliant, charming, neurotic, has to get up at five a.m. so she can be stunning in the morning, has a tendency to run - and he has been willing to fight for her and Henry this whole time. He proves it by moving in with Addison, as opposed to running for the hills when Addison gives him the chance. Even if it means he won't sleep as well at her place.   Welcome Stephanie! Stephanie has made her choice – she would save the juice over the pancakes (in order to actually save the pancakes!). And Sam has made his – he's moved on from his failed proposal to Addison, and is even making Stephanie breakfast in bed. But is a relationship real if your friends don't know about it? There are different ways to run – you can hide from the truth or deny something exists. As Stephanie says, "When a guy doesn't tell his friends, you don't know where you stand." But if a relationship is out, then it's real. Well, now we know where she stands, and we're excited to see more from her in the coming episodes!   Charlotte has gone from never really wanting to be a mother to being a happy mom to Mason, but now she's pregnant – with triplets! Cooper is predictably ecstatic, but Charlotte wants to run away from additional motherhood; it's not for her.  And while there is a chance that removing an IUD can cause a spontaneous miscarriage, unfortunately for Charlotte, it doesn't happen in this case. After all, her doctor is Addison Forbes Montgomery. Will Charlotte stop fighting the inevitability of her situation and come around to the idea of more kids? After all, Cooper's Phelpsian swimmers beat the big bad IUD to the point where it's not one, not two, but three towheaded Charlies that Charlotte is carrying. Much like in Ed's case, somebody out in the universe really wanted this to happen.   But when the universe gives, it can also take. And it took Pete from Violet, and from our Practice. Pete, who proved ultimately that he never fled  – he stayed and fought for his family, his freedom, and the right to defend his actions. But that wasn't enough, and the universe had other plans for him. And with every new beginning comes an ending.  Sometimes, it's the little earthquakes that can rock your world the most.
  • PRIVATE PRACTICE - "Aftershock" - Addison settles into her new life after making a decision between Jake and Sam; Violet fears the worst when Pete doesn't show up to his preliminary court hearing; and Charlotte swears Cooper to secrecy when she receives shocking news. Meanwhile, Amelia celebrates one year of sobriety and Sheldon rekindles a romance with his ex-wife, on the sixth-season premiere of "Private Practice," TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/COLLEEN HAYES) KATE WALSH
  • PRIVATE PRACTICE - "Aftershock" - Addison settles into her new life after making a decision between Jake and Sam; Violet fears the worst when Pete doesn't show up to his preliminary court hearing; and Charlotte swears Cooper to secrecy when she receives shocking news. Meanwhile, Amelia celebrates one year of sobriety and Sheldon rekindles a romance with his ex-wife, on the sixth-season premiere of "Private Practice," TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/COLLEEN HAYES) KATE WALSH
  • PRIVATE PRACTICE - "Aftershock" - Addison settles into her new life after making a decision between Jake and Sam; Violet fears the worst when Pete doesn't show up to his preliminary court hearing; and Charlotte swears Cooper to secrecy when she receives shocking news. Meanwhile, Amelia celebrates one year of sobriety and Sheldon rekindles a romance with his ex-wife, on the sixth-season premiere of "Private Practice," TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 (10:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/COLLEEN HAYES) BRIAN BENBEN