Mourning Sickness is the second episode of the sixth season and the 100th overall episode of Private Practice.
Short Summary[]
The doctors join together for a celebration at Addison's house and to reminisce about the past. Meanwhile, Sheldon counsels a suicidal patient who comes forward with a shocking confession.
Full Summary[]
While we hear Violet reading Pete's testament, Violet is in the morgue to see the body. Later, she's removing his clothes from the closet. Despite Violet visiting a mortuary, Pete is cremated in a box, as his testament says he doesn't want his death to be a burden or expensive for his family. Also in his will is the fact that he wants a Balinese party with singing and laughing to celebrate his life instead of mourning. "Is he kidding?" Violet asks the notary as she finishes reading the testament.
Addison's house is crowded with people dressed in Balinese outfits. Violet thanks her colleagues for coming and Addison in particular for hosting. She couldn't do it at her own house, since she's selling it. Addison thinks it may be wise to take a moment before making these big changes, but Violet says she and Lucas need to move forward. Violet tells them Pete probably got the idea when he attended a funeral in a Balinese village. They will also be singing today, like the Balinese people did back then, which is why there's a karaoke machine. They all pretend to be happy like Pete would've wanted, but it's obvious they're not. Violet then gives Cooper Pete's Indian bracelet and Sam receives his leather jacket. As Violet leaves to go talk to other guests, Amelia comes downstairs with Henry and Mason, who thinks this whole thing is weird. Sam notices the kids are bored, so Amelia proposes she take them to his place, because she herself tends to say inappropriate things in situations like these.
Sheldon is in his office with Nick Calhoun, who's talking about questioning how other people manage to be happy. Sheldon suggests some things that might make him feel more happy and then sees it's time to end the session. However, Nick says he can't make it next week, and rescheduling is not gonna work either. He came to say goodbye, because he's going to kill himself.
At the party, Charlotte is filling her plate at the buffet. Cooper puts his hands on her stomach and says that telling people about the Cooplets might cheer everyone up. She warns him to take his hands off of her if he wants to keep them. He walks off as Addison comes over, happy to see that Charlotte's got an appetite. Addison thinks she must have some joy about the pregnancy, but Charlotte doesn't like being pregnant at all.
While Charlotte sits down to eat her food, Violet pretends to be listening to a man's story about how important Pete was in his family's life. Meanwhile, a woman has started crying.
Outside on the deck, Sam and Jake talk about their last moments with Pete. Pete deserved better than dying in a ditch, Sam thinks.
On the balcony, Cooper makes sure that Violet knows she can always ask him for anything she needs, like taking Lucas. She and Pete never talked about death, she says, while they should've. Now that she's a single parent, she wants to be prepared. So she asks Cooper to be Lucas's guardian. She thinks Mason would be happy to have a little brother. Cooper certainly hopes so, but he doesn't want to think about Violet being dead, not today. However, Violet needs him to talk about it with Charlotte.
Addison is on the phone with Sheldon, who tells her he won't come to the party just yet. Addison says they need a shrink there, because she doesn't know how long Violet is gonna keep it together. Sheldon promises to be there as soon as he can and hangs up the phone, staring at Nick from outside his office.
Sheldon is talking with Nick about his suicidal thoughts. Nick thinks it's for the best. Sheldon asks what his plan is. Pills seems the easiest option, Nick says. He'll go to sleep and it'll be over. Sheldon brings up they should go to the hospital, but Nick firmly refuses. Sheldon asks what made him decide to do it tonight, because he thinks Nick wants him to help him, which is why he told him. Nick then tells Sheldon about a woman he frequently sees at the coffee house. Last week, he paid her coffee and asked her out. They went to dinner and had sex at her place afterwards. However, he didn't feel anything seeing her, so he thought about Stella while having sex. Sheldon says it's not uncommon for men to think about other women during sex, but Nick admits Stella's not a woman. She's his 8-year-old goddaughter.
Cooper and Charlotte are in Addison's bathroom. Charlotte complains about how many times a day she has to pee now that she's pregnant. Cooper brings up the thing Violet asked him about, but Charlotte is not enthusiastic about bringing a fifth child into their family, reminding him she originally didn't want children and now they have one and three on the way.
Nick assures Sheldon he's never acted on his desire for younger girls, but he does think about it a lot. He has to drive by an elementary school on his way to work and he can't help but watch the kids. He's totally amazed by how beautiful and perfect 8-year-old girls look. Sheldon reminds Nick he's not there to judge, but Nick calls himself a monster, but he can't change the way he feels. To control his urges, he goes home and masturbates so no one gets hurt. However, Sheldon fears that the continuous fantasies will make it seem normal and once the taboo's removed, self control is really difficult. Nick knows, which is why killing himself seems like the only option.
Violet is listening to another story of how Pete saved someone's life and again, the crying woman draws Violet's attention. Charlotte comes over and claims Lucas needs Violet, but as she drags her away, she admits Lucas is fine; she just thought Violet could use a break.
Addison joins Sam in the kitchen. Jake told him to test drive the espresso machine. Addison says she didn't want to blindside him about Jake having moved in, but Sam's fine with it. Since there's no book on how to handle your ex-wife's best friend, who becomes your girlfriend but then rejects your marriage proposal after adopting a child and moving in with your co-worker, Sam figured they could just stick to small talk about espresso. Addison asks if they are ever gonna be friends again, but he doesn't reply. Addison then says the key to a good espresso is a good grinder.
Violet is again listening to a couple's story of Pete helping them. She starts to lose it and doesn't know how to react, so she quickly hugs them and walks off to onto the deck. She stares at the ocean until Mason, sitting in a chair on Sam's deck, asks if she's gonna hurl. Violet just claims it was hot in there. She sits down with him as Mason says it sucks that Pete died. Mason's mother told him that when you die, it's a big reunion with other people who died. He felt lonely when his mother died, and Violet admits she's feeling lonely too. Mason then offers her some potato chips.
Nick grew up in a catholic family, so he was taught that God doesn't make mistakes. That's wrong as he obviously had an off-day making Nick. Nick wishes he'd just be a drug or alcohol addict, because then he at least could go to a support group. Sheldon says it's a first step to have told him, and they can work together on not acting on the impulses. Nick is not stupid. As a teenager, he hoped he'd outgrow it, but now he knows it won't stop. There's no solution to it.
Cooper sits down with Addison, who says she loved Pete. They weren't really in love or soulmates, but spending that time with him before Violet came back made her realize that she could raise a child on her own. She wishes he could have told him that. Cooper tells Addison what Violet asked him. He'd love to say yes for Violet and Pete, but he doesn't know how to convince Charlotte. He also believes that his own family should be his first concern. Addison's advice is to have another drink.
Jake is talking to Charlotte about Pete's desire to travel and wanting to learn how to surf. Jake told him he had an extra board he could use, but it was the last time they spoke. Charlotte agrees Pete was one of the good ones. After all the time he spent making death easier for other people, she wishes she could've done the same thing for him. Jake couldn't do what Pete did; he wants to help create life. He's never met a mother who told him after the pregnancy that it wasn't worth the journey, no matter how tough it was. Charlotte thinks Addison's been talking to him about her pregnancy, but Jake has no idea.
Sam sits down with Violet, who asks him not to tell her a Pete story or try to make her feel better. He just wanted a cookie from the plate she's holding. She says the leather jacket looks good on him. Sam then finds material to roll joints as an old colleague of Pete's comes over. He had a falling out with Pete 15 years ago, which ended in a fist fight. They never reconciled after, which he regrets now. As he keeps on talking, Violet gets uncomfortable and excuses herself.
Sheldon tells Nick there's a lot they don't know about pedophilia and sexuality in general. You get dealt a card at the age of 8 or 9, which determines the rest of our lives. Sheldon can't fix his inappropriate attractions. There are a lot of people with inappropriate attractions, but a problem only arises when the urges are acted upon. It's not easy, but they can protect the people around him if they work on self control. There are different things they can try to do that. Avoiding mood swings is the key, and he's gonna have to be diligent to keep himself busy and keep structure in his life. Nick can't believe Sheldon is actually wanting to help him, and then grabs his stomach in pain. Nick crawls towards the bin and throws up, while Sheldon calls 911 and asks him what he took. Nick apologizes, but he didn't want to die alone.
Addison knocks on her bathroom door. Violet's been in there for a while and she's worried. Violet doesn't respond, so Addison enters. Violet avoids eye contact and Addison sniffs. She asks if Violet is getting high as Violet coughs and smoke flies into Addison's face.
Violet is sitting in the tub with Addison sitting by her side. Cooper comes in and recognizes the smell. He brings up the children, but Addison points out they're all next door. Violet asks Cooper to join her in the tub, but Addison says he doesn't have too as Violet will forget she even asked in a minute. Addison is not high, she just didn't think Violet should be alone. Violet watches him with begging eyes, but he says no.
Violet wants to live in the tub. Cooper, now in the tub, sits up and says drugs are bad, because they make his tongue feel like cheese. Violet and Cooper enthusiastically talk about cheese and plan on getting a cow to make cheese. Addison proposes to just order pizzas instead, to which they agree. Addison takes Cooper's phone while Violet tells Cooper that Charlotte won't let him get away with this much longer. Cooper points out that Charlotte is the mother of his triplets, but not his boss. "What triplets?" Violet asks, and then cheers in excitement as she realizes Charlotte is pregnant. Cooper apologizes. He should've told her, but Charlotte wouldn't let him and he didn't want to talk about babies because of Pete's death. And also, he's so happy and Charlotte is so not. They laugh hysterically while Addison orders the pizza.
Jake opens the door to the pizza delivery guy. He says he must be at the wrong house, but Addison comes over and takes the pizzas. Sam appears and says there's already enough food for everyone, but Addison replies it's not for the people downstairs.
Jake, Sam, and Addison enter the bathroom and give the pizzas to Violet and Cooper. Sam can't believe they're getting high while people are trying to pay tribute to Pete. They mock Sam for not ever getting high, saying he's a chicken while making chicken noises. This is exactly why Sam doesn't do drugs. He's careful with what he puts in his body. Cooper and Violet "prescribe" each other marijuana, so it's legal. Addison defends them. She's not smoking with them because the one time she did, her lungs felt like they melted and she got so paranoid that she hid in the closet for 3 hours, where she peed her pants. Jake refuses to smoke as well. Cooper brings up it's wrong that they're all here for Pete, while he's not there with them. It feels bad and he doesn't want to feel bad right now. Jake offers Violet to go downstairs and tell everyone to go home, but Violet just wants them all to stay in the bathroom a little while longer before she returns to being a widow. They sit down and all name things Pete used to be, do, or have.
Nick wakes up in the hospital, with his hands chained to the bed and Sheldon by his bedside. Sheldon tells him he just made it. A few hours longer, and he would've gone into liver failure. Nick confesses he swallowed an entire bottle of pills before he came to see Sheldon. Sheldon wants to know if he's gonna do it again, but Nick doesn't know. Sheldon reveals he's studied buddhism for a while and he learned that suffering is a great teacher because you never know what you become after you get through it, which is why every life is worth saving. Nick asks Sheldon if he really can help him. That's up to him, Sheldon says. But if Nick wants to get help, he can't keep secrets. Nick says he doesn't have any more to keep. In that case, Sheldon will be back in the morning.
Everyone has returned downstairs. Cooper finds Charlotte and tells her he can't believe she would do this to Violet, leaving Lucas all parentless. Charlotte says they'll of course take Lucas in case anything happens to Violet, because life as she knew it is already over. What's one more kid if they already have four? Also, she'd prefer if he weren't stoned while parenting. Cooper smiles and then notices a cake, which he starts eating.
The woman who was crying all the time is finally telling her story to Sam, Addison, and Violet. She was a patient of Pete's and he saved her life. Addison gets a phone call from Derek. She takes the call while Violet snaps at the woman to stop crying, as Pete wanted a celebration. Addison has hung up the phone. Derek told her that they took Mark Sloan off life support. Addison starts crying and sits down, while Violet gets up and tells everyone that they're not crying today. That's not what Pete wanted. He wanted singing. She takes the microphone and starts singing "Someone to Watch Over Me" while Sheldon arrives at the party. No one looks happy and Violet yells that this is all Pete wanted the last months of his life: a good time. Why talk about your problems while you can pretend they don't exist? Just enjoy yourself! Be happy! Which is ironic, because Pete was the angriest guy she's ever known. The man they all keep talking about, the good guy, that wasn't Pete. Pete did walk out on her. He died before they figured out what went wrong in their marriage. She finally breaks down and admits her true feelings. He was a selfish son of a bitch, she says. Sheldon asks Jake what happened tonight.
Sheldon sits down with Violet on the deck. He apologizes for being late and asks her what he can do. She wants him to tell her that everything will be all right, in which Violet finds some comfort.
Amelia is in Henry's room, talking about how his uncle Pete has become his own guardian angel, watching over him all the time. Addison's been listening from the doorway and says she likes that thought while Amelia lays Henry down. She thanks Amelia for having taken care of Henry. Addison says she lied back when Amelia offered to be her surrogate. She told Amelia she needed to figure out who she was now that she just had gotten sober, but that was not the entire truth. She also didn't think Amelia was good enough, but she was wrong. Amelia is good with Henry and loves him, just like he loves her. If anything ever happens to Addison, she wants Amelia to take Henry. Amelia happily says yes and they hug. Addison says she has to tell Amelia something about Mark.
Charlotte and Cooper are watching Lucas and Mason sleeping on the coach. Violet comes over to borrow Cooper for a minute. The two of them walk outside, past Jake, who sits down with Sheldon and a drink. Sheldon says he saved the life of a man today whom he thinks shouldn't live. Pete was someone who wanted to make the world better, but that right there is why Sheldon doesn't believe in God. Sheldon asks if Jake is okay, knowing he lost a spouse too. Honestly, Jake is feeling a little guilty. Violet's got a hard road ahead of her and that's not his life anymore. Now, he's in love and happy. Then don't waste your time feeling guilty, Sheldon advises him. He should be grateful.
Sam finds Addison and tells her he's going home. Before he can, Addison tells him which beans are the best. We are, Sam says. Pete and Mark died, which made him realize there's no time to waste. So yeah, they are gonna be friends, eventually, some day. Just not yet.
Cooper and Violet are standing in the ocean. She's carrying a box with Pete's ashes. She thinks there should be more to the end of a man's life. She empties the box in the water, as Pete requested. She starts crying and Cooper comforts her.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery
- Benjamin Bratt as Dr. Jake Reilly
- Paul Adelstein as Dr. Cooper Freedman
- KaDee Strickland as Dr. Charlotte King
- Brian Benben as Dr. Sheldon Wallace
- Caterina Scorsone as Dr. Amelia Shepherd
- Griffin Gluck as Mason Warner
- Taye Diggs as Dr. Sam Bennett
- Amy Brenneman as Dr. Violet Turner
Guest Stars[]
Co-Starring[]
- Dwier Brown as Matthew
- Jacqueline Hahn as Grace
- Miguel Najera as Aaron Colvin
- Kelly Smith as Clare
- Mandy McMillian as Catherine
- Jack and Joey Bobo as Lucas Wilder
Medical Notes[]
Nick Calhoun[]
- Diagnosis:
- Pedophilia
- Depression
- Acetaminophen overdose
- Doctors:
- Sheldon Wallace (psychiatrist)
- Treatment:
- Talk therapy
- Anti-depressants
Nick was seeing Sheldon for his depression. When their session ended, Nick said he wasn't going to come to his next session because he planned to kill himself. When Sheldon continued to talk to him, he confessed that he wanted to kill himself because when he'd had a sexual encounter with a woman, he had to think about his 8 year old goddaughter in order to get an erection. He later collapsed in Sheldon's office from an overdose. Sheldon called an ambulance and in the hospital, they pumped his stomach and Sheldon said he'd continue to work with Nick to relieve his symptoms.
Music[]
| Song | Performer | Scene |
|---|---|---|
| "Someone to Watch Over Me" |
| |
| "Death to Everyone" | Deer Tick |
|
Notes and Trivia[]
- This episode scored 6.01 million viewers.[1]
- This is the 100th episode of Private Practice.
Gallery[]
Episode Stills[]
Behind the Scenes[]
100th Episode Celebration[]
Quotes[]
- Cooper: Drugs are bad. They make my tongue feel like cheese.
- Charlotte: Do you know how many times I've peed since we've been here? Five. Five times. God, I'd sell my soul for a good ol' UTI I could bitch slap into submission with some simple antibiotics.
- Charlotte: It's not fun, it's disgusting. I'm having a litter like some kind of animal. These bloodsucking ticks growing inside of me are taking over my body so I'm just a host now. That's only the beginning. These are the salad days until I start waddling around with a veritable wide-load sign across my gut which by the way is going to be crisscrossed with so many stretch marks that look like the top of the map of Yellowstone. Miracle pregnancy, my ass. My big fat ever-expanding ass.
- Charlotte: If you want to keep those hands, keep them off my uterus.
- Amelia: I don't do well in situations where people are feeling one way and pretending to feel another. I tend to say inappropriate things. And shoot up.
See Also[]
|
A complete overview of this episode's crew can be found here. |
| Private Practice Season 6 | |||||
| #01 | "Aftershock" | #06 | "Apron Strings" | #11 | "Good Fries Are Hard to Come By" |
| #02 | "Mourning Sickness" | #07 | "The World According to Jake" | #12 | "Full Release" |
| #03 | "Good Grief" | #08 | "Life Support" | #13 | "In Which We Say Goodbye" |
| #04 | "You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone" | #09 | "I'm Fine" | ||
| #05 | "The Next Episode" | #10 | "Georgia on My Mind" | ||
| << Season 5 | |||||