private practice season finale 2010

"This is a crap day," one character said in the second half of the episode. Indeed, this was not a so happy day for the 'Private Practice' characters and the show's fans.

The lives of Maya and her baby hung in the balance, Pete lied to Sam, William decided his fate, someone lost the battle for the woman he loved, a series regular died, and couples broke up. However, one couple did get engage, and other couples got together.


Are you happy with the show's season finale and where its heading? I'm not.

Let's deal with Dell's death first. When I heard that someone would die in the finale a few weeks back, my theory was that it would be Violet. The character has been spiraling down all season and her scenes were uninteresting, at least to me, and I couldn't wait for Amy Brenneman to be put out of her Violet misery.

I don't know why I never thought of Dell. After all, the character hasn't done much lately and it was just a matter of time before Chris Lowell left the series to find another acting gig where he could get more screen time. Because of that, I'm not too bummed that Dell is the one who died. Chris Lowell wanted to go out with a bang and in the most painful way, and he surely did. Not only that but he was given one of the show's most poignant scene thus far when Dell said his goodbyes to daughter Betsy just before going under the knife. Dell has grown a lot since flirting with Naomi in the pilot, no?

That said, Dell dying meant Violet staying on the show. How could the show make Violet interesting again? By making her happy so she could return to being the Violet we used to love in season two! Sadly, that meant breaking up Pete and Addison. I don't wear pink-colored glasses, so I knew Pete and Addison would not last even though I -- and I'm sure a good number of fans -- was rooting for them. I never really liked Pete and Violet together as I preferred them as friends. However, them trying to be a couple and parents again could offer us some interesting storylines next season as for sure it won't be a walk in the park. After all, this is a drama show!

The worst news for me this week was Addison getting with Sam! I don't know why, but I don't like Sam. Never have, and I think I never will. So having Addison give herself to the character I love least was not a pretty sight. I hope they quickly discover next season that they are not meant to be more than friends and that she moves on to the next new hottie on the block. Even though I don't like Sam, I'm still rooting for him and Naomi. I do think the two should be together.

The finale did offer some good news: Cooper and Charlotte got engaged! It was about time, no?

Even though I was not that satisfied by the season finale, I will return next season. After all, I want to know how Maya will do, see the aftermath of Pete lying to Sam, how the practice will deal with Dell's death, how long Addison will stay with Sam, if Violet will become an interesting character again, if Naomi will give Gabriel a chance now that William is gone, how Cooper and Charlotte will work out now that they are truly committed.

What did you think of the 'Private Practice's' season finale? Were you bummed by the couplings of Violet/Pete and Addison/Sam as I was? What did you think of Dell's death? Share your two cents in comments below.