Spoiler: Private Practice - still working the character driven plots

There wasn't much in the way of outrageous doctoring in this week's episode of Private Practice, but, again, I enjoyed the character driven plots. I like these characters and getting to know them personally adds to my desire to watch the show each week.

Here is what happened on this weeks' episode:
- There were two storylines that were examined during this episode, both of which focused on patients of the doctors at the practice. The first included a mother who for years has been "crazy" and on medicines to solve her irrationality. But when she gets pregnant she is forced to go off the medicines and learn to cope with her differences. A few months into the pregnancy she is at the practice to get an ultrasound. Dell and Addison find that the baby's heart is not beating and has been dead for a while inside of the mom. When they tell the woman, she cannot handle the news and refuses to accept it. The woman is getting sick because of the baby inside her and there is a heartwarming talk between Dell and her that eventually makes her realize she needs to have the fetus removed from her womb. The other patient-central storyline of the night included a 22-year-old man who for most of his life was very sick and facially disfigured. He is finally better and comes in because he has a soar throat. Sam finds that he has cancer that spread because he contracted HPV and we find out that his girlfriend has the STD. The girlfriend feels so guilty for passing the disease to him that she ends up leaving him in his time of need. As a side note, during this storyline, Cooper ends up talking this kid into having surgery because it will save his life, even though he has already spent much of his life "different" and this surgery would include cutting out a piece of his jaw. Wasn't it just last week when Cooper was fighting for a little girl who did not want surgery because she would rather spend her life living it how she pleases than in a hospital? It seems weird that if Cooper truly felt this way about helping the dying girl live her dream, why would he so quickly jump to suggesting surgery for this new patient?
- Dell's daughter's mom stops by the practice to pick her up and tells Dell that she got a promotion at work and may be moving Betsy, the daughter, with her to St. Louis. Dell freaks, but on the advice of Naomi, does not fight with the mother about it right away. When Dell, later that night, stops by their apartment to talk about the move and figure a way to work it out, he finds that the apartment is empty and they have already moved. Later in the show, while talking with the mom who refuses to accept that her baby is dead, he says he understands how much she wants to believe everything will be OK, but the fact is the daughter is gone, and he means this not only for her, but for himself as well.
- In an adorable storyline, Charlotte shows up at Violet's house looking for Cooper and the two end up telling stories that cause them to burst into a fit of laughter. At the end of the episode, Cooper comes home to find Charlotte painting Violet's toe nails. The two are finally bonding and are actually becoming friends.
- Naomi is desperately trying to find guys with whom to have flings. She first picks up a guy in a bar and then ends up on a date with one of Sam's friends, Bryce. Sam is visibly jealous watching Naomi flirting and dating and even when she asks him for help in setting her up, he doesn't want to. It looks like she is finally moving on from Archer, yet Sam seems to be stuck.
- Pete obviously wants Violet to let him in during her pregnancy even though it is not certain that he is the father of the baby. But to mask his feeling he is taking out his aggression sexually, with a new conquest every night. He finds himself wanting Violet, but doesn't want to get attached. He is there for Violet at her ultrasound and they find out that she is having a boy.
- Lastly, there is the Addision/Noah storyline. Pete gave Addison some pretty great advice: "Just because he's married doesn't make the feelings go away," yet Addison is trying desperately to keep her feelings at bay. When Noah's wife, Morgan, has further pregnancy complications, Addison realizes it is weird being around Noah so she tries to "break up with" Morgan as a patient. But Noah stops by the practice to plead with her not to. Noah promises to keep his feelings in check and he says he does not want Addison to take their problem out on Morgan. Noah even goes as far as to tell Addison he loves her. In the end, Addison takes Morgan back as a patient. She also admits to Noah that the feelings are recipricated but she says she won't let anything happen between them.

Overall, I thought this was a pretty good episode. Let me know what you thought.