Private Practice - season 3 (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

Coming off on one of the ickiest season finales from last season, Private Practice returns for a 3rd season tonight on ABC at 10 p.m.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Patrick, do you watch this show?

Uhm, not sure how much I want to say here.

First, this is not the type of show I would ever think
of watching. It's an over-the-top soap opera made
for housewives.

I was invited on the set last October, got to meet
the cast, including Paul Adelstein (who plays Dr.
Cooper). I figured since I was so impressed by the
experience of visiting such a massive set, that I
would commit myself to the show.

So commit myself I did. Watched most of last
season and now into the third.

Well, I have to say this (not that I am sure I want
to)....

I think I am in touch with my feminine side. I find
myself immersed in this show, sometimes getting
a little moist in the eyes. I realize that this is just
an elaborate soap opera, but the ensemble of actors
are first-rate and they really pull off convincing
performances each week. Of course, the writers
know exactly how to pull at the emotional strings.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I did see the premiere, but my interest in waning, it's a little too torturous of late. They've really killed Naomi as a somewhat strong character. Not sure if I'll keep up with it this season, it depends on what I have on tap over the weekends if I get any time to follow this show again. I find I'm not as moved by their situations, all the self-loathing and recrimations on a weekly basis by most of the cast. They need to slap each other around, and man up at times.

 

[mattCR]

After last night's episode, I am completely out. I had said last year the problem was that most of the characters were so.. you can't really like any of them.

And now we have two characters as leads that have moved into the despicable category.

They had previously destroyed another character.. a meth head mom blows up her house/kid, and he doesn't want his daughter to see her in her dying moments and he becomes the "bad guy"..

Bargh. Just at every turn, this show has become so tone deaf. It's not that it has a viewpoint I disagree with, because that happens and can make good drama. It's that it lives in such a world of absolutes and wild crazy mood swings and redefinitions of characters at a drop of a hat.

This show and Heroes both need to go. Of shows with some ratings success, these shows need whacked.

 

[Patrick Sun]

True, it's hard to return to characters that are so strident in the views that it turns you off from enjoying anything that might be in their futures because they are simply selfish, immature jackasses for the sake of heightening drama without any sense of compassion and perspective. It's like they keep daring their viewers to come back on a weekly basis to see what other self-destructive situation they can react badly to for the sake of drama. You can make dramatic shows (Mercy, for one) without underming the humanity of characters.