Mainly because I watch Pushing Daisies at 8, but also because I can't find much else to watch at 9, I've tuned into the first two episodes of Private Practice's second season. During last year's aborted first season, I tuned in and out, curious to see how the Grey's Anatomy spin-off was progressing. What I found was a) a show that was too busy making its thirty- and forty-something doctors act as immaturely as the twenty-something residents at Seattle Grace and b) that Kate Walsh's character of Addison Montgomery went from strong and funny to whimpering and lovelorn.

The second development was especially disheartening, since Addison had become my favorite Grey's character by far, mainly because through sheer force of her acting ability, Walsh was able to turn Addison from a one-dimensional enemy of the Meredith-Derek relationship to the surgeon we rooted for the hardest.

But in the first two episodes, most of what I liked about Addison has returned. And what isn't there is on the way to coming back.

Last fall, Gilmore Girls' David Sutcliffe appeared in two episodes of ABC's Private Practice, the Grey's Anatomy spin-off. His guest starring stint as a potential love interest for lead character Addison (played by Kate Walsh) was set to last a few episodes but was cut short due to the writers strike.

Since the last episode of PP's short season aired, it was unknown if the actor would return as Officer Kevin Nelson, a cop that caught Addison's interest. The actor's schedule could have changed, the writers could have decided to bench his character, who knows?

Sutcliffe fans, fear not! In the latest edition of the "Ausiello Report Vodcast Scoop," Michael Ausiello interviewed Sutcliffe (the interview starts at the 1:17 mark in the video below) and was able to get confirmation that the actor will return to Private Practice.

(S01E09) "He's fighting for her." - Dell about Sam

What could be the last Private Practice episode in a long while (this was the last episode completed before the writers' strike) finally gave Dell a good amount of screen time. However, it felt like it was too little too late.

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(S01E07) "We are following the plan. Everything is right on schedule." - Pete

Three babies and three couples. This week's Private Practice episode was all about screaming women and babypalooza, flirting doctors, and making adjustments since the plan couldn't be followed to the letter. It may not have looked like a November Sweeps episode but at least the episode pushed the romantic storylines a bit further.
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(S07E21) So here we are... the next-to-last (or penultimate, if you want to use SAT words) episode of Gilmore Girls. Like I said when the show's demise was first announced, it seems like the show wouldn't be able to wrap up any of their loose ends, especially because the season was already in the can when the announcement was made. But as we found out from one Ms. Lauren Graham, chances were that the show wasn't going to come back, anyway, and the last few episodes were written to function as a season and series finale.

(S07E14) This was the one. This was the episode that pulled together all the pieces that resulted when Team Palladino smashed everything to bits at the end of season six, when Lorelai dumped an aloof Luke and fell into bed with Christopher. It's taken way, way too long to get to this point, but what I found very interesting about this episode is, despite the fact that I wasn't emotionally involved in the Lor-Chris-Luke triangle at all this year, this resolution to one of the sides of the triangle sucked me in and got me involved again.

I think the dog funeral helped that out a little.

(S07E13) So this is what it takes to get a good episode this season? Richard Gilmore has to have open-heart surgery? Well, I guess if this is what they have to do, I can accept that. Maybe next week, they'll give Paul Anka worms.

Seriously, though, the reason why this episode worked is because all we saw was the Family Gilmore, together for most of the episode. Not sixty seconds of a Friday night dinner. Not Lorelai and Rory chatting on the phone. Nope, they were all together for an extended period, interacting in the ways that once made the show so great.

Did this episode have flaws? Tons. But it was the best of the season so far.

(S07E12) For some reason, despite everything that has happened to make this show start circling the drain, four Gilmore characters can be relied upon to entertain, no matter who is writing the episode: Emily, Richard, Sookie and Paris. All four of them are in tonight's episode (Emily is just in the cold open, but it counts), and, I've got to tell you, their presence made it pretty decent as a result.

Otherwise? Um... well... Let's just say this crawl towards the inevitable Lorelai - Luke reunion is driving me nuts.

(S07E11) When I was out in LA, I ran into a few members of the Gilmore Girls cast at the various network parties. Whenever I brought up the topic of whether there's going to be another season or not, the answer I got didn't seem to vary much. It wasn't definitive by any means, but the general feeling was that, yes, we're probably seeing the last episodes of the long-running show.

That's a good thing, folks. While episodes like tonight's had quite a bit of the chemistry of the first five-plus seasons, you just know that it's not going to last. But at least we're seeing some peeks into what we might see in the second half of the year, and it certainly looks like the Chris/Lor 'shippers are going to be disappointed.

(S07E10) For the last few weeks, I've been wondering if David Rosenthal and company have been turning Lorelai Gilmore into a more childish, petulant character than she had been in recent years, or if she's always been this childish and petulant, but her act has started to wear thin. After this episode, I've determined it's a little bit of each, leaning towards the "written that way" side. There really seems to be no reason that Lor should be so mean-spirited nowadays, especially towards her parents. She's pushing 40. She owns a successful business. And she's finally married to her high school sweetheart, who just happens to be loaded. So why does she still act like a baby?

In short: it's an easy way to for the writers to make Christopher look like a putz.

(S07E09) This one felt cozy, didn't it? Snappy dialogue, funny situations (I mean, come on... huge knitting needles and balls of yarn?), quirky parties, story development... This week's episode felt almost... almost like the Gilmore Girls we knew and loved, moreso than any we've seen this year so far. One problem, though:

Christopher.

How is he gumming up the works so much, literally, figuratively, and everything in between? It's not like the town never knew he existed up until now; he's been in and out of Lor and Rory's life for over 20 years. Surely, the folks in Stars Hollow would be treating him more warmly in the past than they are now, when he's Mr. Lorelai Gilmore. There's just one thing that can explain this: Sloppiness.

(S07E08) Hmmmm......

Ya think something's a'brewin' in Gilmore-land?

Lorelai is trying to convince herself as much as Rory that marrying Christopher was the good and right thing to do; meanwhile, she's running to see Luke at the hospital when April has appendicitis. She resists, but then relents when Chris wants to make some changes around the house; meanwhile, she's definitely keeping the name Gilmore, because she doesn't want to be called "Lorelai Hayden Planetarium." And here's the biggest thing: despite the fact that she married Rory's dad, she, Chris, and everyone else knows who the rock is in Rory's life. That's going to be a lot for ol' Christopher to overcome, isn't it?

(S07E07) Thanks for ruining things, Mike.

I'm talking to Mike Ausiello, TV Guide's resident Gilmore Girls fan and spoiler king. Because he had well-placed moles over at GG (he was an extra there, after all), he revealed a big-ass plot point from this episode a few weeks ago, and by the time it wrapped around the Internets, even spoiler-averse people like me knew what was going to happen tonight. So the surprise wasn't there at all.

(By the way, I like Mike. Even interviewed him once. Nice fella. But he's gotten so big that it's hard to avoid his spoilers, even if you want to.)

(S07E06) In this episode of Gilmore Girls, kiddies, we have entered what is known as the Bizarro Gilmore World (maybe there there Rory's name is Yror). People talk and talk and talk but say nothing. Christopher and Lorelai act like lame Yale parents. Rory doesn't wear gobs and gobs of mascara. Emily and Richard are the most sensible people in the room. Seemingly reasonable swim coaches become nightmare dates in the span of ten seconds. And Sookie appreciates vegetables that come from someone other than her husband Jackson. Problem with Bizarro Worlds, though, is that they don't seem to ever make a lick of sense, and go about things the wrong way just because they can.

Can you tell that I found this episode completely irritating?

(S07E05) Even though Gilmore Girls fans have complained about everything that has occurred from the beginning of Season Six until now, they have to admit that the best thing to come out of this somewhat fallow creative period of the show is a character that was introduced early last year: Paul Anka.

That neurotic dog has been the source of a lot of comedy the last year and a quarter, hasn't he? Hearing Lorelai reel off all his fobiles in the opener of this episode made me laugh; he likes chewing a certain shoe, and will only catch tennis balls of a certain brand and color. How Lor keeps these things straight is anyone's guess. And then, as she rattles them off, and Chris grows weary of the litany of doggie quirks, Paul Anka just lies there, like any dog, probably contemplating where he's going to sleep later on that day. It's a contrast that I've always found to be very funny.