The show manages to get through the entire October 10 episode Shonda Rhimes and Marti Noxon's "In Which Addison Finds the Magic" (12.2 million viewers), without mocking the word "midwifery." And the episode includes a plotline in which Dell actually gives pediatrician Cooper an insight that helps him diagnose a mysterious condition. However, the episode overall does nothing to counter its overall presentation of Dell as an office assistant with little to no health care expertise.
The plotline is about pediatrician Cooper's treatment of some elementary school aged sisters who have a mysterious condition that is causing them to turn blue. It also involves Dell's baking of cakes for Naomi, who has not recovered from her marital breakup with Sam. One evening at the office, we see Naomi have a semi-hostile discussion with Sam about raising their daughter Maya. A bit later, Dell tells Naomi he's shutting down for the night unless she needs anything. She gives him a cake carrier back, thanking him warmly for the cake he had presumably made her. He deduces that she ate whole thing; she denies it, but we know! There seems to be a little romantic tension. Later, Dell gives Naomi another cake. Naomi says she shouldn't. But Dell says this time, he baked chocolate chips inside. Mmm. She tries to resist, but takes it, because "someone" else might want it.
Later, we see Naomi, Addison, and the psychiatrist enjoying the cake in a conference room. Psychiatrist: "You realize you're replacing sex with food." Naomi: "You want some?" Dell, outside the glass-walled conference room, sees all this and smiles. Cooper comes by and observes that women can get happy over cake, but men can't.
Dell: "The secret to women--"
Cooper: "Oh, you think you know the secret to women? You are a child, you can barely grow facial hair, you don't know anything about women."
Dell: "Figure out what they want, and give it to them."
Cooper (nonplussed): "You baked that cake?"
Dell (smiling): "My grandmother baked that cake. But Naomi doesn't need to know that. Figure out what they want, and give it to them."
Later, Dell gives Cooper lab results--another important Dell function--about the girls Cooper is treating. The girls are "getting exposed" to a toxic substance, but Cooper's having trouble figuring out how, because they won't talk to him. Dell convinces him to "commit to the cake, man."
Later, Cooper shows up at the girls' house, complete with fluffy pinkness, so they can play. In full princess gear, the girls lead him to their secret "castle" (a neighbor's shed). Cooper figures out that the castle is full of ammonium nitrate fumes from some bags of fertilizer. This is the source of their exposure.
This is not bad. Dell seems to have made a good insight, and it plays a key role in a difficult diagnosis. Of course, no one actually thanks Dell for his role in solving the problem, and viewers will not likely associate it too closely with midwives (or nurses). An alert viewer will see Dell as the key, but we're not so confident most will. Maybe Dell just had a cute little insight, but Cooper had the health care expertise needed to apply it.
The ending of the cake plotline also calls Dell's interpersonal expertise into question. After Dell presents Naomi with yet another cake at the reception area, she explodes. She announces that what she really wants is "Sam's cake." Very subtle. Addison and the psychiatrist try to calm her down. Dell vows to keep giving Naomi cakes, and she lunges at him. Her friends pulls her away, as she cries: "Maya likes Sam better. And this boy is baking cakes at me!" Obviously, this somewhat undercuts Dell's insight.
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Dell's practiceby JonBrennan68,307 views
He's the George O'Malley of the show. Puppy eyed, clueless, twitterpated with the wrong people. He's totally the O'Malley of Private Practice!
tiedyebandanachick 3 years ago 9
I like Dell, and I think Dell and Naomi together is so cute, refreshing, and different. Oh how I wish they would take Dell seriously.
ksb78 4 years ago 26