''Private Practice'': Labor Intensive

Last night was not only about births. It was also about what can lead to birth: sex. After Addy and Pete's office petting — which left them both hot and bothered — Violet realized she should have sex with Coop! (Go, Coop, it's your birthday!) Now, we could see a mile away that this friends-with-benefits scenario wasn't gonna work with her and Coop, but it was pretty fun to watch it play out. She revealed her breasts, he took off his shirt (looking good, Coop, though you don't have the guns of Dr. Feelgood), and feelings were hurt, leading Coop to go to Addison's. Pete, meanwhile, stood up Addison and went to Violet's (you with me?), where he revealed that his wife and he were trying to have a child when she died. (Pretty good reason to stand Addison up, I'd say, after the day they had.)

Aah, well, so this is how it's gonna go, eh? They're gonna have sex but...no. And next week: Addison's out with someone else. (Why not Officer Nelson, Addison?) And then the following week it'll be back to Sam and Diane — er, I mean Pete and Addison?

This is the first episode of Private Practice without a Celebrate the Moments of Your Life moment. It was implied, I think, that Coop and Addy would eventually have it, over pizza. (''Would you like to order some pizza and get fat with me?'' she asked.) They probably didn't have time to show it because they had to squeeze in the only sex of the night — between the divorced couple: Naomi and Sam. She's so sick and tired of being the only person in the practice who thinks before acting that she jumped him — and we'll be seeing the repercussions of that for weeks to come. That is, of course, if the writers' strike actually comes to a close sometime soon, which seems kind of unlikely. Private Practice has only two more episodes in the can and then...nothing. No more scripts are completed, and Shonda Rimes was out protesting her own shows anyway. Oh, baby!

So, TV Watchers, isn't Del a great presence in the cast? Aren't you glad Violet seems to be moving on from whatshisname? Did Sara Gilbert's repetitive screaming of ''Fix him!'' remind you of ''My hooha's broke!''? Doesn't everyone know you don't put bananas in the refrigerator? And who puts a cover on a swimming pool every night? And, on a more serious note, are we ever really prepared for a baby?

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