Addison Montgomery

Addison Forbes Montgomery
Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice character
The Season 4 Promotional Photo of Kate Walsh as Dr. Addison Montgomery
First appearance	Grey's Anatomy: "Who's Zoomin' Who?" 1x09, May 22, 2005 (as recurring cast) "Something To Talk About" 2x07, November 6, 2005 (as main cast) Private Practice: "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else" 1x01, September 26, 2007
Last appearance	"Didn't We Almost Have It All?" 3x25, May 17, 2007 (Grey's Anatomy; series regular)
Created by	Shonda Rhimes
Portrayed by	Kate Walsh
Information
Nickname(s)	Addie She-Shepherd Monty Red Satan's Mistress
Occupation	Obstetrician-gynaecologist at Oceanside Wellness Group
Title	Director M.D. F.A.C.S.
Family	Bizzy Forbes Montgomery (mother) "Captain" Montgomery (father) Archer Forbes Montgomery (brother)
Spouse(s)	Derek Shepherd (divorced)
Significant other(s)	Mark Sloan Alex Karev Pete Wilder Kevin Nelson Sam Bennet

Addison Adrienne Forbes Montgomery^[1] (formerly Shepherd), was a fictional character on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy,^[2] and is currently starring on its spin-off show Private Practice.^[3] Addison is a world-class neonatal surgeon^[4] with board certifications in both Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Maternal and Fetal Medicine.^[5] Additionally, she is a medical genetics fellow.^[5][6] The character is portrayed by actress Kate Walsh.

Storylines

Backstory

Much of Addison's past is presented in a non-linear fashion, primarily revealed in the second season of Grey's Anatomy along with the second and third season of Private Practice. Addison is the daughter of wealthy parents, and has a twenty-five-million-dollar trust fund.^[7] Addison's father is nicknamed "The Captain" and is a doctor as well, who teaches medicine at a university where Addison would sit and watch as a child. Her mother, Bizzy Forbes Montgomery, is rarely referred to as "mom" while her father was frequently adulterous and used time spent with Addison as a pretense.^[8] Her brother Archer is a world-class neurologist^[9] and successful author.^[7] Addison met her future husband, Derek Shepherd, at medical school.^[10] Although never actually stated in the series, this would mean that she attended Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, as it is known that this is where Derek attended medical school and is originally from New York. She met future colleagues Sam and Naomi Bennett^[11] there as well. ^[12] Addison, along with Derek, became successful in their respective fields and each began their own practice in New York City, which placed a strain on their marriage. Addison's affair with Derek's best friend Mark Sloan prompted the end of their marriage and Derek's departure to Seattle.^[13] Addison briefly attempted to have a relationship with Mark, which resulted in her becoming pregnant. She had an abortion as she was still in love with Derek, and when Mark cheated on her, she moved to Seattle.^[14]

Grey's Anatomy

Addison first appears in the season one finale, arriving at Richard's behest, where she greets Meredith by saying, "Hi, I'm Addison Shepherd. And you must be the woman who's been screwing my husband." She immediately learns that Derek has started a relationship with intern Meredith Grey, and tries to reconcile her own relationship with him. Derek is initially still angry with her, and there is a period of antagonism between them, including one point where she says, "Can I join or are you not into threesomes?" Addison's presence, however, does reinvigorate their relationship, and ultimately leads to Derek choosing Addison over Meredith, which eventually leads to Derek admitting to Addison that he fell in love with Meredith.^[15] They attempt to return to their former life, taking residence in his trailer, and Addison makes her move to Seattle permanent, becoming the head of a unique surgical service integrating neonatal surgery and obstetrics and gynecology.^[16] She begins to realize that Derek still has feelings for Meredith, and their marriage is tested further when Mark arrives in Seattle looking for Addison because he wants to take her back to New York. Mark makes Addison realizes that Derek is in love with Meredith and that he (Mark) does love her.^[17] After Derek finds Meredith in one of Finn's shirts, he sleeps with Addison even though he is in love with Meredith. When Addison finds out that Derek had sex with Meredith at prom by finding her panties in the pocket of Derek's tuxedo, she gets drunk and pursues a relationship with Mark that ultimately fails.^[18] During season two, Addison punishes Alex Karev after he was rude to her by putting him on her service. Once her divorce with Derek finalizes, Addison tells him that she had a two month affair with Mark and he wasn't a one night stand like Derek had thought. However, by season three, she begins to feel an attraction towards Alex and eventually sleeps with him, only to discover that he is not interested in a relationship with her as she had thought.^[19] Feeling alone, Addison decides to have a baby and visits Naomi, who is a fertility specialist.^[20] This introduces Addison's transition from Grey's Anatomy to its spin-off, as it serves as the backdoor pilot for Private Practice.^[21] Soon after, Addison decides to leave Seattle and move to Los Angeles, joining Oceanside Wellness, led by Sam and Naomi.^[4] This marks Addison's departure from the series as a regular although she makes multiple guest appearances.^[22]

Private Practice

In the series' first episode, Addison is made to feel unwelcome by the other doctors. They decide to vote on whether she should be allowed to stay at the practice, but when Addison announces she intends to stay whatever the outcome of their vote, they decide to accept her. Addison is attracted to Pete Wilder, the practice's alternative medicine specialist.^[4][20] When Pete stands her up on a date, Addison decides they should be friends and nothing more, and instead accepts a date with Kevin, a police officer she met through work.^[23] In a crossover episode, Addison briefly returns to Seattle Grace to help with a patient whose fetus’s heart is growing outside of its body. The mother and child both survive the surgery and Addison prepares to leave Seattle and return to L.A., telling Richard that she needed to come back to see how much she liked her new life. She leaves, but not before finding Meredith and advising her not to let Derek get away.^[24]

In season two, Addison learns from Naomi that the practice is failing financially.^[25] She tells Sam against Naomi's wishes, and he launches a hostile takeover. Feeling betrayed, Naomi breaks off her friendship with Addison.^[26] Addison inadvertently prompts the staff to vote between Sam and Naomi, and is surprised when instead, she is elected to lead the practice as its director.^[27] Addison's relationship with Kevin is tested when her brother Archer tells Kevin he is not good enough for her. Addison attempts to reassure him to the contrary,^[7] and when Kevin is shot in the line of duty, he moves in with her while he recovers.^[28] The two later break up after Addison kisses Dr. Wyatt Lockhart,^[29] a well-respected oncologist,^[30] with whom she has been competing professionally. In another episode, Addison is surprised when Archer begins working for Pacific Wellcare Center, a rival practice.^[31] When he experiences multiple seizures and believes he has a brain tumor, Addison asks Derek to treat him in another crossover episode with Grey's Anatomy.^[32] Derek discovers he has parasites in his brain, and successfully removes them.^[9] As the season draws to a close, Dr. Noah Barnes is introduced as St. Ambrose Hospital's cardiothoracic surgeon, with whom Addison shares an attraction.^[33] After discovering that her patient is married to him,^[34] Addison decides not to pursue a relationship.^[35]

In season three, Addison continues to lead the practice. Displaying her surgical ability, Addison is able to save fellow colleague Violet Turner and her baby; meanwhile, Addison's relationship with Naomi seems to be on the mend, despite the latter's departure to Pacific Wellcare.^[36] Addison's father, "the Captain" comes for a visit and it's revealed that Addison is aware of how the man has had multiple affairs over the years behind the back of Bizzy, Addison's mother. She's irate when her father sleeps with Violet and her tirade against him causes him to call Bizzy and demand that she tell Addison the truth. She comes and Addison is stunned to see her mother kissing an old friend, Susan. Addison assumes her mother was pushed to it by her father's cheating and is rocked when Bizzy reveals she and Susan have been lovers for twenty years. She explains she was expected to marry the Captain due to their social positions, and it was only after having children that she realized the truth about herself. Addison is naturally stunned to realize how her parents have been lying to her for her entire life. She tries to handle it well as they leave, falling into her parents' own habit of acting like nothing is wrong. Also during Season 3, Addison and Sam grow closer and later start developing feelings for each other. It was revealed that back in college Sam wanted to ask Addison out, but was too nervous, and he ended up with Naomi. In episode 7 of Season 3, they share a kiss after a terrifying ordeal when they tried to save a married couple who got into a devastating car accident, the husband badly wounded, and the wife pregnant and trapped in the car. They kiss again when Addison decided to sleep over at Sam's, hurt and vulnerable after finding her mom and Susan kissing. When ex-flame Mark Sloan arrives at the practice with his pregnant teenage daughter, he and Addison have sex in her office, and Sam walks in and finds them. He then shows some jealous tendencies, warning Addison about Mark. Mark and Addison decide not to get back together. Addison and Sam continue to grow close, but she decides to put a halt on their developing relationship in the episode Shotgun, worried about the consequences in her relationship with Naomi for sleeping with Sam. In the episode "Love Bites", Addison revealed that she was in love with Sam and Pete, but she decided decided to begin a relationship with Pete instead, while Sam was with another doctor, Dr. Vanessa Hoyt. Despite them being with other people, they still show they harbor feelings for each other, even a hint of jealousy when they see the other with their current significant others. After Sam breaks up with Vanessa, he kisses Addison again, saying he was tired of doing the right thing, and wanted to do the wrong thing. Although she was with Pete, she kisses Sam back and Pete catches them. He then tells her if she wanted to be with Sam, then she should. But she stays with Pete. Naomi then finds out about Sam and Addison's feelings for each other, and she is hurt and ends her friendship with Addison. In the season finale, Addison has to operate on Maya Bennett, her godchild, who got in a car accident on her way to the hospital to give birth. A close friend of hers, Dell later dies of a brain haemorrhage as he was the one driving Maya to St. Ambrose's Hospital. She and Naomi then make up. At the end of the season Addison breaks up with Pete, saying he needed to be with Violet. In the same episode, after some advice from Sheldon, she and Sam finally become a couple.

During the season 4 opener, Sam and Addison's relationship seems to have not worked out, but at the end of the episode they are sharing a bathtub, showing that they are a couple indeed. In the second episode they debate over whether or not they want to go public with their new-found romance, mainly because of Naomi and how she would react. Addison ends up telling Naomi, and she doesn't take the news well, but Naomi tries to deal with the fact that her best friend and ex-husband are together and maintained a friendship with Addison. Addison and Sam's relationship, which Addison dubbed "AddiSam", is shown to be a healthy and steady relationship, as Addison says that Sam is the perfect guy "with no flaws". Although Addison wants to have children, Sam tells her he's not ready to have more children, as he wants to take time in their romance. Addison's mother Bizzy returns seeking Addison's help in treating her partner Susan, ill with a tumor. After Addison and Dr. Rodriguez seem to have cured her cancer, Addison plans Bizzy and Susan's wedding. After Naomi spots Dr. Rodriguez flirting with Addison, she tells Addison that her and Sam's relationship is becoming serious and real, and that's when Addison usually screws up. Addison assures Naomi that she doesn't want to ruin it with Sam. Out of panic, she proposes to Sam. When she talks to Naomi about it, Naomi is furious with Addison, as she knew it was too early in the relationship and she knew she did it because she was enticed into flirting with Dr. Rodriguez. After Bizzy and Susan's wedding, Addison tells Sam that she loves him and doesn't want to ruin it with him, and takes the proposal back. During a dance between the two, Susan faints and she is rushed to the hospital. They find out that she has become worse, and the tumor has grown back, and Susan dies. After a heart to heart with her mother Bizzy, in which she slaps Addison across the face, Addison finds her mother dead in her hotel room, having committed suicide.

Addison tells The Captain and Archer that their mother committed suicide after the funeral. She gives Bizzy's eulogy as her mother requested in her will. Sam and Addison end their relationship and Addison goes on a date with a guy named Jake. Ultimately, Addison decides to go away with Jake in the season finale but after watching Violet run away from her troubles and Naomi run towards new prospects, she realized she was running as well and that wasn't her. She turned around and went back to Sam. The season concluded with her telling Sam that she is still going to want a baby.

At the beginning of season 5, Addison runs into Jake again, after she makes an appointment with the fertility doctor in her plight to have a baby.

References

1. ^ Episode 10 of Season 3 of Private Practice: Blowups
2. ^ "Character Bios". ABC.com. http://abc.go.com/primetime/greysanatomy/bios. Retrieved 2009. 
3. ^ "Addison Montgomery". ABC.com. http://abc.go.com/shows/private-practice/bio/addison-montgomery/24676. Retrieved 2011-01-07. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "In Which We Meet Addison, a Nice Girl From Somewhere Else". Shonda Rhimes (writer), Mark Tinker (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2007-09-26. No. 01, season 1.
5. ^ ^{a b} "Blues for Sister Someone". Elizabeth Klaviter (writer), Jeff Melman (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2006-04-30. No. 23, season 1.
6. ^ "Deny, Deny, Deny". Zoanne Clack (writer), Wendey Stanzler (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2005-10-16. No. 04, season 1.
7. ^ ^{a b c} "Tempting Faith". Jon Cowan and Robert L. Rovner (writers), James Frawley (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2008-11-26. No. 07, season 2.
8. ^ "Wait and See". Steve Blackman (writer), Michael Zinberg (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-02-19. No. 17, season 2.
9. ^ ^{a b} "Before and After". Tony Phelan and Joan Rater (writers), Dan Attias (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2009-02-12. No. 15, season 5.
10. ^ "Thanks for the Memories". Shonda Rhimes (writer), Michael Dinner (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2005-11-20. No. 09, season 2.
11. ^ "Private Practice Bios". ABC.com. http://abc.go.com/shows/private-practice/bio/addison-montgomery/24676. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
12. ^ "Owner of a Lonely Heart". Mark Wilding (writer), Dan Minahan (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2005-09-04. No. 11, season 2.
13. ^ "Time Has Come Today". Shonda Rhimes (writer), Dan Minahan (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2006-09-21. No. 01, season 3.
14. ^ "Six Days, Part 2". Krista Vernoff (writer), Greg Yaitanes (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2007-01-18. No. 12, season 3.
15. ^ "Into You Like a Train". Krista Vernoff (writer), Jeff Melman (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2005-10-30. No. 06, season 2.
16. ^ "Much Too Much". Gabrielle Stanton and Harry Werksman (writers), Wendey Stanzler (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2005-11-27. No. 10, season 2.
17. ^ "Yesterday". Krista Vernoff (writer), Rob Corn (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2006-02-19. No. 18, season 2.
18. ^ "I Am a Tree". Krista Vernoff (writer), Jeff Melman (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2006-09-28. No. 02, season 3.
19. ^ "Desire". Mark Wilding (writer), Tom Verica (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2006-04-26. No. 21, season 3.
20. ^ ^{a b} "The Other Side of This Life, Part 1 and 2". Shonda Rhimes (writer), Michael Grossman (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2007-05-03. No. 22-23, season 3.
21. ^ Mitvich, Matt (November 6, 2008). "Exclusive: Multi-Episode Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice Crossover Is in the Works". TV Guide. http://www.tvguide.com/news/greys-anatomy-crossover-35411.aspx. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
22. ^ "Didn't We Almost Have It All?". Tony Phelan and Joan Rater (writers), Rob Corn (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2007-05-17. No. 25, season 5.
23. ^ "In Which Sam Gets Taken for a Ride". Emily Halpern (writer), Jeff Melman (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2007-11-14. No. 07, season 1.
24. ^ "Piece of My Heart". Stacy McKee (writer), Mark Tinker (director). Grey's Anatomy. ABC. 2008-05-01. No. 13, season 4.
25. ^ "A Family Thing". Shonda Rhimes and Marti Noxon (writers), Mark Tinker (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2008-10-01. No. 01, season 2.
26. ^ "Equal and Opposite". Mike Ostrowski (writer), Tom Verica (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2008-10-08. No. 02, season 2.
27. ^ "Past Tense". Craig Turk (writer), Michael Pressman (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2008-10-29. No. 04, season 2.
28. ^ "Crime and Punishment". Shonda Rhimes (writer), Mark Tinker (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2008-12-03. No. 08, season 2.
29. ^ "Nothing to Fear". Jon Cowan and Robert Rovner (writers), Allison Lliddi-Brown (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-01-23. No. 13, season 2.
30. ^ "Private Practice: Jay Harrington". TV Guide Hollywood 411. http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi2646606617/. Retrieved 2009-10-03. 
31. ^ "Second Chances". Craig Turk (writer), Jim Frawley (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-01-29. No. 14, season 2.
32. ^ "Acceptance". Mike Ostrowski (writer), Steve Gomer (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-02-05. No. 15, season 2.
33. ^ "Finishing". Shonda Rhimes (writer), Donna Deitch (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-03-12. No. 18, season 2.
34. ^ "What Women Want". Lauren Schmidt (writer), Mark Tinker (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-03-19. No. 19, season 2.
35. ^ "Yours, Mine, and Ours". Jon Cowan and Robert Rovner (writers), Michael Zinberg (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-04-30. No. 22, season 2.
36. ^ "A Death in the Family". Shonda Rhimes, Jon Cowan, and Robert Rovner (writers), Mark Tinker (director). Private Practice. ABC. 2009-10-01. No. 01, season 3.

External links

• Grey's Anatomy at ABC.com
• Private Practice at ABC.com
• Addison Montgomery on the Grey's Anatomy Wikia