Ep 18. The Hardest Part

The Hardest Part is the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of Private Practice, which originally aired on ABC on March 31, 2011. The medical drama television series was created by Shonda Rhimes and is a spin-off of Grey's Anatomy.

In this episode, Dr. Sam Bennett (Taye Diggs) tries to help a teenage girl named Sarah (Ariel Winter) who is struggling with a rare genetic disorder that causes her body to age rapidly. Sarah has just gotten engaged to her boyfriend and wants to live a full life before she dies. Sam must navigate the complex ethical issues surrounding her treatment while also dealing with his own feelings of guilt over his sister’s death from breast cancer.

Meanwhile, Dr. Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) faces a difficult decision when her brother, Archer (Grant Show), asks her to help his pregnant surrogate mother who is experiencing complications. Addison must also confront her own feelings about motherhood and whether she wants to have a child of her own.

Elsewhere in the episode, Dr. Cooper Freedman (Paul Adelstein) and his fiancée, Charlotte King (KaDee Strickland), continue to struggle with their relationship after Charlotte’s assault. Cooper begins to realize that he needs to be more supportive of Charlotte and her recovery, but he is unsure of how to move forward.

Additionally, Dr. Pete Wilder (Tim Daly) and Violet Turner (Amy Brenneman) face their own challenges when a patient’s husband comes to the practice seeking help for his wife’s depression. Pete and Violet must work together to figure out the best course of treatment for the patient and help her husband understand the severity of her condition.

The Hardest Part is a poignant and emotional episode of Private Practice that explores themes of illness, love, and family. The episode features strong performances from the ensemble cast and tackles complex medical and ethical issues with sensitivity and grace.