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The Show:
Oh, medical shows. Who would have ever thought the genre that would find itself so constantly emulated on various networks would be series' about a group of people most dread, discussing subject matter that most of us don't understand. The constant introduction of new medical shows is an epidemic that not even the entire cast of ER would be able to cure. So forgive my naiveté in expecting Grey's Anatomy to be cancelled within its first season in early 2005. All the signs were there: mid-season replacement, "been-there, done-that" storylines, a former 80's heartthrob. But as the doctors of everything from St. Elsewhere to House have taught me, sometimes you need to expect the unexpected. In terms of success, Grey's Anatomy truly was just that - unexpected. In terms of actual substance, Grey's Anatomy was just sadly just what I expected. Now, here we are. Four seasons later. And Grey's Anatomy has managed to still find its heartbeat, and keep its pulse going.
By now, we all know that Grey's Anatomy's most tantalizing drama took place behind the scenes. From Isaiah Washington's homophobic comments during filming (and again backstage after the show's Golden Globe win) to his subsequent firing, bitter salary negotiations causing filming to be halted, and Katherine Heigl's public decline for an Emmy nomination, citing the show's lack of creative storylines for her character not worth awarding, the world of Grey's Anatomy found itself, at the height of its popularity, constantly needing to defend its creative output. So perhaps behind the scenes distractions and backstage stress is to blame for a lackluster fourth season? But if season four is any indication of the show's actual value, maybe it's time to pull the plug and face the light. Because while I was pleasantly surprised with Grey's Anatomy success, there is a fine line between premature judging (myself) and premature praising (everyone else).
It would be near impossible to sum up the last three seasons of Grey's, so here's hoping that most reading this are caught up. The season starts with the after effects of Burke and Cristina's (Isaiah Washington and Sandra Oh, respectively) disastrous wedding (after all of her commitment-phobia, Burke ends up leaving her). Cristina has been left at the alter, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) have broken up again for some reason, Izzie (Katherine Heigl) confessed her love to a married George (T.R. Knight) with no actual closure, and a disgruntled Bailey (Chandra Wilson) was denied the chief resident position. No, things didn't end on a high note for most of Seattle Grace Hospital. And on top of the downpour of bad news, a new batch of interns (including the half-sister that Meredith never knew she had) have invaded the hospital, meaning that the original cast of characters have all been upgraded to actual doctors - all except George, who finds himself forced to repeat his internship after having failed his exams.
Welcome to the Seattle Grace, or better yet, the world of Grey's Anatomy - a world where the surgeons are fast-talking, quip ready, and repetitive, where there's no such thing as a simple stomach flu, and where medicine always takes a backseat to melodrama. But maybe that's why it's so much fun. Grey's often walks a fine line between realistic and overdramatic, but it manages to be just fluffy enough to allow for easy digestion. Yet, the thing that is most peculiar about Grey's Anatomy is that its cast of characters are anything but wide-eyed heroes. These aren't the miracle performing surgeons of ER, or the conveniently cleaver doctors of House. This is a group of jaded thirty-somethings, who bare their crosses as if they were emergency room messiahs. Their desire to constantly mend all that is broken juxtaposes their continual moral ambiguity; these doctors may save lives, but they can barely live their own. They make split second choices that save lives, yet often make the wrong choices for their persona lives. The inevitable problem that faces a show like Grey's Anatomy is just how flawed they're willing to let their characters get. The inevitable answer: just enough to allow for realism, but making sure not to come off as simply annoying. The cast walks that tightrope perhaps too carefully. Cristina Yang's hardheaded, know-it-all attitude is at once endearing and endless. And Ellen Pompeo's Meredith is chock full of too many "oops, I did it again" faces to let her bad judgment continuously be tallied up to the realistic flaws of a female protagonist - she's only human! We get it! But they are flawed, and the series doesn't go out of its way to hide it. In fact, one could argue that the flaws are often times glamorized above all else. Yet, that's what makes these characters so easily digestible and ready for viewer connection. The titular character, Meredith Grey, is a prime example of the flawed and mistake ridden residents that inhabit the Seattle Grace halls. Her mistakes have consequences, her friends don't forgive them blindly, and she herself becomes a victim of her often times poor judgment. But, it's the raw plausibility that makes Meredith, and the entire cast, such enticing characters to follow.
Yet, Grey's does occasionally stumble, and never is that more apparent than in its seesaw of a fourth season. Derek and Meredith's "will-they-won't-they" relationship reaches dizzying heights of uninteresting narcissism, George and Izzie attempt a chemistry lacking emotional affair that goes nowhere, and worst of all, the slew of new interns lack any actual character or, for that matter, relevance. Meredith's sister proves to be equal parts underdeveloped, unnecessary and unbelievably irritating, while the other newbie's serve as little more than ambient muttering, praising the openly abrasive/secretly aching doctors they take orders from - If I had a nickel for everytime a random intern was thrown in for the simple purpose of stating their amazement at the surgeons playing god, I'd have enough for an iTunes season pass. Grey's is an anomaly of a show, as it finds itself getting old with its now overdone material (rain soaked angst, sappy indie song, Carrie Bradshaw-esque voiceover/culminating thesis), yet it also finds itself unable to handle new changes (underdeveloped new characters, unrealistic love triangles). But even at its worst (and this season will hopefully be the last to fall under that category), Grey's Anatomy is still an enjoyable piece of fluff entertainment, a series that will find itself displayed proudly on the mantel of popular culture as a show that dared to just be different enough to be noticed, yet never went to the extent it needed to. Season Four may find itself as the show's low point, but as the doctors of Seattle Grace would say, at least it tried to do everything it could.
The DVD:
Grey's Anatomy: Season Four is yet another casualty of the 2007/2008 Writer Strike season, and as a result, finds its typical 24 episode season cut short to about 17 episodes. Spread out across 5 discs, the DVD package is sturdy, housed in a cardboard fold out that slides comfortable in an outer box. The package comes with a mini booklet that breaks down the series, from season one all the way to the end of season four, into a concise timeline. While somewhat frivolous, it's a nice touch nonetheless, and allows for viewers to keep track of all the repetitive ins and outs of Seattle Grace from the very beginning. It actually proves more usefull the more season four developes (exactly which break up are Derek and Meredith talking about? The first or the fourteenth?) The set also comes with an" ABC starter kit", featuring pilot episodes of Pushing Daises, Dirty Sexy Money, and Grey's Anatomy's very own spin-off, Private Practice.
The Video:
Grey's Anatomy: Season Four is presented in an anamorphic widescreen 1:78:1 transfer, enhanced for 16 x 9 televisions. As a whole, the video quality for the episodes is excellent. The colors are as bright and rich as the muted color palette of Seattle Grace will allow (there is only so much blue and white that you can enjoy). It's a solid transfer for the show, and yet another example of ABC giving their TV shows first class DVD treatment.
The Audio:
The audio for Grey's Anatomy: Season Four is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. The dialogue is very front based in terms of audio quality, but during the moments of music and dramatic intensity, the quality shifts into an even clearer pitch. Still, the music is well balanced, and never overpowers the rest of the show's soundtrack, making for a pretty solid audio translation.
The Extras:
Grey's Anatomy: Season Four houses a fairly solid array of bonus features, most of which can be found on the fifth disc. As stated on the set's cover, the fourth season features two "expanded" episodes ("Forever Young" and "The Becoming") that, while not anything substantial, feature some deleted scenes reinserted into the episode. The scenes would have most likely found their way into the deleted scenes section of the bonus features anyway, but they're still something fans will most likely enjoy. We also get three audio commentaries on episodes "A Change Is Gonna Come", "Forever Young" and "The Becoming". The commentaries prove to be surprisingly dull, with little to no interesting participation on behalf of the cast (aside from Sandra Oh, whom is always delightful, even in the most mundane setting).
New Docs on the Block is an eight minute featurette about the addition of the three female doctors this season: Erica Hahn, Lexie Grey, and Nurse Rose (does she have a last name?). The featurette is short, and more of a fluff piece that anything else, but is a nice little bit of behind the scenes footage of the new cast additions, and how they came into the roles. On the Set with Patrick & Eric is a 5 minute featurette about the show's true love story, McDreamy and McSteamy. The featurette has interviews with the cast and crew, as well as some behind the scenes footage of the friendship that has blossomed between Patrick Dempsey and Eric Dane. The feature is really just a five-minute montage of different cast members calling the two men "attractive" and complementing them on their great hair. It gives nothing in the way of value, but proves to be rather enjoyable.
Good Medicine: Favorite Scenes runs about 13 minutes, and features the cast choosing their favorite scenes from the season, and why. It's a nice little best-of montage, making it possible to re-watch the season's best moments, while filtering out all that weighed it down. Dissecting Grey's Anatomy is a series of deleted scenes that are nicely organized by episode. Most of the scenes were deleted for a logical reason, as they either added nothing to the story, or just cause excess running time. Still, for the full viewing experience, the scenes should be watched. Considering the show's "Expanded Edition", it's a wonder why these scenes weren't added into each episode, making them truly extended, as opposed to offering them as a series of deleted scenes. In Stitches: Season Four Outtakes runs a little under 5 minutes, but is a fun extra nonetheless. And finale, we have a series of Sneak Peeks, and a hidden easter egg in the bonus features menu. Hint: attempt to go back to the main menu.
Final Thoughts:
Grey's Anatomy: Season Four may be the show's weakest season, but even so, it still stands out as some of the better programming currently on television. The performances are strong, and the writing, while sometimes weak and underdeveloped, proves to be the kind of frothy pop-drama that one would hope Grey's delivers. An acquired taste to be sure, Grey's Anatomy: Season Four isn't for everyone. But if you can handle your jaded cast of characters with a side of melodrama, maybe you'll find yourself an actual fan. While Season Four marks a low point for the series, there are moments of inspiration that prove a good show is just waiting beneath the surface, itching to be freed. The potential to get back to the glory of yesteryear is slowly bubbling to the top, and all it needs is one big push. Let's hope Season Five bypasses all that unneeded sap, and gets right down to the stuff that Grey's has the potential to show. It's all there, just waiting. Seriously.
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