"GREY’S ANATOMY: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON UNCUT"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Ellen Pompeo as MEREDITH GREY Sandra Oh as CHRITINA YANG Katherine Heigl as ISOBEL “IZZIE” STEVENS Justin Chambers as ALEX KAREV T.R. Knight as GEORGE O’MALLEY Chandra Wilson as MIRANDA BAILEY Isaiah Washington as PRESTON BURKE Patrick Dempsey as DEREK SHEPHERD Kate Walsh as ADDISON MONTGOMERY-SHEPHERD Rated TV-14 Studio: Touchstone Television Created by: Shonda Rimes Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I have a love/hate relationship with “Grey’s Anatomy.” On one hand, I love the show because it’s pretty darn good television. There is a loveability about many of the characters, even when others are dreadful. It’s an intense drama at times, but it doesn’t have a problem being whimsical and light at times. It definitely has struck a balance.
On the other hand, I hate the show. I hate that it’s a rip-off of “Scrubs,” which was actually made fun of in the current season on NBC. I hate that it makes the characters do some really stupid things. And I absolutely, positively cannot stand – hate with a passion – the title character of Meredith Grey.
Creator Shonda Rimes is heralded as a television genius because she put this show together. And while I will never disparage the difficulties and challenges of putting together even the worst television show, I will eagerly point out that this show is nothing new.
Rimes really just put “Scrubs,” “e.r.,” “Sex in the City” and even a dash of “The Love Boat” in a blender and poured out “Grey’s Anatomy.” There’s nothing all that original about the parts.
Each episode begins with three different storylines about cases in the hospital (which is where the “Love Boat” reference comes from). Meredith does a voice over to introduce the overall theme, a la “Sex in the City.” The doctors face some hilarious twists and turns, a la “Scrubs,” and they also face some pretty dramatic ones, a la “e.r.” The episodes then wrap up with a “Scrubs” style montage over pop music, often set in operating rooms. When the narration begins again, just as in “Sex in the City,” we know the show’s coming to an end.
Season two begins with a torpedo striking the budding relationship between Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Dr. McDreamy, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey). The torpedo’s name is Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (Kate Walsh), Derek’s secret wife from New York. It sets the stage for the upcoming episodes that show a lot of moping and angst as Meredith and Derek decide whether or not to stay together.
All in all, I found this a low point in the series since I never liked Meredith, Derek is too much of a whiner and I actually like the character of Addison more than either lead. Although, I imagine this storyline is what attracts a bulk of the female viewership and holds onto the soap opera crowd.
I found myself more drawn to the romance between Dr. Burke (Isaiah Washington) and Christina Yang (Sandra Oh). They had more depth and texture to their characters, and they face more real problems than the whining pretty people in neurosurgery.
Other characters have decent storylines, but are not without faults. George O’Mally (T.R. Knight) is too much of a wimp, pining for Meredith and not being grateful for the other hot women he hooks up with. Alex Kerev (Justin Chambers) develops some depth, but the writers couldn’t keep him on a good track. And Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), who begins the season as the most interesting and desirable, kinda goes nuts by the end of the season.
If I’ve learned anything from “Grey’s Anatomy,” it’s that I’d love to be a surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital. Everyone gets laid, and everyone is gorgeous. I also learned that I never want to go to this hospital as a patient. So many dangerous liberties are taken with patients for the neuroses of the characters, and it just seems that too many of the surgeons give up on patients in the O.R. Let’s face it, this show has a higher body count than a World War II combat film.
This six-disc set comes with commentary tracks on selected episodes, four episodes with extended scenes and footage and multiple bonus features on the last disc. Some of the features include a chance for several actors to respond to fan mail, a profile of Dr. Bailey (my favorite doctor on the show, by the way), a special effects doco, deleted scenes, a tour of the set and a somewhat lackluster appearance by the cast on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.78:1). English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
