Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Fourth Season

There are some significant changes in season 4. The interns now have interns of their own. It’s actually a little fresh to see them struggle with circumstances we only recently watched them deal with from the other perspective. All except George, who is forced to repeat after blowing off his final exam to help Izzie. There are also many cast changes. Gone are Washington and the baggage he carried with his gay bashing slur. Also gone is Kate Walsh, as her character has moved on to her own spin-off, Private Practice. There were also 3 major additions to the cast. To replace Washington, Brooke Smith has come on to play new head cardiologist Dr. Hahn. Smith plays a rather abrasive character who has it in for Yang. She believes Yang has gotten her mentors’ attention by sleeping with them in the past. She spends a lot of the season going out of her way to make Yang’s life miserable. Chyler Leigh joins the show as new intern and Meredith’s half sister Lexie. Meredith isn’t really thrilled with her half sister and tries to ignore her attempts to get to know her. Leigh adds a great deal of energy in her performance and instantly becomes a standout. Finally, Lauren Stamile plays Nurse Rose, who becomes Shepherd’s next love interest.

This was my second ever exposure to Grey’s Anatomy. Certainly I’ve followed the buzz the show has generated, with its multiple awards and the feuding between two of the show’s actors. My first impression, reviewing the last season, was not altogether a very good one. You see, season three begins with the aftermath of an obviously big ending from the previous year. From what I can gather, a character died, and it left a void for a couple of the characters. I immediately began to feel like an outsider, a feeling I wasn’t very comfortable with. Fortunately, before I could give up feeling frustrated and hounded by an impending review deadline, something quite remarkable happened. Simply stated, I didn’t stop watching. In that moment of hesitation, I began to catch a glimpse of what everybody’s been going on about. The acting is surprisingly rock solid and not at all the flirty surface performances I had expected.  So, for a short time, I was able to put aside my outsider feelings and begin to appreciate what I was watching. Before too long I was beginning to recognize the strong production values and clever writing which have been responsible for all that buzz I was hearing. While I avoided the needle scenes like the plague that spread through the hospital’s opening episodes, there is still a lot of high resolution f/x when it comes to wounds and surgery bits. This is by far the most realistic look I’ve seen in any medical show so far. The offbeat banter of the interns works well to offset the rather dramatic storylines hidden beneath this somewhat light series.

Grey’s Anatomy follows the life and tribulations of a group of interns at Seattle Grace Hospital. There’s certainly nothing original about the premise, except that the story is told by one of the more unlikely characters, Dr. Meredith Grey (Pompeo). As a lead she’s really not all that remarkable, but the show doesn’t put everything on her narrow shoulders. The series is populated by a solid supporting cast, giving it all a far more ensemble feel despite the title. I’m not sure what these characters did in the preceding two years, but there are some standouts in season three. T.R. Knight and Isaiah Washington got entirely too much attention for the “did he or didn’t he use the ‘f’ word” in a gay bashing tirade. Their characters compelled me the least, and I suspect fans won’t miss Washington’s departure all that much. James Pickens, Jr. is perhaps the most extraordinary actor in the show. He’s underused, but steals every scene he’s in. His Dr. Webber is a powerfully serious voice in an otherwise often frivolous world. Chandra Wilson as the intern teacher Dr. Baily is another standout performance, offering tremendous range. Her character, often referred to as a Nazi by her interns, is capable of outstanding empathy just when it’s required. Too many of the characters serve as eye candy, but I can’t say that any of them don’t have some good acting chops.

With all of that said, season four is not the way to have your first Grey’s Anatomy experience. I strongly recommend you begin at the start if you are not sure about this show. While I was able to gain some appreciation for the show, I had to work harder for it by starting so late. If you already like the show, nothing I could say would keep you from continuing your collection here.

Video

Each episode of Grey’s Anatomy is presented in a sweet 1.78:1 aspect ratio. Again, I can’t compare to broadcast versions of the series, but these DVD transfers are quite nice. The sharpness is excellent. Black levels are well above average for television, even in the HD age. Colors aren’t necessarily bright at all, but remain constant and solid throughout. Flesh tones are dead on reference.

Audio

The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is more aggressive than I expected going in. There are not a lot of dynamic opportunities for an audio track to particularly shine here, but it does a wonderful job of immersing the viewer in the show. The plentiful musical numbers are well placed, usually not interfering with the action. Dialog is always easy to hear, and placement is spot on. Not much for the subs here, but who cares?

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: There are a few episodes sporting engaging tracks with cast and crew members.

New Docs On The Block: The three new cast members are the subject of this 8 minute feature. Cast and crew gush about the additions and the actors themselves offer some tidbits about their new roles.

On Set With Patrick And Eric: The “guys” on the show appear to spend a lot of time together having a blast on the set of the show. This 5 minute piece is mostly a lot of cutting up and fun.

In Stitches – Season Four Outtakes: The typical goofs and goofing around is what you get out of this 4 minute piece.

One Quick Cut: This is an interesting 4 minute recap of the first three seasons of the show. This is certainly helpful if you ignore my advice and start with this set.

Good Medicine: The cast relive their favorite moments.

Dissecting Grey’s Anatomy: Unaired Scenes: You guessed it. There are a few deleted scenes for your continued enjoyment.

Final Thoughts

This isn’t a bad show as these types of things go, but don’t look for it to grow much. No matter where the shows go, they always end up at the same places. There is still too much McSteamy and McDreamy stuff to keep me that invested in the show. I still think it’s more of a “chick” show, but it’s one your guy won’t mind as much as some of your other favorites. Just don’t start calling him anything with a Mc in the front of it, or you might find him “McGone”. I do have a question for the casting people on the show. “Do you hire on looks alone, or is skill actually a factor?”