MEDICAL!? MEDICAL!
MEDICAL!
I must say, even though this first season of "Grey's Anatomy" is only nine episodes long it is the ultimate teaser to bring in audiences... It is just too bad they are releasing the damned thing way too late.
The first season hits DVD on February 14, 2006, which means that it is hitting store shelves nine days after the 16th episode of season two... Does this make any sense to anyone? The season is only nine episodes long, it is fabulous, but considering the fact that the ninth episode aired way back in May of 2005 and the season premiere of the second season aired in September of 2005 you would think this DVD would have been released at the beginning of September. Wouldn't you?
Instead, audiences that never caught on to the series may pick up this DVD and after 387 minutes only be caught up one-third of the way. Does this audience have a way of catching up? Nope. Not even iTunes carries the "Grey's Anatomy" episodes. So, I guess you will have to wait until later this year for that, but let's forget the complaining for a second and evaluate this DVD.
Is it any good? Yes, it is very good!
Is it at all like "ER"? Not really, this show is much more human. "ER" is all about emergency room drama, which it should be, and when "ER" tries to get more personal it feels much more like a soap opera. On the other hand, "Grey's Anatomy" feels more like you are watching a group of friends. It feels like these people are living real life. Problems do arise and they are confronted head on. People have legitimate reactions but grudges aren't exactly held as long, they are handled with maturity instead of childish finger pointing. It is really a breath of fresh air.
Is this DVD worth it? Let's see, these nine episodes are running for about $19.48 at Amazon.com at the time of this review (Feb. 12, 2006), which isn't too bad, but it is like I said above... this is a teaser. Personally I would have liked if they had held on to this mini-season and released season one and two together, and I think they are going to see sales spike once season two hits DVD. The buzz surrounding the show is sure to grow and considering the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards and nominations the show received the audience for this show is only going to get bigger.
As far as special features go there are a couple of commentaries on the pilot episode, a handful of deleted scenes and a few behind-the-scenes bits that are pretty cool. One thing a liked was a look at the scenes deleted from the pilot episode, but instead of just watching them in a random order they string them all together and play them as one feature with an optional commentary track. This gives them much more weight and it is almost like getting an extra 11 minutes of show time. Pretty cool if you ask me.
All-in-all, if you are looking for a reason to watch "Grey's Anatomy" right now buy this DVD, watch the episodes in one sitting and then switch on over to ABC and get up to speed. If you have the slightest bit of patience you can pick up this DVD now, watch it and wait until later this year when the second season is sure to be released and buy that and then switch on over to ABC and watch the new episodes in order.
Overall, the decision is up to you, but this is a show you should watch if you like good television. The acting is superb and the storylines are intriguing. This first season ends with a bit of a soapy cliffhanger, which I am anxious to see how they dig themselves out of, but besides that it has a very fluid and real movement to it that is well worth the watch. It just depends on when you plan on scrubbing in.