GREY’S ANATOMY: SEASON THREE – SERIOUSLY EXTENDED
(TV-14)
MOVIE: *** (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** 1/2 (out of 5)
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
Created by: Shonda Rimes
Studio: Touchstone Television
BY KEVIN CARR
When “Grey’s Anatomy” started out, I observed that it was basically a more dramatic rehash of “Scrubs.” That wasn’t a terrible thing because I am a big fan of “Scrubs.” However, as it moved through its third season, it differentiated itself more and more from that other medical show on NBC.
For many fans, it improved, mostly for the fact that the show strained the relationships of these interns and the doctors overseeing them. It turned into a full-fledged evening soap opera, generally better than what you’ll see on daytime television, but ultimately as shallow. I preferred the more whimsical approach, but that’s just me.
Season three is held together by decent acting and pretty good writing. However, the show is in the midst of jumping the shark as characters break up, get back together, only to break up again. It’s also strained by off-screen problems, starting with T.R. Knight (whose character of George gets more tail than anyone else) admitting he’s gay, continuing with Isaiah Washington’s inappropriate “f-word” comments, and his eventual firing from the show.
This third season is good from a soap opera aspect, but characters are grating on my nerves – especially title character Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo). At least at the end of the season, there’s hope for some character changes from the top down, but I am depressed about losing Kate Walsh to a spin-off that’s bound to fail.
The “Seriously Extended” DVD set comes with several extended episodes, commentaries, plus a bonus disc of special features. These features include an out-of-place profile of Patrick Dempsey as a stock car racer, a spotlight on Karev’s patient Jane Doe, a group of favorite scenes from the cast and some bloopers. It’s worth getting for the fan, but more worth a rent for someone wanting to catch up for the upcoming season.