DVD Review: Grey’s Anatomy: Season Four – Expanded Blu-Ray Box Set

TV Show Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T.R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Patrick Dempsey, Kate Walsh, Sara Ramirez, Eric Dane, Chyler Leigh, Brooke Smith, Elizabeth Reaser
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Buena Vista/Disney

Release Info:
Original Air Dates: March 27, 2005 – present
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $66.95

Television hit a high point when I wasn’t looking. These days, I am afraid to watch a new show, because I watch too many amazing shows as it is. If only I could just be a professional television watcher, life would be good. However, even though there are many shows that I love, there seem to be few that I actually watch in the scheduled time frame that they air on television. With things like DVR and free episodes on the Internet it becomes less and less of a necessity to catch my favorite show on the network that it airs. Of course, there are a few shows that demand prompt attention because I just cannot wait to see them. Grey’s Anatomy is one of these shows. It’s something that I just cannot miss.

I had just started watching Grey’s during the third season, despite my mother nagging me to watch it long before that point. I turned it on one night and it took me just a few minutes to fall in love. Needless to say, I was hooked by the end of the season, and more than ready to welcome the new season as it came on. Things got off to a good start, but as the writer’s strike loomed it was a disappointment to see that all of the excellent shows would be affected. Still, with the following that Grey’s has there was not much to worry about. It was more a waiting game than anything.

Despite the season split, the show came out better than ever. Each episode manages to draw the viewer in even more, and by the end it’s sad to see that you have to wait for months to get back into things. The season doesn’t end on a huge cliffhanger, though the season opener offers some major drama. If you’ve seen the promo on ABC then you know what I am talking about. Someone even mentions they are pregnant in the promo, but ABC has confirmed that this storyline has been removed and it was an accident that the talk of pregnancy even ended up in the promo. So, if you were like me and sitting in awe and disbelief, don’t worry – it was all for nothing!

The new characters in the fourth season work well with all of the established pros. You can expect to see plenty of romance, drama, more drama, and a variety of healing from all of the main characters. It worked out to be a good season, even though it could have been seen as having a slow start.

Grey’s consistently offers great acting, amazing storylines, and emotional storytelling. You connect easily with the characters and it makes the show important in a number of different ways. Fans will not question whether or not they need this fourth box set. It’s a given for any Grey’s fan. The question will depend on whether the need for Blu-Ray is important to them. I didn’t think it would be to me, but after seeing it, I really have to recommend picking it up, especially if you can afford to do so.

The Grey’s Anatomy: Season Four – Expanded Plot
Grey’s offers plenty of interesting storylines this season and it is done in a way that deepens the character development and shows us how certain characters have grown. There are some things, like the decline and total breakup of Meredith and Derek that can be hard to handle, but with those two there is always something there to keep wishing for. Meredith meets her sister and Cristina realizes that the new Burke is not going to like her as much as the old one did. As for Izzie and George, the two biggest messes of Seattle Grace Hospital, well they remain as they are expected to remain, even if one of them feels they didn’t have enough to do this season.

“A Change is Gonna Come”: It’s a new year for new residents, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina (Sandra Oh), Izzie (Katherine Heigl), and Alex (Justin Chambers). It’s also George’s (TR Knight) second, new year as an intern. All the residents get their own grunts to follow them as a reward for graduating from intern status. Also starting a new job is Callie (Sara Ramirez), who is the new chief resident.

George is not the only notable intern this year. Another interesting face is presented by Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Meredith’s half sister, who is desperate to know Meredith. The other residents tend not to stand out and there is little time to get to know them, especially when a three-car accident sends the traumas pouring into the hospital. Izzie is begged by a young child to save an unlikely patient. Many personal stories are touched upon. Meredith and Derek (Patrick Dempsey – Enchanted) cannot see eye to eye, Bailey (Chandra Wilson) deals with the issues at the hospital and her place at Seattle Grace, and Cristina searches for Burke.

“Love/Addiction”: An apartment building is blown up and the victims all end up in Seattle Grace. Alex tries to learn what caused the explosion by speaking to one of the older residents. Cristina has an unexpected conversation with Jane Burke (Diahann Carroll). Meredith continues to ignore Lexie, certain that she wants nothing to do with her sister. The chief resident’s job is overwhelming to Callie. Meanwhile, the rightful recipient, Bailey, has nothing to do because she didn’t get the job.

“Let The Truth Sting”: A child is brought to the hospital because of a sudden change in behavior that has his mother worried. McSteamy (Eric Dane) and the Chief (James Pickens Jr.) need to perform an uncommon surgery so that a patient will not lose the ability to speak. George is the intern rockstar when he’s at Seattle Grace, but once the work clothes come off he is a failing husband that feels guilty for sleeping with Izzie.

“The Heart of the Matter”: Someone from one of the residents past shows up and has some issues that need dealing with. A high school football star suffers injuries from the game, which brings on the need for counseling due to the injury and his father. A young girl with cancer that once had a prom at Seattle Grace learns that her cancer has returned.

“Haunt You Every Day”: Halloween brings up some interesting moments at the hospital. A patient ends up in the hospital for trying to carve a pumpkin in a way that you just shouldn’t try. Callie makes an announcement and Alex receives a visit from the schizophrenic Ava/Rebecca (Elizabeth Reaser). Meredith feels like she is being haunted by the ashes of her mother. Cristina is not allowed to perform a surgery much to her chagrin. A man volunteers for a surgery despite the fact that most of the doctors feel it is unnecessary.

“Kung Fu Fighting”: Cristina and Izzie fight over surgeries. The Chief looks for some male support from the other guys in the hospital because his marriage is in shambles. Two bridezillas are admitted into the hospital when a contest becomes disastrous and the girls won’t quit vying for the prize of the dream wedding. This leads one of the interns to take the place in the contest so one of the bridezilla’s can be treated.

“Physical Attraction…Chemical Reaction”: Meredith continues ignoring her sister Lexie. Despite not wanting to like her, it becomes clear that Lexie is not a bad person. Alex gets a chance to see firsthand what life is like for Lexie for better or for worse. Things with George and Izzie aren’t going as well as expected, leading people to see that there was little reason for George to ruin his marriage. The Chief demotes someone, allowing another person to take their place.

“Forever Young”: Meredith’s dad shows up at the hospital complicating the lives of both of his daughters. Derek and Meredith’s working relationship gets even harder for her to deal with when Derek begins dating another person at the hospital. A bus crash keeps everyone busy as several patients require different levels of care.

“Crash Into Me – Part 1″: Paramedics are endangered when an ambulance crash threatens their safety. It is up to the Chief and Meredith to do their best to save them. Ava/Rebecca returns to the hospital in search of Alex, which makes this hard for him and Lexie. Bailey has to work on a racist who does not want her help no matter what the cost.

“Crash Into Me – Part 2″: It is up to Lexie to save the life of a patient. Meanwhile, Meredith continues to attempt to save a paramedic that is trapped in the ambulance. Bailey finds it hard to keep a balance in her personal life and with work. Meanwhile, it is up to Derek to trust a nurse so that they can save someone in need of help. George and Izzie attempt to re-evaluate their relationship.

“Lay Your Hands on Me”: Callie deals with the divorce as best as she can. Meanwhile, George has an unexpected visitor arrive to see him. Tuck has surgery and leaves the entire staff worried about the outcome. Bailey’s husband thinks that all she cares about is work, putting an even bigger strain on their marriage. Alex treats a faith healer, despite not believing in her powers. Meanwhile, Derek tries to dissect what his kissing Rose truly means.

“Where the Wild Things Are”: Dr. Hahn (Brooke Smith) actually makes a friend and it’s not Cristina. Meredith has a close eye on the relationship of Derek and Rose even though they have not been together in weeks. Meanwhile, George and Lexie are doing well at getting settled into their less than favorable apartment together. It’s competition time at the hospital leaving all of the new doctors scrambling for medical breakthroughs.

“Piece of My Heart”: Addison (Kate Walsh) makes a return visit as the hospital needs her skills and only she can offer them. Ava/Rebecca has some important news for Alex. Despite this news, Izzie knows the truth about Ava/Rebecca. Some developments are made in the clinical trials that Derek is doing with Meredith.

“The Becoming”: Cristina feels the pressure of Hahn’s dislike for her and it only gets worse when she learns how well Burke is doing in his career. Callie finds herself around McSteamy way too much, even though the anti-McSteamy club offers plenty of reasons to stay away from him. Derek and Meredith’s trials continue to progress, which offers positive and negative effects for both of them.

“Losing My Mind”: Meredith wants to quit therapy but her therapist (Amy Madigan – Gone, Baby, Gone) won’t let her. Cristina is not back to her old self yet and things only seem to get harder for her with Hahn is asked to perform a dangerous surgery that she isn’t comfortable with doing. Alex uncovers more information about Ava/Rebecca, which only makes things harder on him.

“Freedom: Part 1″: McSteamy has a hot hookup. Meredith and Derek perform the trial on two patients that are in love, causing Meredith to consider what she is missing out on with Derek. Bailey is appalled when she has to work on a nerd that is encased in cement because he wanted to impress a girl and now might die because of it. Ava/Rebecca loses it and Izzie forces Alex to see what is happening to her. George is able to take the intern exam for the second time.

“Freedom: Part 2″: Seeing what has happened to Ava/Rebecca, Alex has a breakdown and looks to Izzie for comfort. The unexpected happens with the trial and the couple that go through surgery. Therapy finally pays off for Meredith and she learns what her mother wanted when she said she wanted her to be extraordinary. A new, unlikely romance occurs and an old one is rekindled in the best ending possible.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
As Grey’s is shot for television in HD it already looks pretty amazing. However, Blu-Ray gives it a gorgeous sharp quality that should not be discounted. The specs include 1080p with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 in an anamorphic widescreen format. What you end up with is an excellent quality. You will not see something, like Lost, which was made for Blu-Ray thanks to all of the action, but the results here are worth the upgrade to Blu-Ray if you can afford it. The colors are strong, the contrast is good, and any visual problems are kept to a rare minimum.

Like the video, the audio offers a beautiful blend of Blu-Ray perfection. Grey’s: is mainly dialogue driven. That being said, the voices come out strong and toggling is never an issue. The sound is kept mainly to the center and front, though the surround does come out in musical moments. The PCM 5.1 audio sounds great, leaving little if anything to complain about. In addition to the PCM 5.1 track there is a Dolby Digital Stereo track. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
There are a number of special features here including a couple of commentaries, some obligatory previews, and something new known as Season Play. Perhaps it’s the dork in me, but I absolutely loved Season Play. This is a feature specific to Blu-Ray that basically keeps track of where you are in a season box-set to ensure that you don’t lose your place. When you put the first DVD in, Season Play will inform you that you’re on the first episode. If you watch three and put it away for a few days, when you go back it will let you know the exact episode that you should be on.

There are only a few episodes with commentary available, though what is available is worth a listen. They aren’t the best commentaries I have heard though they are decent. There are a couple of extended episodes that will add more drama and plotlines then you had a chance to see the first time around. Other than that, the main bonuses come in the form of featurettes, which are all listed below.

In “New Docs On The Block,” you get a chance to learn about Dr. Hahn (Brooke Smith), Lexie (Chyler Leigh), and Rose (Lauren Stamile). Other cast members are brought in to talk about these three and it’s an all around, feel good, eight minutes.

“On Set With Patrick And Eric” is up next and it gives you around six minutes of time with Dreamy and Steamy. The featurette shows them messing around with the rest of the cast and is a fun watch, especially for fans of these two.

“Good Medicine: Favorite Scenes” is pretty self-explanatory by the title. Close to 14 minutes of favorite scenes are shown by various cast members. The cast member gets to pick the favorite storyline/scene for them during the season.

“Dissecting Grey’s Anatomy: Unaired Scenes” shows a number of unaired/deleted scenes. Most of these are interesting, but obviously were not crucial to the story. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been deleted/unaired in the first place.

“In Stitches: Season Four Outtakes” gives you an opportunity to watch the cast of Grey’s mess up in a variety of different ways and “One Quick Cut” offers five minutes worth of a crash course in Grey’s. If you are new to the show, this will tell you all of the most basic “need to know” information.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
I was really excited to be able to review the fourth season of Grey’s Anatomy. Despite all of the amazing shows that are on television right now, this is still one of my favorites, and one of the few that I actually watch on television when it airs. This set might be a little pricey, but if you own a Blu-Ray player or PS3 and can afford it, I highly recommend this DVD. If you cannot afford it, you should definitely pick up the standard version, which offers the same great episodes and numerous special features that are bound to keep any Grey’s fan happy.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Grey’s Anatomy, Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Justin Chambers, T.R. Knight, Chandra Wilson, Patrick Dempsey, ABC, Drama, TV on DVD, DVD Box Set Review

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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.