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Grey's Anatomy: Complete Sixth Season
R1 - America - Buena Vista Home Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Jeremiah Chin (17th December 2010). |
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The Show
 Through some bizarre convergence of names, ABC grew into a powerhouse through the work of two separate, different Dr. Shepherds on two different shows. Of course we have the alcoholic, problematic Dr. Jack Shepherd (Matthew Fox) of “Lost” (2004-2010) and the one they call ‘McDreamy’ Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) of “Grey’s Anatomy” (2005-Present). While “Lost” and it’s Dr. Shepherd got drawn into odd science fiction conundrums and mysteries, McDreamy and his gang of doctors live in a more melodramatic world of hospitals, relationships and the more everyday exaggerations of love and medicine. In this sixth season, “Grey’s Anatomy” is still going and moving through the lives and relationships of the different doctors with emerging and sometimes recurring medical problems that confront the doctors. It would be easy to compare the show to “ER” (1994-2009), it’s fascination is less with the grittiness of emergency surgery and the Chicago area, “Grey’s” is concentrated in the hospital and a local bar of the Seattle area, but both are connected through the personal dramas of the characters involved. This season sees a few blossoming romances from the more conventional marriage between Dr. Shepherd and Dr. Merideth Grey (Ellen Pompeo), to the madcap sex relationship of Dr. Hunt (Kevin McKidd) and Dr. Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), to the blossoming lesbian romance of doctors Caille Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins (Kim Raver) and finally the problematic relationship between Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens Jr.) and alcohol that takes him out of medicine for a portion of the season. Each week brings a new set of medical situations that each of the doctors have to deal with, new patients and new lives, with a few flashback and backstory episodes mixed in to give more background on some of the newer characters and a few that have been known over the years. Initial impression of the show seen in previews flashed all over ABC there’s more emphasis on the character romance and drama than the medicine of flavor of the week, but that’s to be expected since the medical drama has been hashed, rehashed and dehashed in nearly every way possible over the years. It’s a fair move, trying to draw people in through the characters that creator Shonda Rhimes has put in motion, but the problem comes when these people don’t seem that interesting at the outset, how do you bring in the added audience? Yet it doesn’t seem much of a problem for “Grey’s” anymore as it’s gathered a large and devoted following, that has helped to make the show a huge success. Maybe the biggest compliment I can give this show is watchability, I’m not interested in putting myself into the show week after week or trying to decipher the stoyrlines and romances that have come together over the show’s six seasons. But it turned out to be a show that doesn’t throw me into a rage if it’s on screen. I couldn’t watch it in a marathon or even more than a couple episodes at a time, but if your significant other is a “Grey’s” fan, it’s not that hard to sit through. Just so long as you know how to selectively tune out or just deal with some of the cheesier romantic drama of the show. It actually turns out to be moderately well cast, all the actors are beautiful people, but they do their jobs well and are fairly talented in their own rights. Some, such as Dr. Webber or Dr. Bailey are even compelling, when not laboring through another dramatic speech with another actor about their professional or personal lives (and there are a bunch of these). Really it all comes down to the watchability, this is a show that you can deal with on screen and if someone you knows enjoy it, maybe sit down and watch an episode with them. It will give you something to talk about. Otherwise, I can’t say that I’ve been turned on to tuning in to the show, its something that exists and is not an abomination. Not the greatest of compliments, but it works as a show in a genre that’s been well explored and if you can connect to any of the characters, you’ll probably enjoy it. If you’re someone entirely turned off by large emotional reactions and many emotional moments, just avoid it unless you have to watch and recognize that it’s a show that’s just not for you. Episodes included on the set are: - “Good Mourning” - “Goodbye” - “(IAlways Feel Like) Somebody’s Watchin’ Me” - “Tainted Obligation” - “Invasion” - “I Saw What I Saw” - “Give Peace A Chance” - “Invest in Love” - “New History” - “Holidaze” - “Blink” - “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” - “State of Love and Trust” - “Valentine’s Day Massacre” - “The Time Warp” - “Perfect Little Accident” - “Push” - “Suicide is Painless” - “Sympathy For The Parents” - “Hook, Line and Sinner” - “How Insensitive” - “Shiny Happy People” - “Sanctuary” - “Death and All His Friends”
Video
Presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen the show is reasonably clean, but the clarity leaves a little something to be desired. In some scenes it feels like an intentional soft filter, to make for a more emotional look, but in others some of the contrast and clarity gets a little lost in terms of the visual appeal of the show with some blurriness and grain that feels a bit off in the darker sequences. But in the larger look of the show it’s fairly minor, it’s not a bad looking show, it just lacks a bit of clarity.
Audio
The audio is presented in an English Dolby Digital 5.1 transfer that allows all the cheesy slow piano and guitar songs to come through loud and clear, which is great if you like that music, but otherwise it’s really frustrating and annoyingly sappy attempt to constantly pull at heartstrings. Otherwise the audio is fairly well balanced and leveled properly, the ambient hospital noises, all the suctions all the gross blood, squishing, squelching noises that come with a medical drama. The disc also comes with English, French and Spanish subtitles, but no other audio tracks.
Extras
Buena Vista has included a few extras featuring featurettes, webisodes, unaired scenes, extended scenes, bloopers, and extended episode and bonus trailers. Below is a closer look at these supplements. DISC ONE: Only special features on this disc are the bonus trailers, which are: - “ABC on DVD and Blu-Ray” runs for 1 minute and 34 seconds. - “Desperate Housewives: The Complete Sixth Season” runs for 1 minute and 4 seconds. - “Brothers and Sisters” runs for 1 minute. - “Cougar Town” runs for 57 seconds. DISC TWO & THREE: There are no bonus features on these discs. DISC FOUR: This disc features the six part webisode series styled as a documentary crew following some of the interns of Seattle Grace hospital. Set mostly in the local bar on New Year’s Eve, following interns Steve (Mark Saul), Meagan (Molly Kidder), Pierce (Joseph Williamson), Graciella (Gloria Garayua) and Ryan (Brandon Scott). The documentary is almost a wannabe “The Office” (2004-Present) with a focus on awkward comedy with a hint of interpersonal drama between the different characters, as well as a love triangle and a paternity test. It seems really out of place considering what sorts of comedic timing that the main show shoots for, and the drama doesn’t really fit since they couldn’t get any of their main cast member to participate in the series except for a musical appearance by Dr. Hunt. It’s not a particularly great addition to the main show and it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. The webisodes included are: - "Part 1" runs for 5 minutes and 1 second. - "Part 2" runs for 5 minutes and 2 seconds. - "Part 3" runs for 4 minutes and 43 seconds. - "Part 4" runs for 5 minutes and 2 seconds. - "Part 5" runs for 4 minutes and 34 seconds. - "Part 6" runs for 6 minutes and 4 seconds. Finally is “Seattle Grace: On Call: Behind the scenes” featurette which runs for 2 minutes and 31 seconds, all the actors seem excited to expand from bit parts into having something to do in a webisode series, it almost seems added on for the crew to justify why they made the webisode series. DISC FIVE: “Chandra Wilson: Anatomy of a Talent” featurette runs for 13 minuts and 12 seconds, focusing on the actrice who plays Chandra Wilson as well as her expanded talents, including directing a couple of episodes of the series. It deals with her moving to director, shadowing directors, and speaking with her coworkers about becoming a director. The whole featurette is comprised of behind the scenes footage with some on set interviews with the actors who feature in the different episodes, footage of Wilson winning the NAACP award for Directing an episode. The featurette then turns to her run in the broadway show Chicago, with some nice comments from all the actors about the difference between acting on stage and on screen. It’s actually a nice look at the many aspects of the actor/director, but also the aspects of acting in different settings. Next are the unaired scenes, they’re playable together, but on the menus are broken down by episode they appear in, but they’re all described below: From “Good Morning” the scene include: - “You Have to Tell Her” runs for 1 minute and 6 seconds, Torres demands that Chambers tell Izzie that George is dead. - “Will you fix George’s face” runs for 38 seconds, Torres asks Sloan to fix George’s face for his family. - “Take off your shirt” runs for 40 seconds, seven days after George’s death, Grey asks Shepard to take off his shirt. - “Ceviche” runs for 44 seconds, Torres, Yang and Hunt talk about the funeral and promotions. - “Are you having sex?” runs for 1 minute and 15 seconds, Chambers talks about putting q-tips up a kid’s penis in front of him and his mother. From “Goodbye” the scene include: - “Come back to bed” runs for 1 minute and 4 seconds, Chambers is trying to pound a can open and Stevens invites him back to bed to snuggle. - “It’s a very big deal” runs for 46 seconds, Stevens is hanging out with the other doctors waiting for a catscan, Bailey busts the party up and begins the catscan. - “I’m not going to die in your arms” runs for 39 seconds, Stevens and Chambers start getting busy but he gets distracted with chemo attachments, he gets freaked, but they still get busy. From “Invasion” the scene include: - “I’m Proud” runs for 1 minute and 9 seconds, Bailey remarks about her pride and competitive nature, asking the interns not to fall apart. - “I don’t get her” runs for 38 seconds, Hunt talks to Shepherd about Yang. From “Give Peace a Chance” the scene include: - “We’re Talking about a Diaper” runs for 52 seconds, Hunt offers Yang coffee to make up for something and they get in an argument over diapers and she takes the coffee. - “She’s back” runs for 42 seconds, Torres, Sloan and Bailey wonder what Stevens and Webber are doing talking with each other. From “New History” the scene include: - “I got fired” runs for 1 minute and 45 seconds, Stevens talks about the series of events leading her to get fired. From “Holidaze” the scene include: - “You’re going to be a grandpa” runs for 33 seconds, Sloan tells his girlfriend about his pregnant daughter. From “I Like You So Much Better When You’re Naked” the scene include: - “You said you were leaving you have to choose” runs for 42 seconds, Hunt confronts another doctor about leaving the hospital. - “You have to Choose” runs for 35 seconds, Yang confronts Hunt with a choice between her and operating, he chooses her and she doesn’t believe it. From “Valentine’s Day Massacre” the scene include: - “Dr. Jekyl & Mr. Highlights” runs for 46 seconds, Torres, Sloan, Hunt and Grey use fancy technology for a surgery, Shepherd approves. - “How Happy I Am” runs for 52 seconds, Torres lies in bed with Robbins, Robbins has a tiny freakout, but they are okay. - “You’re hitting on me?” runs for 38 seconds, Grey is hit on by Avery. From “How Insensitive” the scene include: - “Snap Jack” runs for 31 seconds, Yang gives a little girl some candy and soda, then they play slap jack. - “Derek needs you” runs for 19 seconds, Sloan teases Torres, but Grey runs in to send him elsewhere. Next up is “In Stitches: Outtakes” runs for 2 minuts and 14 seconds, very much a blooper reel but with a few more yawns and on set laughs than you would regularly see, lots more quick cuts and goofing around. Lastly on this disc are some extended scenes, two in all, both from the episode “The Time Warp” they are: - “Nervous Callie” runs for 1 minute and 39 seconds, an extended cut of the nervous public speaking of Torres and her fairly dramatic fear of public speaking, she spills water on her laptop. - “Sad state of affairs” runs for 1 minute and 29 seconds, Bailey gets drunk at the bar and talks about her husband with Joe the Bartender. DISC SIX: The only special feature here is the extended version of the finale “Death and All His Friends” which runs for 1 hour 1 minute and 20 seconds as compared to the 43 minutes and 5 seconds of the original finale, also included in the set, an extra 17 minutes and 58 second mixed into the episode at various points.
Packaging
The six disc set comes in a cardboard slipcase with the six discs in 6 disc digi-pack.
Overall
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