DVD Review: Greek: Chapter One
From Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Greek: Chapter One
If you didn't just write off this fun, soapy series as too "tame" without really checking it out, you might have watched and discovered that it's very relatable! It's a fresh dramady with some fun-to-follow characters. In this Season One DVD set, it's Rush time at Cyprus-Rhodes University and we follow Rusty Cartwright (Jacob Zachar), geeky science dork who wants to join a frat. Big sis Casey aka sorority babe supreme (Spencer Grammer), finds her climb to the top hampered by nerdy little bro's quest for frat-boy approval. Casey is also the epicenter of a love triangle between her ex-boyfriend Cappie (Scott Michael Foster) and Evan (Jake McDorman), her hunk-of-choice who heads the hot frat on campus.
Video/Audio: anamorphic widescreen picture with a really good transfer to DVD. Really crisp picture with a good color balance. Nice lookin'. The Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound mix is fine. This is a dialogue-driven series but you do get decent balance among your speakers. Soundtrack is fun and is also balanced okay.
Special Features: Quite a few! Second season is underway but, you get a preview with some chat from the cast, a few deleted scenes and an extended music sequence that is cute.
A featurette entitled "Greek: The Initiation" is a behind-the-scenes look at making the show from show runners etc. You get info on sets and other production stuff. Fun.
"Audio Commentaries" are with Patrick Sean Smith, Shawn Piller, and Lloyd Segan on "Pilot" on the first disc. This is really informative with the lowdown on the show's production. The other two commentaries include Spencer Grammar, Dilshad Vadsaria, and Amber Stevens on "Friday Night Frights" and "Separation Anxiety" with Jake McDorman, Clark Duke, Scott Michael Foster and Paul James. These are fun episodes and the last two commentaries are more like a bunch of friends sittin' around dishing while watching a show. Very entertaining. Watch the episodes then go back and check these out for added into and humor!
Wrapping Up: This soap-style campus-set series is well worth a look. Funny and poignant events make groups of friends clash and it's fun to follow Rusty as he tries to fit in. Not as risque as Animal House or American Pie but way more relevant than some of the other series on air aimed at teens, this show deserves a test run. If you are already a fan, you'll want to collect this full first season DVD. If you want to catch up or just see if it is something you can relate to, then rent it! Oh, and it has a lot of cool music as well...
***
Lynn Barker is a Hollywood-based entertainment journalist and produced screenwriter.
