Greek Chapter 5 prep – Chapter 3 DVD review, and Chapter 4 summary

A little confusing, I know. Here’s the skinny: Greek chapter 5 premieres Monday night, August 31. Chapter 4 ended this past June. And chapter 3 (summer ’08) just came out on DVD. When your seasons (or chapters) air all over the map, this is what happens.

So, here’s what we’re going to do. First, let’s discuss the chapter 3 DVD. Then, we’ll quickly recap chapter 4 — which CliqueClack covered comprehensively as it aired. Finally, I’ll provide you with the link to my chapter 5 predictions. Again. Sound good?

Chapter 3 was a great one. From “Greek Week” to “Hell Week,” this season covered a really cool part of the rush experience for pledges Rusty and Calvin. It also set up the new IKI house following the ZBZ election of Ashleigh as president. Rusty searched for love, Calvin dated and dumped Michael, and Cappie continued to be awesome. Dale was less present than in chapters one and two, but he could still always be relied on to be around when it counted.

It’s really just the extras that leave a lot to be desired on this DVD set. When I saw that there were episode commentaries, I was actually very excited. There are shows that really lend themselves to that kind of extra; those that cast a group of people who you can imagine having fun hanging out with. Greek has such a cast. Only, they weren’t really around for the commentaries. A shocking number of producers and writers dominated the commentary voices, as well as the direction of most of the discussions.

Episode Commentaries – The pairings include Evan and Rebecca, Ashleigh and Calvin, and the monster of them for the finale, Casey, Cappie, Rusty, and Max (huh?). Not only were the actors not chosen for their prominence in the particular episode they were commentating on, they also weren’t paired based on intersecting stories, or even having at least something to do with one another for most of the season — okay, so that’s an exaggeration, but I’m not sure what the logic was.

And, like I said above, the discussions were hijacked by the technical details of shooting. Yes, there were a lot of interesting tidbits (and I did laugh quite a bit), but I can’t even tell you how many times I heard “we shot that on the ramp” during the first commentary track. Who cares? Plus, while Grammer and Foster (Casey and Cappie) are pretty funny together, Max and Rusty hardly said more than 10 words. Between the two of them. Kind of a blown opportunity.

20 Questions With the Cast of Greek – Literally 20 questions, posed to different cast members, as they sat in various groups with their costars. The questions are inane (“What was your favorite subject in school?”), but it’s funny to see the actors as themselves, interacting differently with their costars than they do with the same people when they’re in character. Not worth the price of the DVD (it’s way too short), but definitely an enjoyable experience.

Bloopers – Well, I guess they were that. No question they lived up to their name, but at 3 minutes of run time, could they have spared it?

Okay, chapter 4. Let’s nutshell it here (you can also click here for complete coverage): Jesse McCartney (as Andy) was an awesome addition to the cast; shame that it was only temporary. But the threads of his story linger, in the form of Rusty’s new girlfriend, Jordan. I’m hoping the new season jettisons her, both from the ZBZ house, and from Rusty’s heart.

Elsewhere, Dale and Rusty found each other once more, moving in together in an off-campus apartment. Dale came and went, but going forward, his newfound relationship is bound to explore a lot of ground that the phenomenal Clark Duke has thus far not had the opportunity to delve into.

Max decided to stay put for his graduate degree, but an offer in England, and the ever-present Cappie, allowed things to get very rocky indeed for him and Casey. When we last saw her and Cappie, the clock was counting down to the apocalypse, and Cappie was getting an Ashleigh lecture on love. Will they, or won’t they?

You know, with Rusty off with Jordan, and Casey dating Max, we were graced with very little Cappie last season. It was a crime, one that will hopefully be corrected come this season. Chapter. Whatever.

That’s actually what much of chapter four’s failures boil down to: too many stories left us with far too little screen time for the best players on the show. Cappie and Evan were tentatively repairing their friendship, but only in their secret society. Rusty’s plot involved Jordan, so it sucked. Calvin was made-over as a stereotypical homosexual, and he wasn’t as enjoyable to watch (because that’s not him). And Dale was MIA 50% of the time. So, who did make it in?

Rebecca tried being a lesbian, Ashleigh floundered as president (and in her new relationship), Frannie struggled with the IKI house and with Evan, we had Max time, and also Jordan time. I covered it all, and then some, as the show aired. But with the gift of hindsight, I discovered something important: no Greek is much worse than questionable Greek. Besides, there was a lot of awesome during the season. It’s just that they were moments more isolated than ever-present.

But, the other side of the choppy season is the constant opportunity for reinvention. Greek has a brand new chance to course-correct, and I have the faith that it will.

Wondering what’s to come in chapter 5? Well, these are just my own crazy musings, but who wants a spoiler to, well, spoil things, anyway?

Oh, and buy chapter 3 on DVD … extras or no, the ten episodes on the disc-set are awesome.

Clacked by Aryeh S.
on Aug 30, 2009 @ 11:30 EST5EDT