Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14488 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-07-10
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Box set, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 370 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Just when you wanted to say "Oh no, not another hospital drama," Grey's Anatomy turns into one of the most addicting series on television. With no big stars and no hype, the ABC series debuted last spring as a mid-season replacement and became a bonafide smash in its nine-episode season.

The series, a hybrid of House's medical detectives and Dawson's Creek's hormones and catchy pop-rock soundtrack, follows five competitive surgical interns at the fictional Seattle Grace Hospital. There's optimistic ex-model Izzie (Katherine Heigl), bumbling do-gooder George (T.R. Knight), competitive glacier Cristina (Sandra Oh), cocky womanizer Alex (Justin Chambers), and the show's namesake, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), whose medical career is complicated by her famous surgeon mother who now lives with Alzheimer's, and her frowned-upon relationship with another surgeon, Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey, enjoying the best career revival since Rob Lowe). The doctors juggle romance and foster friendships while trying not to stab each other in the back over surgeries.

Grey's Anatomy's first season, while entertaining, went a little far trying to find its groove, overdosing on Meredith's overly simplistic voice-overs ("At the end of the day... faith is a funny thing"), and musical montages. It has the usual trappings of a hospital drama (unusual cases, such as the patient with the 70-pound tumor, and trysts in the on-call room), but with more warm fuzzies and light touches.

Pompeo, who can sound just like Renee Zellweger if you close your eyes, is likeable but not strong enough of a presence compared to her co-stars. Luckily the quirky dialogue and stellar acting by the ethnically diverse cast, particularly by Chandra Wilson (Dr. Bailey, aka "the Nazi") and Oh, who won a Golden Globe for best supporting actress, more than make up for it. --Ellen A. Kim

DVD Description
The cleverly written series follows five first-year interns and their supervisors at Seattle Grace Hospital as they train to become the future generation of surgeons. We witness them juggling their careers with love dilemmas, family issues and relationships. Ellen Pompeo (Catch Me If You Can, Old School) stars as Meredith Grey, the daughter of a renowned surgeon and former employee at the hospital, as she struggles to fulfil her own ambitions in her mothers formidable shadow. Along with her fellow interns, Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigle), George O'Malley (T.R Knight), Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) and the feisty Cristina Yang, played by the Award Winning Sandra Oh, she is thrown into hospital life at the deep end. She must all deal with life and death situations whilst trying to maintain a grip on her personal life. The intense drama of day-to-day life in the hospital is matched with intelligent dialogue, sexy antics and plenty of giggles.

With relationships and personal dramas adding to the pressure of becoming successful doctors, Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson), a senior doctor nicknamed "The Nazi" is on hand to whip the interns into shape. Working along-side her is the flirtatious and talented Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), an established doctor whose attraction to Meredith makes working life complicated for them both.

Synopsis
For viewers bored or distressed by the constant gore and breakneck speed of hospital dramas like ER, GREY'S ANATOMY comes as a breath of fresh air. Unlike other shows set in the world of medicine, this series is just as concerned with its characters' personal lives as with their medical careers, and thrives by stressing the way in which they intertwine. After all, for surgical interns who have chosen to dedicate their lives to medicine, the hospital largely becomes their home. Extremely well-written, the series mixes serious issues like mortality with funny storylines and wit. Each character is well developed and individualized, coming off as real rather than a stereotype. The relationships between the characters are what make the show unique, with interesting bonds developing like the one between vulnerably hardheaded Christine (Sandra Oh in an Emmy Award-winning role) and the show's main protagonist Meredith (Ellen Pompeo). Self-pitying, stubborn, selfless, and determined all at the same time, each character plays a crucial role in the show's pleasing ensemble feel. Rather than standing on its own, each medical challenge sheds some light on the doctors' personal experiences, bringing the hospital environment to a refreshingly relevant level. While the series may not be the most realistic medical drama on television, it is certainly the most compelling and entertaining, containing such juicy plotlines as love triangles, affairs between coworkers, and secret crushes and romances. A thoughtful soundtrack full of indie artists like Rilo Kiley helps give the show its youthful tone, while narration by Ellen Pompeo's character highlights each episode's themes, helping to bridge the gap between the show's lighthearted issues and more somber ones. This release contains every episode from the show's highly addictive first season.

Customer Reviews

This show is something special.
As I am writing this review, it is half past six in the morning. I am incredibly tired and have to work in 2 hours, but I still can't go to sleep. When I bought this DVD I had heard that the series was pretty good and I thought that I would watch an episode every now and then until I completed the box set. However, I have now completed the entire series in one night and I am so desperate to know what happens next that I have come onto Amazon to order the next DVD.

Just when you thought you had seen enough medical drama on TV to make you practically a qualified doctor, along comes Grey's Anatomy which makes it all seem new and exciting once more and connects you on a deeper level to the main characters than all of those previous shows.

It has the pace and drama of ER, but somehow manages to find time to explore the personalities and lives of the thoughtfully written doctors on such a level that you become transfixed by them and feel you are right there by their sides in the hospital. The move to focus the series on interns was especially inspired, as this brings a whole new dimension to the story. They are all competing against each other for the same goal, yet need each other to survive along the way and the closer they get to their dreams, the harder reality becomes.

Whilst they want to learn, the lessons are not always pleasant and push them out of their comfort zone as both doctors and people. However, in this tough world there is no time to stop and process the information, as there are new patients, new problems and if they even think of standing still for just one moment they could realise how unbelievably confused and frightened they are.

The more they all struggle to shut out their emotions, the more they become consumed by them. Especially when there are senior doctors around who have as much to learn from their interns as they have to teach them. With relationships forming, lines being crossed and careers on the line; the romance becomes even more significant and compelling. Jobs could be in jeopardy, reputations could become tarnished and even worse - hearts may get opened up or even broken.

The drama in the ward is intense and the emotions explosive, but laughter is never far away as the interns stumble though the trials that are thrown their way. The humour is expertly laced though the lines and we are given the opportunity to see these characters not only create laughter but have the ability to be able to laugh at themselves. Pushed to the edge and faced with such extreme situations, the characters are faced with no option but to either laugh or cry. And surgeon's don't cry.

As a viewer however, due to both brilliant writing and superb acting, you may find yourself doing both. You may also find yourself unable to stop watching the next episode and you may be constantly surprised at what happens next. You may even find youself up at six in the morning telling somebody how great this show is and urging them to watch it. However if you do decide to to start on the Grey's Anatomy journey one thing is for sure - you will become addicted and it will definitely be worth it.

Exceptional!
I have just read the 28 customer reviews posted before this one and find it remarkable that 27 of these give the DVD five stars and only one drops it down to four.

For me, that says everything you need to know. What can I do but add to the praise that has been given before? For me the best feature is the chemistry between Meredith Grey and Dr McDreamy, but the episodes when those two don't feature are just as good in a different way.

Here in the UK we are just coming towards the end of Series 2 on Five, but I have still pre-ordered the DVD and can't wait for Series 3 to start. This is a show you have to see. Personally I was distraught to hear that Ellen Pompeo became engaged just last November. I was convinced she was waiting for me, but, hey, that's the way life goes!

Just one technical point. From what I can gather Series 1 was originally only nine episodes, which would have been covered by the first two discs, the second of which includes some rather feeble extras, but fortunately for us there are another five episodes on disc 3 and the ending at that point is just as effective, although not one I personally like! It's just as well I have seen Series 2 on TV...

"Even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying"
I study, work, go to the gym and to the cinema, and still have some extra time to watch tv. Truth to be told, I don't have that much extra time, so I like to take advantage of it by watching only series that are very good. "Grey's anatomy" is simply excellent :)

The plot is not overly complicated, but what really makes this show different, when comparing it to others, is the superb cast and of course the great storylines. "Grey's anathomy" tells us about the lives of five surgical interns: Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), "Izzie" Stevens (Katherine Heigl), Christina Yang (Sandra Oh), George O'Malley (T.R. Knight ) and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers). Moreover, we also get to know about their teachers, teachers that in the case of Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Dr. Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) become much more than that.

In one of the many episodes that this dvd has, Meredith says that "We've all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day. Still sometimes we have to see for ourselves. We have to make our own mistakes. We have to learn our own lessons. We have to sweep today's possibility under tomorrow's rug until we can't anymore. Until we finally understand for ourselves what Benjamin Franklin really meant. That knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and even the biggest failure, even the worst, beats the hell out of never trying". Please give this dvd a try as soon as it is released. You won t regret it! Of course, highly recommended...

Belen Alcat