Grey's Anatomy: Season Three

Call it the season when the shit hit the fan for television’s finest soap opera. Grey’s Anatomy became a controversy magnet during season three and not just because of some poor choices in the story arcs. Off set, Isiah Washington (Burke) made some inappropriate comments about cast member T.R. Knight (George), not to mention the fact that he also got all up in Patrick Dempsey’s (Derek, aka "McDreamy”) face during rehearsal. And while the show’s continuing mix of high relationship drama and quirky comedy managed to still come out on top, barely, it was a real hit and miss season. Katherine Heigl deserved her Emmy as Izzie, beginning the season all disoriented and loopy after the death of fiancé Denny, but even towards the end of the season when a fracas with George erupts, her lovable character goes offside. Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) faced a turbulent year, but the decision to possibly "off” her at the site of a ferry crash was carried out poorly, and proved to be a real turn-off that should have created more jeopardy. Recurring characters and their arcs helped keep the show afloat, as with Burke and Cristina’s (Sandra Oh) impending nuptials, which put the show’s most interesting romance on display for good laughs. However, nothing, I mean, nothing can make up for the 11th-hour introduction to the spin-off starring Addison (Kate Walsh), which pushed a two-hour special into mind-numbing drivel. I actually can wait to see Private Practice, as they’re calling it. A wedding cliff-hanger shows that a few different relationships won’t survive going into season four, and that’s good because this season was all about testing the limits, and Grey’s Anatomy seems to have learned a lesson that should allow it to return to the delicious piece of programming it was in its first two seasons. The extras are predictable. "Making Rounds” takes a look at Dempsey’s hobby: NASCAR racing. It’s not only unrelated to the show but tedious unless you’re an obsessive fan of both. "Shades of Grey” sits Pompeo down for a chat about the emotionally challenging job the actress had in the season. "Prescription for Success” introduces Rebecca, or Ava, or Jane Doe, the pregnant girl Alex rescues from the ferry crash, rumoured to be a new regular on the fourth season. Plus: selected commentaries, extended episodes.