Release Date: September 4, 2012
Rating: TV-14
Running Time: Approx. 1032 minutes

As fifth year residents, it’s do or die for the doctors of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Things heat up in the operating room and in the bedroom as competition abounds and passions are ignited. The six-disc DVD brings fans even closer to the action!! Bonus features include an exciting feature “A Journey Home with Kevin McKidd,” where fans can tag along with Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) as he heads home to the Highlands of Scotland and tours his hometown, deleted scenes and much more!!

“Grey’s Anatomy” stars Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey, Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd, Sandra Oh as Cristina Yang, Justin Chambers as Alex Karev, Chandra Wilson as Miranda Bailey, James Pickens, Jr. as Richard Webber, Sara Ramirez as Callie Torres, Eric Dane as Mark Sloan, Chyler Leigh as Lexie Grey, Kevin McKidd as Owen Hunt, Jessica Capshaw as Arizona Robbins, Kim Raver as Teddy Altman, Jesse Williams as Jackson Avery and Sarah Drew as April Kepner.

It’s no secret that when I was first getting into Grey’s Anatomy, the episodes either had my attention right away or put me to sleep right away. As I became more invested in the series, that quickly changed and I fell in love with every episode. But season eight had quite a few episodes that reminded me of those times that I would nod off. There were a few story lines worth following but not enough to consider this season as a whole spectacular. So it is also no secret that I hope season nine is the last. It has come full circle in my eyes. But enough about what I hope to be the final season.

Season eight did continue to provide the basic elements that initially sucked me into the show…the tension between the characters in romantic relationships, the snappy, witty, and heartbreaking dialogue, the looks between the doctors at any given moment, and of course the cases which never fail to intrigue. As for the personal lives of the doctors? What really hit a chord for me this season was the decline of Webber’s wife, Adele. Owen giving Cristina the (well deserved) cold shoulder also had me in stitches. Bailey’s love life was one of the few relationships this season with very little conflict. I absolutely love how they balance this out and who they choose to widen our smiles each season. It is always refreshing to see this side of Bailey anyway, so this was a treat. The love triangle between Mark, Lexie, and Avery grew to be boring so it was fulfilling to finally see this come to an end, however unfortunate it did. To be honest, I never really bought this. I love Avery and feel for Avery but it always seemed right with Mark and Lexie.

Speaking of Lexie Grey… even though this show is titled, “Grey’s Anatomy,” I found myself the least bit interested in Meredith Grey’s journey…as I often do feel. Thank God for wildly talented ensemble casts. It really makes no sense that none of the main cast members or episodes (for writing) have been nominated for Emmys since 2009 and 2006. What is wrong with the world? The cast is perfect and the writing, the writing! Every episode of Grey’s Anatomy is good but when they go above and beyond, they really go above and beyond. The season finale comes to mind first and foremost. Whoa. What an episode. If you haven’t seen one episode of Grey’s Anatomy and choose to watch one random episode from this season, this would be it. You’ll be hooked. Spoiled. But hooked.

So while season eight was not my favorite season of the show, every component that initially drew me in is still there and keeps this show strong and steady. So if you’re a Grey’s fan, be sure to add this to your collection! As for the bonus features, well… I would say that there is a lack of bonus features but it is season eight. That said, there are no commentaries and that is very disappointing. We better get commentary for the series finale, whenever that will be.

Bonus Features:

A Journey Home with Kevin McKidd (14 minutes) – Creator/Executive Producer, Shonda Rhimes and Executive Producer, Betsy Beers introduce this special feature as Kevin McKidd brings us to his hometown of Elgin, Scotland around Christmas time where we watch him record an old Scottish folk album with his friends and are taken to various places around town that are close to McKidd’s heart. Usually, the DVDs have one or two special features dedicated to a cast member so it was only a matter of time before the spotlight was on McKidd. I absolutely loved following him home to Scotland. One of my favorite features on Grey’s DVDs are the ones that spotlight the actors because they are not only lengthy but meaningful. There’s genuine care put into showing what makes each actor who they are. McKidd said of the album, “It really is a snapshot to my past and my ancestors,” and so is this feature. This is undoubtedly my favorite feature on the DVD. Job well done.

Deleted Scenes (13 minutes) – There are 12 deleted scenes from 9 episodes. My favorites definitely include “No Idea About What?” from Suddenly and the hysterical “A Little Wax Play?” from All You Need is Love. “Incidentals and Overhead” from Migration was also a funny scene that I was waiting for in the episode and it never came. So to see it now is a treat. If you want more Grey’s goodness, definitely check out the features!

* In Stitches: Outtakes (2 minutes)

Own Grey’s Anatomy: The Complete Eighth Season on DVD today.