Grey's Anatomy: Complete Fifth Season

In the 2008-09 fifth season of Grey's Anatomy, Seattle Grace Hospital welcomes some quality guest stars, including Samantha Mathis and Eric Stoltz, while Kevin McKidd as Iraq War veteran Owen Hunt makes a positive addition to the regular cast, providing a love interest for Sandra Oh's Cristina (fellow newcomer Jessica Capshaw, playing Arizona Robbins, is not quite as dynamic). But hard-to-believe plot developments muddy the waters—the cocky Mark (Eric Dane) and twitchy Lexie (Chyler Leigh), for instance, lack chemistry, making their surprise coupling more curious than exciting. Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the heart transplant patient Izzie (Katherine Heigl) failed to save in an earlier season, returns as a ghost to haunt Izzie, but her visions drag on too long. Further, her relationship with the ever-grumpy Alex (Justin Chambers) is as dubious as Lexie and Mark's. The fifth season of Grey's Anatomy isn't the best entry point for new viewers, but fans will want to see how these stories play out, especially since nice guy George (T.R. Knight) exits at the end of the season. Compiling all 24 episodes, DVD extras include an extended episode, deleted scenes (with commentary from creator Shonda Rhimes and executive producer Betsy Beers) and outtakes, a tribute to Morgan (who Rhimes describes as “hot beyond all imagination”), and a featurette on the 100th episode, in which Izzie prepares to marry Alex (suffice to say: things don't go as planned). Recommended, overall. (K. Fennessy)