Greek' serves up delectable college drama

    Despite ample plot recap, fans of "Greek" were probably not disappointed by Monday's third season premiere, "The Day After." Witty dialogue, decent acting and a few scandalous, soapy twists have made this dramedy the perfect guilty pleasure for two seasons — a feat all the more surprising given ABC's penchant for trite family dramas.   
    "Greek" follows a group of students at the fictitious Cyprus Rhodes University as they navigate the ups and downs of the college's Greek system. From prim and proper sorority girls and hard-partying frat boys to a purity pledge support group, the cast of characters on Greek runs the gamut of the college social spectrum.
    The most recent episode was chock- full of "Greek" staples: a fantastic assassin-themed frat party, plenty of sibling bickering between nerdy engineer-turned-pledge Rusty (Jacob Zachar) and popular sorority sister Casey Cartwright (Spencer Grammer), endless will they/won't they intrigue for Casey and impishly adorable frat boy Cappie (Scott Michael Foster) and the exploration of the unorthodox friendship between fundamentalist Christian Dale Kettlewell (Clark Duke) and gay fraternity brother Calvin Owens (Paul James).
    The premiere certainly succeeded in familiarizing audiences with the cast of characters on the show, wrapping up last season's lingering plotlines and leaving a few doors open for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, with so much on its plate, the episode failed to serve up much of the lighthearted fun and zingy one-liners that "Greek" viewers are accustomed to.
    Much of the hour was filled with dry exposition rehashing last season's finale. In particular, Rusty's anger over the end of Casey and engineering grad student Max's (Micahel Rady) relationship felt misplaced and over the top. But the worst moment of the episode came during the big flashback, when the audience was led to believe that Cappie listened to long-time rival Evan and stopped pursuing Casey. While it is certainly understandable that the show's creators want to put off the inevitable Casey/Cappie reunion a little longer, Cappie and Evan's conversation felt very stilted and unbelievable.
    Despite the acting pitfalls, a few moments were truly memorable, such as Casey's sorority sisters breaking up her pity party to sing her the house's break-up anthem. The absurdity of a group of vapid girls singing, "Your cat is all alone, nobody loves you," while clutching stuffed ZBZ cats showcased "Greek" at its best — poking fun at some of the silliness of college life through a core of loveable, believable characters.   
    Although not one of "Greek's" strongest episodes, "The Day After" did deliver a few great twists and more than enough dangling threads to leave viewers anxious for more. While it seems that Casey and Cappie are on the backburner for now, Calvin and his new love interest/fraternity brother/roommate Grant (Gregory Michael) are moving full steam ahead. It's heartening to see an ABC Family show portray not only a gay man, but also a gay relationship. Not to mention that it's always fun to see hot guys in boxers.
    The progressive nature of Grant and Calvin's relationship, however, is overwhelmed by the show's many clichés, including a catfight in the ZBZ house after Ashleigh (Amber Stevens) finds out that another sister made out with her boyfriend. While some may roll their eyes and lament the lack of originality, most "Greek" fans know that what the show does best is not designing original, shocking plot twists, but rather breathing new life into clichés with three-dimensional characters grounded in reality. This is perhaps most obvious in the endless back-and-forth between Casey and Cappie, a storyline that will most definitely continue to exasperate fans in the very best way this upcoming season.
    "The Day After" lacked a bit of the flair "Greek" fans have come to expect, but cemented the show's place as one of the most fun shows on television. "Greek" doesn't pretend to be intellectual or particularly innovative. Rather, it simply allows people to laugh and enjoy themselves for an hour. Given how few shows try to depict college life, it's one that Tufts students may find truly relatable.