ANDREA REWATCHES GREEK: THE THREAD

Lost thread rules—one tweet per episode. This might be hard to stick to because Greek is a Perfect Show, No Notes, Obviously. This will all have been worth it if even one non- @JoanneStarer person decides to give Greek a shot as a result.

(this tweet is an announcement/placeholder, I promised Joanne I'd hold off on actually tweeting my thoughts until she got ahead of me this weekend so I could preserve her innocence but I have about three episodes banked right now)

I told Joanne to mute this thread so anything that follows is at her own risk let's gooooooooooo.

1x1: This pilot is impressive for many reasons but #1 is the sheer number of PLOTS. I made a list of literally 14 threads launched in this single 50 minute episode, and I'm probably forgetting some. L O R D do Casey and Cappie have immediate chemistry. SMF is the stand out actor.

1x2: Rebecca Logan is a truly delicious villain and I forgot how much I missed her. I also forgot how small Ashleigh's roll is at the start, she blossoms into such a beautiful and beloved ditzy gift. EVAN SUCKS PASS IT ON. This show goes on to do a lot of work on him but...ugh.

1x3: Greek was obvs Extremely My Shit from jump, but this episode has the scene that made me truly fall head over heels—Casey and Cappie fight over Rusty rushing into sex, and for a moment they reflect on their first time together. I won't say more but it was formative for me.

1x4: Every time Frannie says “Sweetie” a demon gets its horns. Calvin’s dad is here! He loves his gay son! In some ways Calvin coming out to Rusty is dated, but mostly it feels thoughtful, especially for the 2009 air date. Rusty/Calvin are the true Romeo and Juliet of this show.

1x5: An all-time great and so dang EARLY in the show--THE FIRST Kappa Tau VESUVIUS PARTY! Rusty makes it rain beer. Jen K is an adorable nervous wreck. I feel like Rusty's romances are one of the things Greek never quite gets right after she leaves. RUN CASEY EVAN SUCKS SO MUCH.

1x6: UNFORTUNATELY, the high highs of Vesuvius are immediately followed by the episode that REALLY leans into "it's 2009 and we still think fat jokes are funny" Halloween episode. I think this is the biggest miss of the show until we get to The Andy of It All. JEN K THOUGH.

1x7: Ashleigh’s boyfriend BLOWS but watching Casey let Frannie insist Ash dump him despite Casey's own history of being forced into that exact decision with Cappie was depressing af. Which was the point, but oof. Casey still thinks she's better off at this point in the show.

1x8: Lunch Buffet episode! Casey is Cappie’s little minx! Dale’s band Darwin Lied actually rocks? And we get some Rebecca humanization with the amazing line “My dad almost divorced my mom because she didn’t poll well. But there was a 4% margin of error so they’re still together!”

Unrelated to any specific episode, talking with @josephryanhill made me realize the core theme of Greek is the question, “Can you become something more than the way you are seen by others?” and it’s just so elegantly reinforced in every single character arc. Even Beaver’s in S4!

1x9: We’re at the part where Rebecca and Cappie start getting close. Frannie vs. the academic advisor who wasn’t taking any of her shit is a gift, but now we’re stuck with her for three more seasons. Rusty tries to make Jen K bone down in front of Dale out of spite...lol.

1x10: Was this meant to be a season finale and they got a surprise full order? Maybe. Charisma Carpenter’s here! Ding dong Casey and Evan are dead because Frannie’s a snake (but also a blessing to me personally). Jen K drops The Article, goodbye Jen K. Poor heartbroken Rusty.

1x11: I thought Lizzy was from S2 but she’s here and intensely delightful as ever. Heath coming out to his Kappa Tau brothers remains one of the best scenes of this show. Greek as a whole resets their table in more engaging and interesting ways than Game of Thrones, don’t @ me.

1x12: The rise and fall of Cappie’s expression when Casey asks for a “fresh start” and then clarifies “as friends”—. Calvin pledging KT for 20 seconds—. ZBZ and KT teaming up to flout Panhellenic rules and throw a Great Gatsby party —. “I don’t even LIKE cosmos, BITCH.”

1x13: Cappie tells Casey he’s dating Rebecca and she...accidentally bones a teenager as a result which is NOT GREAT. We get the tail end of Cappie also telling Beaver, who had a crush on Rebecca. Not a necessary scene but a lovely inclusion. DAVE FRANCO IS A KT PLEDGE???

1x14: “If it wasn’t stupid it wouldn’t be boys fighting.” The KT vs Omega Chi war is...boring. Ashleigh’s short lived romance with Dork Suit Travis was cringey. Goodbye Lizzy, who I thought was on Greek longer? Hello again Frannie, ugh. I get it, she’s a great villain but ugh.

1x15: I totally forgot the flashback to Casey/Evan/Cappie’s freshman year was in literally season 1? Man Cappie was always charming as hell but he was a shit boyfriend. Loved Casey, but still a shit boyfriend. UGH this show is so good at layered and complex characters, kills me.

Okay this deserves one more tweet—Frannie showing up and just absolutely emotionally obliterating three KT brothers on her rampage to find Cappie and force him to show up at the Greek ball was...the best she’s ever been. She’s still evil but, again, LAYERED EVIL.

1x16: I ALSO forgot the first Frannie/Evan kiss (“I’m not interesting in being somebody’s warm body”) was S1?? What the hell happens in S2/3??? I mean I know but apparently I don’t know. I can’t decide if Tina’s a bad actress or an extremely good actress playing an annoying girl.

1x17: Parent’s Weekend is here! Casey and Rusty’s parents are every man who’s ever given me a pitying look when I said Greek is an amazing show and suggested I watch True Detectice instead if I wanted “actually good television.” Rebecca’s dad sucks but we ain’t seen nothing yet.

1x18: Even when Rebecca’s a demon she’s still like the most fun character in the whole cast after Cappie. Bro Code meets its bitter end. Casey almost dates a Lambda Sig with a good face and shit (but period accurate) hair until Evan PAYS HIM to blow her off because EVAN SUCKS.

1x19: With the poets of Cappie and Evan combined, Greeks get their privileges reinstated! Casey gets a boring plot about President whatever but it did give Frannie a chance to use a ridiculous political comparison which is the best version of Frannie. Rusty bones Annoying Girl.

1x20: The gravitas and sincerity with which Rusty uses the term “fun buddy” is honestly a blessing. Calvin and Michael are cute but I keep screeching WHAT ABOUT HEATH at the tv. Beaver pretending to be a girl so Rusty can practice breaking up is gold. Casey kisses a face eater.

1x21: “Satan lived in Myrtle Beach.” -Dale Kettlewell, a gift and nightmare all in one. How is it that EVAN is the one who kicks CASEY out when she comes over to confront him about paying Shane the Lambda Sig off? What a dick. But not as much of a dick as FRANNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1x22: We close out season one on SUCH a high note! I kinda forgot Rusty and Calvin were fighting but the make up with Dale was lovely. I don’t really buy that Cappie would tell Rebecca a wet t-shirt contest is “beneath her” but it’s how they get to “you’re beneath me” so whatevs.

Casey and Cappie kiss!!! but then hear the news about Rebecca’s dad’s sex worker situation. Lost Lawyer thinks Cappie should have walked in on Rebecca sleeping with a random but I think it’s sadder that she was alone and just heartbroken. The Evan/Frannie unholy union is upon us.

I think Hotness Monster was supposed to be big in season 2 but then booked Beyond the Break, and then Grey’s Anatomy. Also truly everything I thought was in season 2 actually happens in season 1 except for Andy so buckle up for Andy and season 2 mysteries I guess!!!!

2x1: Casey stakes her presidency on Rebecca’s good behavior in front of Teagan—one of the most moving moments of the show. Will obvs be complicated by Casey and Cappie’s eternal love but that’s a later problem. I know Evan gets better eventually but man he is SUCH a DICK.

2x2: I cannot believe Max is already here?Also Evan upgrades himself to GASLIGHTING DICK when he convinces Frannie people will think Casey’s crazy about the betrayal. Frannie, of course, loves this. Also I forgot to mention Dale took down his confederate flag last episode, bless.

2x3: I TOTALLY FORGOT TO TWEET ABOUT THIS EPISODE and now I watched it like over a week ago but okay it’s the Omega Chi casino night one where Travis In a Dork Suit comes back to be a dick and Casey, Rebecca, Rusty, and Max con his cheating ass!! It’s perfect no notes!!!!!

2x4: I know the OTP of this show is Casey/Cappie but is the REAL OTP actually Calvin/Heath??? MAYBE!!!!!Max doesn’t last for ever but I do love him a whole lot. It’s hard to craft a character you want the audience to care for even if they don’t last and they really pull it off.

2x5: I’m gonna grossly misquote this line, but it’s a favorite from when Casey confesses to Max that she’d pretended to be DEEP and MATURE for him because his last girlfriend died—“I’m not a saint like Sarah, last week I got visibly upset someone spilled coffee on my Us Weekly.”

2x6: Cappie being jealous of Max on BOTH Cartwright fronts is a gift. Love that the Honors Engineering Program goes harder than the KTs. Calvin cheats on Michael with Heath because he thinks Evan is gonna cheat on Frannie and I want to be mad at him but HEEAATTHH. Evan STILL sux.

2x7: GREEK FORMAL! Casey and Max land double blows on stupid fucking Evan. Max going back for the flashcards! My heart. And uh...when we get to S4 I’m gonna complain about Ashleigh and Rusty coming out of nowhere but this was actually a pretty solid first sail for that ship??