“Greek” Series Finale Brings Cute Wrap-Up, Readies Cappie For Future; Review

No amount of critical acclaim and no lead-in benefit from ABC Family’s roster of youth-skewing hits was enough to help “Greek” escape the control of disappointing ratings. And though the cable network was patient with the show, it eventually had to face reality–“Greek” was never going to break out as a hit by any reasonable standards. The result? After four seasons, “Greek” ends its run with a series finale Monday night.

In many ways, the ending comes at the right time. The central Casey/Cappie/Evan love triangle had run its course, with Casey circling back to Cappie yet again in the current season. Rusty had become so comfortable in the frat lifestyle that the “culture clash” in having a nerdy honors science major deal with the excesses of life at Kappa Tau no longer resonated–if anything, the fact that he still did well in school was the real surprise. Dale’s hardcore religious persona had long been stale, so much so that the only logical move for season four was to have him rush the Omega Chi fraternity. As the new Zeta Beta Zeta president, Rebecca was asked to channel a mean/bitchy/domineering side that had been exposed as a “fraud” given the vulnerability she had demonstrated over the show’s life cycle. There was absolutely nothing for Calvin and Ashleigh to do.

Of course, in many ways, that is a testament to the brilliance of the show. Save for a few unnecessary soap opera cliches (such as Rebecca’s lesbian phase), “Greek” dove so deeply into the characters that it greatly limited the degree to which it could evolve the characters. None of them was going to have an ongoing battle with drugs. Dale and Calvin were not going to have a secret affair. Evan was never going to “defect” and join Kappa Tau. It kept everything fairly realistic (at least to the extent that is feasible for an exaggerated comedy) and honest–at a certain point, there is nothing left to script. Unlike the worlds created by shows like “90210” and “Gossip Girl,” in real life, there is a finite number of friends with whom you hook up. And not everyone you know gets pregnant out of wedlock or develops a drug addiction.

And none of this is to say the show stopped delivering. The nine prior fourth season episodes were more uneven than any past group of nine segments, but when the show was on (ie “Midnight Clear”), it was definitely “on.” The show also explored some new bonds–the budding Rusty-Ashleigh romance (which gets a wrap-up in Monday’s finale) felt insincere and forced, but an episode that finally saw Rusty and Evan work together in a meaningful way undoubtedly delivered. Scott Michael Foster’s brilliant turn as Cappie also helped continue the great chemistry between his character and Rusty, Calvin and Dale.

Interestingly, despite all of that praise for the show’s realism and honesty, the series finale is far from the most realistic episode. It is far from the best episode of “Greek.” But insofar as the wrap-up is “cute” and most of the characters end up where viewers would have hoped, it still works.

Central to the finale is the impending demise of the Kappa Tau house. Without getting into spoilers, the issue ties into the season-long “who is trying to ruin Kappa Tau” storyline, one which would have been better had the show taken it more seriously. The mystery component was never really fleshed out (for half of the season, did it not seem to have OBVIOUSLY been Dale?), and the resulting reveal is similarly underwhelming. But for as poorly-constructed as that fundamental storyline is, the potential destruction of the house, itself, works for the finale. As the characters remind viewers in a pivotal scene, the Kappa Tau house has essentially been the nucleus for so many characters on “Greek,” and its importance to Cappie and Rusty, fueled by some great performances by the actors, undoubtedly resonates. However flawed the storyline build, Kappa Tau definitely “matters” to “Greek” fans.

Linked directly to that storyline is a challenge that will prove pivotal to the law school success of Casey and Evan. Tasked with defending the entity that wants to replace Kappa Tau with an athletics center, both are asked to decide between personal feelings (yes, regardless of the Evan-Cappie rivalry, he is capable of understanding the importance of the frat house) and succeeding from a “legal” standpoint. Even though the issue portrays law school and the legal career in an absurdly-black-and-white manner (in the real world, there are plenty of law students and successful lawyers who do not have to conduct business so counter to their morality), the storyline is effective in helping Evan and Casey reach desirable conclusions at the end of the episode. Casey’s future, of course, is tied to what transpires with Cappie (suffice it to say, a document with his REAL NAME emerges as part of this plotline).

A third storyline, involving Dale and Rebecca, has the two scene-stealing characters evaluating why their past relationships failed (“Ghost of Girlfriends Past” style). The storyline is more “described” than “shown” (we see very few of these investigations), but it ultimately leads Dale and Rebecca in the ideal directions (and note, this is not a “hint” that the two of them get together).

Everything ultimately builds to a conclusion, set to “Forever Young” in the screener copy, that seems designed entirely to put smiles on the faces of viewers. Literally every character gets at least a shell of what he wants, and while some of these seem “phoned in” (Calvin’s desire, in particular, comes completely out of left field), their futures are all etched in a way that is compatible with the reality of the show.

Few outside of “Greek”‘s cult fanbase will talk about the show in the future, and that reality is such a tragedy. With the soap cliche-driven teenage dramas struggling so much (“90210” and “GG” have become non-factors for The CW; shows like ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” and “Secret Life” are indeed hits by cable standards but far from pop culture phenomena), it was so refreshing to see a show try to tell college life like it is, without sacrificing comedy in the process.

Yes, gritty shows like TNT’s “SouthLAnd” and DirecTV’s “Friday Night Lights” might have set the pace when it comes to reality in television dramas, but “Greek” managed to do so from the perspective of a comedy. With great performances from the cast, clever writing and self-aware storylines, “Greek” showcased what a light-hearted teenage series SHOULD be accomplishing.

It is a shame so few viewers realized.