Dialogue of the Day - 8.26.08

“It’s like the battle of the Carmen’s. Ladies Figure Skating, Calgary 1988. The Omega Chi were Katarina Witt. Sexy, powerful, Germanic. We were poor Debbie Thomas, just biting it left and right.”

-- Cappie, Greek, “Brothers and Sisters” August 26, 2008

On the heels of the 29th Olympiad and on the verge of the much anticipated Fall TV season, I bring two of my most cherished loves together in the return of Dialogue of the Day.

Greek returned tonight with their season premiere episode, and I couldn’t be more ecstatic! Tonight’s plot was framed around Greek Week, complete with an elaborate take on the Olympics. One of the main characters, Cappie, reveals his love for all things Olympic, and as a self-proclaimed Olympic geek, I found a new reason to love him. Among several pitch perfect Olympic references woven perfectly into the episode, Cappie tosses out this figure skating gem that transported me back to my grandmother’s living room while we watched the Witt/Thomas showdown. Brilliant!

Before you roll your eyes over my love for a seemingly trashy teen drama, here me out. On the surface, Greek is a superficial show about frat boys and sorority snobs, college slacking, partying, binge drinking, indiscriminate sex, irrational competition, cattiness, and other post-adolescent, pre-adulthood debauchery. And without looking deeper, it is.

While that is certainly part of why I love this show, its true appeal lies in the complexity of the characters, plot, and interactions. The writing is clever, multilayered and hilarious, highlighting the best aspects of social life in college – the strong friendships and loyalty fostered by the greek system, the juxtaposition between childish tendencies and adult responsibility. Just like everything else, there’s more to it than meets the eye. As a greek myself, there’s also a strong sense of nostalgia that has me reliving my college days on a weekly basis.

If you aren’t a fan, I urge you to give it a shot. If you are, WASN’T TONIGHT’S EPISODE AWESOME?!?!?!