5. Calvin Owens - Calvin is athletic, smart, a legacy pledge, and all around pretty freaking fantastic. He pledges Omega Chi (his dad's old fraternity, hence the legacy thing), and he is Evan Chamber's "little brother." He's also best friends with Ashleigh from the ZBZs and Rusty from the Kappas. Oh, and did I mention he's gay? Yeah, he is. And you want to know the best part? The show never once, not even a little, tries to downplay that or hide his relationships in the background. His love life gets just as much screen time and drama as most of the other characters'. He was out in high school and is semi-closeted at the beginning of the season, but as you can imagine it doesn't stay that way. He dated a Kappa (Heath) for a while, but he's currently dating a French class TA, and it is excellent. What I love about Calvin is that while he is The Gay Character, he's also Calvin, Pledge Owens, Best Friend, and All-State Hockey Player. His second "coming out" is a little more laced with roses and rainbows that I'd imagine most fraternity brothers have it, but I think they still do a really great job of making him well-rounded. He's not stereotypically gay and he struggles with relating to guys that he dates who lean a little more that way. Still, he is who he is without apologies and he's woven into the fabric of the show seamlessly.

4. Subtle Satire - This show is seriously hilarious. There's your typical frat guy humor and slapstick, physical comedy, but there's this really awesome, subtle layer of satirical humor, too. The whole show is, of course, a dramedy about the a-typical college experience, and even if you've never done the Greek thing, I think it still has that universal feel to it. But like I said, in the midst of all this mind candy, "dumb" humor, there's a witty commentary on the classic American coming of age story. While some satire is so over-the-top (by necessity so that it can be identified as satire, or at least one hopes), this show's feels organic and I'm never beat over the head with it.

3. Rusty Cartwright - Rusty, AKA "Spitter," is so unexpectedly squee-worthy in all the best ways. I don't even know what to DO with myself half the time. Rusty starts off as your run-of-the-mill geek when he arrives on campus, a wide-eyed, fresh-faced freshman. Then he's confronted with an older sister who told no one he existed, a crazy roommate (at first), and the impossible prospect of rushing a fraternity (something his sister tells him he can't be successful at). But soon, he's impressing the coolest guys on campus, making friends with Calvin, and then slapping his sister's boyfriend (Evan) upside the face with the Omega Chi pledge paddle and getting arrested. He never hesitates to get into a fight to defend his sister (despite her less-than-warm welcome) and to do what he thinks is right, even if it means getting his ass kicked. He never backs down and he doesn't run away. Still, he's not instantly cool either, he retains some of his true geek and he does it with style. It's been said that this is a show about Rusty getting past his old high school persona and becoming cool by joining a fraternity, but I think it's more about finding out you can be cool no matter who you are if you just have enough self-confidence.

2. Cappie - Cappie is the president of the Kappa Taus. He's majored in almost every field there is (and managed to retain knowledge from a good portion of each). He's Van Wilder cool without being half as obnoxious. He takes a shine to Rusty almost immediately (he's got a weakness for Cartwrights), and looks after him unfailingly. His brothers are his life and he'd do anything for them, and they would do anything for him, too. He's genuinely funny (providing some of the best moments of the show), and you can't help but fall in love with him (right along with half the female population of Greek Row). But as much as a party guy as he can be, he's a romantic at heart, falling fast and hard for smart, complicated women who kick his ass all over the place. Not to mention the kid's got chemistry with a freaking rock, and you can pretty much ship him with every single character on the show. And the kicker? He's even got a little bit of zany mystery surrounding him. He's known strictly as Cappie to everyone on campus, even the dean. Only a few lucky individuals have ever learned it and they're not sharing, not even with us.

1. Believably Dynamic Relationships - I think the number one selling point of Greek is the relationships. The dynamics between almost every pairing (platonic or romantic) are so freaking amazing I could cry. Casey and Rusty develop an awesome, yet complicated and strained, Brother/Sister relationship that is the axis and backbone of the show as much as the Kappas Taus are the heart and soul. Rusty and Dale are adorable roommates who have that special kind of friendship you can only develop with a roommate you have almost nothing in common with and yet you can still laugh with. Rusty and Cappie have an awesome big brother/little brother relationship that goes both ways (Rusty looks out for Cappie as much as Cappie looks out for him). Rusty and Calvin are kick ass BFFs. Calvin and Ashleigh are absolutely hilarious and endearing together. Cappie and Evan might as well jump in the sack together to work out their awesome rivalry because their chemistry is off the charts. To top it all off, there's the trifecta of Evan/Casey/Cappie, the love triangle to end all love triangles. There are so many other great relationships in the show that it's hard for me to name them all (though I've clearly tried), and I can't even do justice to the ones I have named. Every connection on the show makes me smile giddily, even the unholy alliances.


...and now that you're just dying to catch up on every single sordid detail you missed on Greek, it just so happens you're in luck. ABC Family is running a marathon leading up to the season two premiere, all day on Tuesday, August 26th, starting at 11/10c. So tune in, watch, and then come back next week when I start reviewing each episode (and I know you can't wait for that, either).