Scrubs s8e18 – My Finale

May 6, 2009

It’s so rare that a show Finale* (note: for the rest of this review let * represent a potentially true statement) actually leaves you satisfied. I was skeptical at first of Bill Lawrence and Zach Braff’s assurance the finale would be good. I hereby renounce my skepticism and admit that they are genius. I’m extremely glad that ABC gave Scrubs the ending it deserved. It actually left me feeling resolved in a way. Sure I would love to see more Scrubs, but if I don’t ever get it then fine. The finale* was happy, funny, sad, entertaining and was the perfect testament to a show that through 8 seasons was the perfect balance of drama and comedy.

   Dr. Cox was sufficiently humanized yet remained very…errr…Cox-ish? Kelso’s role was ended well and Ted got to keep his girl. Very cool. Turk was amazing the whole episode.  And I so wish I had a copy of the book that JD made for Dr. Cox. Sheer brilliance. JD not only herd the praise from Dr. Cox that he always wanted but also got that hug. Maybe he didn’t get it back but he didn’t get punched for it either.

   I have to admit something else, first I knew the janitor’s name (Glenn Matthews) and was right. So nah nah nah na na. But after that, I will admit that despite going into the season an anti-JD/Elliot enthusiast, I was turned. During JD’s fantasy/future sequence I was cool with what he visualized. Especially the sort of ode to Will and Grace part with Turk and JD’s kids. The kicker to it all though is it was still left undetermined. JD’s fantasy was just that. You decide for yourself. The Janitors name, well right after that someone called him Tony, so even that wasn’t certain, decide for yourself.

 

  There was so much nostalgia in this episode and I loved every minute of it. The random callbacks such as Dr. Cox’s rant to Sunny that he had used on JD long ago, the reference to wanting a “sitcom ending” (Cheers?), and I’m sure a few other things that I’ll find the next time I watch it.  The string of guest stars in his fantasy walk out were delightful. My favorites were Lonnie, Hooch (who is crazy), Dan, Collin Hay (who I expected music from) and Ms. Tanner (the old lady who told him to just lay in the grass, which I do often now in honor of Scrubs). I wish we could have had seen a few others like Michal J. Fox (Dr. Kevin Casey) and Brendan Frazier (Ben), but what we got was more than satisfying. However I  am disappointed there was no cameo by Hugh Jackman.

In the end though, change is hurts more than you expect. JD wanted a grand send off and though he had some moments with people, he eventually walked out alone to get in his car one last time and drive away from Sacred Heart. Luckily though, since some much was implied, given alternatives, or fantasized it’s easy for a fan to draw their own conclusion, or even come back if they wanted to in some fashion.

Thanks to Scrubs for a great final* season and a spectacular 8 years. Scrubs was easily one of the best shows on television and despite it feeling like I’m losing a friend, I’ll still have my DVD’s. In my opinion, Scrubs has set a standard for television that’s is near impossible to match. Some shows may get the drama right or the comedy, but I doubt any show will ever do as well as Scrubs all around. Farewell Scrubs… Goodbye five?

Also, sorry if I went a little picture happy, but it was awesome.

What did everyone else think?

My Music (Scrubs Music):

- Snow [Hey Oh] by the Red Hot Chili Peppers (intro as JD thinks back)

- The Book Of Love by Peter Gabriel or try iTunes  (playes during JD’s walk down the hall.)

- Two versions of Superman are played. One is an instrumental version played during JD’s future/fantasy montage the other is a version by Ted’s band, the Blanks sung during the credit outtakes (youtube version)

 

My Quotes:

JD: …the number next to each passage is a rating from 1 to 5 based on how much that particular passage hurt me emotionally…

Ted: Aww man, they got my coffee wrong.
Carla: How’s that?
Ted: Because it’s dirt.

Dr. Cox: Un…let it arrive…acceptable

JD: We smell like regret

Janitor: If you surprise someone with an accusation they are more likely to tell you the truth.

Dr. Cox: I’m real sorry there, newbie. But this is not a special day for me. It’s just a day.

JD: Endings are never easy. I always build them up so much in my head, they can’t possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed. I’m not even sure why it matters to me so much ow things end here. I guess it’s because that we all want to believe that what we do is very important: that people hang on to our every word, that people care what we think. The truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone, anyone, feel a little better. After that, it’s all about the people you let into your life.

 

My Greatest Moments:

• EAGLE!!!!
• Turks growls during the hug
• Elliot and Carla’s hug was awesome. “It’s happening!”
• JD really did put the penny in the door.
• Any of the Janitor stories. They are some of the funniest parts of the show. Muh-night Shamalon…
• Dr. Cox’s rant book has to be the best book ever. I wish I could buy it.
• The Janitors name, Glenn Matthews…or is it?
• Dr. Cox tells someone how he really felt about JD and allows him to get a hug.
• The whole kind of choose your own true ending worked well.
• The memory lane trip down the hall to “Book of Love” was done so well. Bravo.
• Bill Lawrence pulls down the screen at the end, how fitting.

 

Don’t Miss the Credits:

A great collection of outtakes set to  an acapella version of Superman, the shows theme. Neil Flynn’s alternative rant was amazing and fries being thrown at Ted, so funny.

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