In This Section
TV Guide Spotlight
Also on TVGuide.com
|
« Scrubs
Episode Recap: "My Inconvenient Truth"
Well, despite J.D. (Zach Braff) finally being told by nearly everyone he knows that he needs to grow up, and Cox's useful, if revenge-driven, demand that Elliot recognize that she is starving herself dangerously, this was the frothiest episode of the season so far. And yet, while pleasant, it also managed to be the least funny, even given that it was paced like the most like typical Scrubs episodes of past seasons.
As part of NBC's "Green Week" stunt, the episode begins with a discussion between hospital lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd, sadly underused this season till this episode) and the Janitor over Ted's relative eco-friendliness versus the Janitor's tendency to leave his van running all day so that it's air-conditioned for his drive home. Ted shows the Janitor Al Gore's augmented-lecture documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and the latter is inspired to ask Kelso if he can become the ecology officer for the hospital. Assured that it will cost Sacred Heart no money, Kelso agrees, just to get the Janitor out of his hair. The new EO wears a sash, in the manner of fraternal organization poobah or a Boy Scout, and begins to nag and bully his coworkers, sometimes even for good reason. Elliot, bothered by her medical colleagues' hypocrisy, chews out Cox for telling a patient to lessen his stress by letting little things go. Cox notes that Elliot, who is growing ever thinner, has a patient who is blacking out because she's starving herself. Elliot's instruction to the patient to start eating more healthily gives Cox an opportunity to both mock her and point out that as a doctor, she will have to give advice and instruction to patients that she herself might not be able to follow. Later, Carla finds herself telling both Elliot and the Janitor a variation of the same message: that they have to forgive themselves for not living up to their own ideals at all times, something, Carla notes, she had advised Elliot of two weeks ago. That was a nice way to suggest that they realize the show is running back over old ground. In fact, the A storyline in this episode has been dealt with explicitly before, when J.D. finds himself saying aloud to his newly successful brother Dan (Tom Cavanagh) that Dan's success has shaken J.D.'s confidence. J.D. is invested in having Dan being a screw-up so that J.D. can feel better about his own flaws. Dan, who'd enlisted Turk in a particularly bloody stunt to spook J.D., gets to be the first in this episode to to tell his younger brother to finally grow up. This leads J.D. to quiz his friends and colleagues, all of whom, with greater or lesser kindness and reluctance, tell him that Dan is right. J.D., having avoided visiting his newborn son, since his ex Kim had moved about 50 miles away, asks Dan to accompany him to go meet the baby boy.
These actors are still masters of comic timing and are still good at keeping their characters grounded, even when they're being ridiculous caricatures, but there was a certain lack of surprise about nearly everything in this episode. Some bits might never grow stale, but, sadly, nearly everything in the episode seemed, when not simply overfamiliar, then forced or at least lacking the energy of the early seasons. It's clear they are aware of wrapping up the series, and what they're doing is still very good, even at times excellent, but it's not quite what it was when the show was insanely great. Ted and the Janitor's argument came close, but the Green Week promo run during the show, featuring Faison and Braff, may've been the worst bit we saw tonight (and, of course, wasn't properly part of the show).
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 12:30 AM
|
The whole thing with Elliott being too thin struck me as somewhat odd, because personally I think Sarah Chalke has gained a reasonable amount of weight since the early seasons. Look at her in this clip, for example, where the poor girl is every much the stick that Jordan calls her at every opportunity:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JQS1m65WUCI
I mean, she's certainly not fat now, but she seems a lot healthier looking than during that first season clip. Also not sure I buy the whole bit about her being 5'9"...I'm just saying.
Anyway, highlight of the episode for me was Cox's ingenious method of generating white noise to drown out all of the annoying people in his life. I totally need to pick up a stethoscope for myself to do that.
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 2:40 AM
|
yeah....if Elliott was indeed 5'9 and only weighed 119 pounds, she would look like a starved anorexic. Turk only weighed slightly over 200 pounds? Yeah, no. That man has got to be at least six-foot (considering Elliot's 5'9) and he only weighs that much? Why does television constantly feel the need to tell everyone that if you're not under 200 pounds, you're fat?
Anyway, I liked the rest of the show for the most part, but I agree with Todd, I feel the show is falling a little flat, certainly aware that the end is near. I will still try to enjoy it while I can, though!
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 7:36 AM
|
I'm a latecomer to the show (I don't know how I managed to be so ignorant of it for the first 4 or 5 seasons), so I became a fan via syndicated reruns. And I must say, I do laugh at each "older" episode nearly non-stop, but this season's episodes have been rather subdued in comparison, as if the show's over-the-top comic brilliance has been lacking. That could still change (if the writer's strike doesn't drag on forever), and I hope to see just a little more of its familiar spark.
I don't think Elliot is any thinner now than she has been in the past. If you ask me, Sarah Chalke is gorgeous from head to toe--and has great curves in all the right places.
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 8:26 AM
|
|
I am not sure what it is but this season has not be clicking for me at all - sure there are moments of brilliance like Dr Cox with Elliott, The Janitor, and even the return of Tom Cavanagh but I still feel like something is missing.
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 10:48 AM
|
|
What has happened to SCRUBS? It used to be a great show. Funny with a serious bit once in awhile. Now it's just BLAH. Last night's episode was dull beyond believe. I found myself looking at the clock wondering how much time was left in the show because it was painful to watch. At no point in time did I laugh, chuckle or even giggle at what was happening. Isn't this supposed to be a comedy?
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 11:23 AM
|
A so-so episode for me.
The biggest laugh for me was when Dr. Beardface, Colonel Doctor, Snoop Doc Attending and Mickhead all got out of Kelso's car!
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 12:27 PM
|
Not even going to get into the weight conversation. I am not sure it matters when discussing the antics of a sitcom.
I had the exact opposite reaction to the episode than Todd had. I thought it was very funny and getting back (though not quite there) to the Scrubs of the past. I think I was just in a great mood last night while watching the NBC comedy block because several people did not like The Office last night, and I found it to be hilarious. I thought all four of the comedies were just on last night.
I thought some of the sight gags were great. The rubber stamps that both JD and Turk got hit with; the head sweat Ted left on Dr. Kelso's pillow; Turk being attacked by the wasp nest; driving home with the broken windshield...all of those cracked me up.
It was nice to see the reversal of fortune and mentality between JD and Dan. Bill Lawrence said we would see JD growing up this year, and I guess it started.
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 12:57 PM
|
|
I think what has been dragging the first three episodes down is the awkward situation of dealing with JD's relationship with Kim/Sam. There's not a lot of comedy to mine in having a child with someone you have no feelings for. Also the idea that JD might not be able to be there enough for his son (the way his father was not there for him) is pretty heavy subject matter.
|
|
Nov 9, 2007 1:28 PM
|
I actually thought this was the strongest episode of the season by far, though admittedly the first two set the bar very low. There was some solid laughs, and I loved the reversal of fortune with Dan telling JD to grow up. It was the perfect way for JD to finally move to the mature state that he will undoubtedly end up at the end of the series, completing his evolution.
My only disappointment is that we didn't get to hear "heeeeey, little brother." I love that line.
|
|
Nov 13, 2007 12:41 AM
|
|
|
