Scrubs: The Complete Third Season

Review By: Andrea Tuccillo
AndreaTuccillo@TheCinemaSource.com

As soon as you enter the halls of Sacred Heart Hospital and meet the dysfunctional screwball staff, you know you had better hang on to your hospital gown because you’re in for a crazy ride.

As someone who had never before seen an episode of Scrubs but has heard so many different things about it, I was unsure of what to expect when it came time to watch the complete third season on DVD.

Some critics are unflinching supporters of the show, while others feel the show’s quality has diminished with each passing season. But after a brief crash course in the world of Scrubs, my diagnosis is that the third season is still in pretty good health.

John “J.D.” Dorian (Zach Braff) is Scrubs’ main man. He’s a doctor, but don’t mistake him for a hero. He is a self-involved goofball prone to “inner-monologues” and wanting things he can’t have, namely the pretty klutz Elliot (Sarah Chalke). Braff, with a knack for physical comedy and geeky awkwardness, manages to make J.D. off-beat yet completely lovable.

His best friend Chris Turk (Donald Faison) is the smooth, charming baby-faced surgeon who has occasional doofus-moments. Turk shares an apartment with J.D. and they are as close as can be—sometimes a little too close for Turk’s comfort. In the hilarious episode "My Journey," Turk’s worst fear manifests itself in the form of his gay patient and the patient’s fiancé. The scene where Turk and J.D. come face to face with their look-alike gay counterparts is priceless.

Never fear Turk, everyone knows you’re engaged to nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), a feisty senorita who is about as bossy and opinionated as they come. While her character seems obnoxious on paper, Carla is a delight to watch. Her tough-chick “don’t-mess-with-me” attitude is a funny complement to Elliot’s “walk-all-over-me” personality.

The most interesting character on this show is one that I actually started out disliking. Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) is J.D.’s reluctant mentor and everyone’s favorite sparring partner. He doesn’t have conversations, he has arguments. He doesn’t give simple responses, he gives rants. Whether it’s pissing off the chief (Ken Jenkins) or keeping his doctors in line, McGinley’s delivery is always spot on. At first I thought his rants would become irritating, but as the season progressed they became a primary source of amusement.

This season we find our quirky characters going through some life changes. Elliot gives herself a sexy makeover in the hopes of gaining some self-confidence and reversing her bad luck. It works to an extent — she gets a hot marine biologist boyfriend (Scott Foley). But her new look also generates some laughs from her colleagues.

And even though J.D. longs for Elliot, he finds himself in a relationship with Danni (Tara Reid), a seemingly nice enough girl who morphs into a chain-smoking, boozing nightmare by the end of the season. J.D. also finds himself coping with the idea that his best friend is soon to be ...