5 characters in love, only 2 left for final season of ‘Scrubs’

December 09, 2008
By Robert Jackson
Sports Editor

http://www.showtime-press.com

Seven seasons and 150 episodes later, J.D. and Elliot’s relationship remains in the oblivion it was doomed to in the first season after J.D. failed to act within a certain time, condemning both he and Elliot forever to the “Friend’s Zone.”

As if the viewer needed any reminder about their state, for the final thoughts on season seven, Dr. Perry Cox reminded viewers the near-kiss to conclude season six between J.D. and Elliot meant nothing.

Look around the cast of “Scrubs” though - the entire cast has been slipping into nothingness.

J.D.’s former girlfriend, Kim, birthed Sam Dorian then jetted for another state. In her last dignified words she put it best: “It’s so weird, you know, this is the end of our relationship. But it’s sort of just the beginning.” As in me, Kim, in another state, gone from your life – and all there is keeping me tethered to relevancy is this kid.

Elliot’s former fiancé, Keith, now haunts her as a kind of vengeful ghost stuck in purgatory, biding his time until he is released from this state.

Turk stands waist-deep in his marriage with Carla, sinking more by each episode. Janitor is in a relationship with Lady—yes those are their names people know them by—and it seems they will redefine relationship with a capital R given their uniqueness that makes them contrary to their gender and professional identities.

It’s the struggle J.D. and Elliot have made to avoid the dissipation that befell seemingly every other cast member that has made “Scrubs” interesting. While characters are consumed by professions, relationships, and even age—see: Bob Kelso—J.D. and Elliot have avoided this. But it’s all creeping steadily towards them.

At the start of season eight J.D. will be in his mid-30s while Elliot will be in her early thirties. The age of these characters is always astounding, for it is a testament to how they have preserved their identity in a profession that is known for a high turnover rate.

The 18 episodes of the eighth season ought to deal with J.D. and Elliot reconciling their new responsibilities, such as J.D. with a new child, and Elliot recovering from a broken engagement and dealing with the ghosts, such as Keith and her raging self-doubt, that haunt her.

What will be clear by the final season of “Scrubs” is the point J.D. made in the first episode: that you can’t make it all alone. The writers of “Scrubs” explore the shock of being social while simultaneously attempting to carve out space for yourself. Too much of either leaves you susceptible to the void – which sucks in those too independent and those too dependent.