Scrubs: My Retrospective

[@ProjectThief]

I'll never forget watching this show and thinking about pursuing a medical career. Here I am as a resident and I think about how I am happy I chose this field. Scrubs is still the most accurate TV medical show IMO.

[@danplewnarz]

Seconded!

[@davyjones2994]

Same but now I’m the janitor

[@pantherpopel551]

@@davyjones2994 I put it there. *I* put the penny in there!

[@leahe.7094]

Big mood. Now in residency and feelin' like Scrubs has aged like the finest wine.

[@lissy_love64]

I loved Scrubs. An Ex of mine preferred Greys Anatomy. She's currently on track for med school 😂

[@edkwon]

Also want to mention that Turk and JD have one of the healthiest depictions of a straight male friendship on TV and one of the core emotional spines of the show. Even on a more mediocre Ep, their dynamic is always a high point

[@radhiadeedou8286]

Why is depicting a male friendship like a female friendship healthy?

[@bdarecords_]

@@radhiadeedou8286 You may be too young to understand this.

[@d4mdcykey]

@@radhiadeedou8286 The fact you interpreted a comment about healthy friendships into a veiled slight of female relationships speaks volumes, given there was no mention of females here. Look into counseling.

[@michaeltrinh4394]

It's just Guy love, between two guys...

[@Donovarkhallum]

​@@radhiadeedou8286because you're so secure in your sexuality that you can love a man that hard and it's straight.

[@__Andrew]

Brendan Fraser's guest staring was perfect. A lot of people like me who where watching the show also grew up watching Brenden Fraser star in all our favorite movies. We all knew and loved him, much like the characters in Scrubs knew and loved him in their own world. So when they lose him it felt like we lost him too. The internal torment of losing a loved one was able to reverberate in a lot of us viewers because we also had a connection to him.

[@AuroDHikoshi]

That scene of Cox coming to terms with the loss, sticks with me...and I feel like that losing people close to me...

[@julelune]

Loved what they did with his death plot-wise, it still hits so hard upon the third rewatch as it did the first time around

[@Zeik56]

The way they handled his death in his second appearance is still one of the most shocking and impactful twists for me personally that I've seen a TV show. I know they give more than a few hints, but I did not see it coming at all, and it hit me like a truck when it did. I was pretty emotionally distraught for quite awhile afterward, and it was definitely in large part because his character, and Brenden Fraser himself, are so likeable. It really felt like losing a friend, at least for a moment, while I processed what happened.

[@Stefan-oz2lz]

Scrubs was the first time i saw Brendan and he was the best. I grew up with scrubs every day after school i watched scrubs, his death every time i hear "winter" it breaks me. I love this show soo much

[@Vracka]

Where do you think we are?

[@triccele]

I just wanna add, in the Turk-Carla relationship part... One little thing that I find so sweet is that when everybody is fantasyzibg being married to Elliot, in Turk's fantasy he cheated her with Carla because he can only think about her that context.

[@eriktatos]

When this happens to me…I’ll know shes the one

[@KotoCrash]

I thought itd have been more sweet if it didn't end with Turk yelling about how whipped he is

[@kipdon]

Ruh-Roe Triccele! You forgot to proof-read & spell-check (fantasyzibg)

[@ackbarfan5556]

"I'm so horny I'm fantasizing about having sex with my own wife! It ain't right!"

[@venosaur121212]

He also had some dirty dreams with Elliot though.

[@snootcity]

This show makes me so sad. Not only was the show tear wrenchingly heartbreaking to watch, but now It reminds me of the zeitgeist of the 2000s and the nostalgia is unbearable.

[@Theycallmejugzy]

Cutting onions

[@ShreyasBharadwaj]

My favorite episodes were when Clara was dealing with Postpartum depression in plain sight, and nobody could tell that an anything was different with her. It really threw light on high functioning mental disorders, something I was going through at that very moment and didn’t have words to explain it by.

[@KotoCrash]

I do wish that they explored the condition a little more. Having Jordan come in and share her experience was a good way to deal with it, as Turk couldnt quite connect with the way she was feeling. But then having it basically be all wrapped up after that scene like it was just cured was pretty sitcomy and unrealistic.

[@Samantha_yyz]

​@@KotoCrashthe problem with sitcoms, they have to balance serious with the return to formula. Sitcoms can tell wonderful stories, but the genre also has walls that often box it on. Whether it's a choice of writers, execs, expectations of what the audience will accept, or a mix of all that

[@j-bob_oreo]

carla?

[@pavarottiaardvark3431]

The rabies episode ending just broke me when I first saw it. Not just the sorrow, but the out of control chaos of it, the camera shaking around the music with the fast pace.

[@alecrutz956]

it's been a long time since I've seen this show, what was the "rabies episode"?

[@resstie]

@@alecrutz956 5×20, the one talked about from here 1:13:05

[@alecrutz956]

@@resstie thanks

[@heyidaroo]

@@alecrutz956 My Lunch

[@tuvillo]

I broke just watching it back in this video.

[@GiantRobotsConquerTheWorld]

My favorite Janitor moment was in the first episode of the med school season. J.D. asks Turk what happened to the Janitor and a flashback shows him asking for J.D. the morning after the previous season's finale. When Turk tells him that J.D. is gone, the Janitor hands Turk his mop and walks away. Then Turk explains that a search of the records showed they had no janitor on staff matching his description.

[@matthiasnagorski8411]

I never caught that last bit about him not being on record. I was probably laughing too hard at the thought of this guy just walking off from a job because his torture muse had stopped working there.

[@jizburg]

Thats hillarious

[@flamethrowerflufsalisbury]

My favorite Janitor scene is right after JD's dad passed away. JD goes to walk into the hospital & the Janitor moves out of the way & nods his head to him. It's subtle, but it humanizes the Janitor.

[@jeremyofficer5038]

The address the hospital had for him was 1313 Mockingbird lane

[@Bejewelle88]

My favourite Janitor scenes are the ones where he trolls JD for suggesting he use the word 'mop' to finish a sentence as if being a janitor meant he couldn't think of anything else - 'Wahh, me can't eat soup!' will always have me rolling!

[@julesrules7297]

"Where do you think you are?" That gutted all of us.

[@AnnaCurser]

it still hits

[@RandomCarrot2806]

The biggest takeaway I always took from scrubs is how much being silly or choosing to focus on the lighter side of life really makes the emotional heavy hitting moments hit so much harder. The show being primarily a comedy means that almost every time it delves into drama and pathos I'm so much more invested and more affected than in shows where it's all drama and tension every episode all episode long. To me, 10-20% drama and 80-90% comedy is a more effective drama than 80-90% drama and 10-20% comedy balance.

[@federicocarbini5296]

This show literally carried me through Med school. I remember doing marathons and rewatches before hard exams, and low key looking up to the characters as role models. Now, after 3 years of covid and 2 years deep in my own residency I believe it is time for another go with it.

[@Rastamanhair]

Thank you for all your hard work and dedication, and for all the people you help, to make the world a better place!

[@eriktatos]

Amen 🙏🏼 same brotha

[@kapa4163]

Hang in there.

[@samwarren2850]

i'm at the start of m4 now and same!! i also remember the first time I was watching scrubs and started getting pimp questions on rounds right and knowing the answer, it really felt like something that used to just be jargon was starting to make sense and then I was really learning important stuff

[@locke103]

i wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

[@DiegoAlvarezBeltran1993.]

The episode where Cox loses patient after patient after patient and he just explodes is probably one of the best of the series; the scene was just so.... It just felt so fucking raw.

[@toanoradian]

I watched that episode in 2009, and for the whole year whenever the song "How to Save a Life" came up I just started crying. It played once in Borders, a now-defunct bookstore, and I just had to run out.

[@DiegoAlvarezBeltran1993.]

@@toanoradian It's a phenomenal scene that I just a couple days ago went back and watched again and to me, what makes the scene is Carla looking absolutely helpless for the first time possibly in her life as she watches someone who she possibly sees as a father just absolutely collapse.

[@Lazypackmule]

@@DiegoAlvarezBeltran1993. That's a mostly real reaction btw, John improvised that and only told Judy right before they filmed so that she wouldn't get hurt

[@t84t748748t6]

dr cox does have some episodes that hurt your heart

[@Tahulrik]

The only thing i feel is bad about it is how quickly they resolve the situation. Having some lasting impact on cox, and for instance, having him out of his job for the rest of the season or the likes, would have made the whole situation much more impactful

[@sedders]

I have never donated to a KZbinr, but José continually brings high-quality, well- researched and well-written content. It’s a breath of fresh air that deserves support. Thank you!

[@JoseBird]

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support and the kind words!

[@WetBoy]

I didn't like video

[@TCt83067695]

@@WetBoy how come?

[@AllsWellInHell]

@@TCt83067695 he commented somewhere else that “scrubs is dumb”, so basically just ignore the clown

[@Silnid]

@@WetBoy sucks to be you

[@heyidaroo]

Regardless of how Elliot came off throughout the years, I’d argue she had the best character growth. From being socially awkward and spoiled by daddy, to a hot mess with incredibly low self-esteem, to a, to a neurotic control freak, to finally a confident sage and insightful attending physician was so great to see. It’s the perfect depiction of your 20s vs your 30s

[@helenagackowska8398]

yess

[@Yukinoomoni]

She literally said to an obese man that it was his fault he had to be sent to the zoo for an MRI.

[@haleymist09]

She was my least favorite of the main core cast because I saw myself in her as the low self esteem one. Ugh.

[@akira-qr4qm]

She's the absolute worse. She's the only character that doesn't get any repercussions for the shitty stuff she does

[@KotoCrash]

@@haleymist09 Lmao

[@thunder____]

1:37 You're not kidding that the one-camera perspective has incredible dramatic power. Just seeing that shot of JD sitting at Mrs. Tanner's bedside makes me tear up. Scrubs is so much more than a wonderful comedy, but a wonderful comedy it surely is. (Edit: after watching the entirety of this video, I can confirm that I sobbed a whole lot throughout the video because holy fuck, Scrubs is a powerful show)

[@Vracka]

Right? He managed to show so many of the strongest, most emotional scenes Scrubs had. How near laughter and tears were in this show, how we watched them mature and develop as we ourselves did, what powerful and perfectly fitting music choices* they made, the love for the detail all over the series and their phenomenal finale. Scrubs is just great. (*Overkill, How to safe a life, Winter, Book of love, Hey ya, Rollercoaster, Light and Day, Good Life)

[@samvimes117]

​​@@Vracka i play overkill almost daily thanks to this show Josh radin the song's writer was a friend of zach and the song was an almost last minute addition

[@matthiascerebri3315]

Maybe not when it comes to Season 9

[@_arealla]

Glenn Matthews was my inspiration for going into the handyman/janitorial professions. He was anonymous, yet held a considerable amount of power behind the scenes. His comedy certainly bled into my own, somewhere between zany and dark. And Neil Flynn showed to me that even a "bit part" character can have long lasting impacts on a series. Dr. Jan Itor, I salute you.

[@HadalStreetlights]

mad respect. custodians, cleaners, maintenance people, and janitors do not get as much clout and consideration as they deserve, despite their unions, and for jobs frequently cast as "undesirable" they are absolutely critical to so many of the places they operate. schools, hospitals, research facilities, etc, these places NEED yall. your service to them is invaluable and without you, we would suffer plague and misfortune. youre like the editors of real life. correcting issues and errors, cleaning things up, and improving things behind the scenes like real heroes who dont get the spotlight, but are the reason the show is pulled off without hitch.

[@_arealla]

@@HadalStreetlights I adore that metaphor, because it's 100% correct (95% if there are people actually reporting the issue)

[@HadalStreetlights]

@@_arealla nobody talks about the heroes of the great molasses flood of 1919.

[@crystaledwards8854]

That’s awesome

[@sholem_bond]

Glenn Matthews/Janitor/Dr. Jan Itor was the funniest person on the show, tbh. And the show had a lot of funny actors playing funny characters.

[@MK-gv1wd]

I’m a registered nurse in a non clinical setting and a coworker asked me once what working in a hospital setting was like. I told them to watch Scrubs. Still one of my favourite shows and surprisingly close to how hospitals actually work.

[@j.2512]

yeah, american doctors and nurses dancing on tik tok while people suffer and are finantially ruined around you is like scrubs i guess

[@ravedubin3983]

@@j.2512 Seek help

[@TheWonkster]

@@j.2512 get a life, man. I'm sorry you had a bad experience and can't get over it, but nobody needs to hear your irrational jaded ranting besides a therapist.

[@__D10S__]

@@j.2512 *financially

[@Sugarman96]

@@j.2512 You people are so triggered by that, it's so sad. In 2020, medical staff were put through ten times more stress and tragedy than your fragile ego can even handle, but fuck them for trying to find that little bit of joy in the day to help them handle things better. Did you even watch the damn video?

[@vargasprime094]

I don't even know how many times I felt myself tearing up throughout this video. Just seeing so many of these brief clips brings back all the emotion I felt back when I first watched the show. So many moments... but the Brendan Fraser episode absolutely devastated me when it first aired. Just a blubbering mess on the couch next to my wife (then girlfriend).

[@Lark1610]

That last sentence is a beautiful thing, to publicly admit you were blubbering mess by your woman's side. That's a Scrubs fan for sure!

[@packpowerfan]

I think the Mrs. Wilk arc got to me just as bad. The way this show dealt with the reality of grief and loss is really incredible.

[@whodafeak]

I lost my wife three years ago and have re-watched Scrubs since then. That episode destroyed me. And even here, just hearing it talked about had me crying again. It is such a gut-wrenching set of scenes.

[@vargasprime094]

@@whodafeak i'm so sorry about your wife. I hope you're well, that has to be immensely difficult. Much love to you.

[@fabiofuoco]

Hell I couldn’t stop either in fact I didn’t lol it felt like reuniting with old friends and remembering their ups and downs, this show really is special

[@Adrian-zd4cs]

I've been a nurse for 12 years... This show changed my life. I think I've watched the entire series through 3 times. The healthcare field is hard to stick with thanks to our system. 💕 Even these clips still make me tear up.

[@HadalStreetlights]

Jordan gets a bad rap, but she's a take-no-shit fighter with ambition. She PUSHES Perry to improve. and she's RELENTLESS. she isnt just mean for no reason, she's a person who feels vulnerable when she isnt being on the attack, and her viciousness reflects that insecurity. Perry is the only person who sees this about her and this is the trade that makes their relationship works. Perry and Jordan's oppositional relationship is a bedrock for Perry because, like Jordan, he NEEDS opposition to function. he needs an antagonist and their relationship works because he loves Jordan and likes fighting with her in a way different from how he feels fighting Bob. it's not often you see relationships like this get coded as healthy, but i actually think they are really wholesome and cute together, and Kristen's performances as Jordan also consistently slap, of course.

[@HadalStreetlights]

there's a super characterizing moment for Jordan at the end of Season 1. Jordan comes to lunch and airs out the gang's dirty laundry. on its face this is super mean and aggro. and it totally is. but Jordan also forces everybody to be HONEST. and she is begrudged for it. and she never gets a redemption arc because she doesnt need it. she's really mean but it isnt just pointless and antisocial. her meanness, at its best, is actually productive and pro-social, and often serves to shatter the ego-driven grandeur threatening to ruin things for everyone. and she didnt even exclude herself. her big reveal when she stirs things up includes outing her indiscretion with JD to Perry. this is a scary thing to do, but her mean is her armor and makes her confident enough to risk her already-tenuous relationship for the benefit of JD and Cox's own relationship. this moment of chaos is caused by Jordan's HONESTY and i think that's something important in a show where so much of the runtime is taken up with fantasy. Jordan is a harbinger of reality and truth.

[@bulletproofblouse]

@@HadalStreetlights Came here to say basically this without as much detail. It's a totally annoying trope that male characters can be a hard-ass with a heart of gold, while female characters are just a hard-ass, and it's one that replicates itself in real life too. I've lost count of the times in my life a female manager has taken over from a male manager, are no better or worse than the previous manager in the way they go about their job but get called a bitch constantly. And then it's doubly annoying that progressive fans of the show compound it with lines like "She's a witch, with a capital B". See also: Walter and Skylar.

[@HadalStreetlights]

@@bulletproofblouse i think there's a bit at the end where José talks about how important fantasies are as a coping mechanism and i think it should be expanded on a little here because i think Jordan represents such a grounded character. her attitude surrounding honesty represents a counterpoint against fantasy. that even though reality can seem cruel and uncaring, ultimately it just is what it is, and it has its own appeal to! the conflict between reality and fantasy isnt one that should be 'won.' Jordan is a super cool character and, like Cuddy from House, or Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes (not BBC tho) is a genuine foil to our character Bob-Perry-JD chain. makes me think about Enid-Jordan-Eliot possibly being an analog but im not sure.

[@amandaredd3057]

absolutely!

[@spuriusbrocoli4701]

@@HadalStreetlights decidedly agreed. Most often "I'm just being honest" is just a cover for petty meannes. But for Jordan "I'm just being mean" is a cover for honesty. She's also my fave character.

[@ianm1462]

The episode/arc where Cox loses three patients due to bad transplants is one of the single greatest depictions of male grief in media. The ways the other characters try to console, distract, comfort etc. and his utter refusal to be moved by it is so damn affecting. Love this show. Can make you belly laugh and ugly-cry within minutes of each other

[@BuddhaAtheist29]

This is one of the best shows ever. Shockingly accurate as well, I remember when my wife went in for her emergency C-section the sergeant started playing Dancing Queen by ABBA, when my wife said I didn't expect them to be playing music in there I said You've seen shrubs they're always jamming in the operation room. To me and my wife our daughter will always be our dancing queen. She still loves music almost 7 years later.

[@Anr1231]

😭😭 so sweet

[@hamtier]

for me Scrubs was the comedy show that used songs effectively and abundantly. it had so many songs i filled my MP3 player playlist with just the songs used in the show. combined with the themes and songs made for the show there was just so many moods to be had every episode the likes of which i haven't experienced in another sitcom yet.

[@rahooblack]

Same here. I have Playlist on youtube

[@echorises]

Yes, I remember it shaping my musical taste in my early teens and same kind of music is continually used in Garden State as well. If I am not misremembering things, Zach Braff kind of helped the show get good but not expensive indie songs. I think the creator of this video rewatched the show in one of the streaming services and he did not realize that most of those good songs were removed from the series because of licencing aggreements coming to an end. The DVD version of the series should have the original songs if you guys watched it when it was first aired. Or that he is not a fan of indie music, because I don't think the music in the show is an afterthought, it is one of the main selling points.

[@sjbrooksy45]

One of the funniest lines of the show was when Dr Cox said something like "I spent the last week sitting on my couch trying to drink myself to death in hopes that I would be reunited with my 3 victims in the afterlife so they could get the revenge they deserve."

[@KotoCrash]

I think mine is when Kelso neets Coxs son. "Hey there lil'slugger, howre you?" "Your face is wrinkly!" "Oh yeah? Well that shirt youre wearing is gay" *Walks away smiling*

[@PTp1ranha]

Gosh that's a sad hope.

[@oz_jones]

​@@PTp1ranha he was blaming himself

[@timschwarz1386]

What i love about the janitor is a joke they did in the german version: When he pretends to be the chief of the hospital and gives out his name the translation of janitor to Hausmeister comes in handy. Haus means House and Meister means Master. So he was introducing himself as doctor house... master (Haus... Meister). The reference it is now, is a fun little joke imo.

[@LordArikado]

Glad to see that pun didn't get lost in translation for the overseas dubs! In the original English, he introduces himself as Dr. Jan Itor, pronounced as if it were a German name.

[@Railer890]

I was never a huge Scrubs fan when it was on air, but now that I've been a nurse for 10 years it's hard to watch. Not because it's bad, but honestly because in a lot of ways it's too good. The emotional lows the shows takes you too sometimes is just too real for me. I had to watch this video in a few parts just because a few of the moments in it hit a little too close to home. That final bit in particular was tough. I worked in an ICU that handled heart transplant patients and I saw that exact scenario play out more times than I can count.

[@TheRocketbabydoll]

I couldn’t watch it after starting practice for similar reasons, seeing tough moments I experienced in real life was too hard. Indeed although Jose didn’t mention this moment the death of Nurse Roberts would now be the hardest. Loosing a colleague, it’s just the worst.

[@FaiaHalo]

I've never watched this show and I vaguely knew about it. Yet you made me sob twice during this video. Thank you for another great one, José. Much love from Latin America.

[@winglessrayven4294]

This is my favorite sitcom ever, I watched it all throughout the "8" Seasons of the show. Lots of happy and sad tears taught me as a guy that is okay to show your friends affection which in turn saved the life of a friend of mine as it stopped him from committing suicide. Great show, and taught me many life lessons. Thanks, Jose for covering it.

[@CubYall]

This show really was a lot to witness happen. Between JDs constant fantasies and the bond between him and Turk. The deep relationships and constant juxtaposition of comedy but also realness. Everybody played their roles to a T. Losing characters like Laverne really hurt……God..I feel a binge watch coming

[@dx315]

Soooo many good memories watching these as a kid with my sister

[@quadzilla7572]

"I miss you so much it hurts sometimes"

[@leticiagm4962]

Thank you! I was looking for someone to comment on Laverne's loss. That one really hit me.

[@Somethindrkside]

My Finale is til this day one of the greatest finales I’ve ever seen. It did what it was supposed to do and more. That final walk through the halls and the projection on the back of the sign was perfection. His goodbye to Carla was the best goodbye imo.

[@KotoCrash]

I love you spend so much time on Kelso, by far the funniest and most engaging character

[@GamingintheAM0801]

Janitor predicting where Bin Laden was hiding is truly a poetic bit of serendipity, since part of the character's shtick is being uncannily prescient and clever despite being incredibly strange. The writers really stumbled into a good character moment there completely by accident, years ahead of time.

[@AnitaSleap1080z]

I literally just needed this in the background. But I'm crying every ten minutes. This show was so great

[@hellshavoc88]

Bob Kelso was one of the best and most complex characters in a comedy show.

[@spuriusbrocoli4701]

Scrubs is honestly such a long & dense text that for me this video recontextualizes how much work your previous sitcom analysis videos have been. As a Jordan fan, I would have maybe liked to see some attention to the conversation Jordan & Carla had abt postpartum depression. It gives a lot of context for Carla's personal struggles & humanizes Jordan w/o removing her bitchy persona. It's also a rare moment of maternal solidarity that is rarely depicted in mainstream media. But also, this video is plenty long & I understand why one wouldn't want to address that in this format. Overall, great video. Thank you. Michael-Giuliana (they/them)

[@JoseBird]

Thanks for mentioning that. I remember noting and appreciating that when I was watching the series, but couldn't find a place for it in the video. I'm glad you brought it up though.

[@Xondar11223344]

Is it wrong that Jordan was one of my favourite characters when I watched the show?

[@spuriusbrocoli4701]

@@Xondar11223344 she was mine, but I'm also 🏳️‍🌈 g 🏳️‍🌈 a 🏳️‍🌈 y 🏳️‍🌈 .

[@thedepressedgamer7375]

I was just thinking that after my recent rewatch! Jordan had so much going on for her in the earlier seasons. It really felt like the writers reduced her lines in later seasons to be just, "I'm bored", "I don't care about any of this." She was a big favorite of mine as well.

[@justcommenting4981]

@@spuriusbrocoli4701 gay

[@MrMitchbow]

1:14:42 the biggest part about this is JD intentionally leaves out “that aren’t your fault” because it really was Dr. Cox’ fault that those 3 other patients died, even if it wasn’t intentional. It could’ve broken him really, especially after he was the one who gave that advice

[@AmaraJordanMusic]

I dunno about that. IRL, they’d have all been at separate specialized facilities instead of one hospital, but say they were all there. They were hours away from death and the test for rabies is over 99% negative. Usually, you run that test and the patient dies and you’re on the hook for wasting time and medical resources. It was just a bizarre and horrible coincidence. Something similar happened IRL and it was big news, because it was just so unlikely.

[@sholem_bond]

I don't agree that it was his fault. You make every decision with the information you have at the time. If there was something you couldn't have known about that then influenced that decision's outcome, that outcome isn't your fault, even if it's still your responsibility to handle the fallout. There was nothing Cox arguably did wrong. Ideally, he could have waited to get the autopsy back before doing the transplants, but if he had, then at least some of the patients would still have died (waiting for the new organs they needed that weren't available until the autopsy was done). 9 times out of 10, waiting and denying people life-saving transplants (a time-sensitive decision to make) would seem like a worse decision, than doing the transplants ASAP if you have the organs and no reason to believe the donor died of anything infectious/toxic. I don't know/remember enough statistics to be able to say "yeah it was indefensibly risky to do the transplants before the autopsy came back" or "no, most of the time there's no issue with cases like this and it would turn out fine to rush to the transplants." But it's definitely an understandable call for anyone to make, especially since most people don't know or care to do the odds on either option's chance of success.

[@crediblesalamander8056]

Scrubs holds a special place in my heart. More than any other piece of fiction, it made me develop a deep respect and appreciation for anyone involved in medicine. It somehow remains, simultaneously, the funniest, most accurate, and hardest hitting medical show ever aired (at least for me)

[@ddjsoyenby]

agreed i always loved this show.

[@planescaped]

I remember loving the show, but frankly, really didn't enjoy it as much as I used to when I rewatched it recently. Good lord were the writers horny af. XD

[@lochofmceo]

I must admit that "I lied ,I cry all the time" line was hilarious in a terrible season 9

[@ifadetogray]

When I was going through a rough patch I bought the first season on DVD and watched it through, my best friend helped me "acquire" the rest and became addicted to it himself, Dr. Cox in particular. This show became a staple background show when we would hang out, usually watching this in between bouts of gaming, or while playing poker which we were obsessed with at the time. He got into it in time to catch the series end and after we started it from the beginning again. He passed away during the chaos of the last couple years, and this was a very nice and very emotional visit to my past that I had been avoiding, but needed. I haven't been ready to watch the show again, knowing it would destroy me, but this was the right dose.

[@chiefs2pretty4radio]

💜🧡❤️

[@tima5033]

Much Love

[@OfficialRedTeamReview]

One of the best shows ever. Loved it so much, would always be part of my nightly routine watching this on Fox at 11:30pm in reruns.

[@pantherpopel551]

*"I CAN'T DO IT AALL ON MY OWN"* My wholesome 30 min every day before school here in Germany. 😄

[@garethwilliams2483]

Tell Preston to hurry up and finish the book

[@OfficialRedTeamReview]

@@garethwilliams2483 who?

[@EJD339]

@@OfficialRedTeamReview I heard you guys secretly hate each other. Preston is only making this work for all the money he makes milking you

[@kcmrandom]

The way Scrubs could deliver comedy and tragedy in the same episode was brilliant.

[@כרמלנחושתן]

As the daughter of a doctor (not from the US though): I must say that the matter of "medicine being run like a business" is very true both today and in other countries of the world. Even though my father is a doctor in a country that provides its citizens with welfare services (including health services), he still often has to fight the system in order to provide treatment. He has the option to earn much more money and work much less, through the provision of private medical services, Al is not willing to do this in principle. He believes that his patients and their families go through enough difficulties and do not have to deal with a greater financial burden than they already have to deal with, as well as longer waiting times for consultations and service provision from him. He is truly and forever my hero. But - it takes all his time and attention. The number of important moments in which he was not present is innumerable, The number of times I didn't see him for whole days when we lived in the same house because he would leave early in the morning before the rest of the family woke up and come back at night when we were all already asleep, And his never-ending exhaustion after long and hard years of non-stop work to help people... He is an amazing doctor, an amazing person and an amazing father - and I appreciate him and love him deeply. I had some sort of mental breaking point when I noticed how much he missed out on from his personal life in order to help other people. How many hobbies he never expanded on, how many places he never visited, how many friends he didn't have time to meet with and how much calm, peace and pleasure he consciously sacrificed in order to help people. This is only the tip of the iceberg - but my point is that there is a lot of nuance to the medical profession and in my opinion there should be even more appreciation for what the people of the medical world sacrifice, deal with and do for us.

[@jaredohlstein7355]

Found this in my recommendations after looking up various clips, You really put a lot of thought and care into this retrospective, I love this show and I am currently on season 3 of my first rewatch of the show. The actors are phenomenal, and it balances comedy and drama so damn well.

[@irreleverent]

Oh hey finally one of these on a series I've actually watched... Start to finish... Four times. It was a fantastic video, and I appreciated the more thematically focused structure. Especially for a show with such a focus on it's emotionally resonant themes. One thing I'd like to mention that I actually really appreciated about the show was the 2 episodes in season 3 with Dr. Kevin Casey, Michael J Fox's character, as a doctor with severe OCD that depicted the condition honestly, especially as a person with very few OCD themes around contamination, which is usually the only kind of OCD themes that get depicted. (And never well) I adore his introduction, having to reenter the hospital over and over to fulfill some deeply frustrated need you know absolutely no one in the room will get and making a joke about it so everyone finally stops looking at you like you're as crazy as you are. Particularly, I think it touches me because every single other depiction I've seen focuses on the very external element of rituals because that's how it affects and inconveniences the lives of other people. And scrubs initially presents it this way, with Dr. Casey being quirky and making a big joke of all the little nonsense things he has to do, at one point almost making it out to be a superpower that he knows every single page of every medical textbook he's read. But the mask eventually comes off when JD walks in on him still stuck scrubbing out 2 hours after surgery, screaming and broken in a way that a person can only be after two hours of fight or flight against phantoms, and tells JD "This is a weak moment, nobody's supposed to see this" and it puts into grim context all the little jokes earlier in the episode. His rituals are only quirky and funny because he puts an enormous amount of energy into presenting them that way. He knows every page in the medical textbook because he'd have to read and reread every single page probably for hours before he could move on. It's not perfect, I have a lot of criticisms, but it means a lot to me.

[@elmoisred616]

Whelp I ended up crying four times listening to this as I drove around running errands today. Touching base on some of the most heartwarming episodes was one thing, however Jose I must say, your eloquence and prose you put into these retrospectives is truly something magical. You are a gift to the internet

[@xenosbreed]

Picking just one aspect I really appreciated was the dynamic and dialectic between Kelso and Cox was that they made it really clear the toll things have on the people and how people cope. Kelso has to be stone hearted, because if he cared he'd slowly wear away and either become less effective as a chief of medicine and make financial sacrifices that could harm the hospital, or remain as effective and have his heart slowly break over the years. This is how I've heard some EMTs and nurses describe developing PTSD and c-PTSD. The show really showing these hardships and the faults in the medical industry (which has somehow only gotten worse) while being interesting and engaging was really a masterpiece

[@penngheeney]

I can't even begin to imagine the work you put into these, Jose. Another absolutely incredible video. A stunning tribute, really.

[@ShadowsAndLight]

Thank you so much for the Scrubs rundown. This is one of my absolute favorite shows.

[@Thecurseofsanity]

Hell yeah, I love your sitcom retrospectives. You offer such solid insights and thorough breakdowns

[@8BLOO8]

I love Turk and JD’s friendship! When you were talking about the bromance I was reminded of psych and it’s such a good show so I would love to see you review it!

[@zarabee2880]

Forget Greys anatomy, after 15 years in nursing Scrubs IS the most accurate medical show

[@skippythewonderchicken7511]

I really loved this show. It was always on right after sunset when I was in those really bad times in high school. I'd get to sit alone and watch it and know that there's good times, and funny time, and really, really heartbreaking times. I think this show did some important things for my understanding of life and mortality. You've made a really beautiful piece of art here. I just wanted you to know that.

[@goosiesmoosies]

Scrubs really shaped me as a late teen (17-19) when I watched the entire series. I've seen it all so many times now that I know all of them by heart. I'm pretty sure I learned a lot from watching it at a formative age. It was never perfect as you point out wonderfully. Watching is always brings me back to a safe little cocoon for a little while, a reminder of a time when I was still young enough to see the world through the lens of a sitcom like this. My Bed, Banter and Beyond is one of my all-time favorite episodes.

[@ChibiFighter]

I have loved all of your sitcom retrospectives but this retrospective on Scrubs hits incredibly close to home for me I was the biggest fan of the show when I was a teenager and I forget just how hard the show hits at times

[@Nodux359]

The way this show could play with your emotions. Just look at the second episode with Brendan Fraser..... wow!

[@zarabee2880]

“Where do you think we are?” 😭😭😭😭😭

[@aronaranyossy]

My favourite episode was always the Kelso one at 23:18 as I love when characters get layers. Not only was the writing great but Ken Jenkins' face have it all. The look on his face will be with me forever. An amazing episode and performance

[@BooksInTheVoid]

When Scrubs ended, I was in my last year of university I remember watching that episode, and the ending really hit me. I wasn't studying to be a doctor, but seeing JD envisioning his future, made me, for the first time in my life, realize that after uni was finished, I had the same things to look forward to. It made me really excited about what life had in store for me. Also, Peter Gabriel's Book of Love is still a banger!

[@chocolizard678]

46:10 While I see your point on color blindness, I do think it's also important to consider escapism. Marginalized groups of people don't always like being reminded of their struggles with discrimination and predjudice every time they are featured in something. There are other ways to acknowledge race such as cultural differences, but I don't think it's inherently as cut and dry as "this show doesn't tackle racism so it must be trying to make white audiences comfortable."

[@gn.punpun]

the dudes bias is showing dw, probably just trying to appeal to modern morons

[@muffinfighter3680]

very good point!!

[@frauleinzuckerguss1906]

This is something I've been struggling with a lot. I'm an artist and trying to write Comic and I want the cast to be super diverse. Mainly focusing on moving away from the "default" setting of having an almost all white cast and one or two token poc. And while I already have all the characters I constantly think about how to do them justice. As a white person the experiences of racism and discrimination aren't my story to tell and I silmutaneously don't want to take away from poc sharing their culture. So I'm constantly thinking about having the story be completely removed from color and/or only occassionally sprinkling in some aspects of culture (though that latter part is also difficult sonce there are so little authentic sources to pull from).

[@chocolizard678]

​​@@frauleinzuckerguss1906if you're still working on it, I recommend checking out Writing with Color. It has Q and A writing advice from people of color. It's a pretty good resource.

[@mjjjermaine]

+1

[@billyandrew11]

I think it's a testament to the quality of Scrubs that just watching clips from some of those episodes has me balling my eyes out.

[@deborahshepherd8099]

I love the show, Scrubs, and have watched it through three times! I appreciate the thorough and affectionate look back that Jose produced; thank you so much!!

[@RexxyRobin]

The fact that every scene including ones in bars and apartments was actually in the hospital, gives it slight horror vibes. Is the hospital The Oldest House from Control?

[@vetreas366]

... I mean it does feature an absurdly powerful Janitor as well so...

[@mukulsaini3970]

OMG The Janitor!!

[@TheMysteryDriver]

Out of all KZbin creators you probably do the second best retrospectives. No dis, that's a high bar. So many people just give a synopsis with no real look or analysis of the show. You're doing a great job, keep it up.

[@Silverlynx35]

Wow. You closed on my favorite scene in the entire series. I listen to the Colin Hay version of that song all the time. Great video.

[@Goldenfur12698]

god i just love this show so fucking much. i binge watched this show at least 4 or 5 times in high school alone, dreaming of the day i could be like doctor reid. i'm currently in my final, clinical year of veterinary school and we binged it again a couple months ago. my god the emotions. this show really is incredibly special and far and away the most accurate depiction of the medical field (i know vet med isn't human med, but still). i truly don't know how different my life might be without it. it coaxed me through some of the toughest times in my life with its message of hope, strength, love, and empathy in the face of the ultimate inevitability... death. it made the stuff i was going through seem... manageable.

[@roryokane5907]

British doctor here - watched it pretty much all the way through high school. The whole “lack of insurance” thing always puzzled me growing up in the U.K., since the NHS just provides healthcare free at the point of use to all - insurance isn’t a *thing* in the U.K. (though you can get private insurance for a few things). Since then I’ve learned about the horror of the US healthcare system. However, I digress. It is STILL *THE* best medical show I’ve ever seen. It was very popular with both my high school and medical school classmates. There is still always a Scrubs quote for every situation, and it still knows how to hit you right in the feels. There aren’t enough words in the English language to describe how I feel about this show. It REALLY captures what it’s like to be a new doctor, even if it is on the other side of the pond. I learned how to do Dr Cox’s whistle, and went to see The Blanks (Ted’s Band IRL) when they toured the U.K. And yes, the medicine, while now slightly dated, is pretty accurate.

[@roryokane5907]

Also, THERE WERE ONLY EVER 8 SEASONS OF SCRUBS.

[@CrayCrayslab]

As someone watching on a tablet, thank you SO much for keeping the original aspect ratio, it made the video so much better.

[@The_Crooked_Step]

This retrospective made me cry like 5 times. Scrubs is still my favorite show of all time. It has the best blending of drama and comedy I've ever seen. Loved the video!

[@almondmilkbone]

Didn't realize how nostalgic this show was for me until I watched this

[@imppaco]

Such an amazing show. It's not often that you find one that can have you cracking up, and on the edge of tears in less than an hour.

[@DeadlyBreadcrumbs]

To add to this analysis, particular the role of the Janitor: The janitor serves to highlight the inherent hierarchy within a hospital, and the insecurities of those at the lowest end of it. He is not intellectually gifted or medically trained, and he often tries to make up for that by making his job more important than it seems. There is an episode where he even pretends to be a doctor. And as he is not directly and deeply involved with the internal social circles of the hospital, he looks to the outside world for social interactions. It's clear that he is not respected by the higher ups, and he projects that in his toxic relationship with J.D. Although he is merely there to do menial housework, he is noneless a crucial part of the medical system, an important cog in the machine, one that is often overlooked and underappreciated. He provides a face to those that would not otherwise be given any attention to.

[@noodle2904]

I loved Scrubs as a teenager, but I never finished it at the time and heard mixed things about the later seasons - so I really appreciate this full retrospective. It captures a lot of what made the early seasons so good, and provides a lot more context for the production of the show and where it ended up

[@jewels3846]

I watched all seasons back to back when I was like 17 and while the last season feels weird, season 8 ends well enough for the main story from what I remember and season 9 truly was just like an epilogue. A final "this is their next chapter. Thanks for coming along for the ride" HOWEVER: i tend to be very non-critcal of shows I enjoy unless somethings pointed out especially with stuff pre aged 25. I have learned some of my favourite kids shows I shouldnt risk rewatching to taint my memory of it but Scrubs is one Ive only not gone back to because I cant find it on any of the streaming services my partner has (I am canadian and too broke for a vpn subscription and the site that had all the episodes online is either gone or hidden from googles search now haha)

[@rickstarz]

God, I'd forgotten how emotionally attached to this show I was. The perfect dramedy - when it was funny it was hilarious, and then on a switch could become brutal. Just watching a few cllps Dr Cox's breakdown got to me. There were so many wonderful relationships in this too, but I think J.D.'s journey with Dr Cox takes it. I don't I'll ever be able to bring mysellf to watch Season 9, so thanks for the summary.

[@ofanichan]

The fact that I cried 2 times during this video of just clips from the show, really shows the power and emotion this show still has on me 💕

[@DeathbyButterflies1]

i may just be high, but this video is a piece of art. absolutely masterful editing

[@WillStephensArt]

I’m also high but your right

[@justanotherjessica]

Scrubs will probably always hold a special place in my heart. My husband and I were newlyweds and unexpectedly going through a really tough time. My husband had lost his job due to the Great Recession and I was in college at the time so I was unemployed too. We were living on our meager savings and worrying about whether we were going to be able to pay our bills. We lived in a crappy apartment and had crappy furniture and ate cheap, crappy food. We would borrow seasons of Scrubs from the library (we didn't have cable or the internet because we were trying to scrimp and save as much as possible) to watch in the evening after spending most of the day looking for jobs. The comedy of the show helped in a dark time and the sad parts of the show got us to unload some of the emotional baggage we were carrying around. It was such a healing show. We've rewatched the entire show many times over the years. I think it may be time for another rewatch.

[@WatchingBadTV]

Welp, I'm crying. Thank you for always doing such thorough and thoughtful work. I don't have much but I do appreciate you .

[@JoseBird]

Thank you so much for your support!

[@NextToToddliness]

Scrubs is one of those shows my twin brother and I could watch together, despite having very different tastes in media, and for that alone, I am grateful it exists. It's a funny show, that had a lot of heart and didn't try too hard to knock you off your feet with big gotcha moments. For most of its time, Scrubs was always hyper-aware of what it was doing. It's also one of the few shows that got its footing well before the second season's end, which is where most shows get it. Was it perfect? Heck no; it wasn't trying to be.

[@jacobtierney4419]

"Where do you think we are?" That hurts me every time.

[@Dianimations_]

I'm rewatching it rn, very unique humor and such a feel-good show, and the end of each episode is always heartwarming.

[@Ronstawr]

I just watched like 3 of your videos back to back. I gotta commend you on your ability to put together not only amazing videos, but engaging. Thank you! Looking forward to watching more.

[@89cspell]

The music was so good in this show, totally started my love for indie music. Love this show so much. I used to ask if I could leave work early so I could catch reruns on Comedy Central lol

[@morallygary9098]

You had me at scrubs, you hooked me with the title being a reference to the show’s episode naming scheme, and the intro alone is telling me this’ll be very in depth, so I am here for it, even if I’m fully expecting some severe modern critique of the humor- something that occasionally aged like Milk.

[@em12bun]

i remember seeing scrubs for the first time when i was in 8th and it had an insane influence on my humor and has gotten me through a lot of hard times. i love that i can watch it in any season of my life and find comfort, distraction, joy, and new emotions in it. truly a masterpiece of sitcom tv.

[@empatheticrambo4890]

I desperately hope you’re going to do a Psych retrospective now that you’re reaching more modern shows. It’s not perfect, it has some cringe parts, but it’s among my favorite shows of all time

[@Busto]

I'm in my 40's, I've seen more than my fair share of shows come & go. I don't think a sitcom ending has ever stayed with me the same way the ending of Scrubs has. I'm not talking about that bullshit 9th season ending. The projector style fantasy of JD, set to "Book of Love" by Peter Gabriel. That was the perfect ending to this beloved show. Thank you for this one.

[@adamkreuz9068]

Goddamn Peter Gabriel always gets me

[@Busto]

@@adamkreuz9068 Without a doubt that is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard

[@childishnujabes3769]

Im requested glad you gave some shine to Kelso, he’s my favorite character on scrubs. Great video btw

[@annjay2581]

This was my feel good show when I was in high school. I like medical shows, but Greys Anatomy was always wayy to dramatic for me lol

[@teresarivasugaz2313]

Grey's Anatomy is an assault on the senses, which makes me even more glad for the existence of Scrubs

[@genera1013]

Yeah, I never understood why my mother who is in the medical field, though specifically medical billing, preferred Grey's Anatomy and ER, but seemed to hate Scrubs.

[@WlatPziupp]

@@genera1013 Lots of people prefer soapy dramas to the down and dirty real and relatable exposing of emotional nerves

[@genera1013]

@@WlatPziupp Not in her case. She literally called the show stupid.

[@aetherfukz]

Great video! Scrubs really is timeless. Look at other old sitcom stuff you can't even watch that shit anymore because it's so cringy today. But the comedy, AND the drama in Scrubs really holds up well today. Pretty much the only show where I actually have to laugh out loud sometimes even on repeated watchings.

[@nickmoney]

Scrubs only had 8 seasons. We all know this.

[@saintnicole3209]

my grandfather passed away the other day to cancer, and the ending of this video make me cry. i've never even seen scrubs, so the fact that you made me cry over a show i haven't even watched is crazy. thank you so much for this video. ❤️

[@carsonmcmanus9410]

So the writing for ‘the Office’ might be considered better by most critics, but Scrubs is by far my favorite writing of any show ever. It can be silly but the silliness is what makes the serious moments punch you in the mouth. I just love every bit of it

[@justinb864]

As a loner kid, I spent a lot time as a child watching reruns of Scrubs and Futurama on Comedy Central. It’s one of those shows I can watch countless times and not get bored, like Star Trek DS9

[@stephaniewilliams6756]

Yep those 2 exactly

[@dingdongism]

Star Trek TNG is that show for me, I think. I’ll have to give DS9 another go sometime, and maybe Voyager too.

[@annika_panicka]

"Scrubs" is an original in so many ways - I'll always love it. The JD-Turk bromance, fantasy sequences, use of soundtrack and musical performance, death-related realness, no studio audience (rare-ish at the time)...the series was outstanding for numerous reasons. The writers and multi-talented performers are incredible.

[@julelune]

I grew up watching scrubs reruns during week day mornings when I stayed home from school because I was sick or when I had break. Rewatched it again and again and obviously (like any show from that time) there are some more than questionable jokes in there, but scrubs still stood the test of time for me. Can’t tell you any other show that made me laugh this hard in one minute and absolutely bawl and leave me speechless the next. The characters feel so real despite being heightened for comedic purposes because they all have flaws AND likable traits, alike. JDs daydream sequences are top tier comedic absurdity. I could go on and on :’)

[@amandaredd3057]

Scrubs was a hell of a show! I loved it and the characters and the chemistry between the actors... awesome

[@harmonysaolgra7978]

Scrubs has always been on of my favorite sitcoms, and I always look really forward to these videos. I wonder if you’d ever try making a video like this on Modern Family because I feel like there’s a lot to look at there

[@ajaces96]

It says A LOT that just watching this video made me cry several times... both times I've watched it.

[@robtymec2642]

This was an absolutely beautiful Deep Cut into the Brilliance That is Scrubs. Thankyou.

[@thisguy8106]

At least we get to talk about it...with Jose..

[@nategar412]

Amazing video, thanks! The only thing that I would've liked to have seen more of was discussing the casual sexism with most of the cast mocking JD for his "feminine" attributes, and the show not always framing this negatively.

[@spuriusbrocoli4701]

Appletinis in particular...