By Brynn Kushner
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Sitcoms and medical shows may be a dime-a-dozen, but Scrubs was always in a class of its own, thanks to Dr. John "JD" Dorian's (Zach Braff) frequent visits into his own fantastical world. If there was even the slightest departure from the norm, or another character hinted at a hypothetical situation, JD simply had to follow the story thread to whatever weird conclusion his mind would conjure.
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While a doctor frequently entering a catatonic state might pose an issue in the real world, the other characters at Sacred Heart Hospital allowed JD's episodes, only occasionally expressing annoyance at having to wait for him to return to reality. They may have been more concerned, however, if they knew just how bizarre JD's daydreams could get. But the viewers got to reap the benefits, as JD's fantasies provided some of the most entertaining moments in the series. Here are the weirdest ones, ranked from "creatively quirky," to "JD may seriously need a psych evaluation."
Scrubs
- Release Date
- October 2, 2001
- Cast
- Zach Braff , Donald Faison , John C. McGinley , Eliza Coupe , Kerry Bishé , Michael Mosley , Dave Franco
- Main Genre
- Comedy
- Seasons
- 9
- Studio
- ABC
10 'Scrubs' the Multi-Cam Sitcom
Season 4, Episode 17
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While Scrubs is a comedy series by every measure, its single-camera format is markedly different from the multi-camera set-up that waned in popularity in the 2000s. With its glaringly bright lighting, canned laugh track, and Elliot's (Sarah Chalke) decidedly unprofessional cleavage, the traditional sitcom format makes even the wackiness of a typical Scrubs episode look grounded and realistic by comparison.
"My Life In Four Cameras" is an example of JD using his fantasies as a defense mechanism. After meeting a former Cheers writer, a personal hero of JD's, JD can't accept the seriousness of his lung cancer diagnosis. In his fantasy, the diagnosis is the result of a typical sitcom mix-up; JD was given the wrong chart, and the writer is totally healthy. It's a cheery, tidy ending reminiscent of an era where sitcoms were purely for laughs. But that's not how Scrubs really operates, and, when the writer faints and eventually dies, JD is forced to confront the reality that his world doesn't always have a happy ending.
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9 Plant Turk
Season 7, Episode 8
In a rare lapse in their co-dependent openness with each other, JD only finds out about Turk (Donald Faison) getting a testicle removed when Carla (Judy Reyes) accidentally spills the beans--or, a single bean. JD hopes that Turk at least kept his dearly departed scrotum, a weird suggestion that Turk hadn't even considered. What would be the point?
In JD's mind, he and Turk bury the testicle in the earth to grow a plant Turk, who would be available to take on the marital chores that the real Turk doesn't want to do. However, when they return months later, they find a speechless, violent monster. JD emerges from his daydream with an entirely new outlook on what should become of Turk's removed testicle, concluding that they must find it and destroy it.
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8 John Dorian The Chocolate King
Season 2, Episode 22
Turk and JD's college friend Spence (Ryan Reynolds) visits the hospital, and, after hearing how frequently JD needs to probe patients' back doors, concludes that JD and Turk landed their dream jobs. This immediately sends JD into a fantasy where he has his true dream job: John Dorian, The Chocolate King.
Sitting in an office entirely made of chocolate, JD ravenously consumes everything around him as if he were one of the children visiting Willy Wonka's factory. JD goes too far, however, when he decides to break off and eat Turk's hand, also made of chocolate. When Turk fumes that he won't be able to get any work done anymore, JD merely shrugs. It turns out that JD's true dream job also involves being weirdly invasive to other people's bodies.
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7 Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting
Season 5, Episode 3
With limited surgical attending positions available at Sacred Heart, the surgical residents, including Turk and The Todd (Robert Maschio), compete for the Chief of Surgery's attention at all costs. When Dr. Wen (Charles Chun) leaves his briefcase behind in his office, Turk sees an opportunity to get in his good graces by returning it to him. But even the simplest of favors sparks competition among the eager attendees.
When Turk exits the hospital with the suitcase, JD envisions the other residents awaiting him, prepared for ninja combat. With help from The Todd, Turk engages in a highly choreographed brawl to the tune of "Kung Fu Fighting." Although Turk successfully defeats the surgical-masked ninjas, knocking them over with a single kick like bowling pins, he's ultimately double-crossed by The Todd. He gives Turk a "betrayal five," and the fantasy transitions back to reality as Todd steals the suitcase, and Dr. Wen's gratitude along with it.
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6 Booty Calls Since the Dawn of Time
Season 5, Episode 11
After a tryst with a random woman leaves JD's face riddled with piercing holes (plus one downstairs that he plans on keeping), he decides that he can no longer risk the unknown when it comes to hookups. Turk and Carla push back, suggesting that JD make a booty call to one of the hospital interns, who would surely jump at the chance to get with an attending physician. When Carla casually mentions that there have been booty calls since the dawn of time, JD can't help but imagine it.
JD's mind goes all the way back to the caveman era, where an animal pelt-clad version of himself named Kronk tries to smoothly come up with excuses for why he was caught sneaking out of a cavewoman's rock bed. When the woman still pushes for breakfast after Kronk explains that he's in mourning due to his sister being carried off by a giant bird, he drops the act and bolts. In JD's mind, men's shamelessness has also existed since the dawn of time.
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5 The JD vs. Nick Dog Show
Season 1, Episode 7
Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) reluctantly accepts JD's request to co-write a case report with him, only for star intern Nick (Sean Hayes) to throw his hat in the ring immediately after. Dr. Cox revels in the opportunity to pit the two interns against each other, and as he mulls over his decision, JD envisions Dr. Cox evaluating them as if in a dog show.
The assessment of Nick's teeth and ears is enough to satisfy Judge Cox, but he requires JD to bend over for a more thorough examination. While it looks wildly uncomfortable for JD, he's awarded with a treat for his compliance. It might seem unnecessarily abusive on Dr. Cox's part, but the end of the daydream is an uncomfortable reminder that JD is the one who conjured Dr. Cox's invasive probing. Sometimes it's truly for the best that JD keeps his thoughts to himself.
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4 Munchausen PSA
Season 5, Episode 21
When a young patient is sick with symptoms of being smothered, JD has the uncomfortable task of questioning the parents to rule out child abuse. The parents are dumbfounded, but JD explains Munchausen Syndrome, in which parents intentionally make their kids sick in order to garner sympathetic attention for themselves. The parents plead ignorance to that particular brand of child abuse and suggest that someone should make a public service announcement about it.
JD, of course, simply had to imagine himself doing that public service. Mimicking NBC's, "The More You Know" campaign, JD explains to the camera that smothering your kids is not an appropriate coping mechanism for stress. But it's fun, right? Wrong. "Don't smother your kids," JD concludes as he backs away, soft piano plays, and, "The More You Know" logo appears on-screen. The message hopefully reached the small selection of parents who would both engage in such behavior and also be convinced to disengage by a 30-second lecture on network TV.
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3 'West Side Story'
Season 1, Episode 20
JD explains that doctors and surgeons often disagree on how a patient should be treated, with both wanting to utilize their own expertise. In JD's mind, this conflict manifests as surgeons and doctors operating as rival gangs, but not the type of gangs that could actually intimidate anyone.
Cue the West Side Story fantasy, in which doctors and surgeons face off against each other with snappy choreography and jazzy chanting. But the rivalry forces JD and Turk onto opposing sides. Could their love rise above the feud? The scene transitions to a bromantic duet, in which the best friends decide they can be, "A surgeon and a doc above it all." But this is merely JD's fantasy, after all. Though Turk initially tells JD that he'll support the decision to treat the patient medically, he ultimately sides with his gang- the surgeons.
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2 Cox vs Kelso Lightsaber Battle
Season 1, Episode 5
Dr. Cox and Dr. Kelso frequently find themselves on opposing sides of a philosophical war. While Dr. Cox prioritizes what's best for the patient, insurance be damned, Dr. Kelso, as Chief of Medicine, is more concerned with the hospital's budget. They each want JD to see their perspective as he grows as a doctor, and JD sees this as a battle for his soul.
So, naturally, he imagines Dr. Cox and Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, respectively, squaring off in a lightsaber battle to the death. JD and his friends stand by as other Star Wars-inspired spectators, complete with The Janitor (Neil Flynn) as Chewbacca. By the end, as so often happens in life, the dark side wins out. Darth Kelso defeats Obi-Cox Kenobi, and back in reality, Kelso enforces his seniority by suspending Dr. Cox for insubordination. However, while Dr. Cox lost the battle, he may have won the war, as JD ultimately chooses to join the light side.
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1 Turk's Pumpkin Son
Season 5, Episode 12
Carla accuses Turk of being irresponsible, as he's always losing things, and expresses concern about what he'll be like as a father. JD, as he does, imagines this in the weirdest way possible, with Turk visiting a pumpkin patch with his son, and accidentally driving home with a pumpkin in the car seat, leaving the baby behind.
In possibly the least realistic moment in any of JD's fantasies,Carla is forgiving of Turk's egregious mistake, and they decide to raise the pumpkin as their child. JD's fantasy spans 21 entire years, showing Turk and Carla celebrating Pumpkin's graduation from college as valedictorian. But then tragedy strikes, as Turk drops Pumpkin, splitting him open. Keeping a pumpkin intact for 21 years is actually quite impressive, but Turk and Carla mourn their vegetable child in agony. In a major plot twist, the child that Turk left behind all those years ago reappears, and Turk and Carla eagerly usher him toward them. The reunion is short-lived, however, as their real 22-year-old son is hit by a bus, causing the couple to lose two children in the span of 10 seconds. JD's imagination truly runs wild with this one, and even the characters notice as Turk comments, "You were gone for a really long time."
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Keep Reading: 'Scrubs' 10 Best Episodes, Ranked
- TV
- Scrubs
- Zach Braff
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