|
The Movie: The Movie:  Certainly one of the finest sitcoms since "Seinfeld" and one of the best ensemble casts in a good ten years, I've often said "Scrubs" is one of network televisions few bright spots since its debut in 2001. For those unfamiliar with the series, it focuses on a group of new medical interns at a local hospital, including John Dorian "J.D." (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison) and the attractive, yet utterly neurotic Elliot (Sarah Chalke). They're looked over by the near-psychotic Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley in an utterly classic performance), cost-cutting head Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), nurse Carla (Judy Reyes) and others, including Janitor (the brilliant Neil Flynn). During the first year, "Scrubs" launched with an unusually high degree of confidence. The show's mixture of the real and the surreal is often brilliant, as the random dream sequences are at their best during some of the first season episodes. The show's ability to mix comedy and drama is downright remarkable, such as the incredibly touching season 1 two-parter "My Occurence"/"My Hero", which stars Brendan Frasier as Cox's best friend and his ex-wive's brother, who finds himself admitted to the hospital for a serious issue. I won't give away any more than that, but while "Scrubs" had been terrific up until this point, it's this exceptional two-parter where the show really showed what it was capable of and it showed non-believers that it deserved to be around for a long, long time. "Scrubs" is a delicate balance, and yet creator Bill Lawrence ("Spin City") manages to get it right nearly all of the time. The show's dream sequences are remarkably funny and add even more punctuation to nearly all of the show's bits. It helps that two of the show's writers, Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, were picked up from the king of surreal dream sequences, the animated "Family Guy". The performances by the leads are also first-rate, as Braff makes for a likable "everyguy" and Faison somehow balances a frat-guy sense of humor with a lot of intelligence and heart. Sarah Chalke is also makes what could be an unlikable character charming. Finally, John C. McGinley rips into the role of Dr. Cox, who terrorizes everyone but occasionally lets a caring side show. The show's supporting cast is simply priceless, lead by Robert Maschio as Todd (aka "The Todd") a "frat boy" surgeon who turns every sentence into something sexual, yet he also somehow is a good doctor. As we learn in the first commentary on the second season DVD, "The Todd"'s high-five "whoosh" is the only sound effect left in a show that used to have quite a few. There's also Ted, the hospital lawyer who is a reluctant servant of Kelso. Johnny Kastl plays a wonderful target for Kelso and Cox, as Dr. Doug Murphy, a resident Cox refers to as "nervous guy." Finally, there's Christa Miller ("Drew Carey Show" and creator Lawrence's wife), playing Cox's ex-wife, who's as much of a rage-a-holic as he is. The cast works together perfectly, especially Faison and Braff, who are completely believable as long-time friends. One of the best character elements of the series is that everyone's flawed and the mistakes that people make here aren't sitcom cliches, but feel real. It's one of the reasons why "Scrubs" can manage to be so touching at times, and why the characters are so engaging. The second season started off after Jordan (Miller) dropped a bombshell in the last episode of the first season, revealing a secret each character had been sitting on. The second season surprised many by not only keeping up the remarkable level of quality that the first season had held up, but actually improving on it in some regards. The third season of the series focuses on the relationship between Turk and Carla, as the two prepare for their wedding (the season finale.) Additionally, J.D. still has his sights set on Elliot, despite the fact that she's taken by Sea World employee Sean (guest star Scott Foley) and he finds himself attached to Danni (Tara Reid, decent in a supporting role), the sister of Jordan. When J.D. and Elliot finally come together again, one of the first things that comes to mind about their relationship is one of the last things he'd expected. The fourth season of the series throws some changes into the mix, including a recurring guest star role for Heather Graham as Dr. Molly Clock, who befriends Elliott, but gets a more mixed reception from the other doctors. Graham is funny and rather charming in the role; while the character doesn't make a great deal of impact, she fits in nicely. The season also opens with J.D. and Elliott trying to work together - and compete for the Chief Resident position -sfter what happened at the end of the fourth season. Turk and Carla also come to the realization that their relationship has problems and eventually, J.D. decides that it's time to move out to leave the couple to themselves. Overall, the fourth season is another excellent one for the series, which has remained at a consistently high level of quality throughout its run. Some of the highlights from the fourth season include: "My Office" (J.D. and Elliot compete to be Chief Resident), "Her Story" (Elliot becomes unsure whether or not she wants Dr. Clock as a mentor, while J.D. gets yelled at in front of the interns), "My Cake" (J.D. finds that his father has passed away, and Turk finds out that he is diabetic), "My Last Chance" (J.D. figures he has his last chance when Dr. Clock takes a job in another city), "My Unicorn" (J.D. searches for a relative - guest star Matthew Perry - of one of his patients), "My Best Moment" (J.D.'s address to a bunch of med students leads to the characters revealing their best moments as doctors), "My Quarantine" (J.D. accidentially sets off a quarantine in the hospital, leading Turk to learn that Carla once dated Dr. Cox. Tara Reid returns in a guest star role.), "My Life in Four Cameras" (When Turk and J.D. meet a writer from "Cheers", J.D. imagines that everything that happens is like a standard sitcom), "My Best Laid Plans" (Dr. Cox and the Janitor make a bet regarding Elliott, while J.D. makes a play for the returning Dr. Clock when he thinks things aren't going fast enough with his current girlfriend) and "My Changing Ways" (J.D. moves out, Elliot moves to a new job and Turk and Carla decide to try for a baby.) Season 4 69. 4- 1 31 Aug 04 My Old Friend's New Friend 70. 4- 2 7 Sep 04 My Office 71. 4- 3 14 Sep 04 My New Game 72. 4- 4 21 Sep 04 My First Kill 73. 4- 5 28 Sep 04 Her Story 74. 4- 6 12 Oct 04 My Cake 75. 4- 7 19 Oct 04 My Common Enemy 76. 4- 8 26 Oct 04 My Last Chance 77. 4- 9 9 Nov 04 My Malpractical Decision (1) 78. 4-10 16 Nov 04 My Female Trouble (2) 79. 4-11 23 Nov 04 My Unicorn 80. 4-12 7 Dec 04 My Best Moment 81. 4-13 18 Jan 05 My Ocardial Infarction 82. 4-14 25 Jan 05 My Lucky Charm 83. 4-15 1 Feb 05 My Hypocritical Oath 84. 4-16 8 Feb 05 My Quarantine 85. 4-17 15 Feb 05 My Life in Four Cameras 86. 4-18 22 Feb 05 My Roommates 87. 4-19 1 Mar 05 My Best Laid Plans 88. 4-20 29 Mar 05 My Boss' Free Haircut 89. 4-21 5 Apr 05 My Lips Are Sealed 90. 4-22 12 Apr 05 My Big Move 91. 4-23 19 Apr 05 My Faith in Humanity 92. 4-24 26 Apr 05 My Drive-By 93. 4-25 10 May 05 My Changing Ways Also: As noted on the back of the box, the original music is included on the episodes here, unlike in the case of some other shows where music has been replaced on DVD due to music rights issues. The DVD VIDEO: "Scrubs" is presented in the show's original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio by Buena Vista. Presentation quality is generally very good, as the episodes as a whole look as good as they did when they were originally broadcast. Sharpness and detail are never really exceptional in any way, but the picture does at least maintain a consistent level of definition, and always appears at least crisp. Some minor grain and edge enhancement appear at times during the proceedings, but mostly, the presentation appeared clear and free of flaws. No wear was present on the elements used. The show's color palette is mostly fairly low-key, although bright colors occasionally show through quite nicely. No smearing or other faults are spotted. Black level appeared solid, while flesh tones looked natural. SOUND: "Scrubs" is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 here. Despite the 5.1 presentation, the sound still remains fairly front-heavy, with dialogue and music remaining crisp and clear throughout. EXTRAS: The final disc offers a set of additional short featurettes that cover various aspects of the show. "Will You Ever Be My Mentor?" is a look at the continuing teacher/student relationship between the Braff and McGinley characters. "The Sweethearts of Sacred Heart" takes a look at the romances on the show's fourth season. "Weapons Chest" highlights some of the supporting actors. "Who's That Man?" is a look at Neill Flynn's character, Janitor. "Donald Keeps Talking" has actor Donald Faison further discussing his time on the series, from the audition process to the character and working with the other actors. A set of deleted scenes (the original scene, then the extension) offers some pretty funny moments, but you can see why the material was probably cut for time. The set runs for a little over 17 minutes. Audio commentaries are offered on "My Life in Four Cameras" (Sarah Chalke) and "My Last Chance" (Zach Braff). Final Thoughts: "Scrubs" continues to get better, with performances that continue to improve and a wealth of wonderful episodes on this third season. The DVD set provides fine audio/video quality and an enjoyable set of supplements. Still one of the funniest shows on TV, the third season of "Scrubs" is highly recommended. |