Why THIS Episode Of Scrubs Hits So Hard 

HELLO!!! I want to spend time with celebrities. Just kidding. GAGAGAGAGA! I only want to spend time with my two girlfriends and record videos for RU-vid with the 3 of us. OH YEAH. Don't hate me for living the best life, dear nit

@@AxxLAfriku don't be weird dude

@@AxxLAfriku do your two girlfriends roll bunts for you...?

frr

It's why it's such a great episode. Just seeing him alone gives you all those emotions you felt when you first saw the episode. And it wanted you to feel those emotions.

works perfectly with bens camera gone after he died as well

@@derbaba5266 That's quite literally the point

Kelso delivers some of the best lines in the whole show. One line that has stuck with me to this day was “Nothing worth having in this life comes easy”

@@Richard_Nickerson No actually that WASN'T "quite literally the point" of that quote AT ALL....Carla was bitching about HATING Turks Mole so much, to which Dr. Kelso replies to Carla about his wife's horrific snoring and how even after getting nasal surgery it got worse... but every time she goes out of town he finds himself unable to sleep "without the sound of that gasping, wheezing woman lying right next to me"..so to which he concludes with "But here's the point. You might find out that thing you hate so much is the very same thing you miss when it's gone."

@@LooopQ Me and my wife put that line in our wedding rings. It really hits home for us.

Who s the only one who could understand when someone escapes from reallity

I think that might be the best delivered line in the entire series. The way he says it with such genuine compassion for Dr. Cox really made that scene perfect. J.D. is great when saying his comedy lines, but that drama line was at 1000 intensity! It felt real.

I was in my bedroom.. TV on, watching scrubs, as I ALWAYS did.. this episode had just bullrushed me into oblivion and I sat up and went downstairs, still reeling.. i looked at my wife and said "it was Brendon Frashier!" she of course had no idea, but from that point on, i NEVER missed another episode.. I got BOTH my kids into it and we watched this series until we knew every line! Thank you, for being such a great show!

It still gives me chills. I used to make girlfriends watch it with me, to see their reactions. Just... wow.

@@why_i_game Yeah, you can feel the empathy with the word choice too, not asking what he's talking about, or who he's talking about/to. But knowing exactly what Cox was doing, as JD has done the same thing so many times as a coping mechanism himself. Then choosing that specific phrasing to gently wake Cox back up in a non-judgemental way. One of my favorite scenes in TV history.

I noticed the clothes but only thought it was an odd thing Ben would do. Didn't pick up on Cox being so upset over the death of some random patient.

I never caught it either. What a great piece of detail in the writing and production.

Yeah it's because he's a ghost at that point.

I’ve seen this episode probably 30 times since it was aired decades ago, and I also only just caught the camera is missing. I did notice the same clothes, but given the type of character Ben was (kind of nomadic with his camera), it didn’t register as weird that he was still wearing the same clothes 😂😂

IMO it's super subtle because most of the time they are all wearing the same thing, they're all usually wearing scrubs so another person just wearing the same thing doesn't ring any alarm bells.

Man, me too. The acting in the critical scenes at the end is as good as you could hope for from any hard hitting drama. Even without dialogue, it's perfect.

same here.

Winter does it for me

@@kritichaplot5025 Scrubs was always really good at finding the right song to curb stomp the emotions

Gets me every time, especially Joshua Radin's Winter

And he says it in a caring tone. Not to demean but to try and comfort him.

wow, I never looked at it that way

I want to like this more!!!!!

I would never have thought of that, but it makes perfect sense! I now see this in a whole new light!

Man, JD tries so damn hard with Cox and it's apparent here how much he cares for his mentor.

I'm glad he's getting a lot of recognition again. Ben was my favorite character in the whole show, he was so well written *and* acted.

I saw this episode when it aired while attending college. That ending really caught me off guard, I wasn't expecting that in the slightest.

It’s not a ghost, It’s a hallucination. Which is what my doctor told me so fuck them. Doctors that is.

I cried when I realized Ben wasn't coming back (I was 11 and in love with him 😅)

​@@3katfox Me too *cry five*

another one: in the scene where dc Cox basically kicks JD out of the hospital, he is in front of the patient that, at the time, we assume died, and we can hear the electrocardiogram beeping, revealing he's in fact alive

holy crap, that's powerful. I hadn't even put that together until you spelled it out.

Honestly the reveal makes me think of other episodes where Dr Cox goes through grief and it makes me think he's been drinking since Ben's death, which is why he's having the conversation about his kids party out loud with JD

Yea that's a great point. I think like most of Scrubs, you really need to compartmentalize certain things into the world of fantasy. Like the episode where the Janitor kidnaps JD and traps him inside a water tower... that is so absolutely ludicrous and insane (even for Scrubs) that I think we instinctually just pretend it didn't REALLY happen.

It's a great point! For as many times as I've seen the episode, I always assumed that the reason why he was unable to see the truth of it was because he buried himself in his work. Denial the way he did it was like with his diagnosis episode and because of that was hallucinating because of the lack of sleep. For whatever reason there's a disconnect to the notion that Ben was the one that went into cardiac arrest. Also noting it never registered that he went when the camera left. So subtle!!

if he came off as crazy, it basically would have turned into an episode of House.

Cox has so much trouble being honest about what he feels. This man needs a damn therapist

​@@highdefinition450 That episode really made me appreciate Dr.Cox and JD's relationship. "And Perry, if there's someone in your life at that hell hole of a hospital who you actually listen to, you should do everything in your power to keep them around, because that person is nothing short of a genius."

@@highdefinition450 dr cox sees a therapist. The therapist makes dr cox realize how much he relies on and values JD

Maybe I remember the episode wrong but doesn’t Ben tell dr. Cox he needs to forgive himself?

@@jacobmerlo9789 it’s implied at 5:42

This episode really was a heartbreaker. Brendan Frasier of course was fantastic as always.

I agree, i think that's a testament to how good it is, if you're invested enough in the show you basically feel like you're Dr Cox, we're in denial, and when JD says that famous line, just like it clicks for Dr Cox it also clicks for the audience, without even needing to see anything else, that's the biggest testament to this episode there is

All three of the patients give something to the cast too. JD gets a reminder to take time for himself, Elliott gets confidence in her talent, and Turk learns to connect with patients

S1E4. My Old Lady. One of my favourites as well. Where I first learned of the late Katherine Joosten.

That episode gets me in tears by the end every time

That's my favourite episode from the whole show

The network tried to push for all three patients to survive. The creator insisted on all three dying. It was the better choice.

It really says something special about the writing of the show when a character is emotionally reacting to a situation the same way you are

I was watching the show for 3 days when this episode came, I had to take a week to go back to it with a different mindset and watch it slowly.

I didn't even slightly see it coming, when they showed Ben's picture I was in straight denial. Just stared at the t.v. in shock wracking my brains for any alternate ending. I watched it again on +1 and just sobbed all the way though.

when i first saw it i wondered where his camera went about 3/4th through the episode. and on some video someonw pointed out he said he would carry the camera until he dies. blew my mind that i was so close to solving it

For me what made me suspicious it was Ben who actually died was Dr. Cox's reaction to the whole situation. He sees patients die everyday in the hospital, some of who were in JD's care but he rarely has such an emotional reaction to the situation (other than the time he blamed himself for 3 patients dying because of infected donor organs). But like you said, I didn't want to believe it so I simply didn't :(

Probably one of the most underrated episodes in the show’s history

it's a great one, but I feel like Elliot undercuts the tone a bit with it being kinda silly. like it's a comedy so of course overcoming something simple and basic like using a public restroom goes parallel with one of the most basic medical procedures

@@SamuelginTV That would be the second episode with Fox. I believe he’s referring to the first one.

Definitely! There's a line that the character says: *"Everyone's got their own burdens, J.D., and I'm not gonna be one of those people that dumps mine on somebody else."* and it was so sad because you realise that it almost felt like this was Michael J Fox speaking about his lifelong trouble with Parkinsons and how that too must be such a burden for him. : (

Or the 4th episode of the show, with the old lady, or the first episode with Brenda Fraser, or 'My Lunch'. There are a lot of amazing episodes.

He was enraged that the others around him did not care as deeply as he did. He was willing to sacrifice everything to be the best doctor possible while so many would not.

And the fact that he was physically abused as a child by his own father whilst his mother watched and did nothing...

Dr cox is a very complex character, that if you just look on the surface, you’d think he was just a dick, but sometimes as humans we act a certain way to hide how we really feel. Dr cox in reality cared more than anyone

same with Bob Kelso

​@@reklom2334 They mention this in the Fake Doctors Real Friends podcast but, the rivalry between Kelso and Cox is so good because beneath their callous exteriors, they both care deeply for their patients. Kelso cares because he wants to have the hospital make enough money to continue to help people while Cox will help every patient no matter if they can pay or not. Neither of them are villains, they're 3 dimensional characters.

Find a word that's better than 'good.' jkjk, we all know what you mean

He even Won an Oscar 😦

Am actual doctor. Can confirm.

Dr. Mike doesn't seem to think so haha

Yes! Even with the comedic exaggerations and fantastical storylines, it is a million times more accurate than ER, House, Gray's Anatomy, etc

@@Alter292 he’s focused on the medicine; I don’t think he’s opined on the interpersonal professional dynamics, which is what Scrubs is hailed for

Actual doctor can confirm... not sure what's up with Dr Mike haha

The toilet episode with Elliot was amazing, since, not having self-confidence can be harsh in an environment like the medical field, since you are on edge most of the time. A flawed character like Fox' persona in the episode is an amazing gateway for people to seeing themselves in them. No matter the small or even grosse step (shitting on a toilet up on the roof) can be a major step for an individual.

My favorite actor in my favorite show, it was a dream come true

Even Tara Reid fitted in nicely.

The past tense of cast is cast

@@Richard_Nickerson the past tense of fit is fit

Me too man. It's a hard-hitter

So true, there was somebody that said they didn't watch scrubs because they hated Dr Cox, but liked House. I thought Cox had some of the best character development through the show, and usually when I get teary eyed it's when he's on screen.

Definitely one of the best

That other episode 100 percent makes me think the where do you think we are wasn't just some sitcom twist, but Dr. Cox probably showed up to the funeral shitfaced and probably was drinking on the job for those few days to the point where by the end he legitimately thought he was back at his kids birthday party like originally intended.

Yeah I feel like this is the best role John C McGinly has ever played. He has been in Oscar nominated serious movies like Platoon and bad comedy movies like Rob Schneider’s The Animal. Scrubs really let’s him flex his comedic and dramatic muscles in an amazing way.

That one was my first thought when they said 'best episode,' until I saw Brendan Frasier and said 'oh, damn, they're right.'

"Here lies philip j fry named for his uncle to carry on his spirit"

I know the Futurama 1 ur on about, it was absolutely beautiful

The finale for scrubs with Book of Love playing gets my eyes most every time, no matter how many times I've seen it

You should give Bojack Horseman a try then!

@@Bakerseed funny you should say that, I'm actually finally finishing out the last couple seasons

His acting when the last patient dies was phenomenal. The other one that always gets me is when Laverne dies.

Same, I didn't realize that the coding patient was Ben and that he didn't have his camera so much sooner than the scene at the cemetery.

Same. I was pretty young when I watched it first time through and though I still claim it's the best (equal with my lunch) episode I've seen it maybe once since...still not going to watch it again.

@@Gazmus Fair enough man

Also considering that a block of television for a sitcom is 30 minutes... and he died in those 30 minutes.

Yeah, but JD was talking about Ben, not the old man. The audience was supposed to think it was the old man, because Ben popped up shortly after (as a figment of Dr Cox's imagination, due to him not being able to face the reality that Ben had suddenly and unexpectedly died). It was misdirection for the audience, with the twist coming at the end when you realise that it was actually Ben who had gone into cardiac arrest, and Dr Cox was in denial about it. He is finally forced to face reality at the funeral at the end. Also, the birthday party for Jack was also misdirection to mislead the audience. I agree that it is great writing, it works really well, but I disagree on the part about the old man. I don't remember the old guy dying, we were just supposed to think that was who JD was talking about.

@@zalamael I think you might have misread my comment (or maybe I should have written it more clearly), because what you wrote is exactly the same reasoning as what I said. Edit: after going back and re-reading, I can see where my comment would be confusing because it was not written clearly. I think the main word in it is “possibility” of guilt over the old man.

@@ridge9451 Yeah, I was wondering. That is the bit that confused me, the guilt over the old man (who as far as I remember, his fate wasn't mentioned, he was used as a red herring). My bad.

First time I saw that episode the scene with the old woman WRECKED ME

That one Episode, that introduced you to the real meaning of Scrubs. That Layer beyond the funny Jokes and Daydreams.

That's my favorite episode of all time.

also the first episode of the last (real) season. With JD and Turk comforting a dying old man.

I love how he (JD) is afraid to leave her side.

It's such a good show. I don't even know how many times I've rewatched it at this point.

I loved this show so much. I introduced it to a friend of mine and then he got into it and we quick became best friends and modeled a lot of our friendship after JD and Turk. We haven’t really stayed in touch since finishing school but we do catch up about once a year and watch the whole series (without the last season).

❤️

I recommend you watching One Tree Hill Series 1 to 5. They're also very good with great storylines and characters. Pure nostalgia. But one of the best series to me is the german netflix show DARK, about time travelling, and thus facing your older self including topics such as free will vs. determinism/fate. Super exciting! And far more woven, complex and deeper than anything Scrubs has ever written.

Really?

"Don't you dare to use the words rollercoaster of emotions!"

Absolutely! It was even more emotional for me after I started working in a hospital.

Right? I don't think it was quite as emotionally poignant as this episode, but was certainly solid and completely unexpected. I have always had a hard time seeing Molly Shannon as anyone other than Mary Katherine Gallagher or Teri Rialto, so I was totally unprepared for the reveal at the end of that episode.

AMAZING episode too.

Ohh yeah, that episode kills me. How shes so proud of him and but she talks of him like hes alive... it was definitely a gut punch.

That episode hit me so hard too 😢

Wait which one was that

Yo same

Everytime I see that scene I cringe as the car's hood clearly gets damaged.

Sam Lloyd

Agreed it's not the same knowing the hospital sad sack is actually gone

Wait what? I had no idea about this until now... when I was living in Los Angeles and working at at a smoothie bar/coffee shop Sam Lloyd came in and ordered a coffee from me once. I recognized who he was since I loved Scrubs so when I asked him about it he was nothing short of kind and sincere. We also talked briefly about acting and other stuff but it just really stuck with me how awesome of a guy he was and the fact that he took a little bit of time out of his day to talk to me. RIP Sam

dammit. i didn't know this. i saw his band perform ten years ago, they were so good.

Brendan Fraser makes everything better

What are you doing this Sunday????

Sometimes the music that plays is as perfect as you can get

This show does the best trick - pretend to be light comedy but behind that fasade is so much more content

Yep. I watched it when it was on tv but I didn't really appreciate the writing until I was older and re-watched it on DVD. The writing is just spectacular.

Laverne dying....

My favorite episode has to be My Last Words. We have the glorious "steak night" hug greeting (which reminds me that Aziz Ansari was on this show), and then it turns into a bit of a bottle episode with Turk and JD just spending the night with a terminally I'll patient. Looking back, I think that episode is what sparked my passion for helping people and led me to becoming a social worker.

I would add the episodes with Michael J. Fox in there because his characters struggle with ocd (nickel’s in a sock?) A reflection which reflected somewhat his own struggles with Parkinson’s. He wants to go home and have no struggles and live a normal life but he can not do that.

@@longers1028 that is such an underrated episode. I don't see many people mentioning that episode.

@@longers1028 was that the episode with the "The Frey" song?

It's on the same level as friends, I personally prefer it over friends.

@@bigfudge2031 scrubs is waaayyyy better than friends, in my opinion

I think it's the main actor. He's someone that might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Scrubs might have an unlikeable main character, but Friends is full of them.

Between Scrubs, New Girl, Brooklyn 99, The Office, Parks and Rec, etc., I've come to learn that laugh tracks actually ruin sitcoms. Or maybe it's that great writing should make you laugh without feeling the need to give you that cue. Honestly, my least favorite episode if Scrubs is the one where they add a laugh track and make it a satire on other sitcoms. It's so jarring and a divergence from what made this show great. But in the last minute of the show, they give you that "realness" moment that reminds you why Scrubs just hits differently.

There is no Season 9 in Ba Sing Se.

@@deathlokprime2645 But there are cabbages.

@@Elzzaw 😜

As an ICU doctor I totally agree.

Not only a comedy... it's much much more.

I was told that a lot of professions that deal with death around the clock like police and firefighters tend to have a very dark and twisted sense of humor.

i've never watched it because i dont like hospital shows, i might watch it because of this video.I remember briefly talking about it with a colleague and the whole bury it in the back of your brain and just say you are fine is absolutely a reality

911 lone star has a lot of similarities to scrubs. I havent seen the original 911 but I think its less medical more firefighter

"My Old Lady."

Also the ending of "My No Good Reason"

to me, those two and "my lunch" and "my fallen idol"

All great episodes

SAAAAAME!!

Sammeee

Loving the love. Thanks y'all

@@Nerdstalgic Lovin this vid too. More Scrubs video essays would be awesome

Best-show-five!

It's like what JD said-there are like 3 cases per year; it would have wasted time that people didn't have. Except for the kidney guy. And that one really hit Dr Cox hard.

@kollie79 I never knew that. Did they have to replace all The Fray stuff??

Yeah, and streaming services are fucking that up

@@ccubsfan94 Bill recently said they are trying to get the rights to as many songs as possible

“Hands of time” when JD and Kim break up because of the distance and Dr. Cox tells Jordan their second baby is a girl, that’s probably one of my all time favorites!

And then the music kicks in. Baba baba baba ba ba…

I think 'My Deja Vu, My Deja Vu' deserves mention here, too. The final conversation between Cox and Elliot is amazing insight into Cox's character. Admitting to Elliot how it's so important that people see him the way they used to, and how sharing it with her is him showing her respect.

I can't rewatch Jurassic Bark. Watched the entire series more than I can count, but I will never rewatch that one ep. Scrubs is my all time fave show.

@@JennaLeigh Same. It just hits you in the feels so darn hard. I remember almost every single scene about this episode altough I only watched it once over 10 years ago.

Oh man I was Happy now idk Happiness is fleeting

My Screw Up and Jurassic Bark are always the episodes I point to when people ask why I like the respective series. One other episode for Futurama I like to mention is Game of Tones from the Comedy Central run. Watching Fry get to comfort his mom in her dreams and tell her he was safe and alive was enough of a kick in the heart. But when it shows his mom asleep and smiling, I cry like a baby.

I never rewatch Jurrasic Bark. Scrubs makes me cry, but still i gladly rewatch and cry again. But NEVER Jurasic Bark. Its just too dark

Thats why I like (producer) Bill Lawrence's shows. He brings so much out of everyone's contributions. Although a totally different show, it's the same reason I love the quirky "Tedd Lasso" show. Bill brings out so much from the characters.

@@terrymyers699 wait, Bill Lawrence made Ted Lasso? Now I HAVE to check it out, my family has been bugging me to and I hadn't yet.

@@ClayDevil Yep, that's his baby, too. I believe I didn't notice until the 3rd ep... Then it clicked why the show was so good (for me). You'll love it. Just enough quirk to be enjoyable w/out going over the top. And the characters all gave that same lovable feel to them as does Scrubs.

Yeah I didn't pick up on any of the clues

I have seen this episode dozens of times and every single time that line, "Where do you think we are?" kills me.

Totally. I remember the first time watching this episode, I didn't even suspect anything until Dr. Cox was in a suit at the end. I'm like dang, he's way overdressed for a 1 year-old's birthday party. lol

@@shadowbiker02 Hells, just seeing it in this video...

I agree completely! I watched it from the beginning and really loved it. I'm so glad that it became a successful series!! Scrubs is still one of my favorite shows!!

I actually break even more in that episode when Cox shocks the guy for the third time and throws the paddles in anger saying "COME ONNN"

what about my steak dinner?

@@sikufox I think you mean My Last Words? But yes, the ending to that one always gets me.

@@NinjaPirateRabbit23 I believe the last words were "we're going to steak night. we're gonna eat it right"

Have you watched Community? That show had some emotional punches. Never made me cry personally, but Ik people who did

My Lunch is an amazing episode.

It's been a while since I've rewatched the series, but he was a doctor with severe OCD, no?

@@Sugarman96 yes

@@srldwg Yeah, thought so. I don't really remember much of the actual plot with him, but I do vividly remember the one very difficult scene where he just keeps washing his hands and freaking out about getting it wrong.

It’s a shame the way the writing of the characters relationships aren’t fully fulfilled in the last seasons and the writing got sloppy. That fairytale ending was shite and they had to do a makeshift ending with those annoying fucking interns

Scrubs introduced me to Joshua and he quickly became my favourite musician and his music got me through many hard times in my adolescence and adult years. a couple years ago he came to perform in BRazil for the first time, and I went to see him, no need to say that I was a PUDDLE. it was also a very small cafe and I got to sit down with him and thank him for everything, and brought back his autograph on a napkin. a perfect night

It's okay to cry!

Every time I think about "Winter" this episode and particularly that scene just pops right into my mind and vice-versa

We*

That cue in of Winter is the single best use of licensed music in the history of television.

There's so few shows that can be both hilarious and emotional at the same time

The highs and lows 👌 comedy and laughter 1 second and then after one sentence, the characters have a small pause *da-da-dada da da da da...

You're a year out but yeah it is unfortunate timing

My musical is so underrated! Like some of the best writing for real!!! ❤