080310_b_scrubs

Scrubs is about to end its surprisingly long run. Last week, the seed was planted for JD’s exit. This week, that poorly thought out seed bore fruit. It was inevitable. Zach Braff has been itching to prove he could do more than Scrubs ever since Garden State. I;m not sure that Zach is getting good advice, but the decision has been made.

JD is moving away in order to be closer to his son. Claiming its only a 37 minute drive, he attempts to maintain his life at Sacred Heart. In less than five minutes though, he’s found a new job at a new hospital closer to his new house. Clearly the writer’s just didn’t care about exposition here.

Obviously, this episode would be all about how the other principles felt about JD’s departure. Dr. Cox pretends to be excited but obviously he’s not happy about it. Elliot has no real reaction at all (which is right in line with her acting skills). Even the janitor seems to be fairly underwhelmed. Only Turk has the expected reaction of being angry, then sad and then . Its all very predictable. I suppose that its necessary to try to give long term fans some sort of catharsis that will make them feel better about the direction the show is moving in. It just doesn’t pay off.

There are certainly some funny moments. Todd and his new three way relationship with a mullet having couple, Ted the lawyer and his new girlfriend and the Janitor’s ramblings are pretty funny over all. Sadly like much of this season, it just isn’t a very satisfying.

Scrubs is a show that has been an unlikely success. Its been batted around and generally treated poorly by critics and networks alike. I had hoped that Scrubs would get a proper send off this season. With one more episode to go, it doesn’t seem likely.