Scrubs’ eighth season has seen only one significant change from the previous seven. Dr Cox is replacing Kelso as chief of medicine at Sacred Heart. Its a satisfying move and it continues the set the mood of cyclical change. Kelso moves out, Cox moves in and JD moves up.

Cox stubbornly believes that he won’t be changed by his new position. His regular bouts with budgets, angry nurses and arguments with the board turn his already surly mood to near psychosis. Everyone he knew as a doctor comes to him asking for handouts. JD comes for his own favor, asking if a pneumonia patient could be held over another day despite his insurance. Cox reflexively denies him. Ever one to bow to Cox’s wishes, JD accepts it and leaves. Kelso, now acting as grandfatherly patriarch, returns to give JD the needed pep talk. Free of the burden of the job, Kelso explains the whole relationship between the chief of medicine ad his doctors to JD. Its clear that Cox is going to need an agitator in the same manner that he once was for Kelso. JD seems ill suited to be Cox’s foil, but we’re meant to believe that he’ll grow into it like a too big pair of shoes.

On part two of this weeks double header, Cox is settling in to his soul sucking new job and JD is settling into his new role as hospital agitator. Kelso and Cox have bonded into a secret friendship, which I have to say is hilarious. Kelso tries to explain that Perry has to let somethings go in order to function, but Cox ignores him.

Ted the lawyer has had something of a renaissance since Kelso retired, gaining some small scratch of dignity. He even develops a crush on the lovely woman who sings songs to the sick kids in pediatrics. His romantic ineptness becomes a catalyst for JD and the Janitor to form an uneasy alliance to help. Using his barbershop quartet the “Worthless Peons” Ted gains some confidence and spends time with his crush. Its nice to see the beaten and broken Ted get a minor victory.

Cox tries to balance keeping tabs on a favorite patient, training the interns and keeping up his chief of medicine duties with some success at first. Eventually it all goes wrong and he loses control of everything, even forgetting to pick his son up from school. Despite all these pressures, Cox is intent on keeping all the balls in the air. Sadly, this means he fires my favorite intern Ed. It does mean that though Cox will be in a new Deluxe penthouse, he’ll still be roaming the halls and doing that angry face for the foreseeable future.