TV Recap - The Scrubs Season 8 Double Premiere

Episodes: “My Jerks” and “My Last Words” (Season 8, Episodes 1 and 2)

Synopsis: Dr. Kelso’s beautiful replacement, the unethical Dr. Maddox (guest star Courtney Cox), shakes things up a bit. In the meantime, J.D. and Turk set aside their decade long steak night tradition to comfort a dying patient.

Review: And so begins the 8th (and, more likely than not, last) season of Scrubs. In a double episode premiere, Scrubs seems to have dug itself out of an early grave made for it by critics, and is now resurrected so say a proper goodbye to all of the fans that have stuck through till the very end. And, believe me when I say that this season is going to be for the fans. Scrubs is no longer looking for new converts or approval from the "Nielsen’s." Bill Lawrence and Co. have now been given the freedom to take the show in whatever direction they deem fit. By the looks of it, this road will not disappoint.

Season 8 starts out typically. We are introduced to some new interns, who drive both me and J.D. crazy. We also meet the new Chief of Medicine, aka Taylor Maddox, bka Courtney Cox, in an overlong, but not over-enjoyed, slow-mo, wind in hair, blouse half-open intro. J.D. later admits that when he meets a beautiful girl for the first time, he always has this fantasy. Turk being the smart one out of everybody always tries to mess with J.D. before he snaps out of it. "Hot Dog Pen! COUNT IT HONKEY FACE!"

Just like last season, the Scrubs scribes have already begun to tie off some loose ends. The most notable of which is Keith, who, by receiving a heart-felt apology from Elliot for her mistreatment of his feelings after the broken engagement, has essentially been written off the show.

Kelso is also back to dig his fingers into both free muffins and the private lives of his former subordinates. Note that Courtney Cox is only signed on to do 4 episodes. Meaning, we may see Kelso in more places than just Coffee Bucks.

Also, leave it to Scrubs to start making fun of other ABC shows right off the bat. Ed (Aziz from Human Giant), the new intern who has the super power of quick trend setting, likes to pose as a woman on a Lost fan site, sweet talk guys, and then have them show up at the hospital holding a red balloon. Apparently the entire male working staff of Sacred Heart is fans of Lost.

Overall, the first episode had some truly heartfelt moments, and was a great fulfillment to Lawrence's promise that Season 8 would get back to a balance of drama and comedy unsubstantiated by any show since Scrubs’ first few seasons. Whether it was J.D. and Dr. Cox bonding through a shared cup of coffee over the monotony of life, or Elliot and Keith finally ending up on the same page, this episode had some major leaps in storytelling over last season.

But, the episode that really shook everyone's emotional foundations was the second episode. The majority of the episode takes place in the room of a patient named George. In some very tender moments, J.D. and Turk, while battling their own fears, try to qualm George’s fear of death in his last hours. This episode is definitely a tear-jerker, and really shows maturity not only in writing, but in the characters of J.D. and Turk. It is a truly inspiring episode, and a great foreshadowing of what is to emerge in the coming weeks.

The bottom line: Scrubs is back! And this time, maybe we will get a full slate of episodes in chronological order. "RECOGNIZE!"

Some side notes:

Ted and The Janitor have some of their funniest lines to date.

The first episode had hardly any Turk moments.

The second episode had no Dr. Cox.

Dr. Maddox is Dr. Kelso in a girl's body.

I hate the new interns. Although, I could start to like Denise, aka “Joe.”

J.D.'s beard did not bother me too much.

I love when J.D. covertly points at the ABC logo and says "Heh, that's new."

New episodes of Scrubs will be shown in twos for the remainder of the season

Scrubs will air on ABC, Tuesdays at 9/8c and 9:30/8:30c

Episode synopsis and photo courtesy of ABC