I popped in my first disc of Scrubs: Season Eight, and, after watching previews for Samantha Who? and The Proposal, I needed something to make me laugh. The season premiere, "My Jerks," got the job done.
For the last few years, Scrubs has been constantly on the cusp of cancellation. This year, its first on ABC after getting dropped by NBC, had many wondering if the show had already hit its peak/jumped the shark/started on a steep descent into sucksville. Personally, I didn't have any issue with Season 7, except for the really dumb fantasy episode, and I have continued to be amused by recycling of the same kind of schtick, as long as new words are coming out of the character's mouths. Other have disagreed, arguing that many of the standard gags have gone on too long. Bill Lawrence, and the other folks behind the scenes, apparently decided that they agreed with the latter, and decided to freshen things up a bit.
The noticable new-ness comes from additions to the roster. Replacing Dr. Kelso as the chief of medicine is Dr. Taylor Maddox, played by Courtney Cox-Arquette. Unlike Bob's calloused penny-pincher, Dr. Maddox is something of an amalgamation of Drs. Cox, Reid, and Kelso.
Then there's the new interns. I'd have to check Wikipedia to remember their names, but there are at least three stand-outs (not-so-subtle girl, Eliot Jr., and techy guy), who provided the strongest laughs of the episode. Their comedy is similar to what we're used to, but putting emphasis on some new flavours may silence the critics for a little while.
At the same time, the more established characters are either sticking to what they do best, or waiting in the wings for more screen time. Kelso and Turk, especially, didn't have too much to say, and when they did, played more straight-man roles.
Of course, since this is Scrubs, there needs to be some kind of forced, emotional self-discovery. These are always hit and miss, with the episodes (like this one) where Elliot "grows" as a person, falling more into the miss department. Today, Elliot, by way of Carla, learns not to make fun of people, and to be sensitive to the needs of others. The whole thing feels formulaic and serves as an unfortunate reminder that this kind of device happens often.
There's another slightly more serious subplot near the end involving JD and Dr. Cox. Unlike the Elliot/Carla debacle, their scene remembers to be funny. Dr. Cox has lost a lot of his edge (read: enjoyableness to watch) since the early seasons, so I always look forward to a return to form. While it's nice to see him treating JD with respect, I am aching to see him rip someone apart, preferably in a pop-culture-laden rant.
The episode caps off with a little meta-discussion involving JD (or possibly Zach Braff) talking to Elliot/Sarah Chalke and Turk/Donald Faison about how long they've been together, making medicine/the show happen. Kind of fun? Sure. Kind of weird? You bet.
All in all, this episode has a lot to enjoy. It's funny, which isn't always the case, but old habits seem to die hard. Eccentricities are not funny by themselves (ie. seeing Courtney Cox squash a spider), there needs to be some kind of wit or cleverness to it. Also, I'm oh so very tired of seeing Elliot get advice that she doesn't want to hear, get mad at everyone, and then realize that everyone was right. So, if we can have more of the new interns, more of the old Dr. Cox, and less of the tired sap, I'd say we're on the right track for a strong season.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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