‘Scrubs’ returns with a revival season, where Sacred Hospital opens its gates to an updated roster, with faces, new and old. More than a decade has passed since John Dorian, better known as J.D., left the hospital for other pursuits. However, in an ironic turn, an incident ends up bringing the doctor back to the familiar halls of the establishment that housed him during the early years of his career. This paves the way for reunions, some joyful, like the ones including his best friend, Turk, and Carla, and others, involving Elliot and Cox, more tense. Furthermore, he also gets to meet the newest batch of interns doing their residency at the hospital. Unsurprisingly, while many things have stayed the same around the office, a lot has changed, including the complications of the modern healthcare system and its effects on the professionals in the hospital. Yet, much like the friction of the job, the reward remains high. SPOILERS AHEAD!
J.D.’s New Job Ends Up Bringing Him Back to His Old One
Ever since J.D.’s exit from Sacred Heart, his career has had an upward trajectory. As a result, he is now a concierge doctor, tending to wealthy clients with wallets to match. However, the lucrative job actually turns out to be an incredibly boring one. More often than not, the doctor has to sustain his passion for fantasies of being at a hospital again, saving lives in high-pressure situations. One of his regular clients, Mrs. Brooks, ends up being admitted to Sacred Heart on account of it being the nearest hospital during a health scare. Consequently, J.D. finds himself once again at the clinical gates of his old workplace. Although the visit is professionally driven, he enjoys getting to meet his old friends, particularly his best friend, Turk, again. The latter, married to Head Nurse Carla and father of four, is now the Chief of Surgery at the establishment.
However, on a less personally exciting note for J.D., he also runs into Elliot Reid, who is apparently now his ex-wife. The details of the pair’s divorce remain unclear, yet it’s clear they haven’t remained friends after their separation. In fact, the latter is so surprised and, subsequently, distressed to see her ex-husband that she ends up pulling him back into the iconic closet for a regrouping. Although the ensuing bickering solves nothing, it clears the air enough for the two to return to their respective jobs in the hospital. J.D. finally checks up on his patient, and remains perplexed about why she has been admitted despite showcasing no real signs of trouble. This is when the Chief of Medicine, Perry Cox, makes his presence known. Unbeknownst to him, his ex-mentor is actually planning something big.
The New Medical Interns at Sacred Heart
Even though J.D. thinks his patient is perfectly fine, he agrees to let Dr. Park, the new hotshot doctor at the establishment, run some tests on her to get a conclusive answer. This ends up extending his stay at Sacred Heart and gives him enough time to meet the new set of interns who are being trained by Cox. However, there is a distinct difference in the way the latter treats these new kids, compared to his previous gruff approach. As it turns out, with the changing times, Sacred Heart has adopted a more sensitive approach to workplace relationships, preventing Cox from doling out his trademark sharp mentorship. Administrator Sibby Wilson, who is eager to ensure a healthy and safe environment for everyone, may be to a fault, reminding him of the same often.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that the Chief of Medicine is having a hard time connecting with and reaching these new interns. One of them, Sam, is an influencer who thinks watching YouTube tutorials is the same as actual lessons. The other two, queasy Asher and overconfident Blake, struggle with fitting into the high-stakes and team-driven environment of the hospital. Surprisingly enough, where Cox fails to guide these kids to success, J.D. manages to give them just the right kind of advice that they need for small but meaningful wins. However, as it turns out, his easy slip into a mentor figure is no surprise to Cox. In fact, he has been keeping Mrs. Brooks under observation for the explicit purpose of forcing J.D. back into the hospital life to make him realize this is where he truly belongs. Cox, as it happens, wants to retire and pass the baton of the hospital’s leadership to his long-time protege.
J.D. Helps in Bringing Turk Out of a Dark Headspace
While J.D. has been struggling with professional unfulfillment, his best friend, Turk, has also been fighting his own personal battles. This becomes evident to the former when he overhears the Chief of Surgery’s interns, Dashana and Amara, discussing him using his nickname “Dr. Bummer.” As it turns out, in the recent past, Turk’s perspective on the job has taken a dark turn. After consistently watching people suffer and repeat cycles while many of his patients intentionally overlook his medical advice, the surgeon has grown disillusioned about the nature of his job. For the same reason, it’s commonplace for him to wonder out loud about the futile nature of his job.
In doing so, Turk is unintentionally extinguishing the budding passion that his interns have for their career future. Initially, J.D. tries ot talk to his friend about it, since the two are on their way out for a boys’ night. Nonetheless, the surgeon is unwilling to discuss the matter, which puts an end to their plan. Still, the physician refuses to give up on his best friend. Eventually, he encourages Dashana to confront Turk and reveal the truth about why she has always looked up to him and why she wanted him to be her mentor. This confession helps Turk see the bigger picture, bringing some light back into his perspective on the practice. Furthermore, it allows him and J.D. to confront the reality of how they had drifted apart while working towards ensuring it doesn’t happen again.
J.D. Deals With Funding Issues on His First Day as Chief of Medicine
In the end, J.D. takes Cox’s job offer, mostly out of a desire to shape the next generation of the Sacred Heart doctors. In doing so, he does earn an enemy in Dr. Park, who had been eyeing the job for a long time. Nevertheless, nothing can break his high spirits when he shows up on his first day back in the hospital, this time as the Chief of Medicine. As it turns out, Elliot already knows how he can improve the inner workings of the hospital. She is in charge of the training simulations for the interns. As such, she’s well aware of the outdated nature of the training dummies, which haven’t been updated since J.D. himself was doing his residency.
For the same reason, she wants him to greenlight the purchase of new equipment. However, little does J.D. know that this demand is in direct conflict with another avenue that the hospital is pursuing: acquiring a high-tech surgery tool. Chief of Surgery, Turk, has been working towards the latter for a long time. Naturally, Park, who is aware of this friction, enjoys orchestrating the events that make this dilemma apparent to J.D. As the Chief of Medicine, he must make a difficult choice about which financial avenue to pursue. In the end, he ends up siding with Turk’s demand, because it promises to bring revenue into the hospital rather than simply taking it away. Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t bode well for his already fraught relationship with Elliot.
J.D. Crushes Asher’s Sense of Hope Before Restoring It
On his first day as the Chief of Medicine, J.D. has to deal with making prominent decisions about the hospital’s future. Additionally, he also has to officially step into the role of mentor to the new batch of residents. After trying out a few unsuccessful approaches, he decides to try people-pleasing by adopting an idyllic outlook. When one of Asher’s patients suffers due to his inability to afford his full subscription, he allows the young intern to try and solve the problem by contacting insurance companies instead of circling through his patient roster. Nonetheless, after the debacle with Elliot, where he also tries to be a people pleaser, J.D. realizes the flaw in that approach.
Consequently, in the end, J.D. has to give Asher a reality check and make him understand that while helping patients is important, they can’t go above and beyond for every case. This sends the young intern into a slump, compelling him to reconsider his entire career trajectory. Therefore, instead of committing to either extreme, J.D. decides on a middle ground. He pulls some strings and uses his contacts in the concierge doctor world to get sample medications for Asher’s patient. Once he restores the young man’s hope by allowing him to help out his patient, he also makes him understand how this job requires sacrifice, and they can’t always solve everyone’s problems. Still, it’s important to never let the job make them jaded. Afterward, he skips his own welcome dinner party to talk to the insurance company and settle things, showcasing his commitment to his new position.
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