Warning! Spoilers for Scrubs season 10, episode 5 ahead!Scrubs season 10 finally delivered on an early-series flashback scene, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect choice. This recent batch of episodes has quickly become one of the more successful TV reboots in recent history, with fans and critics alike agreeing that Scrubs season 10 hits its mark. It’s truly no easy task, and the medical comedy achieves it only through a very careful balance. Nostalgia is an important tool, but Scrubs doesn’t abuse it.
A common issue with other reboots is the overreliance on footage from the original series. Hitting us with scenes from decades past can be a great way to kick up nostalgia, but it can also feel like a copout. We could all go back and watch these shows again if we wanted to (and many of us do). There’s no reason to waste limited time in new episodes rehashing old moments. Scrubs has been very careful in this regard, and the first few episodes stood perfectly on their own without any unnecessary jumps back in time. However, the revival finally picked its moment.
Scrubs Season 10’s First Big Flashback Scene Couldn’t Have Been More Perfect
In Scrubs season 10, episode 5, “My Angel,” JD decides it’s time to get back out there and start dating following his divorce from Elliot. He notices a pretty girl playing harp in the lobby, and his flirting somehow doesn’t go disastrously. Before too long (and some arguments regarding whether it is or is not against policy for him to sleep with her), JD is back at her apartment.
JD’s “angel” turns out to be a little more wild than he anticipated, not to mention messy. When she tosses a pizza box off the bed, JD is suddenly reminded of that first night he and Elliot spent together back in Scrubs season 1. It was a full night of having sex, eating pizza (in bed), and then having more sex. As JD reminisced, we caught a glimpse of the 20-years-younger Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke in each other’s arms from the 2002 episode “My Bed Banter & Beyond.”
This flashback scene in Scrubs season 10 wasn’t just a fun callback. The memory reminded JD of what dating and romance could be, and he ultimately decided to walk away from this first attempt at getting back in the sack. In essence, it wasn’t just a flashback to a specific moment—Scrubs used a flashback to bring back the familiar will-they-won’t-they dynamic from the original series.
What JD & Elliot’s Flashback Scene Means For Their Scrubs Future
Another common faux pas of TV reboots is the frustrating decision to undo a character’s happy ending. Technically, this is precisely what Scrubs did with JD and Elliot. After years of back and forth, season 8 brought the pair together once and for all. However, season 10 almost immediately revealed that JD and Elliot are recently divorced. It’s a sad development, but it actually works rather well for the Scrubs revival.
After almost a full season of anticipation, the Scrubs season 1 episode “My Bed Banter & Beyond” saw JD and Elliot finally get together, just to break up in the same episode.
Scrubs‘ eight seasons were pretty repetitive, but in the best way. JD and Elliot went on and on in circles until the show came to a close, and they were finally allowed to just be together. Now that the show is back, it only makes sense that these characters would get tossed right back into the cycle. It just wouldn’t be Scrubs if JD and Elliot weren’t all over the place regarding their feelings for each other.
The flashback scene in Scrubs season 10, followed by that expression on JD’s face as he watched Elliot head out the door with another man, officially reestablishes that delicious back-and-forth. Chances are, JD and Elliot will end up back together whenever Scrubs comes to another definitive close. That’s really not the point, though. Their relationship has never been about the destination, but the ride to get there. Scrubs season 10 is allowing us to, once again, ride along.
