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Who can tell my that my fantasies won't come true, just this once?J.D.

"My Finale" is the eighteenth and final episode of Scrubs' eighth season, and was originally intended to be the series finale. J.D. spends his final day at Sacred Heart Hospital and hopes to find out Janitor's "real" name and Dr. Cox's real feelings toward him. Turk worries over giving J.D. a proper goodbye. Elliot is worried about J.D. being mad over her secretly moving in.

Synopsis[]

8x18morning sex

J.D. asks Elliot for morning sex

Before work[]

J.D. wakes up to his last day at Sacred Heart and can't help but reminisce about his first day. He then ends up waking Elliot for morning sex. At first she refuses but he guilts her into it when he figures out that she is moving her furniture into his new apartment. Upon arriving at the hospital Turk has a banner with "Goodbye J.D." written on it and he has pads set up for J.D.'s final "Eagle!" While spinning around a bleeding man and a woman arrive and Elliot recommends her to another hospital.


Finishing work[]

Inside the hospital, Turk realizes that he may have prematurely given J.D. his goodbye. They agree to hug every time they see each other that day. Carla sees this and tells Turk that she has come to terms with Turk hugging J.D. more than he hugs her. She and Elliot then begin hugging and grinding, much to the pleasure of J.D. and Turk. J.D. spots Dr. Cox and Jordan and gives Perry a present: a pleather-bound collection of all of his rants, organized and ranked by how much they emotionally hurt him. Dr. Cox shares a couple: The only way you could be less productive right now is if you were, in fact, the wall on which you're leaning against. ("My Student") and I suppose I could riff a list of things that I care as little about as our last week of residency: every hybrid car, every talk show, everything on the planet, everything in the solar system, everything, everything, everything, everything, everything, everything, every-everything that exists past present & future, in discovered and undiscovered dimensions! and Hugh Jackman! ("My Old Friend's New Friend") J.D. then attempts for a hug but doesn't get one. J.D. then proceeds to diagnose one of his last patients at Sacred Heart, Mrs. Stonewater. She is delusional and her son Dan Stonewater is concerned. J.D. acts a little loopy but promises to figure out her illness.

8x18reigns

Dr. Cox refuses to take the imaginary reigns

During rounds, J.D. announces to some of the interns that he is leaving. He forces Denise to give him a farewell message, and shoots down Sunny when she gives a legitimate farewell. Dr. Cox arrives to take over rounds, and ignored J.D.'s requests to hand off the imaginary reigns and torch. He is then informed that Mrs. Stonewater has Huntington's Disease, an incurable and genetic brain disease. He breaks the bad news to Dan, and also informs him that he is at risk for the disease.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kelso reveals to Carla and Ted that he has decided to spend his time working locum tenens, a practice that will force him to travel. He takes his last muffin from Donny and thinks about how he will be able to steal a memento from Coffee Bucks.

After getting 'dumped' by a patient on his last day, J.D. heads outside for some fresh air. He mistakes Dr. Kelso's farewell for his own. Dr. Kelso has stolen a table and two chairs from Coffee Bucks and tells him that he shouldn't expect a grand exit from the hospital, but offers his own sincere goodbye and handshake, then drives off. Inside, quickly after being told by Dan that he doesn't want to be tested for the brain disease, J.D. finds Dr. Cox and before he can demand a heartfelt goodbye, Dr. Cox tells him that J.D.'s last day is not special at all to him, which hurts J.D.

8x18 Carla JD

Carla and J.D.'s final moments together

Obtaining Farewells[]

In the ward, Carla tells J.D. that she will miss him. He asks why she was always nice to him and she tells him that it was because he was "Bambi" and needed protecting. J.D. asks her what he can do to repay her, she tells him to tell her if Turk loves her more than J.D. he jokes that its about the same. Later, Ted attempts to tell J.D. goodbye and so does Jordan, but after being nice she picks on Ted. Back in the ward, Dr. Cox yells at Sunny about how to prescribe ibuprofen ("My First Day"). J.D. comments that he functions on a cycle, and realizes in his head that Dr. Cox is just a gruff teacher and has made him into the person he is today. Turk and Elliot then apologize to J.D. for the premature goodbye and moving in. He tells them that it is alright. He then asks Dan why he doesn't want the test, and Dan says that he doesn't want to be held down under any fear of the future.

After finding out the Janitor's real name, J.D. tells Dr. Cox goodbye, and Perry still doesn't give him a sincere parting moment. Sunny then comments that J.D. was just a mediocre doctor, which sparks Perry into ranting about how "John Dorian was the best that ever come through this dump," unfortunately for Dr. Cox, J.D. and Sunny had planned the entire thing and he hears the whole speech. J.D. thanks Sunny for helping him, and gives Dr. Cox a hug. Dr. Cox threatens Sunny, reminding her that she still works there and will pay for her involvement in J.D's plan.

8x18hug

J.D. gives Dr. Cox his final hug

8x18hewasthebest

"Thank you, God. That was beautiful." - J.D.

J.D.'s Exit[]

As J.D. leaves Sacred Heart for the last time as an employee, he thinks back about how many people he has come into contact with. He thinks about family members such as Dan Dorian, co-workers such as The Todd, lost loves such as Jamie Moyer and Alex Hanson, people who passed away such as Jill Tracy and Patricia Wilk. He walks down the hallway to the exit and sees all people that have helped make him into the doctor who he was, all standing in line to say their sometimes strange farewells. At the door, he turns around and realizes it was just a fantasy. After walking through the door one last time, J.D. sees his future projected upon the "Goodbye J.D." banner: marrying Elliot, having another child, spending holidays with the Turks and Coxes, and seeing Izzy and Sammy get engaged. He then comments that his fantasies might come true, just this once.

The banner falls down and J.D. sees a custodian cleaning up at the end of the day. He bids farewell to J.D., seemingly unaware that it is his final day there as an employee. J.D. gets into his car and drives away from Sacred Heart Hospital.

Finale-J.D

J.D. exits Sacred Heart.

Recurring Themes[]

     More: FantasiesFlashbacksJ.D.'s girl namesJanitor's pranks and lies

8x18sitcomending

"They're all gonna die!" Elliot screams while everyone panics as the power fails

8x18ending

Most of the guest stars from the series

Fantasies[]

  • J.D. imagines his leaving would be like the ending of a series finale of a sitcom and turns out the light and hospital power with one switch, causing all electronic medical equipment to go off as well. This causes the staff to go crazy, until J.D. turns it back on (and comments on how ridiculous it is to have one switch controlling all the hospital's power).
  • During J.D.'s final walk down the hallway, he imagines two long lines of most previous speaking-characters from the show, living and dead, wishing him goodbye.
  • J.D. walks out of the hospital for the last time and sees his future projected on his "Goodbye J.D." banner. He watches his marriage to Elliot, life with a pregnant Elliot, and a Christmas spent at the Turks with Dr. Cox and Jordan sometime after Carla and Elliot's respective pregnancies. J.D.'s son (presumably Sam) gets engaged to Turk and Carla's daughter, Izzy. This may not be a fantasy, however, since J.D. says, as he drives away, "Who's to say my fantasies won't come true, just this once?", implying that the future he fantasized about will actually happen. Also, there is no flash like with his other fantasies, further implying that the future he saw will happen.

Flashbacks[]

  • J.D. thinks about his first day at Sacred Heart.
8x18thepenny

Janitor shows the penny that J.D. "put" in the door eight years ago

Janitor story[]

Janitor reveals he has kept the penny that jammed the door on J.D.'s very first day and spends the episode trying to get J.D to admit that it was his fault. After using Denise in a poorly-acted reenactment, Janitor finally gets J.D. to confess, revealing that the penny fell out of his pocket into the door, causing the jam. Janitor reveals that he saw the entire event and that his 8 years of torment was punishment for J.D. failing the test of character.

Later, J.D. finally inquires about Janitor's real name, which turns out to be Glen Matthews. Janitor tells J.D. that all he had to do to find out his name was ask. After J.D. says his farewell and walks away, an orderly walks by and calls Janitor "Tommy".

Future of the characters[]

Scrubs_The_Book_of_Love_(HD)

Scrubs The Book of Love (HD)

J.D.'s final fantasy.

At the end of the episode, J.D.'s and his friends' future is shown across his leaving banner as a figment of his imagination, although he considers "Who's to say my fantasies won't come true, just this once?", suggesting that his future may in fact happen like he imagines. On his banner, the following things are shown:

  • J.D. and Elliot's marriage.
  • Elliot is pregnant, and J.D. pretends to be scared when he feels the baby kicking.
  • J.D., Elliot, Jordan and Dr. Cox all join Carla and Turk for Christmas, along with their children.
  • Dr. Cox grudgingly walks into a hug with J.D.
  • Isabella Turk and (presumably) Sammy Dorian announce to Turk and J.D. that they are engaged, causing J.D. to faint.

Guest Stars[]

In J.D.'s last fantasy[]

8x18ending

J.D. walks further along the corridor

Music[]

     List of music featured in Scrubs

  • "Snow ((Hey Oh))" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
  • "The Book of Love" by The Magnetic Fields, performed by Peter Gabriel
  • "Superman" by Lazlo Bane, performed by The Blanks

Quotes[]

Well long days are like pancakes... Admit it!Janitor


You were Bambi, someone had to teach you how to walk.Carla's goodbye


For the record he was the best that ever came through this dump. John Dorian was the first and only doctor I ever met who cared as much as I do, and you can forget about him being just an exceptional physician. Because the fact of the matter is, he's a damn exceptional person. That's why people gravitated toward him, that's why I did. He was my friend.Dr. Cox on J.D.

Thank you, God. That was beautiful.J.D.
Oh God no.

It's okay, Perry. You just said how you feel. Honestly, I am so full of your love right now, I literally couldn't take another drop. Brace yourself, I'm coming in.
[J.D. hugs Dr. Cox]
You smell like a father figure.


I guess it's because we all want to believe that what we do is very important, that people hang on to our every word, that they care what we think. The truth is, you should consider yourself lucky if you even occasionally get to make someone - anyone - feel a little better. After that, it's all about the people that you've let into your life. and as my mind drifted to faces that I've seen here before, I was taken to memories of family...J.D.

Hey, little brotherDan Dorian
Of co-workers...

Goodbye five! From the big dog!Todd
Of lost loves...

You never called.Jamie Moyer
I miss you.Alex Hanson
Even of those who have left us.

There you are!Jill Tracy
Hi tiger.Patricia Wilk
And as I rounded that corner, they all came at me in a wave of shared experience.

Keep it holy, Q-tipLaverne
Boing Fwip!The Worthless Peons
I broke my penis again, but this time it was fun.Mike Davis
Take care, bra! Take real good care.Lloyd
I didn't kill her.Dr. Mickhead
Way to leave a cherry gig, bra.Randall Winston
I got me some white meat.Leonard
Key party later. There'll be prostitutes.Dr. Zeltzer
Did you ever go on that picnic? Make sure you do.Mrs. Tanner
I hate you so much J.D.Lonnie
It's like a baguette.Dr. Steadman
Hooch is crazy.Hooch

Trivia[]

8x18 Elliot Carla hug
Production
  • This is the last episode of Scrubs to feature Judy Reyes.
  • The entire regular cast and nearly all the supporting cast appear in this episode. Several recurring characters (alive and dead) also have cameos during J.D's final walk out of the hospital. Doug Murphy is the only supporting character not to appear in this episode.
  • Brendan Fraser was busy with a movie and couldn't appear in the final scene. Masi Oka and Sarah Lancaster were prevented by NBC contracts with Heroes and Chuck, respectively.
  • Tom Cavanagh, who plays Dan Dorian, took a long plane journey just to get one short line in the episode.
  • Series creator and showrunner Bill Lawrence makes an appearance in the final scene. He portrays the custodian who rips down the "Goodbye J.D." banner.
  • The doctor who says "adiós" (goodbye) to J.D. as he leaves the ICU is the "real J.D.", Dr. Jonathan Doris, upon whom the show is loosely based.
  • Zach Braff was holding the camera for the close up of J.D.'s face during his "Spinning Eagle".
  • This is the only hour-long episode of Scrubs.
    • The episode was split in two parts on DVD, ABC.com, Hulu, Netflix and syndicated reruns, but aired as an hour long single episode when it originally aired on ABC.
    • There have been multiple "super-sized" episodes including "My Way Home" and "My Catalyst". "My Soul on Fire" was split into two episodes.
  • This is the last episode to take place at the old Sacred Heart Hospital set, filmed at the now-demolished North Hollywood Medical Center. The series was relocated to Culver Studios for production of Season Nine.
Reception
  • The episode won nearly universal positive reviews from critics (examples include the reviews by Examiner.com, EW.com, TV Squad, Moviehole, iFMagazine, and KorbiTV); elements singled out for particular praise included the reveal of Dr Cox's true feelings for J.D. and the entire finishing sequence.
  • Fans universally praise and celebrate this episode as a satisfying and fulfilling series finale of Scrubs. On IMDb, the second part of this episode is tied with Season Three's "My Screw Up" as the highest-rated episode with a score of 9.7, while the first half is tied for 6th with a score of 9.1
References
  • Bill Lawrence revealed on his blog that J.D. and Elliot's dialogue in bed at the start of the episode was taken exactly from the pilot of his other show, Spin City.
  • The Ibuprofen scene has a similar scene in the first episode of the series, with Sunny instead of J.D. The drug here is named by its accepted generic name, not the brand.
  • Dr. Kelso's theft of the Coffee Bucks table mirrors how he stole his portrait when he quit his Chief of Medicine job. ("My Dumb Luck")
Janitor's real name
  • There was a lot of confusion about Janitor's true name. Most people did not believe it was "Glen Matthews" due to Janitor's persistence to lie, and because the orderly called him "Tommy".
    • When Bill Lawrence visited his alma mater, The College of William and Mary, in January, 2009, he spoke about the Janitor's real name and said, "And the only clue I ever gave those insane fans was that his name is the same as the name of the janitor on Clone High." The name of the Janitor on Clone High is Glen.
    • Bill Lawrence later confirmed on Facebook and Twitter that his real name is "Glen Matthews".
Continuity errors
  • The penny Janitor claims to be the one he found in the door on J.D.'s first day couldn't have been due to the fact that it was dated 2006. However, this probably was an error on the part of the director. Alternatively, the Janitor could simply have been lying about that being the same penny.
  • In this episode, J.D. has his "final" eagle, yet in the Season Nine premier "Our First Day of School" and "Our Mysteries" Turk gives J.D. eagles.


Images[]



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