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How was I supposed to know the Janitor has feelings?Carla

"My Missed Perception" is the sixth episode of Scrubs' fifth season. It was written by Kevin Biegel and directed by series creator Bill Lawrence and aired on January 17, 2006. In the episode, J.D. and Dr. Cox argue over who is Mrs. Wilk's doctor. Turk and Elliot deal with a patient with an unknown issue causing him severe pain, while Carla tries to rally all the hospital staff together for the annual staff picture.

Synopsis[]

J.D. and Dr. Cox are fighting over which one of them gets to treat Mrs. Wilk. She chooses J.D. because he went the extra mile by playing Hearts with her all night. After rubbing it in Cox's face, J.D. gets some bad news: Mrs. Wilk has systemic amyloidosis. When she says "I've had a great life," J.D. thinks she means that she doesn't want invasive treatment and is ready to die. After Ted comes to check if her affairs are in order, Mrs. Wilk replaces J.D. with Dr. Cox, who in turn rubs it in J.D.'s face for giving Mrs. Wilk "the ol' death sentence." Cox also takes J.D.'s patients and his stethoscope as a trophy. Later on, Dr. Kelso tells J.D. that just because he thinks that Mrs. Wilk is old enough to die, doesn't mean that she thinks so (a point later backed up by Dr. Cox). J.D. apologizes to Mrs. Wilk.

Elliot has a chronic pain patient, Mr. Peele, and has no idea what is wrong with him. So, she turfs him to surgery, where Turk performs exploratory surgery and also cannot find any medical reason for his pain. The two doctors are in the cafeteria when Mrs. Peele finds them and asks why her husband is being discharged. Turk and Elliot had given up on him and were starting to think that the pain was all in his head. But they decide to do the right thing and tell Mr. Peele that they are keeping him at Sacred Heart until they can figure out what is causing his pain.

Carla is in charge of the annual staff photo, which has proven over the years to be unpopular. This year is no different, as all the staff refuse to be a part of it. Carla tricks them into participating by paging all of them, saying that the thing they want most in the world is in the hospital parking lot ("a booby touching booth" for The Todd; J.D. getting his ass kicked for Dr. Cox). The picture is taken, but at that moment, Janitor shines a mirror into the camera lens and the picture doesn't come out. Carla knows Janitor is the culprit and asks him why he would sabotage the photo when she didn't even make him be in it. Janitor turns out to be the only one who actually wanted to be in the photo, and when the time comes to do it again, Carla invites him. This time, everybody assembles for fear of the Janitor.

Recurring Themes[]

Fantasies[]

  • Turk searches a patient's body in the style of Indiana Jones, as it is exploratory surgery.
  • J.D. imagines one of the scenes of Dr. Acula: Dr. Acula bites a patient's neck, drinks her blood, spits it into a vial, and tells Keith to take the blood to the lab and have it tested.
  • A rainstorm occurs over the table J.D. is sitting on, because feeling guilty "is like having a rainstorm over your head."

Janitor Story[]

  • The Janitor starts his day with a bath on the roof, and when Todd tries to get in, the Janitor gives him a four story atomic wedgie off the side of the hospital.
  • He puts tiny wheels on Dr. Kelso's shoes.
  • The Janitor ruins the hospital's staff photo as he isn't invited in it. Carla eventually tells him he can be in it.

Episode Running Gags[]

  • J.D. takes a bite out of every single muffin in a gift basket. He calls the combined taste "blueberry-cran-carrot-zucchini-poppy seed-chocolate chip." Later, Dr. Kelso finds a fruit basket, J.D. having taken a bite out of every fruit inside. J.D. is then shown with a mouthful of "apple-pear-orange-banana-cherry-berry."
  • J.D. uses the phrase "jambalaya" to try to change the subject after Dr. Kelso and Mrs. Wilk each ask him how old he thinks they are.

Guest Stars[]

  • Gary Busey as Himself
  • Michael Learned as Mrs. Wilk
  • Sarieha Alsawaf as Sexy Patient
  • Bernard Bruce as Old Man
  • Peter Choi as Sushi Chef
  • Thomas Crawford as Mr. Peele
  • Mary Pat Dowhy as Mrs. Peele
  • Brian Hawley as Husband
  • Greg Allen Johnson as Mr. Bursick
  • Beverly Polcyn as Dyslexic Woman (as Beverly Polycyn)
  • Ric Sarabia as S&M Guy
  • John Serembe as Mr. Jenkins
  • Jordan Zucker as Lisa

Music[]

  • "These Photographs" by Joshua Radin
  • "To the Woman" by Tammany Hall NYC

Quotes[]

The thing is guys, it doesn't matter if he's a homeless guy or some senile old racist.J.D.

Which people do I hate again?Mr. Bursik
Immigrants, Mr. Bursik. You hate all immigrants.

[Later on]

Dr. Dorian, why do I hate all...Mr. Bursik

Because they're stealing all of our jobs, Mr. Bursik. Stealing all of our jobs.J.D.


...and then Turk says what every surgeon says when he's not sure of what to do...J.D.'s Narration

Hm... mind if I slice you open?Turk


Carla, I don't photograph well. On my driver's license, I look like Gary Busey.Elliot


I've predicted a couple of things over the years. The kitchen fire of '97, the kitchen fire of '98, the arson conviction of Luis the fry cook and of course the eventual termination of the hospital's "Convicts to Cooks" program.Janitor


Do you have any family, Mrs. Wilk?J.D.

No. I was married twice. Divorced one, the other one died. Wrong one died.Mrs. Wilk


Why would you ruin this for me? I mean, I didn't even ask you to be there!Carla

Imagine that. I been working here thirteen years, and I guess I don't rate as part of the family.Janitor


Agh! My screenplay!J.D.

Hey, sport!Dr. Kelso
You just lit your pipe on my title page!


I thought you were trying to kill me.Carla

I fought the urge.Janitor
How was I supposed to know the Janitor has feelings?Carla

Trivia[]

  • This is the first episode to mention Dr. Acula.
  • This is the only episode where Elliot calls Turk "Turkelton."
  • Gary Busey is credited as a "Special Appearance."
  • Gary Busey wears a name tag with Elliot's photo.
  • The "Elliot looks like Gary Busey" joke is used again a few episodes later in "My Buddy's Booty."
  • During the opening sequence, where you can see between the floors, you can see rats. This may be a reference to the fact that the Janitor doesn't actually clean very much.
  • When J.D. and Dr. Kelso are talking on the bench, Dr. Kelso says that he is 57. In the Season 7 episode "My Growing Pains," this is shown not to be true as he has been lying about his age for years.
  • In each of the previous three years of staff photos, Todd is wearing the exact same banana hammock.
  • When talking to Mrs. Wilk, J.D. reveals that he was born prematurely.
  • The exploratory surgery fantasy is a reference to Raiders of the Lost Ark, including the hat, the "golden tumor" and the "colon darts". Also Turk's line "The colon. Why'd it have to be the colon?" parodies Indiana Jones' "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"

Production

  • The hospital photo shows most members of the Scrubs cast and crew including creator Bill Lawrence; shown on the bottom row, lying down in light blue scrubs. Rowdy is also seen in both photographs in the bottom right corner.
  • J.D. references the near 100 times that Dr. Cox has tricked him, this episode is the 99th episode of Scrubs' original run.

Continuity

  • When the Janitor puts tiny wheels on Dr. Kelso's shoes, Kelso is wearing real roller skates before his fall, while wearing normal shoes with wheels when he lies down.
  • In the scene where Elliot gets help from her dyslexic tracheotomy patient Marsha, the clock on the wall is set to 00:00:00.

Images[]


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