The writers’ strike and a variety of other factors seem to have hurt the storytelling ability of “Scrubs,” but the comedy still remains. The complete seventh season of the long running series comes to DVD in an abridged version as the strike cut the season a few episodes short leaving us with only 11 episodes rather than the traditional 24. This might not seem like that big of a deal when it comes to storytelling, but when you never know if the next script will be the last and you don’t know for how long you will be on air, it probably becomes pretty hard to stay focused on the topic at hand.
Among the few problems the seventh season has in terms of story, the most glaring is Sarah Chalke’s character Elliot Reid. There is an obvious attempt being made to portray her as a more professional doctor as she shows continual signs of growing up. However, the show continues to paint her as an airhead far too often and this is the first season I can remember them focusing so much attention on her breasts. I am not complaining, because Chalke is a beautiful woman, but those low-cut v-necks don’t really go well with the character they are trying to turn her into. It may not seem like a big issue, and considering this is a sitcom it is quite a silly thing to say, but as with all sitcoms this show has always had a flair for the dramatic and with Elliot bouncing around from professional to dimwit, not to mention the tension between her and J.D. (Zack Braff), can become rather distracting.
However, as much as Chalke’s character has problems this season, Donald Faison’s role as Turk is the true highlight. The best example would be a later episode where it is revealed Turk had to have a testicle removed and J.D. has a fantasy in which they planted the testicle and grew another Turk. That scene was a definite bonus, just as is almost any scene involving The Janitor and his constant attempts to torment the hospital staff. Come to think of it, J.D.’s fantasies this season are a definite home run, such as another where he imagines The Janitor and Ted the hospital lawyer play bosom buddies of sort with an adopted kid in a made-up sitcom he calls “Legal Custodians.” That was a good one.
As I said already, this season is only 11 episodes long, but from what I understand it isn’t the end of the show altogether. I believe it is set to return to ABC in January 2009 for an eighth season, but its time on TV after that is apparently unknown as the eighth season is certainly Braff’s last season. Sarah Chalke has hinted she may be up for more though. So who knows.
As for what else this DVD offers you get audio commentaries on each episode, deleted scenes, bloopers, alternate takes, an interview with Ken Jenkins (Bob Kelso) and a 17 minute making-of feature centered on the season finale “My Princess,” an episode in the same vein as The Princess Bride, and an episode I didn’t particularly enjoy at all.
Overall, I have been rather harsh on this disc, but it isn’t as bad as I may make it sound. I don’t think there is an episode of “Scrubs” you shouldn’t own. I personally own six of the seven and return to them often as a good source of mindless entertainment to fall asleep to as I watch disc after disc.
