monoceros blogsI started watching "Scrubs" when I was in grad school, around 2005, a little later than when the series first began, but I'd like to think that it's never too late for anything (although I've been proven wrong a number of times). My buddy Noob had given me a bunch of downloads, and I remember breezing through three or four seasons over the summer and then watching subsequent seasons whenever I could, though the screwy streaming videos I watched in Singapore put an end to my regular viewings. Still, I've never forgotten the terrific music selection, J.D.'s weird and wonderful fantasies, his musings, the bro-love he shares with Turk ("chocolate bear"), the heartbreak he experiences, the hurt he causes, Colin Hay's songs, the great ensemble cast, especially the janitor, Perry, and Dr. Kelso. Every episode was a grand treat.
The show has finally ended (it goes on but without the usual cast, so to me, it might as well be the end), and though I haven't had the chance to play catch-up on the seasons I've missed, I couldn't resist reading about the finale. I kind of wish I didn't. Not that anything was spoiled for me, but the accompanying clip was so good, it made me want to purchase all the missing seasons from iTunes just so I could get to this last episode.
I watch another show - "How I Met Your Mother" - which I love as much as I do "Scrubs," and perhaps one of the reasons is the main character. Both J.D. and Ted are endearingly dreamy and hopeful. Haven't we all met someone like them once? Innocent and complex, young and also very old, greedy for but sometimes a little apprehensive of new experiences, frustratingly sensitive on all the wrong occasions, sometimes sunk with disappointment, but always emerging again to chase after clouds and dreams and shadows.
But back to "Scrubs." I like what Margaret Lyons of Entertainment Weekly has to say about J.D. after these eight seasons -
"But understanding and experiencing that suffering isn't the same thing as being defined by it: Is there anyone more resilient than J.D., who despite everything, still thinks this time, his fantasies could come true?"
"The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from...
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know."
~ from The Book of Love, by Peter Gabriel