Search - Scrubs - The Complete First Season on DVD

Calling Dr. Bambi...

Cubist | United States | 05/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Scrubs is a medical comedy about a group of new interns who are adjusting to the demands of working on the front lines of a busy hospital. There's J.D. (Braff), the idealistic one who also narrates the show, Turk (Faison), the cocky surgical intern and Elliot (Chalke), the goofy ditz whom J.D. has is attracted to, while Turk is drawn to Carla (Reyes), a sarcastic nurse. In his day-to-day routine, J.D. has to deal with the tough and demanding Dr. Cox (McGinley), the gleefully pompous Dr. Kelso (Jenkins) and a mean janitor (Flynn) who delights in tormenting the young intern.

The show has an engaging zany sense of humour reminiscent of early Zucker Abrams and Zucker movies (Airplane!, Top Secret), complete with snappy dialogue and visualizing what J.D. imagines in any given situation. For example, in a moment of complete exasperation and frustration J.D.'s head quite literally explodes. Or, to illustrate the competitive nature with Elliot, we see the two race down a hallway like something out of track and field meet complete with Cheap Trick blasting away on the soundtrack.

The first disc starts off with "Newbies," a featurette where the show's creator, Bill Lawrence talks briefly about how he created Scrubs and incorporated real stories from friends who were doctors. The writers talk about how a season and an episode are constructed. The writers work closely with the actors and play to their strengths. The cast talk about their roles with input from Lawrence.

There is an audio commentary on "My First Day" by Bill Lawrence. Like Arrested Development, Scrubs is a sitcom that only uses one camera which made the network nervous. He touches upon the evolution of the characters and offers some good observations.

Lawrence returns on the commentary for "My Old Lady" with Zach Braff along for the ride. They joke around in this light and engaging track.

Lawrence and actor Neil Flynn provide commentary on "My Fifteen Minutes." Flynn dispels the myth that he adlibs all of his lines and they talk about the colourful extras and reoccurring supporting cast that appear in this episode.

The second DVD features a music video for the show's jaunty theme song, "Superman" by Lazlo Bane in its entirety with behind-the-scenes clips of the show mixed with footage of the band performing.

"The Doctor is In" is a brief featurette with Braff talking about he got on the show despite an awful audition. Braff talks about meeting the rest of the cast and his impressions of them in this entertaining extra.

"Alternate Lines: A Second Opinion" is a nine minute reel of different takes from various scenes by Flynn, Braff and the very funny John C. McGinley.

Also included is an audio commentary on "My Blind Date" by Lawrence and Braff once again. They comment on the performances of the supporting cast and talk about the network's insistence that J.D.'s girlfriend in the episode had to be beautiful.

The third disc features "Not Just Another Medical Show," a featurette that examines how Lawrence wanted to avoid shooting in a studio in favour of on location in a converted, run-down hospital. The show's technical advisors talk about how they try to keep the show's medical jargon and situations authentic.

"Favorite Moments" sees the cast and crew recounting their cherished bits from the show. They talk about how it also deals with real issues in between comedic set pieces and the guest stars that graced the first season.

There is also a four minute "Outtakes Reel," a montage of blown lines and goofy takes that give a little insight into how much fun the cast and crew must have working on the show.

Also included is ten minutes worth of deleted scenes. Sadly, they aren't put in any context so it's hard to figure out what episode they're from. However, there are some really funny bits and it's a shame that they were cut.

There is an audio commentary on "My Sacrificial Clam" by Lawrence and actors Sam Lloyd and Robert Maschio. Not surprisingly, the actors talk about their characters and laugh along with the episode. Maschio provides a lot of the humour on this amusing track.

Finally, there is a commentary for "My Hero" by Lawrence and John C. McGinley. This episode shows Dr. Cox's vulnerable side and fleshes out his character. Contrary to his on-screen persona, McGinley is pretty low-key on this solid track."

The best show on television finally comes to DVD!

Kent Green | Boulder, CO United States | 05/21/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you missed out on the first season of Scrubs or if you're a devout fan such as myself, you should get this DVD. Scrubs is an underappreciated show, despite critical praise, and it's an affront to talent, vision, wit and humor that wastes such as American Idol and Two and a Half Men beat it in the Nielsens (Never mind Grey's Anatomy which basically ripped off the format and upped the drama).

I have a theory why: Scrubs is too smart and too touching; people can't handle it. I think it's the closest this generation has come to M*A*S*H* (and in my personal opinion, Scrubs surpasses that legendary show). Scrubs is able to juggle comedy of all kinds: slapstick, nonsense, parody, running jokes, sexual, racial and visual while balancing complex and thoughtful storylines. The characters develop and age over time; story arcs can take weeks to play out. This is less true in the first season, but you can see the seeds being planted. Never mind that plots can hit like a hammer blow: when guest star Brendan Fraser's character is mistakenly(?) diagnosed with leukemia, it is not dealt with in a cutesy jokey way; the characters tackle it head-on over two episodes, and we see complex and intricate developments that sitcoms and reality shows can't handle.

In fact, I would argue that this show depicts reality better than those shows. When Turk (Donald Faison) becomes worried about his appearance, he sacrifices everything to lose weight, including spending time with his girlfriend, Carla (Judy Reyes), who he's trying to please by getting in shape. . You have J.D. (Zach Braff) who desperately wants validation and acceptance from his mentor, Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), but the Doctor constantly belittles J.D., who just returns for more (according to the commentary, this scenario also played out in real life between veteran actor McGinley and the younger Braff). Or when all the interns show up for the first day, the fear and awkardness is paralyzing for them, but eventually they come around to have confidence and find their place, although it takes several episodes. These are things everyone goes through in some fashion, and the actors pull it off smashingly.

Of course, the comedy is what makes the show flow. The actors are allowed to improvize and riff, and the free-flowing and natural lines reflect that -- this also makes for stellar deleted scenes and outtakes. Dr. Cox's rants are priceless; Turk and J.D.'s exploration of racial humor jokes deconstructs the nature of political correctness and stereotypes (J.D.:I have a question. Many of today's popular hip-hop artists use strong racial language in their songs ... the "n-word." Now, knowing that under any other circumstances I would never use the word, If I'm singing along with a rap song, and they say it, am I allowed to-- Turk: No.). Zach Braff is able to pull off some fantastic physical comedy, as when Brendan Fraser spins him around, J.D. squeals in glee, then tumbles into a pile of children's blocks. The Todd (Robert Maschio) cannot see women beyond their sexual body parts, and he is so obnoxious and over the top, you can't help but laugh. And there's the menacing Janitor (Neil Flynn), who's sole objective is to torment J.D. ("You look unhapppy. I like that.").

THe Todd and Janitor are just one of several side characters who give the show flavor and flair. They're not just joke props for the main players as might be found in most sitcoms, but rather are given some of the top material; they're also developed, with unique personalities that play out further in later seasons. You have Doug, the perpetually nervous and bumbling intern; Ted, the broken-spirited hospital lawyer; LaVerne, the powerful, independent nurse whom everyone seems afraid of, including the caustic Chief of Medicine Dr. Kelso (also a devilish delight). It almost echoes The Simpsons in terms of a supporting cast.

I could go on for pages lauding Scrubs. It's a refreshing blast of intelligence, heart and humor in an entertainment wasteland. I can no longer watch sitcoms; they seem trite and played-out (save for a very few, such as Frasier and Seinfeld). I hope that people will come around and discover the magic of this show. The first season's DVD release is the perfect way to do so. Buy this: your life will be better for it (except for all the summer days you'll lose staying inside and watching it)."