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45 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
Not as brilliant as previous seasons, but still quite good, August 5, 2007
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
For the past six years SCRUBS has been one of the best yet underrated series on television. Featuring one of the best ensemble casts on TV, viewers have come to love and laugh with and at JD, Turk, Elliot, Carla, Cox, Kelso, the Janitor, Laverne, Ted, the Todd, and Jordan. Many fans complained that this season the formula of generalized insanity that the show had followed for the previous five years was getting old, that much of the humor had a sense of been there-done that. I will grant that the show did not explore much new ground in Season Six, and that some of the new ground explored was not very successful, but with the show's seventh and final season looming ahead, I also believe that the show could say to its fans, in the world of the immortal Bob Dylan, "You're gonna miss me when I'm gone."
In retrospect, we can now see that SCRUBS debuted on television at a very bad time for TV comedy. My own belief is that situation comedies, which have largely dominated television for the past couple of decades, are perhaps the lowest form of television entertainment (apart from most police procedurals). Once SEINFELD left the air we were left with such mediocrities as FRIENDS and EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (a title I was never able to understand). Things would get better shortly as non-sitcoms like ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT and THE OFFICE would emerge. Interestingly, none of the non-sitcoms would achieve the kind of popularity of sitcoms. Why such a dreadful show such as TWO AND A HALF MEN can become far more popular than such pieces of genius as THE OFFICE, SCRUBS, and 30 ROCK either says something bad about the viewing sophistication of the American public or . . . well, no, I guess it just says something terrible about the American viewing public. This is, after all, a nation that failed to embrace ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT, possibly the funniest show American television has ever developed and the only American show that can compete with FAWLTY TOWERS and MONTY PYTHON as the funniest show in the history of TV.
So, if you were a thinking TV viewer (and many of us do exist), SCRUBS was a breath of fresh air in the viewing vacuum created by FRIENDS and RAYMOND. It was funny, outrageous, anarchic, innovative, and brilliantly written and executed. There was no irritating laugh track to interfere with the enjoyment of the show and the humor never felt derivative of other shows.
By Season Six some of the freshness had indeed worn off. Despite its most valiant efforts it had begun to repeat itself. There was a musical episode that was highly touted before the season began, but which I found to be one of the flattest episodes of the season. And there was an utterly baffling episode in which one of the regular characters, Laverne, died after an unexpected auto accident. There didn't seem to be any reason for Laverne's death except to shake things up a bit, but one wonders if it was worth the price. I did enjoy the more or less season-long arc involving the immaculate pregnancy of the doctor JD was somewhat casually dating, played by the marvelous Elizabeth Banks, but it went to some really dark places, first with Banks's character pretending to JD that her pregnancy had miscarried and then with JD flip-flopping when he found out and she asked him to be involved in giving birth and raising the child. It put both characters in a very bad light, made more perplexing in the final shot of the season where JD and Elliot, who herself was on the verge of getting married, while lying on a bed together turn towards each other as if to kiss. Season Seven will begin with the outcome of that little move (series creator Bill Lawrence has stated that he is personally opposed to a resumption of a JD-Elliot relationship, but he conceded he is completely outvoted by the writers).
While I am still definitely enjoying the show, I think the decision to end the series after Season Seven is a good one. I think the show will end with a little bit of gas left in the tank. We'll still enjoy seeing all the members of the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital and we will miss them when they are gone.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Scrubs's Penultimate Season Shines Like The Rest. Scrubs Is Still A Breath Of Fresh Air After 6 Years., October 29, 2007
THE SHOW:
Television is very much like movies in that shows are constantly being churned out, but truly there are only a few good gems out there. Scrubs may be one of the best comedies ever to grace the screen. The characters are all relatable and the stories touch incredibly deep. Better yet is that it's a sitcom that creates story arcs that expand season to season. I hate episodic television where each episode is a new story and whatever happened last week really doesn't matter to what happens this week. Scrubs is different, it is able to create incredibly deep characters and touching stories while stringing it all together with comedic charm. I've been a Scrubs fan from the beginning and season six sets everything up for the final season to one of the best shows I have ever watched.
If you're reading this review I'm going to assume that you too are a Scrubs fanatic who has been watching since the beginning. I really don't want to do a synopsis of the season, but I'll set up what you can expect if you haven't seen the season yet. J.D and Elliot become torn apart into their own separate relationships. J.D accidentally gets a girl pregnant, which was the cliffhanger from season 5. Now J.D must face up to his responsibility even though he may not love the woman who is the mother of his child. Elliot becomes engaged with Keith but seriously doubts whether or not if she loves him. All the while there are the countless side stories with the other characters that you will need to watch the season to experience. Stand out episodes from this season are of course the "My Musical" episode and the "Their Story" episode.
The "My Musical" episode is absolutely a delight mostly because throughout the series the show has done quite a few musical numbers and of course Scrubs is known for its great use of music at the end of the episodes. The creators hired real Broadway choreographers and songwriters to craft the show together and created one memorable episode. The "Their Story" episode is a continuation of episodes that the show does each season where we leave the narration of J.D and look into the mind of one of the side characters. However in this one episode we delve into what the creators call "the third tier" of side characters like Ted and Todd.
I think what a lot of people may notice is that this season felt like it hit a snag halfway through and a lot of people got the impression that this was the final season. In actuality the creators thought this was indeed the final season. We even had an episode that was nothing but a clip-show and we even got an instance where we almost learn the Janitor's name. For anyone who doesn't know, it's always been said that once we learn the Janitor's name that means the show would come to an end. That's also why a major supporting character dies. It really felt like they were closing up shop, but when NBC announced they would hold them for one more season they had to open up the storylines again.
In actuality I felt like the season held up incredibly well despite the slight snag midseason. In no way has the show lost its touch and in no way has the writing ever gotten lazy or dull. Scrubs has been constantly moving headstrong through all its seasons and I am incredibly sad that season 7 will be the last one. I've never encountered a show where I could relate real-life situations to the situations the characters are experiencing in the show. Never have I seen a show that could have me laugh and cry at the same time within the same episode. Scrubs has continually been that breath of fresh air on primetime network television and it's sad that the show could have potentially run for a bit longer despite all the studio quarrels. Scrubs does air on NBC but it's produced by Buena Vista, a Disney company which would make one question why it doesn't air on ABC where it belongs. At least we get a final season so the writers can wrap up the series well.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
Making Of: "My Musical":
This is a great little behind the scenes look at the musical episode. It has interviews with all the main cast members plus all the people brought in to turn the world of Scrubs into a musical.
Judy Reyes Keeps Talking:
If you have the other Scrubs seasons on DVD then you know "Keeps Talking" feature where a cast member sits down for a little one on one interview. Reyes talks mostly about her memories of the show and a little bit about the musical episode.
Deleted Scenes:
The deleted scenes are interesting because the show you the aired version of a scene then show you the original cut of it. Most of the scenes just have added dialogue that clutters a bit or maybe it was cut for time.
Alternate Lines:
The alternate lines featurette is great because it always showcases how the actors bring their own comedic abilities to the table. You will see the final scene then all the alternate lines that the actors come up with.
Practice, Practice, Malpractice:
Okay, so this is the surprising missing special feature. These are the outtakes that are clearly labeled on the back of the box, they've been included with every season, but for some reason they aren't on this set. This is a pretty big screw up and it disappoints me that Disney messed up and forgot to put this feature on yet still labeled it as included.
Audio Commentaries:
This season gives us audio commentaries for each episode and they are great. There is a lot of talking about casting and just the overall execution of the show. You'll hear some stuff about choices made with the characters and overall it's great to see every episode has a commentary now with various cast and crew.
The Third Tier:
A special feature that is not listed on the back of the box is a cool one. Bill Lawrence talks about all the side characters that make up the third tier. These characters include Ted, Todd, Doug, Lloyd, etc. They talk about how the characters have been pretty fleshed out and how they love to continue to give them side stories.
The Debra & Stephanie Show:
This is another special feature that isn't labeled on the back of the box, and no this isn't about the girl names that Dr. Cox calls J.D. This little featurette sits down and talks with the writer of the musical episode and the actress who portrays the patient who hears everyone singing in her head. I think it adds a little too much since we've already heard plenty about the musical episode already.
Easter Egg:
There is a hidden feature on the first menu page of the special features menu on disc three. Look for the cherries and try to highlight them with your cursor. It's basically Bill Lawrence numbering a bunch of potential spoilers for season 7 and then after it all he says "I guarantee 4 of what I said are true". So, if you don't want potential spoilers then don't watch.
Okay, to sum up my issue here. Why would Buena Vista just copy and paste the special features list when there is in fact no Outtakes feature. They also failed to list two special features that are actually on the disc. So, they listed one feature that isn't on and failed to list two features that are on. This is a huge mistake and someone should be fired because of it.
VIDEO:
Scrubs is a show that still hasn't made the switch to widescreen, but it's okay. The 4:3 aspect ratio is pretty good. The Scrubs DVD's don't have the most vibrant transfers, but they are definitely better than what you see when they broadcast.
AUDIO:
The 5.1 track is great because you get all those ambient hospital sounds and it makes it feel like you're in the room with the characters. The 5.1 mix is also great for all the music in the show.
BOTTOM LINE:
Buena Vista screwed up big time with the listing of the special features on the package, but otherwise this is a must own set. I love the amount of special features there are, but I just hate that they screwed up in listing them. Scrubs fans should go out and buy it right now. I'm going to miss this show a lot, and it's going to be bittersweet when it comes time to review the final season on DVD next May.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Disappointing season. So different from the rest., October 21, 2007
WARNING, SPOILERS.
I've watched Scrubs from the beginning. I've even got other people to watch it. I own the first five seasons, but I'm not sure I'll get this one. I agree with some of the other reviewers who said the tone of the show changed. For me, the characters lost their depth, almost becoming caricatures of themselves. JD was pathetic, Cox was mean but in an annoying way. Eliot's indecision about Keith was dumb. And completely unforgivable is the killing off of Laverne, the moral center of the show, and one of my favorite characters. Over the years, she made me laugh so many time with just a word or a look. Even while I was watching the episodes concerning her death, I realized I wouldn't ever watch those episodes again. They just don't fit the show.
I did love the musical show. They tried something different and it worked. Was it perfect? No. But it was one of the few episodes this season that had the Scrubs spark.
Hopefully they get back the magic in season 7.
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