Customer Reviews

Scrubs - The Complete Second Season

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Turn on your TV. Watch the same formulaic comedies day after day on the networks. Watch your intelligence quotient begin its downward spiral. Scared? Ok, now turn on Scrubs. Every so often a show comes along that breaks the network formula, and brings a richness to a genre that is sorely lacking in originality. Scrubs is that show, and has been for several years running.

Scrubs hooked me with the very first episode I ever saw. At first I was skeptical. Medical comedy, hmm Ok, there is going to be bad sophmoric humor and haven't we seen medical shows about a million times? Five minutes in, it hit me. This show was actually brilliant; Intelligent, quirky, and sometimes wacky humor coupled with real drama and tearful emotion and writing that continues to amaze week after week. At that moment, Scrubs inherited the void left by Seinfeld's departure as TVs best comedy.

The quirky nature of the writing, especially JD's fantasy sequences, improves in Season 2. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke are far better, and far more comfortable, in their respective roles as JD, Turk, and Elliot than in Season 1. John C. McGinley is bar none the best actor on TV today as Dr. Cox. He becomes a more understandable and likeable character as this season progresses. And of course, Neil Flynn and his fantastically offbeat humor as JD's Janitor nemesis.

The season 1 finale left a lot of questions in the air. Would Carla and Turk resolve their problems and find happiness? Would JD and Elliot fall in love for real or are they destined for friendship? Most importantly, woud the father-son relationship between JD and Dr. Cox ever be the same? Season 2 resolves these questions fairly early, leaving the majority of the season devoted to pure laugh out loud moments and amazing guest stars like Heather Locklear, Tom Cavanaugh, Rick Shroeder, Jay Mohr, and the gorgeous Amy Smart as Tasty Coma Wife. The show seems to be successfully moving away from the gimmicky plot twists and each episode is a neatly comprehensive show. With shorter dramatic arcs, the humor and acting are center stage and the cast and crew sparkle. This set is a solid winner, with plenty of entertaining extras, and is an absolute must have for any Scrubs or TV comedy fan.

Scrubs season two came out on DVD where I live yesterday (Australia) and I have to say that the quality of this box set actually managaes to surpass that of season one. Once again, the special features are entertaining and informative without being too lengthy (perfect for my short attention span). The best short doco is one which features many of the on-set jokes between cast and crew - you really get the feeling that these people don't just turn up and make a sitcom for the money.

While it's disappointing that there are only 22 episodes in season two, as opposed to the 24 from the first season, what is lost in quality is made up for in quantity. Once again we see the janitor (my absolute favourite character) do his best to make JD's life hell, while getting choked up when JD gives him a new mop (of all things!). Music also features heavily in these episodes, with the return of 'Ted's Band' seeing a fantastic rendition of the theme song from 'Charles in Charge'. Check out the extras to see these guys do their own special cover of the Scrubs theme song.

Even the menus are exciting - containing the entire Scrubs theme song, which is seriously catchy (sings) ...but I know, I'm no Superman... (all right I'll stop now). In the episodes themselves, the picture is very clear and the sound is great too, and excellent transfer from the source material. Considering the terrible pattern in which these shows screened in Australia, it's nice to be able to watch them in order as intended. All in all, this is a fantastic set at a great price - where I'm from it's about half the cost of (for example) Simpsons and Frasier box sets. And because Scrubs is just one of those shows you can watch over and over again, it's well worth every cent.

If, like me, you've bought the 1st season of this already legendary show, you're biting your nails wondering is there any way to make November 15th come any faster!

In our pretty jaded age of reality TV and cheap shock-value entertainment, Scrubs is one of the few lights in the darkness in terms of razor-sharp script, character develpoment, laugh out loud moments, superb acting and solid, consistent development of characters from season to season.

This is basically a really long winded way of saying that Scrubs is, quite simply, brilliant. This is one of the few shows in TV history, quite like the Simpsons I suppose, that is so funny you keep expecting to wake up in your bed laughing, realise that a show this good does NOT, in fact exist, and that your world is all the poorer for it! Thankfully that's not the case tho...

Season 2 continues to develop the characters of JD, Turk, Elliot, Carla and the inimatble Dr Cox in a similarly hilarious (and sometimes poignant) fashion as season 1. All the other supporting characters we know and love are back too, and with lots of celebs jumping on board for an episode or two (Scrubs has fast become as fashionable a cameo vehicle as The Simpsons or the late great Friends)

Our heroes are now a lot more experienced and versed in the ways of hospital life, but year 2 brings new challenges. And of course Dr. Cox cares not how experienced they have become, he needs no encouragment whatsoever to dress them down as often as possible!

Season 2 picks up after the bombshell that Dr Cox's ex-wife, Jordan, laid on them all at the end of Season one - Cox's love for Carla (and Turk knowingly witholding that information from Carla!), Elliot's love for JD, JD's brief fling with Jordan herself and other revelations are all waiting in the wings to be continued as Season 2 commences...

The Season 2 episodes list is as follows:

25: My Overkill
26: My Nightingale
27: My Case Study
28: My Big Mouth
29: My New Coat
30: My Big Brother
31: My First Step
32: My Fruit Cups
33: My Lucky Day
34: My Monster
35: My Sex Buddy
36: My New Old Friend
37: My Philosophy
38: My Brother, My Keeper
39: His Story
40: My Karma
41: My Own Private Practice Guy
42: My T.C.W.
43: My Kingdom
44: My Interpretation
45: My Drama Queen
46: My Dream Job

So there you have it. Bets taken now as to how long this show will run for, but barring any of the actors pulling out, this one is already a monster and will run until the wheels fall off; a prediction that I, for one, am thrilled about! Season 2 is still a couple months off but I think I'll pre-order mine now in case they are all sold out!

if you watch this show at all, you don't need to be talked into the DVD. It's worth every penny if you are a fan...otherwise you can always catch it in syndication now :)

If you haven't seen the first season, it won't matter too much, because this is where everything really begins to take a foothold. I said in my review for the first season that Scrubs was the first truly classic 21st century sitcom, and if you didn't believe me when you saw the first season, you'll definitely be changing your tune when you watch the second season. This season isn't as immediate as the first one, mainly because the jokes are so intelligent, humorous, and sometimes subtle that it's easy to overlook them the first viewing. Emotionally, however, this season has a stronger, more mature core, and that's apparent on the first viewing, and the writing has grown as well.

The jokes are definitely more memorable. Everywhere I go now I practically make a reference to jokes on that show (especially when Dr. Cox is trying to come up with another girl's name to call J.D.). I want to meet the guy who came up with the line "...she sent him to surgery where you guys helped him kick that nasty oxygen habit he had once and for all!" because the wit in that one line is just to die for. The visual gags, such as the massive Rerun dance fantasy and J.D. getting a shower of spit from Dr. Cox, leave a mark of originality that most shows lack.

The more dramatic parts coalesce even more than last season. Even episodes that start out quirky end up making the most impact such as "His Story" and "My T.C.W." "My Philosophy" is probably the most emotional episode of the season, made even more so by J.D.'s subdued reaction to a patient's death at the end. Each character has evolved and made even more human. Dr. Cox is the most transformed; he still has the bite and sarcasm that makes him Dr. Cox, but he showed more of the cracks underneath the surface this time around, allowing for an understanding of why he is the way he is. J.D. also has grown; at times his mistakes are hurtful and not as humorous, in short he has become human and not just a humorous focal point.

Enough of me talking about this. Check it out and see for yourself. You'll be doing yourself a disservice if you don't get the second season!

Very good season, probably better than the first. If you like the sarcasm and out of left field comments by Dr. Cox, you will love it.

I got hooked on Scrubs last season and I was so surprised at how original and funny it is. It completely re-wrote the standard comedy format and there's really nothing like it on television. It even made hospitals funny. I'm can't wait for season five but I know it will be worth it.

Scrubs follows the life of Dr. John "JD" Dorian as he tries to make it through life as a doctor. His roommate Turk helps him along the way and he's constantly fighting off his attractions to fellow doctor Elliot. Dr. Coz, the chief of staff constantly gives him advice but most of what he says is trying to hurt him rather than help him. Dr. Cox affectionately gives him the name newbie. Turk's girlfriend Nurse Carla watches out for JD and adds a lot of comic relief. Then there's Dr. Kelso who runs the hospital. Everyone pretty much fears him. Rounding out the perfect ensemble is the Janitor who's had it in for JD ever since the first episode. I have never laughed so hard at a comedy in my life.

Scrubs also deals with some hard issues like death and friendship and it's so powerful that you leave the show touched after those episodes. It's heartwarming, funny, and it has no laugh track. The perfect formula for a great show.

To this day, Scrubs is still one of those shows that is not totally appreciated by the network that airs it, doesn't get huge ratings, but still has a fantastic fan base that truly cares about the show.

In the second season, viewers got to know a lot about the personal lives of the characters, which helped to make them more real and eventually inspired people to really invest in them, which is what makes the fan base so devoted.

Scubs is not like any other sitcom, at least any that I watch. It's odd fantasy sequences are quite unique and the no-studio audience format is quite interesting. There is no laugh track, which leaves you laughing on your own.

And, watching Season two, there were plenty of chances to laugh.

As J.D. (Zach Braff), Elliot (Sarah Chalke) and Turk (Donald Faison) enter their second year at Sacred Heart Hospital, they are certainly bound to take a step up. Instead of being interns, they are now residents, left with more decisions and more responsibility.

John (J.D.) Dorian is the center of the show and the episodes, for the most part, are written from his point of view. He provides the narration for almost all the episodes and the fantasies are usually spawned from his brain. In season two, he wrestles with his feelings for fellow resident Elliot Reed, battles with chief resident Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), sees his best friend Turk get engaged and has numerous romantic entanglements. I will say, that JD gets tons of beautiful women. In this season alone, guest stars that went on dates with him include Amy Smart as the Tasty Coma Wife (A great episode) and Sarah Lancaster as the gift shop girl. But truly, JD is lonely, especially in comparison to his best friend Turk. One highlight of the season is a visit from J.D.'s brother (Tom Cavanaugh). The pair actually look a lot alike.

Turk, in season one, met nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes) and in season two, the pair become engaged. It is revealed in commentaries by the show's creator, that Turk and Carla are a couple they plan on keeping together for the length of the show and they have to work out many problems to get to that point. In season two, Turk's engagement ring gets swallowed by a young patient, Carla's mother dies, Turk's brother (guest star D.L. Hughley) creates havoc on their relationship and they have the typical arguments that come with being newly engaged.

Elliot has problems of her own, ranging from battling her feelings for JD to exploring other relationships, mainly with nurse Paul (guest star Rick Schroder). She finds herself cut off from her father's money, forced to live in a truck for a while and then crashes on Turk and JD's couch. She is a nervous wreck for the most part, but at the same time she is a competent doctor, who just needs to get her personal life in check.

As Dr. Cox, McGinley is superb. His long rants and diatribes are hilarious to listen to and the way he chooses a different girls' name to call JD every time he speaks, is pretty funny as well. In this season, he reunites with his ex-wife Jordan (Christa Miller), who is pregnant and eventually delivers, his baby. A highlight of the season was the episode where Cox narrates, taking over from JD's usual role. It is insightful to hear from someone else every now and then. He also has a relationship with a pharmaceutical rep, played to perfection by Heather Locklear.

Ken Jenkins adds a bit of meanness as Chief of Staff Bob Kelso. He constantly berates Dr. Cox and is always looking for a resident or intern to pick on, often settling on Elliot or JD. His pompous attitude creates a lot of friction between himself and other members of the staff, but that leads to a lot of great comedic moments.

Neil Flynn is added to the regular cast as the nameless janitor. According to commentaries with the show's creator, Flynn ad libs most of his lines. His incessant picking on JD is quite funny and really, I find the janitor to be the funniest character on the show. I love it when he pretends to be a doctor, or just finds inane ways to pick on JD.

As far as extras go, this set is great. There are a number of commentary tracks with creator Bill Lawrence and various cast members. There are a number of featurrettes, one dealing with guest stars, another with music. There are deleted scenes and outtakes and a one-on-one interview with John C. McGinley, which is quite interesting. I found the commentaries to be quite informative and a very welcome addition to the set.

All in all, a great set of a show that has yet to be truly appreciated by the networks and even by some television fans. This is quality comedic television.

Like many people out there, I caught on to Scrubs during season two. Back in May I bought the season 1 set and it is without a doubt the best season package of the year. It's creative design on the DVD menus, discs, and packaging have yet to be rivaled and it is so packed with bonus features that it has set up nearly impossible standards. I have no doubt that season two will be just as phenomenal (but hopefully with better cover art) and I can't wait to see the episodes again. This is one of those TV shows that gets better as the years go on, not worse. I'm also extrememly happy with the quick turn-around time for release of the second season, thankfully we don't have to wait a whole year, and hopefully the other seasons will be released quickly also.

(...)has all the info about bonus materials, if you're too anxious to wait for amazon.com to update.

Scrubs is just a heck of a lot of fun. Each episode is crammed as full as possible of jokes, commentary on humanity and talented comedians doing fresh bits and shenanigans. For your time and money you can bet no better value. Scrubs' writing is superiour--each story interweaves several other stories and brings all together in the end in comedic and occaisionally touching manner.

Once of the best things about Scrubs is that despite the fact that everyone gets made fun of, no-one is ridiculed. An example of this is when Turk starts pointing out who is sleeping with whom, ending up with two men who are sleeping together, rather than have that be the punch line--which would have been a cheap shot--his buddy JD thinks about that a moment and then says sweetly--"Oh, good--Ernesto found someone!"

Overall just have a great time with a wonderful series.