Quick spoilers for "Scrubs" and the "Earl" finale coming right up...A very frustrating "Scrubs," I thought. I feel like the writers put the J.D./Elliott thing permanently to rest around the time he made her dump Scott Foley, so having him get jealous again seems both tired and out of character. If it was just J.D. being envious that all of his friends and colleagues are paired off while he's still alone, that'd be one thing, but this is more Elliott-specific, and that doesn't work. Also, while I love Elizabeth Banks elsewhere, the writers haven't known what to do with her since her first appearance, so I'm not too excited to have Kim back.
Kelso as a pimp was funny, and the Old M.C. joke was one of those Letterman things that started off vaguely funny, got beaten into the ground, then somehow became funny again about 10 minutes later. Dr. Toilet, on the other hand? Never funny, especially not stretched out to a length previously reserved only for J.D.'s Floating Head Doctor fantasies. Yikes.
Meanwhile, "My Name Is Earl" ends its second season with an interesting cliffhanger: Earl's in prison (with Ralph as his cellie), with The List and his newfound adulthood all locked away from him. Does season three turn into some kind of extended "Oz" parody, do the writers do a "Galactica" time jump to Earl getting released and back to his criminal ways, or does he escape and run to Mexico to hang with John Leguizamo?
This wasn't my favorite episode of the season (though Randy's "WOO-HOO!!!! ROBBING THE DEAF!!!!" was a highlight), but I have to give Greg Garcia and the other writers props for their willingness to shake up the season one formula, to have Bad Earl occasionally creep into the present-day action, to occasionally make The List be besides the point, etc. It's been a much less predictable, and usually funnier season, even though the ratings don't reflect that. (I blame the move to 8 o'clock, a timeslot that's becoming increasingly tough on all scripted TV.)
What did everybody else think?
At least there will be some drama in Scrubs finale next week. Otherwise what would they have done? Ooooohhhh Elliot has to plan a wedding in two months. Yawn. I agree that JD wanting Elliot when he can't have her is played out and Kim never really made sense but they needed something.
ReplyDeleteDr. Toilet was never funny but they had to fill a supersized episode.
As for Earl. The cynical TV viewer in me says Ruby will do some fancy lawyering and get him out. Ruby is portrayed as a smart lawyer wouldn't she have asked Earl about all of the problems he and Joy had when they were married since she had to know they would come out in court? Also, I did not like sappy Earl talking about how Joy had a family that needed her and he didn't. What about Randy? No way he can afford a 2 BR apt working as a Docker. What happens to him?
Yeah, this was pretty awful. The Dr. Toilet sketch would have been okay if it were a few seconds long.
ReplyDeleteAnd can anyone else tell me why Kim would drive herself all the way to California (I think that's where the hospital is supposed to be, right?) when J.D. didn't meet her at the bar? I thought his anger at her was really childish.
Yeah, she screwed up. But this woman is pregnant and alone carrying your baby. Would you really just take off and be all pissy about it? You could be mad at her, but wouldn't you suck it up and help her for the sake of your child? J.D.'s a better guy than that. At least, I thought so.
The leftover Elliot feelings make no sense to me. I, too, would rather have him lament about being alone in general...not pining after Elliot after I thought he'd pretty much gotten over her.
I think the ability of the My Name Is Earl staff to keep shaking up its formula has been amazing and I can't wait to see what they do next year. As for Scrubs, this was decidedly its most disappointing season (regardless of what happens next week) and once again I think Ken Jenkins has been the show's MVP for this season. All I hope is that there is some sort of resolution since its future is iffy. I'd hate to see the show end on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved.
ReplyDeleteCount me in with those who are not too happy with the direction of Scrubs these past few episodes either...but I would pay a lot of money to have that portrait of Kelso hanging over my fireplace.
ReplyDeleteI thought Dr. Toilet was funny, albeit too long. But a syndication edit will take care of that. They had to fill time because of NBC's infernal supersizing, which really killed the impact of that bit.
ReplyDeleteOk, I just have to ask: Why is it that, after all these seasons of Scrubs with bald Turk, he finally has some hair and no one ever mentions it?
ReplyDeleteOf all the NBC comedies that are great, I'd say that "My Name Is Earl" is the most consistently well written, not necessarily the funniest, but this last leg of episodes is definitely the most well plotted and surprising.
ReplyDeleteI hope we get at least a little bit of Earl in jail and then do a time jump next year.
I miss floating head doctor. I totally agree that Elizabeth Banks has been VERY underutilized this season.
ReplyDeleteI too would like to know why Turk suddenly has hair.
ReplyDeletewow: me being brief.
--Pam
does anyone have any idea where I could view a clip of the "robbin the deaf" scene? the network site took down the episode after 2 days.
ReplyDeletethx,
stu