Product Description

This half hour comedy focuses on the bizarre experiences of fresh faced medical intern John JD Dorian as he embarks on his healing career in a surreal hospital crammed full of unpredictable staffers and patients, where humor and tragedy can merge paths at any time.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1072 in DVD
• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 414 minutes

Features

• SCRUBS: THE COMPLETE 8TH SEASON (DVD MOVIE)

Amazon.com
The first episode of Scrubs' final season ends with a sly kicker in which Zach Braff's J.D. rallies his colleagues as they enter their eighth year at Sacred Heart. "It's tempting to just mail it in," he states, "but there are still a lot of people who rely on us week to week. I think we owe it to them to be as inspired as we were in our first few years. I still think we're as good as anybody else out there." Indeed, Scrubs goes out at the top of its game. "People don't change, relationships don't change," the super-friendly but soulless new Chief of Medicine Taylor Maddox (a game Courteney Cox) proclaims at the end of her all-too-brief three-episode arc. How wrong she is. J.D. and Elliott (Sarah Chalke) become a couple again without too much drama. Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and his dread ex-wife (Christa Miller) likewise declare their love for each other. Cox even forms a grudging friendship with his former nemesis Dr Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who in retirement has become a fixture in the hospital cafeteria where he takes full advantage of free muffins for life. Sad sack lawyer Ted (Sam Lloyd) and J.D.'s enigmatic tormentor Janitor (Neil Flynn) find someone to love, and Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) prepare for their second child.

Things are different on the job front as well. Dr. Cox assumes the mantle of Chief of Medicine and struggles not to be overwhelmed by the bureaucracy. Bringing the show full circle, there is the next generation of interns (spin-off, anyone?) who test their mentors' patience. Eliza Coupe is a standout as Denise, who has a problem with compassion ("It's ironic that cancer starts with 'can'," she tells one patient). J.D.'s signature reveries aside, the final season goes easy on the fantasy. This season's Very Special Episode is a two-parter that takes the cast to the Bahamas for Janitor's wedding. Will Janitor finally reveal his name? Will Dr. Cox express his true feelings for J.D.? "Endings are never easy," J.D. muses in the finale. "I always build them up so much in my head, they can't possibly live up to my expectations, and I just end up disappointed." That will not be the case for loyal viewers who have stuck with Scrubs through thick and thin, NBC and ABC. If you're not moved by J.D.'s final walk through the halls of Sacred Heart or his home-movie vision of the future, then get yourself a heart transplant stat! --Donald Liebenson

Customer Reviews

A great wrap up to a splendid series
Warning! Some spoilers ahead!

Although the past few seasons SCRUBS had descended slightly from the levels it had achieved in its first few brilliant seasons, its final season managed to recover afair amount of its previous charm. Buoyed by several new interns there was some fresh blood in the cast and there were a lot of nice storylines to keep the interest up. There was an expected resolution of JD and Elliott's story. And we even sorta, kinda learned (maybe) the Janitor's name (Tony).

There is some talk that there might be either a Season Nine of SCRUBS, with significant cast changes. But I hope that doesn't take place. Better to have a show go away with some gas in the tank than have it continue on fumes.

Season 8 saw a lot of major changes. With Bob Kelso gone and no longer head of surgery, Perry Cox becomes the new head of Sacred Heart. Ted actually finds a girlfriend (a ukulele abusing one to boot). Turk becomes chief of surgery while he and Carla expect their second child. And Janitor finds a woman of his own (known as "Lady") and gets married. But the biggest changes involve JD and Elliott. They get back together and unlike in the past, JD doesn't panic at all, but instead delights in being with her, even embracing all her eccentricities. And the final big change involves JD leaving Sacred Heart so that he can live closer to his son (with Elliott sneakily moving in with him by slowly sneaking her stuff into his place). The series began with JD preparing for his first day at Sacred Heart and the series ends with him leaving. And in a cameo that puts one in mind of J. Michael Straczynski's showing up at the end of BABYLON 5 and Ron Moore popping up at the very end of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, SCRUBS' creator Bill Lawrence shows up in the final scene.

I'm going to miss this show. At its best it was one of the most refreshing, inventive comedies on TV. Even at its worst it was at least enjoyable. I'll miss all the characters and I'll even miss Sacred Heart itself. They actually bought a closing hospital in which to film the show and house the production company offices. The result was a feeling of concreteness and reality that none of the dramatic hospital series on TV could fully match, wedded as they were to sets rather than locations. The Sacred Heart grounds were something that they had complete access to, rather than something that they just visited. The cars on the lot were probably those of the actors and production crew. The whole show just seemed at home.

The good news is that we got eight whole seasons. This translates in to lots of DVDs that we can watch and rewatch. The show has ended but it won't really be going away.

Note -- May 15: Well, looks like SCRUBS is going to be back in Season Nine. Though it looks like it won't be quite the same show. Zach Braff and Sarah Chalke will be back for six episodes to provide a transition to new doctors (the interns of Season Eight?) to take center stage on the show. Donald Faison (Turk--though, do we really want Turk without JD?--having Turk go on without JD would seem to belie the joined-at-the-hip mythology of the past 8 years), John C. McGinley (Cox), and Neil Flynn (Janitor) will be back if their new pilots aren't picked up, and I assume the rest of the cast will be back. But I'm not terribly excited at this point about SCRUBS without JD, Elliott, and Turk-on-his-own-without-JD. But I'll give it a try. Also, it undercuts what was a near perfect finale episode. Too bad that won't be the series finale.

Good Season, Bad DVD
This was a season which returned much closer to the quality of the earlier seasons but that is not what the review will cover.

After 7 years of being aired 1.33:1 full frame while their brethren on NBC were upgraded to High-Def, scrubs finally began airing in 16:9 widescreen on ABC during it's Eighth season. If you picked up this DVD you wouldn't think that because the season is not in it's Original Aspect Ratio of 16:9, but once again in a dreary 1.33:1 full frame. This far into the lifespan of DVD there is NO EXCUSE for releasing a title outside of its OAR. It would appear this is some manner of underhanded ploy to force people to buy the Blu-ray in order to watch this season as intended, and I am very disappointed.

Scrubs Goes Out On Top
Quality has been hard to come by on television over the last eight years. It has often felt to me that Scrubs was the last great thing on TV. Funny, endearing, and able to get to your heart, Scrubs is one of the best sitcoms in the history of television.

Season eight was no exception. The writers and producers made all the right decisions throughout the season and made it one of the best. Bill Lawrence and crew figured out the best direction for all the characters to go in while also making the interns more entertaining than they had been for years. The final episode ("My Finale") is the best show closer, if it is the end, that I have ever seen. They struck a fine balance and also came up with an imaginative way to show what the future might hold for the show's characters.

There has been talk that Scrubs may return in some form next year. I wouldn't be opposed to it, though they have a lot to live up to. It'd be nice to occasionally see JD drop in, as a suspect they'd try to line up guest spots with the original cast. I doubt anyone from the original cast would return, though John McGinley might as Dr. Cox. I would love to see Kelso back as well, but I doubt Judy Reyes, Donald Faison, and all will be back. The interns from this season showed some promise. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

But if Scrubs ended on this note then it ended in peak form.