Scrubs: The Complete Third Season

BY Cam LindsayPublished Jun 1, 2006

The third season of Scrubs is arguably the most familiar season of the show yet, a point corroborated most recently on the fifth season in an episode that purposely recycles jokes from the show’s past — most of which can be found here. Again, its mix of the kooky, heartfelt and surreal provides the show with its inimitable charm, continuing a lot of the in-jokes that have slayed from the outset (i.e., the janitor’s relentless persecution of J.D.), as well as exploring other comical venues (i.e., the Polyphonic Spree making an appearance to serenade their ill band-mate). J.D. (Zach Braff) continues to wander through hospital life, leaning on his bosom buddy Turk (Donald Faison), seeking approval from the grumpy Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) and most unwisely, continuing to carry a torch for old flame Elliot (Canadian Sarah Chalke). It’s actually Elliot though who undergoes the biggest changes this season, which according to a featurette, was a result of NBC searching for a strong female role model for the show’s viewers. Though it’s the haircut that is the immediate attention-grabber, Elliot grows a backbone and finds that much sought-after love life via Sean (Scott Foley). Again, Scrubs follows an interesting path to its finale at Turk and Carla’s wedding, setting up J.D. to crash and burn once he finally gets what he wants, thus ruining one of his most prized relationships and foreshadowing an interesting fourth season premiere. As we’ve come to expect from Scrubs, the DVD is crammed with a ton of extras that guarantee entertainment. Deleted scenes show that the sitcom’s discarded moments are better than most other sitcoms’ jokes, while a great little study on the show’s frequent use of stunts reminds you of just how underrated the physical side of comedy is. Guest stars get their own featurette, as the season continues its celebrity fanfare, featuring more from the cast of Spin City (including Michael J. Fox as an inspirational doc), attention-seeking sleaze Tara Reid, Erik Estrada and finally, we get to bask in the wonderful end to Brendan Fraser’s run as Cox’s buddy. A featurette on the cast members’ dogs, however, misses the mark. (Buena Vista)

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