Archive for Cox
With our illustrious leader away on a covert mission for the state (you didn’t hear that from me), I agreed to step in for this penultimate episode of ‘Scrubs.’ Hopefully, he’ll be back in time for next week’s finale as it may be his last chance. Still no word on the fate of ‘Scrubs’ 2.0 beyond these two episodes; I suspect ABC is holding out just in case ratings go up with the show as part of their successful “ABC Comedy Wednesday” block.
The episode itself was a bit of a mixed bag. I’m still just not able to get into Cole as a character. He’s far too cartoonish for my tastes. At least J.D.’s antics were tempered by the sense that he was a person we could believe in, while Cox showed a vulnerable side underneath all his venom. I’m still struggling to believe in Cole as a sympathetic character.
Luckily, some moves were made to correct that as the episode wound down. Words of wisdom from one Bob Kelso making the difference in that one; what an interesting progression Kelso’s character has had over the seasons.
This new iteration of ‘Scrubs’ is still struggling to find its own identity, even though it’s now probably far too late. They’re so close to finding the perfect balance between douchebaggery and humanity in Cole needed to make him watchable. Cox and Kelso were able to be bigger dicks from the beginning because they were in the roles of foils for J.D. and the original batch of interns so we didn’t need to “root for them,” though many of us did.
I’ve been told I’m overly critical of the Cole character, and I can accept that possibility. Maybe it’s that I’m not seeing much range in Dave Franco, though that could be the limitations of the role he’s been given. He still can make me laugh, though, as I thought his T-Payne rap about his mole (prepared for both results) was spot-on hilarious.
But we’ve been down this “why doesn’t anybody like me?” crap with him before. That’s why it was refreshing to see Kelso show up and sit by him in bed. Kelso’s storyline was surprisingly real, though the ending wasn’t so much. Losing one’s independence in old age is something that so many people experience; I can still remember when my grandmother was stripped of her own ability to drive. It’s a huge blow.
But Kelso was right. True friends will be there even when you’re a dick. You just can’t be a dick all the time. It’s as if Bill Lawrence and the gang realized that the character of Cole needed to be tempered with some decency for people to stand behind him as a character they can like despite his constant jackass demeanor. Yet another case of a course correction for an improving series perhaps too late.
At the same time, when Denise and Cox realized they were both too much alike, while I appreciated the comedic potential in that scenario, I couldn’t help but be struck by how much Drew was like them as well. His speech to the pair of them when he brought them together was delivered in a very Coxian manner, which might have been intentional but either way seems ill-advised. Especially if you’re going to openly decide two of your cast members are similar.
The big difference between Cox and Kelso through the years was that Cox cared about his patients and his doctors under his gruff demeanor. The difference between Cox and Denise is … gender? One of them can sleep with Cox’s “#1?” Well, I guess technically it’s possible for — you know what? I’m just going to leave it. Let’s leave that right there.
It is a disappointment that the new ‘Scrubs’ seems to have been a failure on launch. If it had truly been launched as a spin-off series, a la ‘Frasier,’ it may have stood a better chance as the audience would have been better prepared for the stark differences from last season to this one. Unfortunately, it looks as if time has run out on ‘Scrubs’ with only one more week remaining.
After an amazing not-series finale last season for ‘Scrubs,’ I’m definitely intrigued to see what they bring to the screen with next week’s installment, ‘Our Thanks.’ It’s certainly a title worthy of a series finale, and you have to imagine Lawrence knew the writing was on the wall going into this one. Hopefully, it can at least provide a bit of closure for these new characters.
Watch ‘Our Driving Issues’ Episode Online
Just like with Better Off Ted, there doesn’t seem to be any sign that the final two episodes of Scrubs are going to air any time soon. One was supposed to air tonight, but got yanked. One might air next Wednesday, but evidence is conflicting.
If this is the last episode we see, then, that’ll be a shame, because this was the best one of the season. We saw a lot of growth by all the characters, even the ones that we’ve seen on our screens for nine years. But mostly, we saw exactly what the new Scrubs could be if given time: a great ensemble comedy that brings the funny on a consistent basis.
What did I like about the episode?
– Drew asserting himself as a true leader, with Cox’s help. It really looks like Cox is taking a shine to his number one, to the extent that he’s giving Drew lessons that go beyond medicine. We’re seeing a new side of Cox, too, one that doles out compliments along with his patented shaming method of leadership. Also, we know what makes him smile: the prospect of putting his students through Hell Week.
– Lucy getting a spine. Sure, she picked on Trang, the smallest one in the group, but she had to assert herself somewhere. “It’s getting froggy in here. Want to jump?” was one of the funniest lines I’ve ever heard her utter. Now if they just got rid of her narration (it’s almost gone), we’d be in good shape.
– Turk can be humbled. We’ve seen it before, of course, but as chief of surgery, we knew that we were going to see his ego go out of control at some point. Sure, as Kelso mentioned, Dr. Dennis is a “douche,” but sometimes you need to suck up to help the greater good. It was also fun to see Turk try to break out his dance moves and pull a muscle. Those days of busting a move to Bel Biv Devoe’s “Poison” are long gone, aren’t they?
– Denise being human and Denise, all at the same time. While she was trying to help Turk get back his dignity with the whole Dennis argument — she called him a “little girl bitch” — she was dealing with her feelings for Drew. Now, I wonder if the writers wrote about how Denise’s throat would close when stressed to explain whatever hoarseness Eliza Coupe showed up with that week, or if it was just a coincidence. But it was interesting to see her own Hell Week psychotic break in a flashback.
– The Trang / Maya pairing has a history: Maya’s mom dated tennis champ Michael Chang. That family seems to be drawn to overachieving Asian men, don’t they?
– The Todd wanting scrubs that hugged his privates better. Always good to hear from The Todd.
What didn’t I like? Not much. Cole was Cole. He’s OK when treated mostly like he was in this episode, where he was mostly just comic relief. As others have mentioned, it seems like this role would have gone to Aziz Ansari if he didn’t take Parks and Recreation last season, since Cole seems to be almost the exact same character as Ed, only Aziz did a better job with it. So Ed would maybe be an intern all over again and Cole would have morphed into someone else. Not sure.
To see the show improve every week at this point is encouraging and disheartening all at once, but it also proves once again that, in the right hands, many comedies will improve from a shaky start. Not sure if ABC will give this version of Scrubs a chance, but if they don’t, at least we’re ending on a high note.
Watch “Our Dear Leaders” Episode Online
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After last week’s seemingly out-of-order interlude with J.D. and Elliot, we’re back to the purity of following the med students around, and I have to say, this was the best of those episodes to date.
Given the proper elbow room, you can see even some of the more one-note characters, like Lucy and Drew Cole, grow and change. And, given the fact that even Bill Lawrence thinks it’s a 70/30 shot against renewal, it’s a bit of a shame; episodes like this make me want to get to know these characters a little more and follow them through their med school trials and tribulations.
Again, the pacing of the episode was slower, and we didn’t see as many flashbacks and fantasy sequences. Which is fine with me; I want to get to know these characters with regards to how they interact with each other, not how they fantasize.
So the cheating scenario, where Cox keeps everyone from that med student study group in the same room until one of them admits to cheating on the exam, was very helpful in that regard. Nothing like having all the main characters in the same room for an extended period to see how everyone bounces off each other. It’s why there always seems to be one bank robbing / hostage scenario episode on every show.
Here’s what we learned: Lucy is overwhelmed, and she chews her hair when she lies, among other things. Drew Cole is actually noble, willing to take the hit for Lucy, especially because everyone expected him to be the cheater, anyway. Hottie Maya really, really has the hots for brainiac Tran (“You’re smothering me” might be the funniest line in the episode).
Finally, all the students are going to pull for each other because med school is tough enough and they all feel overwhelmed — and Drew is the king of second chances. So they’ll take Cox’s wet re-exam that probably asks who won the 1952 World Series, mainly because they all know they could have been the ones cheating.
I’m really liking Drew and Denise as a couple. Interesting how it was Lucy, horse lover and Denise’s polar opposite, that finally convinced Denise to reciprocate Drew’s “I love you.” Though even Cox is afraid of Denise’s “murder eyes,” people are starting to see the normal, vulnerable person underneath. Yes, it’s a shocker that Denise is capable of love, but if she can match up with anyone, a guy like Drew, whose parents are convinced is dead, seems to be perfect.
Even the Cox-Turk story was fun, because it’s interesting to see the peer dynamic develop between the two, especially their deal involving lunchtime pages and hip-hop handshakes. Oh, and it was fun to see Nadine Velasquez in any role, even if it’s in a hospital bed. And, good to get some extended face time with The Todd. You knew that with lesbians in the area, it would have been criminal for him to have the day off.
I still don’t know what they’re doing with Ken Jenkins. Kelso is just randomly hanging around the hospital now, talking about the “good old days” when doctors used to talk to their patients? I seem to recall Chief of Medicine Kelso hated talking to patients. Maybe he was more of a conversationalist in those heady, sexual harassment filled days of the sixties and seventies.
Like I said, this one was fun to watch. Hopefully, the last three episodes will build on this.
Watch “Our True Lies” Episode Online
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It was good to see an episode that had a bit more of a balance between the old and the new. Yes, we concentrated a lot on the J.D./Turk “Bro-a-Palooza” and Ted’s departure from Sacred Heart. But we also got a fair amount of the students working together.
Do Lucy and Cole still need a little bit more of a personality infusion? Sure. But it’s hard to keep up comedically with characters who have been developed over the last eight years. This episode gives me hope that eventually they’re going to be able to stand on their own.
As others have mentioned, we need to see more of Turk away from J.D. We know he can stand on his own as a character, but if he’s going to be one of the significant cast members after Zach Braff leaves in two episodes, we’re going to need to see how he reacts to Cox, the students, Denise, etc. We’ve barely seen him interact with any of them without J.D. around.
Because of the Bro-a-Palooza, there wasn’t one scene where Donald Faison was separate from Braff. And despite how funny the story was — Turk the black cowboy and J.D. the Indian in chaps doing Brazillian fight dancing was priceless — it did Donald Faison’s character a disservice.
I will say one thing, though: Cox making the two of them realize that they’re getting old was a nice breath of fresh air. “Stop wearing ironic t-shirts and just let it happen.” Yes, Bill Lawrence seems to be mining similar territory in Cougar Town, but that’s probably because he’s feeling his forties hit him upside the head. I’m only 38, and I can relate to all of it. But it’s a good reminder to Turk and especially J.D. that their characters need to move forward, not stay in the past.
Ted and Gooch are so friggin’ adorable together, aren’t they? It was nice to see Ted stand up to Kelso and demand more from him than a drunken, clammy good-bye, even if the clammy one was Ted. And it was good to see Kelso finally give him one. After all the abuse Kelso gave and Ted took, it was heartening to know that Bobbo appreciated the guy.
Sam Lloyd doesn’t get enough credit for creating a well-defined character like Ted in his short bursts of screen time, and it was good to see him get a proper send-off. Which of the state songs did you like the best? My choice is Wyoming.
Ok, med students: Nicky Whelan looks like she’s become the fourth new regular, as she’s actually getting major plot time, and a name – Maya. It’ll be fun to see the writers play off her Aussie accent and her way too hot to be a med student physique. Good to see that Cole got some more personality quirks (can’t touch bread) and a teeny tiny bit of heart (he came back to talk to the dying patient played by Paul Dooley). Lucy has a weird habit of pulling on the front of her scrub top; is that Kerry Bishé’s quirk or one she gave the high-strung Lucy? And we didn’t see a lot of Drew, but we saw enough to know he used to eat from dumpsters and is still sleeping with Denise.
Download Our Histories Episode here
