Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002

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It's all The Diva's fault, really. There I was, minding my own beeswax, getting ready to watch a Frasier summer rerun, when my lovely 3BC partner calls me up to kick it. "Oh yeah," she adds, all innocent-like, just before she hangs up; "you should check out the "Scrubs-a-Thon" after Frasier goes off." Darn you, Diva! THE STORY Scrubs turns ER on a much funnier ear. This 30 minute paean to light vaudeville revolves around the staff of Sacred Heart Hospital, including: Dr. John "J.D." Dorian (Zach Braff): the narrator of the piece, J.D. enters Sacred Heart as a wet-behind-the-ears doctor (read: newbie) with a vivid imagination, and at times, more knowledge than sense; Dr. Chris Turk (Donald Faison), J.D.'s highly competitive roommate; a surgical intern with a penchant for winning, Turk has gladly lost his heart to feisty head nurse Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes); Dr. Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), a smart, neurotic, empathic, insecure bundle of nerves. She'll be a good doctor - or professional dog walker, whatever works... Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley): "Peter Benton" to J.D.'s "John Carter", Cox is unrelenting in his quest to make J.D.'s life as miserable as possible - so that J.D. can come out on the other side as a quality physician. The less said of Cox's Sordid Past, with his shrewish ex-wife Jordan (Christa Miller), the better; Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), a kindly old Marcus Welby-like father figure who all the nurses swoon over and all the doctors admire. Just kidding, Sport; he's the Spawn! Of! Hell! THE UPSHOT The key to understanding Scrubs is that it is often so over-the-top, filled with such broad humor, that if you don't find yourself laughing out loud at it within the first few minutes of watching any of the episodes, you probably won't ever Get It. The rapid fire timing of McGinley's Perry Cox, the childish, yet endearing frat boy camaraderie of J.D. and Turk (with the high-fivin', jive-talkin' The Todd always at the ready to join in), the spicy romance between Turk and Carla, Elliot's naive tenacity - all these and more are part and parcel of what makes the show work so well. More than with any other show that I've seen in recent history, it's the skillful way the actors carefully yet playfully deliver their lines, combined with good sight and sound gags and a high sense of story continuity on the writers' part, that makes Scrubs click. There was a time when Frasier set that mark; now Scrubs does it, with a furious vengeance. With the somewhat large cast on this show, I'd be here forever trying to point each one out in detail. There's something about each of the characters that strokes my giggle reflex just the right way. From Neil Flynn's Janitor threatening to give J.D. the smackdown once again, to Dr. Kelso getting jiggy with it, to Judy Reyes' headstrong but sensible Latina nurse Carla - and yes, even to the ObBigBlackNurse (Aloma Wright) doing what Big Black Women seem to do best in TV sitcoms - the actors and characters in Scrubs prove they are a special bunch every week. But if I just had to choose two actors to mention specifically, they would be John C. McGinley (Dr. Perry Cox) and Donald Faison (Dr. Chris Turk). As Cox, veteran actor McGinley is just too gotdam funny. Oftentimes, it's not so much what he says as it is how he says it. And sometimes, it is just what he says. As for Faison, something behind his eyes tells me that he seems to have a deeper understanding of where his Turk character exists in the universe. Plus, the man can sang [and yes, I said "sang". Look it up in the Blacktionary]. I can't wait to see where either of these actors take their character, and those around them, next. To be sure, there are episodes when all the silly sound effects, all the corny sight gags, all the rather childish pranks and humor, make you want to say "bring it down a notch, Tevye". But tell me that you didn't bust a gut over the episode where Elliot demonstrated, in classic Mad Magazine mode, the meaning of "shittin' bricks" - and I'll send a doctor over to check if you still have a pulse. BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE From my seat, Scrubs is the funniest show on TV these days; hell, I haven't laughed harder, louder, or longer, since Frasier was still laugh-out-loud funny. Yeah, I still love me some Frasier; but Scrubs is so good, it just oughta be criminal. SCRUBS:   back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Review™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2002 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/