After five weeks of mostly mediocre episodes, “Scrubs” finally bounced back to form last night with the long-awaited musical show that enlivened the cast so much that it actually convinced star Zach Braff to rethink his position on sticking around for another year. That’s news that any fan loves to hear, and it’s easy to see why the actor feels the way he does after watching last night’s episode.
Written and composed by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx of the cult Broadway hit, “Avenue Q,” the show begins when a patient (played by “Q” original cast member, Stephanie D’Abruzzo) is admitted to Sacred Heart after fainting at the park. Initial tests don’t offer much help and much of the staff fear that she just may be a little crazy – mostly due to the fact that everyone is singing and dancing around her.
And so sets the stage for the musical to begin. The numbers (which include titles like “Everything Comes Down to Poop” and “Guy Love”) range from comical to serious, and though there wasn’t a single one that could be considered forgettable or greatly superior, I did really enjoy the Turk and Carla duet, “She’s Dominican.”
Overall, this was the perfect episode for anyone contemplating not watching “Scrubs” anymore (it has gotten a bit droll these past few weeks) and it makes me seriously wonder whether the creators didn’t just do this on purpose so that the musical episode was a far greater success. Regardless, they pulled it off with flying colors, and while I know that this wasn’t the first show to attempt a musical episode (I’ve yet to see the highly regarded “Buffy” episode), this was certainly a breath of fresh air for a show in dire need of a surge of originality. My only question is this: where the heck was Jordan?
Oh, and one more thing: Sarah Chalke, please please please never sing again. I still love ya, babe, but your voice sounds like a teenage boy who’s going through maturity.
