"My Philosophy" is the thirteenth episode of Scrubs' second season. J.D. discovers one of his favourite patients needs a heart transplant while another couple is having difficulties with a pregnancy. Turk loses his engagement ring for Carla. Elliot objects to the co-ed locker room at the hospital.
Synopsis[]
Others sing with Elaine
Turk shows J.D. the wedding ring he has bought for Carla. After receiving a slap from J.D., Turk confirms he is ready for marriage. Turk tells J.D. he plans to put the ring into Carla’s champagne later that evening. Later that evening, Turk is trying desperately to slip the ring into one of Carla’s drinks, first the coffee and then the champagne. Then, Carla receives an urgent call telling her that her Aunt Marie is dead, and has to leave, accidentally causing her to throw the ring down the drain as she goes. The next day at Sacred Heart, Turk is telling J.D. about the problem with Carla, and puts the ring down next to a young patient - Ralphie. Ralphie eats the ring. Turk is trying to retrieve the ring from Ralphie, by feeding him 6 Bran muffins, then by telling him to imagine men inside him pushing out the ‘dookie’. This is unsuccessful, and just upsets Ralphie. Later that evening, Turk is stuck in a meal with no ring, and therefore cannot propose to Carla. The next day as Carla is leaving for Chicago, Turk catches up to her and proposes. Carla replys that she’ll think about it.
At Sacred Heart, Elliot is made to feel uncomfortable by the Todd in the co-ed locker room. Dr. Kelso informs Ted that the office next to his own is about to become vacant, and he plans to use it to expand his own office. Elliot tells Dr. Kelso that she is uncomfortable with the co-ed locker room set-up. Dr. Kelso dismisses her concerns. Later, Elliot confronts Dr. Kelso about the locker rooms, this time demanding a female room by pointing out the hospital is legally required to provide it—something she was advised on secretly by Ted. The gambit pays off and the vacant office is converted into a female locker room, while Dr. Kelso is annoyed to learn the other office he could potentially expand to is occupied by Dr. Mitchell, who does not plan to leave for at least 15 years.
Elaine sings
Cox asks J.D. if he thinks that another patient, Sandy Larkin (who is also heavily pregnant) has a heart murmur. Dr. Cox diagnoses Mrs. Larkin with a heart valve defect, which means having a child could be life-threatening. Her husband, Steve, takes the news very hard. Sandy crashes, and her survival requires Steve make the call whether to have the baby delivered early to save her life at the risk of its own, or allow both to die. J.D. consoles Steve and convinces him to be braver for his wife, and both Sandy and the baby survive the procedure.
Ted, Dr Mitchell and Dr Kelso sing
J.D. learns that one of his favorite patients, Elaine, is back and in need of a heart transplant. J.D. and Elaine discuss the balance of life and how it manifests in a hospital, which annoys Dr. Cox. Just as J.D. is quietly celebrating Mrs. Larkin's survival, Elaine flatlines and ultimately dies, fulfilling hers and J.D.'s philosophy. Recalling a prior conversation he and Elaine had where she proposed death was like a Broadway musical, J.D. fantasizes Elaine leading the rest of the cast in a musical number as they express their emotions over the day's events. After calling Elaine's death, Dr. Cox notices J.D. watching and in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture asks if he's okay. J.D., moved by what he just saw in his mind, quietly replies, "Yeah."
Recurring Themes[]
More: Fantasies • Flashbacks • J.D.'s girl names • Janitor's pranks and lies
Elliot dances
Fantasies[]
- Elliot is doing a burlesque dance in the locker room when she attempts to change.
- J.D sees telling a patient's husband horrible news as a scene from Candid Camera.
- J.D walks down the aisle, and says good morning to Death, who replies, and then kills one of the doctors.
- J.D envisions Elaine, a patient on a heart transplant list, singing 'Waiting for my Real Life to Begin' by Colin Hay along with Turk, Carla, the Janitor, Dr. Kelso, Ted, and Dr. Mitchell during her death.
Janitor story[]
J.D. lends the Janitor a pen, and J.D. tries to use this as an example that they can get along. Then a while later, Janitor comes back and the pen has leaked and ruined his clothes.
J.D.'s Girls Names[]
- Roseanne
- “Roseanne, now granted I was, as usual, only halfway listening to you, but I got the sinking feeling you just compared us to a married couple.”— Dr. Cox
Guest Stars[]
- Sam Jaeger as Steve Larkin
- Joey Saravia as Ralphie
- Toni Ann Rossi as Sandy Larkin
- Kit Pongetti as Dr. Mitchell
- Daniel Edward Mora as Father
- Jill Tracy as Elaine
- Randall Keenan Winston as Grim Reaper
Music[]
♫ List of music featured in Scrubs
- "At Last" performed by Keren DeBerg
- "Waiting for My Real Life to Begin" originally written by Colin Hay, and Thom Mooney. Performed by actress Jill Tracy and cast, arranged by Paul F. Perry.
Quotes[]
- “Yea, bitches and hoes.”
- “I think [death is] like a game of dodgeball. There's a lot of chaos and screaming and, you know, eventually you get your glasses snapped in half by the big kid who already has underarm hair. But then you wake up in the hot nurse's office, and as she leans in to put that bandage on your nose you get a sense that something could actually happen if you just took a chance and buried your face in her knockers.”— J.D.
- “Sir, I'm so happy for you I could crap.”— Ted
Trivia[]
Grim Reaper hangs around Sacred Heart.
- Todd is shown wearing boxer briefs instead of a banana hammock.
- Kit Pongetti, the actress who plays Dr. Mitchell (the female doctor in the office beside Dr. Kelso's) will later play Ladinia "Lady" Williams in Season Seven and Eight.
- The song, "Waiting For My Real Life To Begin", is written by Colin Hay. Colin also wrote and performed the songs "Beautiful World" in "My Last Day" and "Overkill" in "My Overkill", in which he also appears as a troubadour.
- Elaine is played by actress Jill Tracy, which is the name of Nicole Sullivan's character in Seasons 1, 3 and 5. Tracy appeared on two episodes of the Bill Lawrence co-created show Spin City: Lawrence had a tendency to name minor characters after actors he previously worked with, such as Will Forte.
- According to the DVD commentary, as a dare Sarah Chalke was sent to get coffee for the cast and crew in her burlesque costume.
- J.D., Dr. Cox and Elliot are the only regular cast members that didn't sing during the musical number.
- The Janitor calls J.D. "scooter", a nickname he gave to J.D. in "My Nickname".
- This episode was nominated for the 2004 Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Television Episodic - Music.
Continuity
- In the scene where Ralphie eats the ring, Turk's watch is over his rubber glove in some shots, but not in other shots.
- When J.D. and Elaine are talking about death, the heart monitor behind Dr. Cox is giving a pulse rate of 59 and an irregular ECG (EKG). These are in conformity with heart failure but the oxygen saturation of 98% is not (unless the patient is on therapeutic oxygen).