- “With Dorian taken care of, I'm not sure how I should spend my day. I suppose I could clean. Hee hee hee, God, help me, that one still makes me laugh.”— Janitor
"His Story III" is the nineteenth episode of Scrubs' fifth season. Janitor narrates the episode while J.D. is locked in a water tower. The Janitor also narrates this episode while he keeps a patient company. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox accuses Turk of not being black and Elliot cracks down on her interns.
Synopsis[]
J.D. is absent for the majority of this episode as he is kidnapped by Janitor and detained in a water tower. When Janitor frees him at the end of the episode, he resumes narrating.
Janitor meets Mr. McNair, a patient suffering from locked-in syndrome. When his computer, his sole method of communication, breaks, Janitor decides to spend time with him to keep him company. Janitor then helps Carla hold a patient's legs down after an intern makes a mistake and the patient has a seizure. Janitor boasts about the story throughout the hospital, until he overhears one doctor claiming Janitor is telling everyone the story because he never usually makes a difference around the hospital.
Janitor confides in Mr. McNair, acknowledging that although he accepts his job isn't of utmost importance, he became a janitor in a hospital because it feels like being a part of a community that helps people. Janitor tries to fix Mr McNair's computer and breaks it further. Then, at the end of the day, Mr. McNair receives a new computer from Dr. Cox. He uses the new computer to say, "Thank you." Dr. Cox tells him, "Don't mention it." He replies, "I wasn't talking to you," as he looks through the glass door at Janitor – expressing gratitude to the Janitor for keeping him company – which the Janitor bashfully brushes off, realizing he managed to make a difference at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Dr. Cox accuses Turk of not truly being black, causing Turk to ponder his identity. Turk reveals to Carla that he knows he is black, based on how others treat him, but he is worried about how his life will change when his baby is born.
Elliot gets tough on her interns, believing they need to grow up on their own and stop making mistakes. Meanwhile, Carla helps these interns (specifically Lisa, who caused the seizure in the patient that the Janitor helped), much like she once helped Elliot, reminding Elliot that she once needed Carla's help to grow confident as a doctor.
Recurring Themes[]
Fantasies[]
- The Janitor invents the Hover-Hoover, a flying vacuum cleaner which he uses to fly up to the third floor to clean a room for Elliot.
- The Janitor thinks about what would happen if he wasn't there. The only difference is, that a nurse wouldn't be impregnated by him.
Janitor Story[]
The Janitor story in this episode is the main plot, which he himself narrates.
J.D.'s Girl Names[]
Ava
- “Check his vitals, Ava”— Dr. Cox
Carol
- “Oh my God. I get it now. Carol.”— Mr. McNair
Episode Running Gags[]
- Janitor notes how he loves to lie.
Guest Stars[]
- Markie Post as Lily Reid
- Robert Beckwith as Dr. Johnson
- Kateri DeMartino as Nurse
- Michael Hobert as Lonnie
- Hunter Huston as Intern #1
- Henry LeBlanc as Eric McNair
- Kattia Ortiz as Nurse Bernice
- Bill J. Stevens as Board Member
- Jordan Zucker as Lisa
- Monte Hunter as Surgical Intern (uncredited)
Music[]
- "Boston" by Augustana
Quotes[]
- “You're black? 'Cause last I checked you have a nerdy white best friend, you enjoy Neil Diamond, and you damn sure act like a black guy; and these, my friend, are all characteristics of white guys. Please understand, I'm a huge supporter of the NAACP and if you don't know what that stands for, it is the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People...and quite frankly, I always thought they should change the "Colored People" to "African-Americans", but then of course it wouldn't be the NAACP, it would be the N Quad A or 'NAAAA', and I know, this probably sounds like a digression, but actually leads me back to my original point: do I think you're black? Naaaaaaahhhhhh!”— Dr. Cox
- “Laverne, would you go ahead and thank what's his name for me.”— Dr. Cox
- “Laverne, would you go ahead and thank what's his name for me.”— Dr. Cox
- “Jesus?”
- “That's him.”
- “That's him.”
Trivia[]
- Dr. Cox calls J.D. "Carol" for the fifth time.
- In the flashback, Carla was wearing her wedding and engagement ring. She would not have been married in the flashback as she and Turk had not yet started dating.
- In the beginning after J.D. finishes painting Optimus Prime, Turk is empty handed. After he tells Carla that "Junior" can crawl into their bed with them, he brings up his hand and is now holding a ukulele.
- The patient Eric McNair is named after a fan of the show.