- “Oh, come on! I laughed so hard when I thought of that that I peed a little!... I changed right after.”— Elliot
"My First Step" is the seventh episode of Scrubs' second season. Dr. Cox attempts not to be seduced by Julie Keaton (Heather Locklear). Elliot and J.D. argue over who is the better doctor. Turk tries to convince Carla to go to Nurse Practitioner school.
Synopsis[]
Dr. Cox and Julie[]
J.D. talks to a teenage patient about being safer while skateboarding. During the middle of a rant from Dr. Cox, J.D. uncharacteristically walks away because he knows the drug representative is coming to Sacred Heart that day. Julie Keaton enters the hospital and everyone is taken by how hot she is, even Carla.
Later, Julie begins to flirt with J.D.. She is interrupted by Dr. Cox who vents that he hates how her company marks the medication up and how poor patients can't afford it. He storms off and takes J.D. with him. Dr. Cox is later approached by Dr. Kelso and Julie, and Kelso forces Perry to organize a staff dinner where Julie can sell them Plomox. Julie confronts Perry when he admits he hasn't invited anyone to the dinner yet, and comments that he is using her career as an excuse for not asking her out. She starts to smack her ass when she walks away and Dr. Cox stares in awe. At the dinner, Dr. Cox is annoyed by Turk, Todd and Carla who are seated at his table, but is caught staring at Julie across the room. Outside the restaurant, Julie asks him out on a date to which he shoots her down. He later realizes that she was right and they were attracted to each other, and he finds her in a bar and sits down for a drink.
J.D. and Elliot[]
Meanwhile, Elliot asks J.D. for advice on a patient. J.D. tells her to "wait and see", but she elects for surgery after she gets the feeling that J.D. thinks he is a better doctor than she is. The patient dies and J.D. fails to show any compassion, instead re-stating that he was correct. Before the Morbidity and Mortality conference, J.D. tries to apologize but Elliot storms off. During the conference, Dr. Kelso congratulates her for her decision which was the only one to be made that would allow the patient any hope of surviving. He also told all "wait and see" doctors that they would never be great doctors. After the conference, J.D. thanked Elliot for not rubbing the events in his face, and Elliot makes a joke right to his face. In the cafeteria, J.D. admits that he really is not daring in his career or life, and Elliot drags him along to go bungee jumping.
Carla & Turk[]
As Carla rushes through a busy day, Turk offers her a present. It is a bus pass and a brochure for Nurse Practitioners school so she will have more responsibilities, privileges, and higher pay. Carla becomes upset when he tells her that she doesn't have to be "just a nurse" anymore. After getting yelled at by Dr. Kelso for doing something only doctors can do, Carla seriously contemplates Turk's offer. At the Plomox dinner, Carla lectures the Todd on how she is actually happy with her life. Because Turk managed to eat several people's steaks at the dinner, he is taken to Sacred Heart, where Carla asks Dr. Cox to write him a prescription. He tells her that she would do well at the school, but she tells him that if she took that opportunity she would not have any time to spend with Turk and that she was placing her odds on her relationship with him.
Recurring Themes[]
More: Fantasies • Flashbacks • J.D.'s girl names • Janitor's pranks and lies
Fantasies[]
- An entire conference room is cleared as Kelso insults J.D..
- As Julie enters the hospital, wind blows and everyone stares. Even the dead wake up to greet her.
Flashbacks[]
- A young J.D. is knocked unconscious by a Frisbee.
Janitor story[]
- The Janitor pretends J.D. is in charge of him, preventing Janitor from attending his son's school play. He does not go to the bathroom or speak unless J.D. grants him permission. When J.D. yells at him and forbids him to speak Janitor quits the game and J.D. realizes that he's going to work even harder to pester J.D..
J.D.'s Girls Names[]
- Martha, used by Perry Cox.
- Nancy Drew, used by Perry Cox.
Guest Stars[]
- Heather Locklear as Julie Keaton
- Cody Estes as Young J.D.
- Paige Peterson as Shelly
- Cole Williams as Mike
Music[]
♫ List of music featured in Scrubs
- "Let's Have a Rendez-vous" - Dee
- "Rain King" - Counting Crows
- "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" - Robert Palmer
- "Giants in my Field" - The Parkas
Quotes[]
- “You're slimy. And you turn everything into a double entendre.”— Nurse
- “I'd like to double her entendre!”— Todd
- “I'd like to double her entendre!”— Todd
- “Plomox is the most effective anti-arrhythmic drug on the market right now. And it has minimal side-effects: Only nausea, impotence, and anal leakage.”— Julie Keaton
- “I'm getting two out of three just from the conversation.”— Dr. Cox
- “I'm getting two out of three just from the conversation.”— Dr. Cox
- [J.D, Elliot, Carla, and Turk are staring at Julie]
- [J.D & Turk look at Carla in shock.]
- “What? She's hot.”
- “What? She's hot.”
- “No, that's hot.”
Trivia[]
Production
- This is the last episode to have the extended intro sequence.
- Heather Locklear is the first Spin City star to appear on Scrubs.
- The original broadcast was "SuperSized" with 10 extra minutes, and was a part of NBC's annual "SuperSized Thursday".
- The video tape footage of the skater kid falling onto the railing also appeared in game of Newsflash on ABC's Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
- Elliot's patient Mrs. Kahn, and Carla's patient Mr. Brooks and physical Dr. Wilde are likely a reference to Blazing Saddles, as the three of the main cast members were Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Mel Brooks.
- The stunt people who bungee jumped for Sarah Chalke and Zach Braff met the day of the stunt. They later married but according to the Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald podcast have since divorced.
- Necrotizing Fasciitis is a rapidly fatal infection especially without surgical intervention; medically Elliot's character was right to consult surgery.
Continuity
- When J.D. first begin talking to Elliot, he says "Hey" followed by "What's wrong?" but his mouth never moves when he says "What's wrong?"
- During the Morbidity/Mortality conference, J.D. fantasizes that he is the only person present. During the first part of the fantasy, there is a backpack on the row behind and to the right of J.D . During the second part of the fantasy it is no longer there, but reappears once again in the third portion of the fantasy. The bag is also visible during the "non-fantasy" portions of the scene.
- At dinner, when Turk steals Carla's steak, Dr. Cox says "You do not get women at all". However, in "My Student" Turk had to help Dr. Cox get a date because he was unable to.
- When Elliot and J.D. are discussing whether or not to admit a patient to surgery, the white board behind J.D. reads "Bowling League", but "league" is spelled wrong, "leauge".
- During the dinner scene, The Todd asks Carla why she would want to be "just a nurse". A second before he says "why", Carla is holding a fork with some meat on it. However, when Dr. Cox berated The Todd for asking a dumb question, Carla is holding her wine glass again.