"My Lunch" is the twentieth episode of the fifth season of Scrubs. J.D. and Dr. Cox run into Jill Tracy (Nicole Sullivan) at the supermarket at lunchtime. Jill dies, and J.D feels bad that he didn't help a person who clearly needed help, Dr. Cox takes J.D out on lunch and comforts him. Jill's organs are donated to three transplant patients, but something goes terribly wrong.
Synopsis[]
Jill Tracy[]
J.D.'s latest goal is to have lunch with Dr. Cox who, in typical fashion, rejects him and heads to the grocery store. J.D. follows him where they encounter a former patient, Jill Tracy, who has been stood up for a date.
A few days later, Jill dies with all signs pointing to suicide via drug overdose. J.D. feels guilty that he, as a doctor, was unable to see the signs she was depressed. Jill's tragedy appears to be good news, however, for three of Dr. Cox's patients in need of organ transplants, one of whom he has grown quite close to. Dr. Cox takes J.D. out to lunch and reminds him that he's not responsible for Jill's death, as she didn't come to the hospital looking for help. Dr. Cox tells J.D. that he can't blame himself for patients' deaths that aren't his fault; once he starts, there's no coming back.
Carla, Elliot, and Todd[]
Carla and Elliot speculate the Todd's raucous and inappropriate behavior may be a cover up for homosexuality. They help him come to terms with his sexuality, in an attempt to stop his inappropriate innuendo, but their efforts prove to be futile as he begins directing his inappropriate comments towards men. Elliot and Carla talk to the Todd about his behavior, and it turns out the Todd was scamming the girls with the idea that "chicks dig gay dudes". The Todd walks down the hallway, hitting on at both men and women. The Janitor stops the Todd and asks "What the hell are you?", to which he replies, "I'm The Todd".
Dr. Cox's Breakdown[]
Meanwhile, Jill's autopsy reveals she didn't die of an overdose; she died of rabies, meaning all three of Dr. Cox's transplant patients are now infected. Despite their best efforts, the staff is unable to save the first two patients. Dr. Cox sits in the break room, trying to cope with his mistake. J.D. offers him lunch, telling him that he too shouldn't blame himself for the patients' deaths. They were in critical condition and would've died in a matter of hours, while the odds of Jill having rabies were so slim that testing for it would have been irresponsible in the time frame available, and Dr. Cox had to make a decision. J.D. says he would have made the same call, which seems to make Dr. Cox feel better.
They are then about to eat their lunch when Dr. Cox is paged for another emergency. Despite resuscitation attempts, the third patient, the one Perry was close to dies, which causes him to have an emotional breakdown. He despondently tells J.D. that the patient wasn't in critical need of a kidney, and his transplant could have waited for another month. He begins to leave, even though his shift isn't over. J.D. reminds Perry that the second he starts blaming himself for deaths that aren't his fault there's no coming back, but Perry says "Yeah, you're right", and leaves the hospital.
Recurring Themes[]
More: Fantasies • Flashbacks • J.D.'s girl names • Janitor's pranks and lies
Fantasies[]
- Dr. Cox and Dave cut out J.D.'s kidneys while he is in a bath tub full of ice.
Flashbacks[]
- J.D. gets "dropped off" by Dr. Cox by riding on his roof.
- After apparently being encouraged by Carla and Elliot to become a chiropractor, the Janitor snaps Turk's neck.
Janitor Story[]
- Janitor makes a claim that J.D. was gay, which was a reference to the episode My Malpractical Decision, during a discussion between Carla and Elliot while they were discussing Todd's sexuality.
J.D.'s Girl Names[]
- Paula
- “Hey, Dr. Cox. What are you doing for lunch?”— J.D.
- “Not having it with you, Paula.”— Dr. Cox
- “Not having it with you, Paula.”— Dr. Cox
Guest Stars[]
- Nicole Sullivan as Jill Tracy
- David Warshofsky as Dave Bredford
- Kattia Ortiz as Nurse Bernice
- Frank Encarnacao as Dr. Mickhead
- Rene Hall as Renee (If a nurse, merge with Nurse Rita)
- Christina Miles as Gloria
- Meredith Roberts as Kathy
- Jordan Zucker as Lisa
- Randall Keenan Winston as Leonard
- Rachel Winfree as Jill's mother
- Lynn A. Henderson as Rebecca
- Beans Morocco as Katie
- Pat Mulderrig as Man
- Brent Weber as Larry
Music[]
♫ List of music featured in Scrubs
- "How to Save a Life" by The Fray
Quotes[]
- “I'm the Todd!”— The Todd
- “I'm the Todd!”— The Todd
- “He wasn't about to die, was he, newbie? Could have waited for another month for a kidney.”— Dr. Cox
Trivia[]
- David Warshofsky (Dave Bredford) also starred in Born on the fourth of July with John C. McGinley.
- The plot is based on the true story of three patients who died in June 2004, due to rabies contracted by organ transplants. However, as the commentary on the Season Five DVD mentions that the episode took some dramatic license, as the organs from one donor do not usually all go to the same hospital.
- This episode is tied with "My Screw Up" as the highest-rated episode of Scrubs on TV.com (9.8 out of 10).
- Dr. Cox tells J.D. that "the second you start blaming yourself for people's deaths, there's no coming back". Towards the end of the episode, J.D. uses this on Dr. Cox, who then replies with "You're right". This foreshadows Dr. Cox's despair in the coming episode.
- At the beginning of the episode, when Dr. Cox is giving his lengthy pep talk to the interns, Turk jokingly tells him that four people just died, foreshadowing the four people who would die over the course of this episode.
- Turk is visibly trying not to laugh when he's screaming after Janitor nearly snaps his neck.
Images[]