J.D. (Scrubs)
![]() | This article describes a work or element of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. (April 2018) |
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John Michael "J.D." Dorian,
Portrayed by
J.D. appears in every episode during the first eight seasons, except for two in season 8: "
Both the character and Braff's performance were positively received. Braff was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2005 and received three consecutive Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy nominations from 2005 to 2007.[2][3]
Character background
J.D.'s name is based on that of Dr. Jonathan Doris, a college friend of series creator
Zach Braff, the actor who portrayed the character in the series said, "I feel that, after seven years, there is not much of J.D.'s personality left to be explored, except for his relationship with best friend Christopher Turk." Braff also opined that although "J.D. has gradually evolved over the series, he also cannot evolve too much, as we need to give the fans what they want, which is to see the characters be themselves."[6] Meanwhile, the show creator, Bill Lawrence stated that the seventh season was required, in order to show J.D. finally growing up, as many fans did not want to see him stay the same.[7]
In a 2008 interview, Braff stated that while he feels "most at home when I’m playing a Jewish character," the writers for Scrubs chose to imply that Dorian was Christian because the show needed "to appeal to the most massive audience possible" out of concern that some people might not watch a show featuring a Jewish main character.[8]
Fictional character biography
Personality
J.D.'s most prominently featured quirk is his habit of daydreaming.[9] When this happens, he tilts his head back and to his left, blankly looking upwards. The sequences played out in his daydreams are often surreal or about the situations that have just been mentioned or wondered about, but often in an exaggerated manner. Many of these are followed by a comment from him which, although in keeping with his daydream, sounds strange and is often highly unrelated to the initial topic, very often earning him odd looks from nearby characters in the scene.
Despite his numerous mistakes, quirks, and personal neurosis, J.D. is shown throughout the series to be a very skilled doctor. He is described as having compassion for his patients, as well as determination and enthusiasm for his job.[9]
Family life
J.D. grew up in
His father, Sam (John Ritter), a failed office supply salesman, was absent for most of J.D.'s childhood and often mooched off his son when he was around;[13] after Sam dies, however, J.D. realizes that his father loved him and was proud of him.[14] His mother is Barbara Turner Dorian. He has an older brother, Dan (Tom Cavanagh), with whom he has a love/hate relationship.
Work
J.D. begins the show as an intern at Sacred Heart Hospital.[15] After a year, he becomes a resident,[16] then an attending physician in internal medicine,[17] and eventually residency director of another hospital.[18]
J.D. begins work at Sacred Heart under Attending Physician Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley), who generally refers to J.D. as "Newbie" or by a variety of girls' names. J.D. thinks of Cox as his mentor, which Cox adamantly denies. As much as he hates to admit it, however, Cox respects J.D. as a doctor and even cares about him as a person, even offering him personal advice on a few occasions. J.D.'s faith in Cox is shaken when the latter has a breakdown following the death of three patients.[19] After a deeply depressed Cox shows up to work drunk, J.D. refuses to see him, claiming that he does not approve of Cox's behavior. However, he later confesses to Cox that he still looks upon him as a hero and admires him for caring so much about his patients that he takes it hard when things go badly for them. At the end of the episode, Cox thanks J.D. — and, atypically, calls him by his real name — for helping him forgive himself and get on with his life.[20] After Cox is promoted to Chief of Medicine in Season 8, he and J.D. are often at odds over hospital matters, mirroring Cox's relationship with the former chief, Dr. Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), in earlier seasons. Kelso advises J.D. that he is the one who will have to press for hospital matters if they are important enough, even if it means fighting Cox to do it.[21] On J.D.'s last day at Sacred Heart, Cox finally admits that J.D. is an exceptional physician, an exceptional person, and a friend — albeit only when he thinks J.D. is not around to hear it.[18]
J.D. is also engaged in a constant battle with
J.D. leaves Sacred Heart for a job at another hospital in order to be closer to his son, Sam.[22]
In Season 9, J.D. becomes a visiting professor at Winston University, a medical school built on the old site of Sacred Heart, which has been torn down. He forms a bond with the series' new main character,
Friends
He often spends time with
On his first day, he also meets Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), a nurse who looks out for him and affectionately nicknames him "Bambi."[15] On his last day at Sacred Heart, she reveals that she calls him this because he "needed to learn how to walk" (meaning to become a doctor).[18]
Romantic history
He meets and forms a connection with Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) in the pilot episode and finds himself attracted to her. In seasons 1 to 3, a running joke in the series was that J.D. would sleep with Elliot at least once in each season, although the show's producers have indicated that this ended to prevent the characters' development being constrained by clichés. The two form a romantic relationship in the first season,[29] but their romance quickly falls apart when they realize that they do not work as a couple.[30]
He has had romantic and sexual liaisons with various women besides Elliot, including Dr. Cox's ex-wife
While J.D. and Elliot had an on-and-off romance throughout the series, it is not until the conclusion of Season 6 that they appear ready to get back together. The episode "My Point of No Return" ends with J.D. and Elliot lying on a bed in the on-call room, leaning in for a kiss. The action remains unresolved until Season 7, when Elliot backs out. They both then say that the almost-kiss had nothing to do with their feelings for each other.[36] In Season 8, they become a couple again after they talk about their history together, and Dr. Kelso advises them to do whatever makes them happy.[37]
During the filming for Season 8, Sarah Chalke said in an interview that she could not imagine J.D. and Elliot not being together romantically.[38] In the Season 8 finale, it is suggested through a flash forward in the style of a home movie that J.D. and Elliot will marry and have a child.[18]
In Season 9, it is revealed that J.D. and Elliot are in fact married and expecting a child. This is punctuated by an extremely awkward morning ritual in front of Elliot's class where J.D. kisses her stomach for every month, she is pregnant and says "and thank you for making mommy's boobs bigger"; Elliot then puts her breasts on his head.[39] In their final appearance together, they go on a "babymoon", a romantic getaway for expecting parents.[25]
Cameos in other media
Like Elliot, Carla, Cox and the Janitor, the J.D. character makes a cameo appearance in It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, trying to reanimate Miss Piggy. However, Piggy and the Scrubs cast finally break the fourth wall, with the actors portraying themselves.
In 2012, the final scene of the
In 2014, in the fifth-season premiere of the
References
- ^ Gonzalez, Maria. "Scrubs: Is it a Boy or Girl for J.D. and Elliot?" Archived 2009-12-12 at the Wayback Machine. BuddyTV.com. December 08, 2009. Accessed: September 09, 2011.
- ^ "57th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Archived from the original on 4 September 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ "Zach Braff". Golden Globes. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
- ^ "The Next Generation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-19.
- ^ "Jonathan Doris - IMDB". IMDb. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
- ^ "More On "Scrubs" From The Zach Braff - Bill Lawrence Interview Archived 2009-05-09 at the Wayback Machine".
- ^ Biller, Jennifer, et al. "Tube Talk - Scrubs’ Zach Braff and Bill Lawrence interview Archived 2011-09-19 at the Wayback Machine". Edited transcript of a conference call interview. October 23, 2007. Accessed August 28, 2011.
- ^ "Q&A with Zach Braff". Schmooze. 4 November 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2013.
- ^ a b Keveney, Bill. "'Scrubs' sews things up as the end draws near ... or not Archived 2010-01-17 at the Wayback Machine" USA TODAY. 5 Jan 2009. Accessed 6 August 2011
- My Office". Scrubs. Season 4. Episode 02. September 7, 2004. NBC.
- My Super Ego". Scrubs. Season 1. Episode 06. November 6, 2001. NBC.
- My Day at the Races". Scrubs. Season 6. Episode 3. January 10, 2006. NBC.
- My Old Man". Scrubs. Season 1. Episode 19. April 9, 2002. NBC.
- My Cake". Scrubs. Season 4. Episode 6. October 12, 2004. NBC.
- ^ a b c d "My First Day". Scrubs. Season 1. Episode 1. October 2, 2001. NBC.
- My Last Day". Scrubs. Season 1. Episode 24. May 21, 2002. NBC.
- My Intern's Eyes". Scrubs. Season 5. Episode 1. January 3, 2006. NBC.
- ^ a b c d e "My Finale". Scrubs. Season 8. Episode 19. May 6, 2009. ABC.
- My Lunch". Scrubs. Season 5. Episode 20. April 25, 2006. NBC.
- My Fallen Idol". Scrubs. Season 5. Episode 21. May 2, 2006. NBC.
- My New Role". Scrubs. Season 8. Episode 7. February 3, 2009. ABC.
- My Chief Concern". Scrubs. Season 8. Episode 17. May 5, 2009. ABC.
- ^ "Our First Day of School". Scrubs. Season 9. Episode 9. January 12, 2010. NBC.
- Our Mysteries". Scrubs. Season 9. Episode 5. December 22, 2009. ABC.
- ^ Our Stuff Gets Real". Scrubs. Season 9. Episode 9. January 12, 2010. ABC.
- My Perspective". Scrubs. Season 6. Episode 09. February 15, 2007. NBC.
- My Comedy Show". Scrubs. Season 8. Episode 10. February 10, 2009. ABC.
- ^ "My Musical". Scrubs. Season 6. Episode 6. January 18, 2007. NBC.
- My Drug Buddy". Scrubs. Season 1. Episode 14. January 22, 2009. NBC.
- My Bed Banter & Beyond". Scrubs. Season 1. Episode 15. February 5, 2002. NBC.
- My Transition". Scrubs. Season 5. Episode 24. May 16, 2006. NBC.
- My Road to Nowhere". Scrubs. Season 6. Episode 8. February 8, 2007. NBC.
- My Conventional Wisdom". Scrubs. Season 6. Episode 20. May 10, 2007. NBC.
- My Rabbit". Scrubs. Season 6. Episode 21. May 17, 2007. NBC.
- My Hard Labor". Scrubs. Season 7. Episode 2. November 1, 2007. NBC.
- ^ "My Own Worst Enemy (Scrubs)". Scrubs. Season 7. Episode 01. October 25, 2007. NBC.
- ^ "My Happy Place". Scrubs. Season 8. Episode 4. January 13, 2009. ABC.
- ^ "Sarah Chalke on Britney, the Bahamas, and Braff in a Speedo Archived 2011-10-06 at the Wayback Machine". Buzzsugar.com. July 23, 2008. Accessed August 28, 2011.
- ^ "Our First Day of School". Scrubs. Season 9. Episode 01. December 1, 2009. ABC.
- ^ Bojalad, Alec (January 2, 2014). "'Community' season 5, episodes 1 and 2 recap: Welcome back Harmon". Hypable. Retrieved June 30, 2020.