The Pop Pirate

Scrubs!

Yay! The best comedy on TV is finally out on DVD! Okay, so it's been out for a couple of weeks now, but I'm just getting around to writing about it. Sue me.

Anyhow, it is really interesting to see (for the first time, in my case) the genesis of all of the relationships on the show, and the prototypes of the characters that I know and love. Yes, some of them are not even yet developed fully in the 12 episodes I've watched (Elliot), but others are pitch perfect from frame one (Dr. Cox). The Janitor is a little mean, and Dr. Kelso is a little nice, but for the most part the characters are intact.

One of the things that surprised me a little is that not all of the episodes quite work. There are a couple in there that didn't do it for me. This surprises me mostly because I took it for granted. Of the more recent episodes that I had seen before the DVD came out, there wasn't a single one that I didn't love. They all make me laugh, and most of them make me cry. But, apparently, in the first season, they hadn't quite hit that stride. Specifically, I'd cite "My Nickname" where everyone has a horrible day and "My Own Personal Jesus" which, while having a great episode title, takes on faith in a way that left a bad taste for some reason.

What this tells me though, is that the makers of this fine, fine piece of entertainment know what works and what doesn't. They obviously recognized some of these elements that didn't connect and had the courage to change things up. I, for one, wouldn't change a thing, since it was those missteps and less successful episodes that grew into my favorite half hour on TV.

posted by Jeff @ 7:26 PM