As if fate dictated it, Scrubs came to an end at the same time as my sophomore year. I’m writing this in my now empty apartment (Romo! Rob! Deeg!) and it only seems appropriate to talk about the finale of Scrubs, and its comparison to other finales that have had an impact on me.
As I said, Scrubs was very important to me, so its ending was a significant event to me. “My Finale” was not the greatest episode of the series or even of the season. I say that because it wasn’t as funny as others, nor was it as dramatic as other great ones. Despite this, it falls into its own category of greatness. While not especially dramatic, I found it to be very powerful in that it really made me feel exactly what JD was feeling. I didnt cry, and not just because Rob and Tony were in the room, but mostly because it wasnt sad, just emotional. Watching JD walk down the hall and see all the faces he remembered, I was seeing all the faces I too remembered. That scene ranks right up there with Ben’s funeral, Dr. Cox losing it in “My Lunch”, any of Turk’s dances, or any of Todd’s High Fives.
That hall scene featured characters that I LOVED, and was so happy they brought back for the final episode. I think that’s important to a series finale in that it gives the viewers a trip down memory lane (in this case, literally), and it’s also a good way to give those forgotten about side characters one last moment in the show’s history.
Characters I particularly loved to see that one last time were: Dr. Wen, The Todd, Ted’s Band, Rex, Cabbage, Lonnie (who hates JD, HAHAHAHA), TCW, Randall, Troy, Dr. Mickhead (He did kill her!), Snoop Dogg Attending with Gloria, Leonard (you know, the guy with the really big afro), Lloyd, Colonel Dr, Dr. Beardface, Laverne, My Old Lady….and as much as it pains me to say it….Keith Doodmeister. I know there were others there (Jill, handsome OBGY, Druggy ex from season one), but those mentioned above I was so glad to see again. Notably absent: Doug, who I wish was used more throughout the shows later years for he was one of my favorite characters in the show.
Oh, and Hooch IS crazy
It ended appropriately, both tying up loose ends and leaving possibilities. Overall, it was probably my favorite finale of a show, but just in case I’ll compare it to the endings of other shows that were important to me.
Arrested Development: “Development Arrested” was probably one of the funniest episodes of the series. It ended the show properly, was HILARIOUS, and even left the possibility of a upcoming movie. The dealing with Annyong was such a good set up, 2 years in the making. It just sucked that it had to be the end of the series.
Friends: I didn’t like the ending. Not only was the show no longer funny, but I just didn’t like how all of a sudden Ross had feelings for Rachel again. Best part was Gunther confessing his love for Rachel.
Everybody Loves Raymond: I like how they succeeded in ending the show how they wanted to, just a normal episode. I liked the whole family together for lunch at the end of the show, great way to go out.
Freaks and Geeks: even though I only watched the show in DVD, it had a great ending to a great show. They knew the end was near, and they did a great job of ending the show while still leaving possibilities for more if it was picked up. Lindsay running off with Kim was a great ending
Undeclared: another one watched mostly on DVD, though I did watch it for a while when it was on the air. I liked the ending, despite the main cast not really being in much of the plot. Once again, they were basically cancelled and unlikely to get renewed after one year, so an ending was needed. I liked the whole gang, Hal, and other side players of the show being in the room at once at the end.
Futurama: though the show didn’t end properly, the 4 movies (16 episodes) have done a great job to continue and wrap things up. The final movie was very funny, and did a great job to at one point get “every Futurama character ever” in a series of shots. It ended appropriately, setting up a future.
There have been others, but they either weren’t worth talking about, or were cancelled and never really ended (Andy Richter Controls the Universe). Scrubs was probably the best, followed by Arrested and Freaks and Geeks. I’m biased, but hey, it’s my blog.
Yours Truly,
-Glen Matthews….Or Tony….
