Scrubs Season 2 DVD review, Bill Lawrence, Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley. Review by Rob Blackwelder ©Bijou Graffiti
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 TWO FOR THE FUNNY  by Rob Blackwelder
A scene from 'Ray'
"Scrubs" Season 2
 Grade: B+ (sublimely silly)
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Continuing the snarky snickers and wild imagination that has made this show both a cult hit and a ratings winner from the get-go, Season Two of "Scrubs" dives right into the narrative audacity in the opening scene of Episode One. It's long sequence in which Zach Braff's JD, the now-second-year doctor around whom the show revolves, is inexplicably haunted by the former lead singer of Men At Work, who annoyingly croons their 1983 song "Overkill" to lament JD's troubles, with highly conceptual, gut-punch funny results.

This second 22-episode outing begets well-written character evolution as the young doctors -- including JD's charmingly cocky surgeon buddy Chris Turk (Donald Faison) and neurotic gal-pal Dr. Elliott Reed (Sarah Chalke) -- gain confidence, ease, courage and knowledge. Although series creator Bill Lawrence pushes these developments a little too hard in the first few half-hours, the overall arc accomplishes everything necessary to grow the show and tap into subplots of genuine emotion without losing sight of the stinging wit for even a minute.

Season Two is not without it's faults. The comedic timing is a little off in places, with jokes here and there being dragged out way beyond the punchline. The humor is notably more mean spirited at times, and occassionaly over-dependent on gimmicks (a patient swallows someone's engagement ring) or lame misunderstandings ("I love U2" is mistaken for "I love you too"). The guest stars are also hit and miss. Short-term love interests Rick Schroeder and Amy Smart just don't have the chops to get the "Scrubs" rhythm, but Heather Locklear hits one out of the park as a pharmaceutical company tart who throws herself at JD's petulant mentor Dr. Cox (consistant scene-stealer John C. McGinley) just as he's getting back together with his sexy, razor-tounged harpie of an ex-wife (Christa Miller).

Of course, it's easier to spot and pass judgment on such slight shortcomings when watching the shows over just a few days on DVD. But even with these caveats of imperfection, "Scrubs" is still one of the sharpest, side-splittingest, most original sitcoms in TV history.


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 DVD Grade: B  by Rob Blackwelder

Some of this 3-disc set's bonus features feel like sloppy seconds from Season One. But the commentary tracks (fewer of them this time) are still entertaining -- Lawrence gets himself in hot water commenting on the killer cleavage of his wife (Miller) and tells tales of how network suits fear thinking outside the box. So are the bloopers and featurettes on how the production uses the grounds of a real empty hospital, on the show's trademark fantasy sequences and its use of music, and its admitted overuse of sex. One technical bugaboo: On some DVD players, the menus are slow to respond or refresh.