The Good

This is one of the most touching and funny shows on television and no Scrubs of the penultimate season of Scrubs. There are plenty of commentaries and special features to keep you busy for awhile.

The Bad

Well, the back of the DVD listed a special feature that wasn't included at all. Then I found two special features on the disc that weren't even listed on the back of the DVD. That is the only real flaw of the set, otherwise it's a must own.

Television is very much like movies in that shows are constantly being churned out, but truly there are only a few good gems out there. Scrubs may be one of the best comedies ever to grace the screen. The characters are all relatable and the stories touch incredibly deep. Better yet is that it's a sitcom that creates story arcs that expand season to season. I hate episodic television where each episode is a new story and whatever happened last week really doesn't matter to what happens this week. Scrubs is different, it is able to create incredibly deep characters and touching stories while stringing it all together with comedic charm. I've been a Scrubs fan from the beginning and season six sets everything up for the final season to one of the best shows I have ever watched.

If you're reading this review I'm going to assume that you too are a Scrubs fanatic who has been watching since the beginning. I really don't want to do a synopsis of the season, but I'll set up what you can expect if you haven't seen the season yet. J.D and Elliot become torn apart into their own separate relationships. J.D accidentally gets a girl pregnant, which was the cliffhanger from season 5. Now J.D must face up to his responsibility even though he may not love the woman who is the mother of his child. Elliot becomes engaged with Keith but seriously doubts whether or not if she loves him. All the while there are the countless side stories with the other characters that you will need to watch the season to experience. Stand out episodes from this season are of course the "My Musical" episode and the "Their Story" episode.

The "My Musical" episode is absolutely a delight mostly because throughout the series the show has done quite a few musical numbers and of course Scrubs is known for its great use of music at the end of the episodes. The creators hired real Broadway choreographers and songwriters to craft the show together and created one memorable episode. The "Their Story" episode is a continuation of episodes that the show does each season where we leave the narration of J.D and look into the mind of one of the side characters. However in this one episode we delve into what the creators call "the third tier" of side characters like Ted and Todd.

I think what a lot of people may notice is that this season felt like it hit a snag halfway through and a lot of people got the impression that this was the final season. In actuality the creators thought this was indeed the final season. We even had an episode that was nothing but a clip-show and we even got an instance where we almost learn the Janitor's name. For anyone who doesn't know, it's always been said that once we learn the Janitor's name that means the show would come to an end. That's also why a major supporting character dies. It really felt like they were closing up shop, but when NBC announced they would hold them for one more season they had to open up the storylines again.

In actuality I felt like the season held up incredibly well despite the slight snag midseason. In no way has the show lost its touch and in no way has the writing ever gotten lazy or dull. Scrubs has been constantly moving headstrong through all its seasons and I am incredibly sad that season 7 will be the last one. I've never encountered a show where I could relate real-life situations to the situations the characters are experiencing in the show. Never have I seen a show that could have me laugh and cry at the same time within the same episode. Scrubs has continually been that breath of fresh air on primetime network television and it's sad that the show could have potentially run for a bit longer despite all the studio quarrels. Scrubs does air on NBC but it's produced by Buena Vista, a Disney company which would make one question why it doesn't air on ABC where it belongs. At least we get a final season so the writers can wrap up the series well.

Features

Making Of: "My Musical":

This is a great little behind the scenes look at the musical episode. It has interviews with all the main cast members plus all the people brought in to turn the world of Scrubs into a musical.

Judy Reyes Keeps Talking:

If you have the other Scrubs seasons on DVD then you know "Keeps Talking" feature where a cast member sits down for a little one on one interview. Reyes talks mostly about her memories of the show and a little bit about the musical episode.

Deleted Scenes:

The deleted scenes are interesting because the show you the aired version of a scene then show you the original cut of it. Most of the scenes just have added dialogue that clutters a bit or maybe it was cut for time.

Alternate Lines:

The alternate lines featurette is great because it always showcases how the actors bring their own comedic abilities to the table. You will see the final scene then all the alternate lines that the actors come up with.

Practice, Practice, Malpractice:

Okay, so this is the surprising missing special feature. These are the outtakes that are clearly labeled on the back of the box, they've been included with every season, but for some reason they aren't on this set. This is a pretty big screw up and it disappoints me that Disney messed up and forgot to put this feature on yet still labeled it as included.

Audio Commentaries:

This season gives us audio commentaries for each episode and they are great. There is a lot of talking about casting and just the overall execution of the show. You'll hear some stuff about choices made with the characters and overall it's great to see every episode has a commentary now with various cast and crew.

The Third Tier:

A special feature that is not listed on the back of the box is a cool one. Bill Lawrence talks about all the side characters that make up the third tier. These characters include Ted, Todd, Doug, Lloyd, etc. They talk about how the characters have been pretty fleshed out and how they love to continue to give them side stories.

The Debra & Stephanie Show:

This is another special feature that isn't labeled on the back of the box, and no this isn't about the girl names that Dr. Cox calls J.D. This little featurette sits down and talks with the writer of the musical episode and the actress who portrays the patient who hears everyone singing in her head. I think it adds a little too much since we've already heard plenty about the musical episode already.

Easter Egg:

There is a hidden feature on the first menu page of the special features menu on disc three. Look for the cherries and try to highlight them with your cursor. It's basically Bill Lawrence numbering a bunch of potential spoilers for season 7 and then after it all he says "I guarantee 4 of what I said are true". So, if you don't want potential spoilers then don't watch.

Okay, to sum up my issue here. Why would Buena Vista just copy and paste the special features list when there is in fact no Outtakes feature. They also failed to list two special features that are actually on the disc. So, they listed one feature that isn't on and failed to list two features that are on. This is a huge mistake and someone should be fired because of it.

Video

Scrubs is a show that still hasn't made the switch to widescreen, but it's okay. The 4:3 aspect ratio is pretty good. The Scrubs DVD's don't have the most vibrant transfers, but they are definitely better than what you see when they broadcast.

Audio

The 5.1 track is great because you get all those ambient hospital sounds and it makes it feel like you're in the room with the characters. The 5.1 mix is also great for all the music in the show.

Package

Scrubs comes in a fold out digipak very much like the last two seasons. The first two discs overlap on one panel and the third disc has its own tray on the panel right next to it. This fold up neatly into the cardboard slipcover.

Final Word

Buena Vista screwed up big time with the listing of the special features on the package, but otherwise this is a must own set. I love the amount of special features there are, but I just hate that they screwed up in listing them. Scrubs fans should go out and buy it right now. I'm going to miss this show a lot, and it's going to be bittersweet when it comes time to review the final season on DVD next May.