Scrubs writers, how could you do this to us?
**Spoiler alert for the first episode of the Scrubs revival**
So, J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot’s (Sarah Chalke) marriage didn’t make it. Sitting down to watch the series premiere, fans were excited to find out what these characters have been up to over the last 15 years, and it seems like things have not been all sunshine and rainbows.
In the first episode, “My Return,” which sees J.D. initially returning to Sacred Heart Hospital to care for a patient of his — since the show went off the air in 2010, Braff’s character has been making house calls for the upper class as a concierge doctor — only to be enticed into coming back to the hospital that raised him.
After a joyous and celebratory reunion with Carla (Judy Reyes) and Turk (Donald Faison), things go cold as ice as J.D. bumps into Elliot while rounding a corner and the two start to bicker in front of other hospital staff. In a call-back to the original series, Elliot and J.D. retreat to the same exact closet they hid in during the original pilot and discuss keeping a distance from each other as he takes care of his patient.
We also learn in this moment that they went to couples counseling amid their marital issues and that Elliot has been slowly but surely letting go of the relationship, even doing a ritual involving floating candles at a local pond. Later in the episode, we discover it was Elliot who ended the relationship and that she’s still thinking about it all this time later, especially as J.D. is around.
In truth, some fans expected this divorce might be confirmed in the opener for a few different reasons. Back in the old days, J.D. and Elliot were far from holding the stable and secure couple mantle that Carla and Turk have always held. The two were constantly going at each other in the original series and had many rollercoaster moments over the canonical eight-season run.
Additionally, when ABC first dropped first-look photos and a teaser trailer from the revival, some eagle-eyed fans noticed that neither J.D. nor Elliot were wearing rings. While it’s common for doctors and those in the medical profession to take off their engagement and wedding bands while on the job, it felt like a dark omen from the start.
While it’s certainly a sad moment for many, some fans think this could be a good thing for the series, as JD and Elliot have tended to work better when their dynamic is slightly at odds. Perhaps this is just a way to squeeze out every drop of comedy the show can get.
The good news is that people break up and get back together all the time and with this much history and a family to think about, we have a feeling it’s not over for these two crazy kids.
The first two episodes of Scrubs stream Thursday, February 26 on Hulu. New episodes air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC and the next day on Hulu.
If you’re new to Hulu, you can get started with a 30-day free trial on the streamer’s basic (with ads) plan. After the trial period, you’ll pay $10.99/month. If you want to upgrade to Hulu ad-free, it costs $18.99/month.
If you want to stream even more and save a few bucks a month while you’re at it, we recommend subscribing to one of the Disney+ Bundles, all of which include Hulu. These bundles start at $12.99/month for ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu and goes up to $32.99/month for Disney+, Hulu, and Max, all ad-free.
