The Scrubs Revival Just Complicated My Biggest Theory About J.D’s Story in Season 2

Although the season 1 finale of the Scrubs revival introduced a compelling new love interest for Zach Braff’s JD, this effectively killed my pet theory about where the series was taking his character’s story. The Scrubs revival was well received by fans of the original show and critics more broadly, with most agreeing that the medical sitcom managed to recapture its original appeal while updating the show’s story for a new generation.

Although Donald Faison’s Turk, Judy Reyes’ Carla, and John C. McGinley’s Scrubs antihero Dr. Cox all came back for the revival, the show’s main focus was still Zach Braff’s JD. Much to the chagrin of some longtime fans, the Scrubs revival immediately revealed that JD and Sarah Chalke’s Elliot didn’t stay together after the original show’s ending, with their on-again, off-again romance being firmly in an “Off” period in the revival. While I had hoped this would be short-lived, season 2’s biggest guest star puts a kibosh on that theory.

J.D and Elliot’s Romantic Reunion Looks Less Likely Than Ever In Scrubs Season 2

J.D. and Elliot getting back together is made more complicated by his new romance with Rachel Bilson’s Charlie, a mysterious love interest JD met in the hospital gift shop during the revival’s season 1 finale. The presence of JD’s new love interest proves that he is now ready to move on, which he wasn’t earlier in the season. While Charlie’s existence doesn’t necessarily mean Elliot and JD will never get back together in the revival, the only real signs of their potential romantic reunion now seem quashed by this twist.

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Bilson and Braff previously shared the screen in 2006’s The Last Kiss, a romantic drama that left critics unimpressed. The duo displayed more chemistry as Charlie and JD in the Scrubs revival’s finale, meaning this subplot has the potential to be a compelling new chapter for JD. However, it is hard not to feel like the twist is a little disappointing. Scrubs spent years teasing the possibility of JD and Elliot finally working through their issues and ending up together, only for the revival to undo this in an instant.

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Interestingly, this isn’t the first time that Scrubs has put a seemingly perfect alternative love interest between JD and Elliot. In season 5 of the original show’s run, Braff’s real-life then-girlfriend Mandy Moore played his love interest Julie Quinn in the episodes “My Half-Acre” and “Her Story II.” Julie appeared to have a lot in common, with both characters drifting off into daydreams regularly and sharing the same interests and disinterests.

However, even though JD and Julie bought a plot of land together during their short-lived relationship, the pairing fell apart when Julie revealed she wasn’t interested in discussing a long-term relationship plan. JD’s Scrubs love life has always been messy, but this brief plot was a particularly striking instance of the show introducing a seemingly perfect longterm replacement for Elliot, only to then drop them only an episode later. Hopefully, season 2 of the Scrubs revival will avoid repeating this mistake with Rachel Bilson’s Charlie.