Scrubs: 10 Most Heartbreaking Moments
"Where do you think we are?..."
There aren't many shows like Scrubs in the world of TV. Bill Lawrence's creation was goofy, and had the ability to make anyone belly laugh at any time, but on the other side of that coin was the emotion of the show. No series, certainly not in the sitcom genre, can match it.
With it being set in a hospital, there was the potential for heavy storylines in every single episode, but it took a lot more than that. The audience had to care about these characters before they could truly have their hearts broken.
This is something that Scrubs did expertly. Of course there was the core cast of JD and co, but there was a whole secondary tier of characters, and even patients that were in the hospital for an episode or two were developed enough that if something happened to them, it would pull on your heartstrings.
Death was everywhere in Scrubs, and while much of it was played off and balanced with humour and silliness, when the show dropped the comedy and focused purely on the tragedy surrounding it, it had the ability to truly break your heart. To take it and really rip it to pieces in a way you wouldn't think possible.
10. A Big Broadway Musical
There have been many patients that JD got to know over his time at Sacred Heart, one of which was Elaine. She had been at the top of the heart transplant list for a long time, and was essentially waiting for someone to make the decision to pull a family member off life support.
This worked to the theory JD had that in a hospital there was a balance of sorts. When one person dies, another gets a chance to live. This was situation in the same family when Mr. Larkin had to choose between delivering his baby early, which could kill his wife, or waiting, which would likely mean the baby wouldn't survive.
The main bulk of the episode is centered around the Larkins, but Elaine was focused on enough for her to tell JD what she thought death would be like. She wanted a big Broadway musical, dressed up to go out with a flourish. This image helped her stave off a fear of death.
Ultimately, both Mrs. Larkin and her baby survived, something that led the audience and JD to believe that the theory may be flawed. However, though they both lived, it was Elaine who died. She had the big moment she wanted, as she and several other people around the hospital gave a hauntingly beautiful rendition of Colin Haye's "Waiting For My Real Life To Begin" as she passed.