Scrubs has been off the air for ten years now, yet it still permeates the pop culture consciousness. J.D.'s internal monologues and thoughts are memes, J.D. and Turk remain the epitome of a bromance, and Dr. Cox's delightful mix of fierce condemnation and fatherly pride remain just as touching and acerbic as ever.
And, like any sitcom that ran for nearly ten years, Scrubs can be wildly hit or miss. Some its classic episodes are the best in sitcom history, yet it also had some painful lows throughout its nine-season run.
These are the five best and five worst episodes of Scrubs, according to IMDb.
Best: My Fallen Idol (9.3)
The one-two punch of My Lunch and My Fallen Idol is fondly remembered within the Scrubs community. My Fallen Idol is part two of the unofficial two-parter, as it largely deals with Dr. Cox's depression and feelings of inferiority following the rabies outbreak. Most of the acclaim comes from the incredibly touching finale in which J.D. consoles Cox at his apartment. It's a very touching and very sweet little speech, and it's enough to bring Cox out of his funk. To make matters even better, Cox refers to J.D. by his actual name when thanking him. Our hearts...
Worst: Our Thanks (6.1)
It's no surprise that season nine is controversial. OK, we'll stop sugarcoating it - season nine sucks. And spoiler alert, there are a lot of season nine episode on this list, starting with Our Thanks. Our Thanks is the season nine finale, and therefore, the series finale. It is not the series finale that most people wanted or expected, and it ended Scrubs on a disappointingly sour note. But that's OK, no one really considers this to be the ending. That distinction goes to the "proper" finale, and we'll get to that in a bit...
Best: My Last Words (9.3)
Everyone knows season nine is horrible. That said, season eight doesn't get a particular amount of love, either. That said, the season contains two very notable exceptions, with one of them being My Last Words.
My Last Words is a bottle episode that sees J.D. and Turk skipping steak night to comfort a dying patient. The episode starts with the typical wacky shenanigans but quickly spirals into heavy themes involving the fear of death, the ability to conquer it, and the surprising poignancy of a delicious beer.
Worst: Our Driving Issues (6.0)
Coming in fourth-worst is the penultimate episode of season nine, titled Our Driving Issues. Suffice to say, Scrubs didn't exactly go out with a bang. It's a shame, because the episode does deal with some good themes and storylines.
For example, Cole grows despondent when no one shows up for his melanoma procedure, and Kelso learns to put his ego at bay (and that is a long time coming!). However, the episode just can't rise above the ho-hum script and flat acting that plagued much of the season.
Best: My Lunch (9.6)
And now we come to the first part of the tragic two-parter: My Lunch. My Lunch is arguably the saddest episode of Scrubs, as it details the inability to save patients' lives. Cox takes these deaths extremely personally, which of course leads to his depression in the following episode. The episode is largely remembered for its closing montage, which is hauntingly scored to The Fray's How to Save a Life and contains scenes of Cox suffering a breakdown. It's the most emotional we've ever seen Dr. Cox, and it did not make for easy viewing.
Worst: Our Couples (5.9)
The eighth episode of season nine is Our Couples, and it is the first Scrubs episode on our list to fall below a 6.0. This one sees Lucy struggling with the fact that she likes Cole, Denise playing a prank on the security guards, and Turk and Cox setting aside their beef to help a patient.
There's nothing much to like here, especially considering the emphasis on new characters and their ridiculous storylines. Playing pranks on security? Really? Is that what the once-great Scrubs had come to?
Best: My Screw Up (9.7)
For My Screwup, we're going all the way back to season three. We said My Lunch was arguably the saddest episode of Scrubs, because My Screwup certainly gives it a run for its money. This one stars Brendan Fraser as Jordan's brother Ben, whose leukemia has gone into remission.
The whole episode revolves around Ben and Cox's brotherly relationship, but it ends with a major Sixth Sense-esque twist - Ben actually died earlier in the episode and a grief-stricken Cox was simply imagining his presence. Talk about a gut punch.
Worst: Our Dear Leaders (5.9)
Fantastic episodes like My Screw Up simply reinforce how lazy and uninspired season nine truly was. One of the worst episodes of the series (according to IMDb!) is Our Dear Leaders, the eleventh episode of season nine. This episode is notable for being the first in the series' history not to mention J.D.
Unfortunately, J.D. is the linchpin that holds this entire series together, and it absolutely crumbles without him. Sorry guys, but no one cares about the wacky shenanigans of Denise and Drew.
Best: My Finale Part 2 (9.8)
And here we come to the actual finale of Scrubs! Not canonically, no, but we've all universally agreed on ignoring season nine. My Finale is obviously the final episode of season eight and sees J.D.'s departure from Sacred Heart. It's a wonderful finale to a wonderful sitcom, filled with all the hilarity and poignancy you would expect. Said poignancy includes the final conversation between J.D. and the janitor, and of course the final scene wherein J.D. envisions his future via an old-timey film reel. It is strikingly beautiful.
Worst: My Night To Remember (5.7)
We hate to end this list on a downer, but hey, what can you do? Clip shows are widely detested the world over, and unfortunately, Scrubs was not above a clip show. As you could probably tell from the title, My Night to Remember was Scrubs's clip show episode, and like all clip show episodes, it was not well regarded. In fact, according to IMDb, it is the show's worst episode. Yeah, it contained a few bits of original material, but those were not enough to save it.