Scrubs Uses J.D.’s Imagined Conversation to Reveal His Growth

A conversation J.D. imagined

The episode filled in some of the circumstances behind J.D. and Elliot’s divorce, but the heart-to-heart viewers saw was not a real exchange. It represented the things J.D. wished he could tell her, according to series star and executive producer Zach Braff.

Braff said the audience deserved more backstory, though the revival’s short episodes make it difficult to address everything. The imagined conversation let J.D. take responsibility and articulate his feelings, before he returned to reality and decided against inviting Elliot to dinner.

Choosing not to reopen old pain

Braff described J.D.’s decision as a sign of emotional maturity. Rather than risk putting Elliot and Ollie through more pain, J.D. keeps his feelings to himself.

A familiar device, used differently

Braff compared the scene with a moment involving Dr. Cox and Brendan Fraser’s character, recalling the line, “Where do you think we are?” He said the earlier moment was not a fantasy, so the comparison was not exact.

He also likened the episode’s imagined possibilities to the film Sliding Doors. In Braff’s account, J.D. enters the imaginative world of a patient experiencing sundowning and pictures how events might unfold if he sent Elliot a text.

Questions still hanging over the revival

The interview also addressed uncertainty about the revival’s continuity, including where J.D.’s other son, Sam, is. Braff discussed what fans could do to strengthen the case for a Season 3 renewal.

The episode does not settle what will happen between J.D. and Elliot. It instead shows J.D. recognizing that saying everything he wishes to say is not necessarily the right choice for their family.