Scrubs – The Complete Eighth Season (2009/ABC-Disney Blu-ray + DVD)
Picture:
B+/B- Sound: B+/B- Extras: B- Episodes: B+
Why NBC ever let the series go I will never know; but I am
glad ABC picked up Scrubs so at
least it could give the original cast a proper farewell. With Season
Eight marking the end of the series with its original cast lineup; we as an
audience got to experience one last trip to Sacred Heart, where the craziness
often outweighs the medicine.
The Eighth Season of
Scrubs brought the series back to
where it should be and at the same time delivered everything one could ask for
in a “final season.” Where as this is
not truly “the end” of Scrubs it is
widely known that JD (Zach Braff) won’t be returning as a regular in the following
seasons; so all in all this is fans last chance to see Scrubs stick to its original premise. It is rumored that JD will be returning as a
guest star (as Braff is signed to a small contract still), but little of that
is know to date. Season Seven of Scrubs (as
you can read in my previous review) nearly made this me have a nervous
breakdown; the season was a complete waist and the cast looked as if they had
no desire to be there. It was Scrubs without the fun and enthusiasm
that we had all become accustomed to; a truly sad showing. I assure fans, however, that Season Eight is a complete turn around
and “old” Scrubs is back in its full
glory.
Granted the series did try to trick fans in Season Eight by having new interns
being the focus of some episodes, as well as episodes that only featured Elliot
and Turk; presumably to test the waters of what it would be like once JD
(Braff) left the series. What many
series don’t do in there final episodes is clean up lose ends; they try but
ultimately fail. In a brilliant show of
events (without giving anything away) everything we as fans wanted out of JD is
cleared up and the world was made right again.
Everything made sense and without jumping the shark, the JD story arch
was completed with ease and dignity (with a big dash of emotion). Overall I would have to say I loved this
season and whereas many fans hold onto the past I say bravo to Scrubs for delivering 8 great seasons
of hilarity.
The technical features on this Blu-ray are quite good and
the DVD holds true to the same presentation quality it has had for the last
several seasons. For being Scrubs first time on Blu-ray the 1.78 X
1 1080p High Definition image (from Super 16mm film) is crystal clear, the
colors are bright, the contrast is solid and there is no grit or grime anywhere
to be found. The Blu-ray is everything
the series should be and I hope as future seasons are released they look even
better than this one. The DVD is also
nice, but is missing the vibrancy that the Blu-ray holds as well as still
having the same degree of softness that the previous seasons had. The other MAJOR downfall of the DVD is that
it continues to be presented in the same old Full Screen (ruining the
experience once again); and whereas it is not bad, I would go with the Blu-ray
on this one. The Audio on the Blu-ray is
presented FINALLY in a brilliant English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio that is full
and immersive; and even as the series is not big on action the dialogue is
crystal clear and the ambient noises, as well as the music is stunning. The DVD once again uses a Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Mix that is adequate, but far from what the landmark series deserves
and once again Blu-ray is the way to go.
The extras included on both the Blu-ray and DVD are:
- Bloopers
- Deleted Scenes
- Alternate Lines – Like the Deleted Scenes the Alternate Lines
show a side by side comparison of “what aired” with “what got cut;” the
difference here being that the alternate lines are mainly improv.
- My Bahamas
Vacation – a
sizeable Behind the Scenes look at the 2-Part episode in which Lawrence gives a
worthy amount of insight.
- Scrubs Intern Webisodes – Funny mini episodes that were
used online to promote the series “newbies”
Extras exclusive to Blu-ray include:
- It’s All in the Name – A hilarious montage of all
the humiliating names Dr. Cox had bestowed upon JD over the past eight
seasons.
- SeasonPlay
- Seamless Menus
Since this is fans last chance to really get inside JD’s
head I recommend this as well as all the previous seasons on Blu-ray and DVD.
The series (as it was) will be missed very much.
- Michael P.
Dougherty II
