The relationship between John “J.D.” Dorian (Zach Braff) and Christopher Turk (Donald Faison) on Scrubs propelled the show and basically perfected the concept of a “bromance”– if not being solely responsible for its existence.
One, a nerdy doctor that had a preference for apple-tinis; the other, a surgeon that had a omnipresent chip on his shoulder and a sensitive ego. The balance of the friendship was perfectly in sync and often walked a thin line between outright bro-ffection and not-so-subtle homoeroticism.
Scrubs has been off the air for five years now, but fans still have room in their hearts for their favorite vanilla and chocolate bears, who are actually great friends in real life. The two even made a recent cameo appearance on an episode of Undateable, Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence’s latest project.
So, without further ado, stretch your arms over your head and yell “EEEAAAGGGLLLEEE!” while we take you back to some of the best moments in the friendship of J.D. and Turk.
The world’s most giant doctor
A lot of the laughs on Scrubs were a direct result of J.D. and Turk’s harmless antics. While viewers couldn’t get enough of them from week to week, it’s not hard to imagine how tiring they got to the other members of the staff at Sacred Heart. That’s probably why they didn’t get any signatures to make it more giant-accessible.
Eagle!
One of the most charming running jokes between the two was when Turk would carry J.D. over his shoulders and spin him around as J.D. stretches out his arms and yells out “EEEAAAGGGLLLLEEEE!” The most epic was probably the (intended-to-be) final one.
Brady Bunch tiki
First, despite J.D.’s enthusiasm, Turk is simply not feeling the majesty of the crotch bump (think lower body chest bump).
Secondly, it was nice to see Scrubs pull Barry Williams, a.k.a. Greg Brady, in to give this reference to The Brady Bunch that extra push.
“Rowdy, no!”
Scrubs almost made it OK to own a stuffed dog that may or may not have been alive. Rowdy was used for genuine laughs after being found in the most unexpected places — like neighbors’ front doors or in bedrooms.
“Hooch is crazy…”
Not all of J.D. and Turk’s pranks were completely harmless. Their strategic use of the word “hooch” around a doctor of the same name eventually sent him over the edge. Although, it’s fair to say Hooch was already on the edge anyway.
I’d read the hell out fanfic that imagined a world where Hooch changed his name to Marion Moseby, left the medical profession altogether and started over by managing hotels and dealing with the daily antics of two blond twins named Zack and Cody.
Feeling like a new man
Turk often made appearances in J.D.’s habitual daydreams. In this one, for example, J.D. shows us for once, how it feels on the inside to walk into the hospital as a surgeon.
They even brought it back for a second go with slight differences, which you can see below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DEsjwmS3F8
Batman and Robin
J.D. may have been the main character and narrator of Scrubs, but we all know who wore the Bat-pants in the relationship.
Disneyland without Turk
J.D. isn’t even in this scene, but it helps to understand the depths of his friendship with Turk. Take a look at the pain Turk feels when he finds out J.D. went to Disneyland without him, breaking their promise.
J.D. and Turk fight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EqQvFx-t78
As the characters grew, so did their dynamic. There was no longer a clear boss of the friendship after the two took it physical. The end result surprised everyone.
Note: Even J.D. and Turk had to admit that they were at least “a little married.”
Love and Basketball
Yeah… J.D. didn’t have an athletic bone in his body. But lucky for him, his best friend was a loyal alpha male. So J.D. always knew he’d be on someone’s team in a game of pick-up basketball and have a fighting chance at the end of the day.
“Guy Love”
If you ever need to explain the completely platonic, yet extremely intense friendship between J.D. and Turk, “Guy Love” could do most of the work for you. You’ll probably need the help.
Faison and Braff actually got together to perform the song together recently.
Back from the honeymoon!
What’s the first thing a guy does when he gets back from his honeymoon? Probably get the house ready. Try and settle back into work. At least do something to get back into the happenings of real life. That is unless your name is Christopher Turk.
When Turk got back from his honeymoon with Carla, the first thing he did was run circles around the hospital so that he could hug his best friend.
Baby makin’
https://youtu.be/dQ4uZ9AUves?t=4s
Since J.D. and Turk went ahead and fell in love with women (sorry shippers), the next best thing would be for their kids to end up together one day. The two new dads started shipping their kids before they could even talk for themselves.
Parents get their wish
… And they got just what they asked for! Well, at least if you believe that everything seen in J.D.’s final vision would come true. The premonition showed that Isabella Turk and Samuel Dorian not only date, but one day get engaged.
Short-awaited reunion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y13C4aSC3U
And everything comes full circle.
After an emotional ending to season 8, Scrubs came back for a ninth season that mostly focused on a new cast with appearances from old cast members. But we still got to see nods to classic old-school Scrubs moments in the early episodes, such as a callback to J.D. and Turk’s post-honeymoon reunion, “Guy Love,” and even “Eagle!”
