Zach Braff’s Dr. John “JD” Dorian ultimately got a predictable happy ending inScrubs, but he could have lived happily ever after with someone else far sooner if his best friend hadn’t gotten in the way.The dynamic between JD and Turk (Donald Faison) was one of the best parts of the showthroughoutall nine seasons ofScrubs- even when Braff started to be phased out in the divisiveMed Schoolepisodes.Scrubsbasically had three endings, but only one of them fits the bill for JD when it comes to the traditional sitcom blueprint.
JD was part of one of thebest will-they/won’t-they love stories in TV history, with the other half of the duo being Sarah Chalke’s Dr. Elliot Reid. They finally committed to each other near the end ofScrubsseason 8, andScrubs: Med Schoolrevealed they had been married offscreen and were expecting their first child together. None of this was really a surprise to those familiar with sitcom tropes, butJD was arguably just as well-suited to a love interest fromScrubsseason 4.
Turk’s Awful Relationship Advice Resulted In The End Of JD’s Relationship With Kylie
JD could have gone the distance with Kylie if he hadn’t listened to Turk
Chrystee Pharris starred as Kylie in five consecutive episodes ofScrubs. After debuting in season 4, episode 15, “My Hypocritical Oath,” she made her fourth and final appearance in episode 19, “My Best Laid Plans.” JD hits it off with Kylie immediately, although he becomes frustrated with Pharris' character’s insistence that the pair take it slow.Turk weighs in on the scenario to try and help JD, but offers some terrible advice that he has boiled down from his own recent transgressions.
TURK: Look. Kylie hasn’t slept with you, so what she’s saying is that she doesn’t want to be exclusive. Is she dating?
JD: She did go to a movie with her brother-in-law.
TURK: That’s perfect. Dude, you can have your cake and eat it, too. It’s like me talking with my old girlfriend. It boosts my self-esteem, and I take all of this positive energy back to Carla. Now this is what you do: you go out with Molly and have a great time while she’s in town. But once she leaves, you go to Kylie and you tell her you want to get your exclusive on.
JD: That is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.
-Scrubsseason 4, episode 19, “My Best Laid Plans.”
With Dr. Molly Clock (Heather Graham) back in town, JD is also trying to resist pursuing an old flame in “My Best Laid Plans.” Turk’s misguided tactic of speaking with his ex-girlfriend to improve his own marriage with Carla (Judy Reyes) is what Faison’s character suggests as a course of action for JD.Braff’s character does as suggested and hangs out with Molly after canceling plans with Kylie. JD realizes during his not-date with Molly that he actually wants to be with Kylie, a moment fact that he accidentally lets slip when he hurries to his girlfriend’s place.
JD’s admission that he chose Molly over Kylie that night is what triggers the argument that leads to their breakup.JD isn’t blameless in this scenario, but he was largely following the advice of his best friend. Regardless, if JD had chosen to ignore Turk’s suggestion, it’s very possible that Kylie could have continued as JD’s girlfriend, and their innate chemistry may have resulted in a much closer bond that eventually led to the marriage and kids Braff’s character went on to have with Elliot.
Turk Also Fell Victim To His Own Advice In “My Best Laid Plans”
Donald Faison’s Scrubs character almost lost his marriage
Turk seemed very sure he was giving JD brilliant relationship advice in “My Best Laid Plans.” Faison’s character had also somehow managed to justify to his wife that speaking to an ex-girlfriend was perfectly harmless and that Carla was overreacting. However, whenCarla eventually decides enough is enough and tells Turk to end it, he does so very easily by telling the other woman that he’s married.
Carla is understandably enraged when she finds out that her husband has been speaking to an ex, without even the pretense that he’s a married man. Discovering this leads to a major rift between Turk and Carla that could have ended in divorce if things had gone a little differently. So,it’s not as though Turk’s advice was sound and that JD just got unlucky. What Turk was doing was a bad idea from the start, and the fact that it came back to slap both him and his best friend in the face provides superfluous evidence to support that.
Elliot was always going to be the one for Zach Braff’s character
In another version of events, JD could have ignored Turk’s advice regarding Kylie and continued being patient with her. When JD turned up at Kylie’s place in “My Best Laid Plans,” she was ready to take things to the next level, so JD’s patience seemingly ran out just short of the mark. Therefore, if JD had simply chosen not to hang out with Molly,Kylie could have been the one for Braff’s character. That said, the laws of sitcoms simply wouldn’t allow that to happen.
JD was always going to marry Elliot; otherwise,Scrubswould have had a very unsatisfying ending.
JD and Elliot had already been established asScrubs' will-they/won’t-they story by the time of Kylie’s debut. While Kylie wasn’t the first or last love interest for JD away from Elliot, the fact that they’d already been set up to end the story together meant every relationship for both of them was always going to fail.JD was always going to marry Elliot; otherwise,Scrubswould have had a very unsatisfying ending.
