I would like to say that the crushing disappointment of the end of Scrubs as we know it has kept me from blogging for a week, but, in reality, I have just been lazy. So what better to get me back into the blogging swing of things than a recap of last night’s finale.

My man crush on Bill Lawrence pretty much guaranteed I would like the episode. I have a hard time getting disappointed at TV shows, especially ones I already love. I am in the minority of people who liked the Seinfeld finale. I had invested too much in the show to feel offended at the way the thing ended.

But the Scrubs finale went beyond simple satisfaction for me (and others). The episode, written and directed by Lawrence, managed to stick with the themes that kept the show alive for eight seasons while tying up loose ends to give this incarnation of the show a proper ending. They accomplished this in a few ways:

• Putting a really simple, yet complex medical case at the forefront. The need for a man about J.D.’s age to decide whether or not to take a test which told him he had inherited a fatal disease fit perfectly into the finale story. Lawrence has always said medicine drove the show from its beginning and this clear-cut case involving a difficult decision made that happen one more time.
• J.D. moved to avoid the commute. Turk acknowledged the commute would affect their friendship. But Elliot “sneak moved in” with JD without regard to the commute. That subtle touch showed where their relationship had gone this season. Lawrence put them together at the beginning so there wouldn’t be a “will they or won’t they” vibe as the season drew to a close. I think that allowed this small sacrifice by Elliot to be even more special.
• Everyone said goodbye in their own way. The Janitor humanized himself, maybe. Judy Reyes showed why Carla can be such a powerful figure in such an ensemble. Turk admitted maybe the bromance was getting to be a little too much. Kelso simply cut and run. And Dr. Cox stayed true to himself to the very end. The characters stayed true to the path they have traveled for eight years.
• That hallway scene showed how much Lawrence understands his fan base. I don’t know about you, but my wife and I rewound it and played it slowly (more than once) to make sure we got a good look at everyone who appeared. The reruns on Comedy Central make it possible to see those characters all the time, but we still appreciated the opportunity to see who would populate J.D.’s mind on his final exit. I just wished Mandy Moore had been there.
• The episode ended with a J.D. dream sequence that was similar to what he has always done, but a little different. Not only was it more realistic and focused solely on family, but the grainy nature of old home movies added a nice effect, especially compared to the clear vision of past guests that lined the hall before he went outside.
• Finally, Lawrence inserting himself into the final shot as the janitor taking down Turk’s farewell banner cemented the notion that, in the end, this is a small and select group of people who really understand and enjoy the show.

Sure, the audience for this season is only a third of that which watched the first couple of seasons when it had an amazingly powerhouse lineup around it. But NBC drew 6.4 million or so for the past four seasons while between 4.5 and 5 million people watched this season on ABC. I never thought I’d describe five million people as a small group, but that’s the truth in television terms.

The inside jokes and constant callbacks make the people who watch Scrubs feel more like viewers and almost like a participant. The fans know the story behind Randall Winston, Lawrence’s producer and friend who plays the hook-handed security guard and also provides his name to the Janitor’s midget friend. The fans know that Mike Schwartz is an executive producer and plays Lloyd the Delivery Guy. And the fans knew the second that they saw Lawrence in a janitor’s uniform that he thought about us when he put the final episode together.

That’s not to say that if you didn’t like it, you’re not a fan. I’ll always believe in personal preference, but I find it hard to see how people can’t acknowledge that Scrubs deserved this final episode regardless of how many silly jokes missed over the past few years. I know some complain that the show will suck if and when it is re-jiggered for a ninth season, but I agree with Lawrence that so many other shows suck and something he creates should be worth a chance.