My Lunch

"My Lunch"
Scrubs episode
J.D. attempts to console a depressed Dr. Cox after two of his three patients die of rabies.
Episode no.	Season 5 Episode 20
Written by	Tad Quill
Directed by	John Michel
Featured music	"How to Save a Life" by The Fray
Production no.	520
Original airdate	April 25, 2006
Episode chronology ← Previous Next → "His Story III" "My Fallen Idol"
List of Scrubs episodes

"My Lunch" is the 113th episode of the American comedy-drama Scrubs. It originally aired as Episode 20 of Season 5 on April 25, 2006.

It is one of the three highest-rated episodes of the series, along with "My Screw Up" and "My Finale". The plot is based on the true story of three patients who died in June 2004, due to rabies contracted by organ transplants.^[1][2] However, as the commentary on the Season 5 DVD mentions, the episode took some dramatic license, as the organs from one donor do not usually all go to the same hospital. ^[3]

Plot

After repeatedly running into annoying recurring patient Jill Tracy (Nicole Sullivan), J.D. feels guilty when she dies of an apparent drug overdose and he didn't act on warning signs that she showed previously when meeting him. Carla and Elliot convince The Todd to admit to being gay, but contrary to what they had hoped, this does not change his personality for the better. Dr. Cox initially consoles J.D. but struggles to follow his own advice later on, when he finds out that Jill actually died of rabies and the infected organs went on to kill all the recipients.

After two of the three patients die from rabies, Dr. Cox becomes depressed and J.D. attempts to console him with lunch. J.D. tells Dr. Cox that there was no way he could have seen such a complication with the organs, as rabies is a relatively rare medical condition, and that he (J.D.) would have made the same call, especially considering the patients were in dire need of transplants. This appears to make Dr. Cox feel better, but they then both receive a page concerning Dr. Cox's friend and patient, Mr. Bradford. Carla and Dr. Cox attempt to revive Mr. Bradford, but he dies, sending Dr. Cox into a meltdown. It turns out that Mr. Bradford was not in terrible need of a transplant, and could have waited another month for a kidney. Dr. Cox then leaves the room, and J.D. reminds him of his own advice, stating: "The second you start blaming yourself for people's deaths, there's no coming back". Dr. Cox, in tears, merely replies "Yeah. You're right", and walks out of the hospital.

Reception

This episode is tied for the highest-rated episode of Scrubs on TV.com (9.8 out of 10), tied with "My Screw Up" and "My Finale" (parts 1 and 2).

The episode was criticized for the unlikelihood that Jill's organs matched all three patients, although the critic later acknowledged that he was unaware that the episode was based upon a real case.^[4] Amazon.com's Donald Liebenson calls it a "powerful episode that shows a welcome maturity". Liebenson is also thankful that "the music rights were secured for the DVD release so that The Fray's "How to Save a Life" is playing on the soundtrack when Dr. Cox has his own tragic setback."^[5]

Guest stars

• Nicole Sullivan as Jill Tracy.
• Rachel Winfree as Jill's mother, who agrees to donate her daughter's organs.
• David Warshofsky as Dave Bradford, Dr. Cox's patient, who needs a kidney transplant.

References

External links

• "My Lunch" at the Internet Movie Database
• "My Lunch" at TV.com