My Mentor

"My Mentor"
Scrubs episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 2
Directed by	Adam Bernstein
Written by	Bill Lawrence
Production code	S102
Original air date	October 4, 2001
Guest stars
Randy Kaplan (Patient) Jack Walsh (unconscious patient) John Ducey (Will Forte)
Episode chronology
← Previous "My First Day" Next → "My Best Friend's Mistake"
List of Scrubs episodes

"My Mentor" is the second episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired as Episode 2 of Season 1 on October 4, 2001.

Plot

Elliot gets on Carla's bad side after telling Dr. Kelso about one of Carla's mistakes. Elliot gets defensive with J.D. when he suspects Elliot started it, and J.D. reflects that Elliot puts her foot in her mouth on a regular basis. The next day, the nursing staff refuses to help Elliot. When she tries do drag Dr. Kelso into the impasse for help, he refuses. J.D. cajoles Elliot into apologizing to Carla, but when Carla accepts, Elliot refuses to let the issue go, digging her own grave in a fantasy scene as she chews Carla out. Later, however, Elliot passes up an opportunity to get out of Dr. Kelso's dog house when she gives credit to Carla for figuring out that one patient had meningococcus.

Turk continues his attempts to woo Carla by acting swaggering and cocky. His first attempt fails. He fails at the second try too, with Carla giving him a long list of his shortcomings. His third time out, though, he tells Carla that Elliot gave her credit for the diagnosis and that she should give Elliot a break. In closing, he tells her that her "ass looks especially fine today." Impressed by his candor, she tells him to pick her up the next day at seven. Finally, Carla writes out pharmacy renewals for Elliot, and Turk heads Elliot off when she nearly chews Carla out again, smoothing things over between the two for the time being.

J.D.'s new patient, Will Forte (John Ducey) comes in with pneumonia, and both J.D. and Dr. Cox fear he may have lung cancer because he smokes heavily. When Will's CT results come up negative for cancer, J.D. still tries to convince him to quit smoking. When J.D. proudly tells Dr. Cox he managed to reach Will, Dr. Cox is skeptical just before opening the fire exit door to show J.D. that Will is sneaking a cigarette with the Janitor.

J.D. tries to get closer to Dr. Cox through his difficulty in reaching Will, but is rebuffed twice before Cox is forced to take J.D. into his apartment when he accidentally injures J.D.'s knee by slamming the door on him. Dr. Cox advises J.D. that "you can't save people from themselves, Newbie. You just treat them… if you keep living and dying on whether or not a patient changes, well, you're not going to make it as a doctor, that's all." In the end, J.D. is unable to convince Will to quit smoking, taking Dr. Cox's advice by not lecturing Will when he's discharged. Dr. Cox admonishes J.D. for this too, telling J.D. that "If you can't stick to your convictions, you'll never make it as a doctor."

Trivia

• Will Forte, the name of J.D.'s patient, is also the name of an actor who appeared on Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence's show Clone High.
• This episode includes the first appearances of Rowdy and Doug, the first time North Hollywood Medical Center is used as Sacred Heart, and the first episode in which Dr. Cox calls J.D. by a girls name ("Susan").

Featured music

• "Good Time" by Leroy

References

• Antonio Savorielli (2010), Beyond sitcom: new directions in American television comedy, McFarland & Company, 42 ISBN 978-0-7864-5843-1

External links

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