Scrubs Season 10 Will Struggle to Fix That Weird JD and Elliot Season 8 Plot Hole

Rub Season 10’s main responsibility will be to move the story forward while honoring the past, but there’s a weird discrepancy between Elliot and JD in the sitcom’s penultimate outing that the next revival may have to tackle. After another Rub revival update, the show appears to be close to a return – despite not yet being officially greenlit. The cast and crew have been very vocal about the friendships they’ve maintained since the sitcom ended in 2010, so it’s probably only a matter of time before new episodes are produced.

Zach Braff’s John “JD” Dorian and Sarah Chalke’s Dr. Elliot Reid appeared in all nine seasons of Rubeven though they were just the sitcom, they will/won’t they get married in the first eight. When the show returned for a ninth run under the Faculty of Medicine banner, the two were happily married and had a child on the way. So, while the Rub the revival will need to find new romantic perspectives, Braff and Chalke’s characters will almost definitely remain a big part of the equation. However, there is no denying a major plot hole from his final days of Rub season 8.

Elliot staying at Sacred Heart after JD’s departure in Scrubs Season 8 doesn’t make sense

Elliot moving in with JD should have put her out of hospital reach

The entirety of Rub Season 8 was slowly approaching JD’s departure from Sacred Heart Hospital, with his storyline coming to an end in the two-part “My Finale.” Braff’s character’s exit was highly emotional, but there was logic behind his decision. With a son living too far away for JD to be a notable part of his life, he decided to move closer to Elizabeth Banks’ Kim Briggs – his son’s mother. To do this, JD had to leave Sacred Heart because of the long trip. Strangely, Elliot remained on the hospital’s payroll.

Chalk Rub character did not leave Sacred Heart with JDwhich doesn’t make sense. The two are confirmed to have lived together at the time of the subsequent Faculty of Medicine episodes, presumably closer to Kim. What’s confusing is that Elliot still goes to the hospital every day for work. If Elliot can do this, there’s no reason why JD wouldn’t continue to do so – especially if they traveled together. The alternative is that JD hasn’t moved very far and they both still live near Sacred Heart. Neither explanation is particularly satisfactory. In fact, Elliot should have left too.

Elliot’s departure with JD would have jeopardized Zach Braff’s departure

Highlighting Elliot as the other character leaving wouldn’t have been much different than the rest of the Scrubs cast

Although a large part of the magic of Rub It’s the brilliant chemistry between the cast, there’s no denying that Zach Braff is the show’s breakout star. Rub‘Narration duties were occasionally shared, but JD was the sitcom’s main storyteller and the public eye. So it stands to reason that, despite being part of a larger group of characters, JD was the only one Rub character to have a dedicated farewell. This, in addition to the fact that he was the only one to leave the sitcom’s main set.

Elliot leaving with JD on screen would have been a little weird. Singling out Chalke’s character to also get the final treatment would have been unfair – even if it was perfectly in line with the plot. Plus, JD’s fantasy montage of the future wouldn’t have been the same with Elliot standing next to him, watching him stare off into space. To avoid having to decide to let JD and Elliot leave together, the writers allowed JD to have his moment in the spotlight. The alternative was for the entire cast to say goodbye to the audience, which wouldn’t have been as impactful.

Why the Scrubs revival will likely ignore this plot hole

There may not be a good enough reason for Elliot to have stayed at Sacred Heart

Although Rub Season 10 could try to explain why Elliot was able to stay on Sacred Heart while JD felt like he needed to leave, most likely the sitcom simply won’t address the issue. It seems like a genuine oversight that cannot be corrected due to a lack of compelling logic that could help it make sense. A rewrite of the source would have been the easiest solution, but it’s about 15 years too late for that.

Instead, fans will be left wondering about an in-universe explanation for why Elliot remained in the hospital but JD didn’t. THE Faculty of Medicine episodes show JD and Elliot’s new homethen this would have been the perfect opportunity to resolve the issue. With no mention of the clerical error, it seems like yet another behind-the-scenes production quirk to cover up the fact that Zach Braff was leaving Ruband that this had to happen properly.