My House (film)

"My House (film)"

"My House" is the 121st episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired as Episode 4 of Season 6 on January 4, 2007.

Episode overview

Dr. Cox feels like the TV character Gregory House when he has to solve three mysteries. One of the trio is that, while Elliot is angry at Dr. Kelso, she for some reason takes it out on Turk. A second concerns a grown man whose skin is orange; the third, why J.D.'s patient suffered heart failure. It is, in the end, revealed (by Dr. Cox) that Elliot is angry at Turk for his inability to recognize that she has advanced medically, that the orange man got his condition due to a combination of consuming many carrots (which turn the skin yellow) and many tomatoes (which turn it red), and that JD's patient suffers from Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Carla is showing early signs of postpartum depression.

J.D. wishes for Kim to turn down the offer for a different job in Tacoma, WA, but doesn't want to tell her for fear he'll seem too controlling. As a result, he tries to be a better boyfriend in hopes that she'll decide on her own that she doesn't want to leave him. In the end, ironically because he acted so supportively, she takes the job, promising J.D. that they'll stay in touch and stick together. Meanwhile, Carla has taken an insensitive approach to her husband's financial responsibility.

References to House

• The case of an orange man was originally found in the Pilot of House, although that diagnosis was carrots and large doses of niacin, found in Megavitamins (rather than tomatoes in Scrubs.) On House, the doctor diagnosed the problem immediately, and reasoned that because the man's wife did not take notice of the condition, she was having an affair.
• Dr. Cox's use of a cane after he hurt his foot is in homage to Dr. House's constant use of a cane, due to the partial loss in functionality of his leg.
• Dr. Cox's line stating that the orange man "is as orange as an NBA game ball" is a reference to Dr. House's use of sports analogies to describe assorted ailments to his team.
• Both this episode and the House episode "Words and Deeds" (aired five days after this episode) contain a patient with Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, albeit in very different fashions.
• Dr. Cox presents Carla and Drs. Dorian & Turk with the facts regarding the mysterious symptoms in the same manner that Dr. House questions, Drs. Wilson, Foreman, and Chase. Just like in House, the queried characters appeared enlightened by what they already know, and come up with the answer.
• Prior to this episode, some fans believed the character of House to essentially be a rip-off of Dr Cox (a quick-witted, sarcastic, and jaded doctor with an addiction) and this episode may be seen by some to be a reference to this argument.

Trivia

• This episode somewhat breaks the fourth wall. When Dr. Cox says "this isn't a TV show, there aren't any cameras over here", he makes a gesture towards the audience (or camera). This action then surprises his interns.
• There is also a reference to the show's theme song, "Superman" by Lazlo Bane. After Dr. Cox reveals all the answers to the "huddled masses", he states "no, I'm not Superman" similar to the line "I'm no Superman" in the aforementioned song.
• Despite the fact that the Janitor fires several shots with his paintball gun there never seems to be a space where the paintballs have moved down in the tube when he fires, this happens many times in the episode.

Featured music

• "Where Do You Go" by Sister Hazel
• "Romeo and Juliet 'Fantasy Overture'" by Tchaikovsky

External links

• "My House" at IMDb