Tonight’s twofer thematically fit together, with both episodes focusing primarily on Dr. Perry Cox’s adjustment to being the new Chief of Medicine. It turns out it’s a helluva lot of work and it’s almost guaranteed to make you unpopular, as his new friend Dr. Kelso tells him.
See, Dr. Kelso wasn’t so bad. He just had a tough job, and someone has to make those decisions that piss everyone off. And now that person is Dr. Cox. Unfortunately, Dr. Cox doesn’t like to admit he can’t do anything, so he’ll just take on these tasks on top of everything he did before. What could possible go wrong? Ask his son Jack.
The first episode focused entirely on Perry’s first day in the office. And by that I mean literally in the office. By the end of the second episode, he was struggling to find a way to fit it all in and still have time to be a good parent to Jack. He did give up picking up Jack from day care. Jordan sacrificed her three-and-a-half hour daily nap to help him out on that one.
It’s interesting that they put J.D. in the former Cox role. When Kelso was Chief, it was Dr. Cox who got up in his face and pissed him off all the time to get what the patients needed. Now we had Dr. Kelso telling J.D. that a Chief needs that person and it was his role to play with Cox as Chief.
It works as a method to get Cox and J.D. back to the point where Cox openly and vehemently despises his very presence. While they’d played it along the last several years, the two were softening toward one another, and this resets them back to almost day one. Bonus points for Dr. Cox getting Jack to insult J.D.’s baby, thus keeping the legacy of hatred alive.
The show is still firing on all cylinders, putting in good episode after good episode. It’s even more disappointing now that we know for sure it won’t be back next season. It did make it easier for Cox to just fire Intern Ed. Last time we saw him, he was lazy but was also brilliant. He went from the guy who knew all the answers without trying to the guy who doesn’t try and doesn’t know the answers. I guess they’ve just decided it didn’t matter trying to build him anymore.
After next week we go into mostly repeats before the show shifts to Wednesday nights and one episode per week, pushing it into late April before it all comes to an end. ABC is coupling it with new comedy Better Off Ted about a guy who works for a company that can literally make just about anything you can dream up. This could actually be a compatible pairing, evein if it is having to face off against the heart of American Idol’s season.
Clacked by Jason Hughes 
on Feb 04, 2009 @ 19:00 EST5EDT
I’m with you… This show is on.
I think what pissed off Cox so much was the concept that, despite his better efforts, JD really is becoming more like him everyday, now so much pushing him the way he pushed Kelso.