Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Through the Stargate with Scrubs

The latest episode of Scrubs 'My Princess' (full episode here) was just wonderful synchromystic symbolism. A heroes journey, a lesson in synchronicity and 2012 stargate metaphor. The episode has a parallel story, one set in contemporary times in a hospital and one in medieval times. It was directed by Zach Braff who plays JD Dorian - the main character who's an immature doctor (I'm of the forever young class myself and love Zach Braff's character for it) and is an homage to the classic Princess Bride movie (trailer). See the wiki page of the episode here.
Braff describes the episode as both the most epic, and the most expensive episode so far, saying it includes "monsters, potions, evil wizards, giants, hunchbacks, gnomes – like "World of Warcraft", but Scrubs." (speaking of online games, I recently saw the Final Fantasy MMORPG and that was stockfull of stargate symbolism.)



The show begins with a stopping of time (the end of time and the beginning of something else) when a room of doctors and nurses don't react to the Todd's antics and freeze to make him go away - obviously you can't see that very well in a picture but hey ;p there it is. This happens in Sacred Heart hospital, the Sacred Heart is a religious devotion to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of the divine love for humanity.



The 'evil' bureaucratic Dark Lord Oslek(Oz)/Dr. Kelso with the hospital lawyer next to him warns the staff that doctors have to leave after their shift as tired doctors. "Go home to your sad, empty lives." Kelso

Then the main story begins with Princess/Dr. Elliot who can't find the diagnosis of a patient. Fool/Dr JD Dorian runs into her and asks her about when they were trying to kiss each other before (earlier episodes). She just says that he was trying to kiss her.



JD runs off in his 'what the hell' pose to mope to Dr/Knight Cox who doesn't care. In the background two young doctors are playing diagnosis jeopardy and the girl gets it right (Wilson's Disease) and gloats. [Wilson's disease or hepatolenticular degeneration is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder in which copper accumulates in tissues; this manifests itself with neurological symptoms and liver disease.]

Dr/Knight Cox goes home to his son and starts telling him the medieval metaphorical story. (Just as the kid from the Wonder Years gets a story told by his grandfather in the Princess Bride)



The Princess (dr Elliot) and the village idiot or archetypal fool ("does this hat make me look flyeth?") in a masonic jacket, and featuring a two-headed witch (hilarious symbol for a married couple, the nurse and surgeon), begin the adventure.



Princess Elliot throws out a dove for help (cellphone). The fool answers her call. "He was a collossal idiot." The narrator makes clear. The fool also recalls the kiss and asks her what's up, but Elliot turns the conversation to her maiden trapped by a monster (a patient whose diagnosis she can't find, the monster is the unknown). The Fool is the archetypal spirit in search of experience. He represents the mystical cleverness bereft of reason within us, the childlike ability to tune into the inner workings of the world.
I also like to see the fool as the one who realizes his ignorance, the one who sees the illusion of his belief system, his reality tunnel and starts out on a journey of truth and experience. These quotes illustrate how wise men realize their ignorance:
"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."
Socrates

"True knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."
Confucius



Elliot asks the two-headed witch "How can we defeat the monster?" and they/it/whatever send her to the potion shop (lab results). JD and Elliot set out on Sasha, a donkey, which represents JD's silly moped in contemporary time. Both are sweet rides to JD. But they run into the 'evil' Dark Lord Oslek(Oz)/Dr. Kelso. This symbolizes they are playing on the 'floor of the king', represented by the checkered masonic jacket JD is wearing.
Kelso can't stand them being in their forbidden forest (space), yet in the hospital, it's a metaphor for another doctor who was working past his shift (time). The lab results aren't back yet, as they're backed up there and their shift is almost over, so these are their first obstacles. But as in any heroes journey, obstacles are meant to be overcome. Obstacles are merely challenges that make the (and everybody's) story interesting and build character, literally and storywise.



Elliot sends out a dove (cellphone call) to Dr/Knight Cox. Who calls both Elliot and JD, 'Princess' :p. The Knight faces the monster, but this heroes journey is their own and the Knight - someone else - cannot solve their problem, it is theirs. "That monster cannot by slayn by sword alone." The sword here, is a symbol for reason. Some problems cannot be solved by reason alone. Dr. Cox tells them to find the Golden Ring, the diagnosis. He adds: "Remember what you heard, when you weren't really listening."

They go further on their journey, the janitor/giant temporarily saves them as a returned favor (which the hero can always collect on his journey) but are still busted (remain aware also when things are going well).

"Remember that there is nothing stable in human affairs; therefore avoid undue elation in prosperity, or undue depression in adversity."
Socrates

The hunchback/lawyer associate of evil Kelso makes clear along the way that while he's a good guy, his allegiance to evil is really "a self-confidence thing."
While captured, Elliot and JD in hard times come together and declare their love.
Kelso tries to suspend them both, but through the magic of language JD and Elliot make clear that they can't make the hospital liable for anything and thus escape by not giving up and knowing how to 'play the game.'

"I have been a believer in the magic of language since, at a very early age, I discovered that some words got me into trouble and others got me out."
Katherine Dunn



After escaping, JD tries to rekindle the earlier rediscovered love, but Elliot wants him to "FOCUS, we have to find the golden ring!" Aha! the power of suggestion. JD recalls dr Cox's words "Remember what you heard, when you weren't really listening." Out of nowhere in the forest come two fairies, which represent his intuition, "I just remembered something, I was barely listening." And he remembers Wilson's Disease from the young doctors. The fairies say "this is for you." The golden ring! Intuition and Synchronicity save the day once again!



The Golden Ring defeats the monster. The truth, the stargate, the solution, synchronicity, being aware within & without - defeats ignorance & obstacles. How can they be sure it's Wilson's Disease, JD knows she'll have copper deposits around her iris. "What does that look like?"



Radiant rings. Another wonderful stargate, through the Looking Glass Eye.
The maiden lived happily ever after. "Is that how it really ended?" Let's just say "that's how I'm telling it." Creating your own reality, making the 2012 stargate real.

1 comment:

Michael Skaggs said...

THAT was one entertaining piece! I can not believe that was on Scrubs!
Nice spots and story Dedroid!