Some of the content in this episode may be a tad dated, or reflect the time it was made, but I wanted to cover it still. But things need to be addressed before beginning. Now on with the show!
Having just covered musical episodes of the television shows, I thought I would revisit a couple of my favorites, and to start the list, I wanted to talk about the season six, scrubs episode, "My Musical". A patient who hears everything as singing, and sees the world as a musical, all crammed into a 22-minute episode should not work, yet it does. How?
One way is the pacing, since the patient is not always on screen, there is room for scenes that have no singing at all, thus making room for her to enter and giving room for the cast to break into a song. Turning the plot lines into songs and conveying emotions. Giving a scene to introduce what is on the minds of the characters and then sing about it. Since it is just in the mind of the patient, it is given a reason to break the norm and be a musical just for this episode and then return to what the show is known for in the next episode.
Having the patient played by an actress known for doing Broadway musicals such as Avenue Q makes it work as well. Each performance lands with jokes, songs, and quiet moments. The episode crams so much into a short length but never hangs on something for too long, giving each moment the right amount of time and even fitting in long-running jokes from the show. Fitting long-running jokes and callbacks into a song is a clever way, and even referencing a couple classic musicals.
Most of the songs are comedic and fit the tone of the show, some of them packed with witty lines and jokes, or funny subject matters. But there are also charecter moments and soft and subtle, sweet moments, just like the show is also known for. The episode follows the musical structure perfectly well, even having an act one closing style medley song that would be played right before intermission, each song the right length, having a purpose and moving the episode along. The episode has a surprisingly heavy moment or two but it is balanced with the comedy and handled so well that it ends up being a funny, heartwarming, and memorable episode.
The songs themselves are filled with jokes, but there are a couple that are soft and quiet and work. Some are slow jams that mix humor and go at a different speed. There are plenty of duets, solos, and big group numbers, giving a good variety. The big group numbers and plenty of the songs are super fun and high energy, having memorable lyrics, catchy melodies, and a good dash of humor. The songs never stop the pace of the episode but push it along and make it work in a way that makes this a stand-out example. The ending songs and ending narration in this episode are a major emotional gut punch, but super well done. Adding a very sweet and touching ending. It changes the tone but after all the humor and fun songs before it, leads to a welcome change and solid ending, that is hard to forget. Many of them are great fun such as "Here At Sacred Heart", "We're Gonna Miss You Carla", "The Rant Song", "When the Truth Comes Out" and my personal favorite "Guy Love" I didn't know I needed a slow jam about the blurred lines of friendship but it is amazing. "Your'e Gonna Be Okay" stops the fun and adds a deep layer of heart in the best way, ending that with a powerful and sweet song, combined with a great ending narration that draws the curtain on this episode spectacularly.
When people ask me what one of my favorite musical episodes is, this one is one of the two I always bring up. Balancing humor, heart, and some really good songs, memorable ones that stand on their own outside of the episode or in a rewatch. This is one that will leave a song or two, some jokes, and a very sweet ending, stuck in the viewer's head for a least a while, staying with them even after the next episode begins to roll.
No comments:
Post a Comment