My Butterfly

Season 3, Episode 16, Aired
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Episode Summary

An ever present butterfly prompts the question on what could have happened different as Turk looks for his lucky do-rag for surgery, and Elliot tries to find a lost stuffed animal for a child needing a bone marrow transplant.
9.3
out of 10
EPISODE RATING: Superb
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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

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  • ok

    8.0
    "Great"
    By oufsta1, Sep 14, 2011 Report Abuse
    i dont see whats so great about this ep i mean its like time travel thts was pretty cool really it good this is what happens:A butterfly landing on a woman's chest sets off a chain of events. This results in Elliot not finding a girl's lost stuffed animal, Carla forgetting Turk's lucky do-rag, and a patient's aortic dissection not being discovered until the last minute. After the patient's death, J.D. thinks about how things may have turned out if the butterfly had landed on a nearby man instead of the woman. In this parallel situation, things seem to be better, as the do-rag and the stuffed animal are found. Also, Dr. Cox and J.D. catch the aortic dissection early. However, the patient still dies in surgery.moreless

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    1 1

  • The butterfly effect.

    9.4
    "Superb"
    By Canogaparkcindy, May 31, 2010 Report Abuse
    A surprisingly awesome episode, at first I thought this was going to be your ol' ordinary episode, where nothing special occurs, this episode was quite the opposite. With one flap of the butterflies wings everything can change. I like how "the butterfly effect" was analyzed in this episode. I really enjoyed the concept, and how things would have gone differently, because I'm sure that's what many people ask themselves. What would have happened if things had gone down differently? Us humans would never know, so it's always interesting to see a bit of an alternate universe in a show like this. All the characters were great in this episode since they all had their own plot. Elliot needed to fulfill a young girls promise to have her pink stuffed dog. In one universe, she gets the stuffed dog, in another universe, Elliot can't find the stuffed dog. I like how in both universes, the same outcome happens in JD's plot. No matter how good things go, it doesn't mean the final outcome will be good. Turk gets his lucky dew rag when he's about to operate on JD's patient, but it still didn't go through. I love Turk/Carla's relationship, no matter what universe they're in, they always have to fight about something. I also liked the emotional ending between JD & Cox. All plots were great, and it was an amazing concept, with emotional results which is always great in this show. Amazing episode.moreless

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    0 0

  • One of the most underrated episodes of Scrubs. This one isn't just absolutely hilarious, but it is dramatic and very special.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By chovez, Dec 02, 2008 Report Abuse
    This episode is one of the best made on the whole show, if you paid attention to every little detail you would know. I would just love this episode so much because of the comedy on it, but that's not fair for what it was. A big favorite of mine. The episode deserves special mention, it was so well written and detailed, everything just worked perfectly. "Insignificant events could lead to significant events"
    My Butterfly is just amazingly funny. It just starts off and there is a personal favorite funny moment of mine: JD recommending Turk to use Power Rangers do-rag saying "Remember when communications with Zordon went down and the MegaZord was destroyed?", just the way he says it just cracks me up, then Turk tells him off "How could I miss that episode? That's right... I was making love to a woman!" Fantastic. Then when Turk and JD are talking about taking off his pants, the Todd pass by with his usually funny stuff. Right after, JD daydreams of what could go wrong during Turk's surgery: Turk is doing surgery, suddenly, Randall pops up from the patient's stomach and hits Turk in the balls! JD: "Powerful tiny fists! ...he's back!". I don't know about you, but that's one of the funniest things I've ever seen on TV. More funny stuff I love: JD playing the banjo and Kelso dancing, again in the alternate reality; Cox with the banjo and Kelso with the washboard, "This is your show, Debbie. Isn't it the moment like you always pictured?", in stupid made-house dolls too: "is a little bigger", JD impersonating Dr. Cox, and the attempt of it in alternate reality, world's longest handshake, JD's picture on the janitor's wall, "if you show me your penis I'm going to take it away from you!", Turk confronting Kelso, etc. It was pure genius comedy.

    So the first half of the episode is about the butterfly posing on the hot girl's boobs, and the events following taking place in a bad way. All things happening seem dissapointing for the characters. The episode rewinds when JD wonders "What if?" In the second half, the butterfly poses in the fat guy's chest, but the events this time takes place in the best case scenario, a cheering up music plays during a scene that could make you think now everything worked fine. Except at the end, still the patient dies. Leaves JD thinking again "what if?"moreless

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    2 0

  • In this episode, J.D. explores how a very minor event can affect many outcomes.

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By Sasquatch_223, Sep 06, 2008 Report Abuse
    In this episode, JD explores how a very minor event can affect many outcomes. Turk is looking for his lucky Tabasco do-rag, Elliot is helping a little girl find her stuffed dog in time for her bone-marrow transplant. At the reception, a butterfly lands on a pretty woman's chest. JD bumps into Laverne, who drops a tray of drinks. Elliot wants Janitor to help find the stuffed dog, but he's too busy cleaning up the mess. A series of events follows, and almost everything ends in tragedy, with Turk's patient Mr. Strauss dying, JD not recognizing the same patient's ischemic bowel, and Elliot not being able to find the pink dog. At this point, JD thinks back, and what-ifs about the butterfly. In the following series of events, almost everything ends happily, but in a surprise twist Mr. Strauss dies anyways. This is one of my all-time favorite Scrubs episodes, because it incorporates serious philosophy with wry humor. My Butterfly shows viewers how a seemingly insignificant event can affect many, many, things. Even if every eventuality was found, luck and fate still have their way. This fact was demonstrated when Mr. Strauss died.

    All in all, My Butterfly is fantastic, and gave me a lot to think about.moreless

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    0 0

  • Episode revolves around two alternate storylines, sharing the common influences of a butterfly's landing on cleavage

    9.9
    "Superb"
    By Trottelfresse, May 10, 2008 Report Abuse
    Once in a while Scrubs tries something new. Some of these Episodes are AMAZING (like His Story) and some are really bad (like My Princess). This one was really good. It doesn't beat His Story but it is still a very great episode. Yet it is not one of these you remember forever, which is why i didn't give it a 10. I didn't like that Dr Miller was practically gone, they can't just throw a character in and then make them dissapear in the next episode. I don't know any other sitcom who had complex stories like this!! Go Scrubs!!!!moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • In the first half of the episode when Turk is performing surgery and you hear the patient's heart monitor flatlining, it shows his heart rate increasing. This clearly wouldn't happen if his heart rate was dropping towards zero and he was dying. Edit
    • Featured Music: "What a Wonderful World" by The Ramones Edit
    • During the second half, when Turk does not stand up for Carla, he is behind her, though when she storms away he is in front of her. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Many of the story elements in Scrubs have been incorporated into several episodes of Grey's Anatomy. From this episode, the 'lucky do rag getting lost' is a side story part of the Grey's Anatomy, season two episode, "Superstition". Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • J.D.: Look, Dr. Cox, I know my opinion doesn't mean anything and I'm always wrong and apparently useless - which deep down you know isn't true because... shoot, I forgot your coffee. Edit
    • Custodian: Heeeeyyy! Get outta here. Janitor: It's all right, Butchie, she's with me. Edit
    • Doctor: So I had this guy today presenting vomiting and abdominal pain? Two hours and one CT later, I tell him he's got ischemic bowel. Dr. Mickhead: Mm. J.D.: Have you ever noticed that words that rhyme with "bowel" are always bad? Like "scowl", "growl"..."movies with Andie MacDowell"... Dr. Mickhead: You're right, J.D. You are funny. J.D.: Stop. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Turk: Aah!! Where's my lucky Tobasco do-rag?! J.D.: Why don't you just use Power Rangers? Turk: How are Power Rangers as lucky as Tobasco? J.D.: Do you remember when communications with Zordon went down and the Megazord was destroyed? Turk: How did I miss that episode? Oh, that's right...I was making love to a woman. J.D. is referencing the 1993 hit FOX children's action series "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers", more specifically the "Green with Evil" five-part arc which introduced Jason David Frank as the evil Green Ranger named Tommy Oliver. Edit
    • John Ritter's Death: This episode features a patient who dies from an aortic dissection. John Ritter who played J.D.'s father in the episode "My Old Man" also died from a aortic dissection at the beginning of the 3rd season. Dr. Cox explained that unless found early, an aortic dissection has a very high mortality rate and that J.D. should not blame himself for the patients death. In the 4th season an entire episode "My Cake" was dedicated to the late John Ritter. Edit
    • Sliding Doors: The episode is an allusion to Sliding Doors, which was the first to explore what happens if one tiny element is changed at the beginning, only to arrive at the same result at the end. Edit

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