Be as hip as John Dorian. Get yourself some scrubs, muss your hair and gel firmly in place, be a complete fool. Everyone will love you for being yourself.

J.D. (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) are two weeks into their hospital intern program and things are going well. The procedures are becoming easier and no one’s life has been endangered, yet. J.D. and Turk’s apartment has become a safe haven away from the stresses and challenges at the hospital. Elliot has started to become a frequent visitor at their apartment. Although he denies it, Turk thinks J.D. is interested in being more than just colleagues with Elliot. Meanwhile, Turk has his own eye on another member of the hospital staff, Carla (Judy Reyes), the nurse.

At the hospital, J.D., supervised by Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) is assigned to Will Forte (John Ducey), a 31-year-old patient admitted with a serious case of pneumonia and possibly cancer. It turns out that the patient doesn’t have cancer, but J.D. tries to warn him about the possible effects of his 3-pack-a-day smoking habit might have in the future. The advice falls on deaf ears.

Elliot is having her own difficulties with Carla after Elliot told Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) that Carla had neglected to run a test on a patient. The rest of the nurses side with Carla, until Elliot apologizes. But even the apology gets her into trouble again.

Turk’s numerous attempts to woo Carla fail, until she finally gives in and agrees to go on a date with him after he gives an impassioned speech.

Although they are roommates, J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) lead separate lives at the hospital. J.D. is on the medical rotation and Turk works the surgical rotation. After spending long hours at the hospital together, J.D. and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) start to develop romantic feelings. While standing over a sleeping patient and discussing their busy schedules and lack of personal lives, Elliot unexpectedly leans in and purses her lips for a kiss. A stunned J.D. is about to kiss her, but is interrupted as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) enters the room. As a result of this missed opportunity, J.D. has 48 hours to kiss Elliot, or they have to remain friends.

Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) have taken their friendship to another level and are now dating. Turk is also excited because for the first time, by himself, he was able to close his patient, Mr. Bidwell (Max Kerstein), after surgery. For Elliot, her mouth has gotten her into trouble yet again. This time, after getting some misguided advice from Dr. Cox, she confronts Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) about his calling her sweetheart. She thinks it’s sexist and unprofessional.

Later, Mr. Bidwell’s post-operative condition worsens. J.D. fears that Turk accidentally left an object in the patient before sewing up the wound and it has developed into an infection. It turns out that the patient was diabetic and J.D. mistakenly gave him insulin before the patient had a chance to eat, causing his blood sugar to fall dangerously low. Turk caught the error before the situation got worse.

After that close call, J.D. realizes he only has 30 seconds to kiss Elliot. Just as he is about to plant one on her, Elliot asks if they can talk. She has doubts about their relationship going beyond friendship. Time runs out and Elliot and J.D. are now in the Friend Zone.

Although they are roommates, J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) lead separate lives at the hospital. J.D. is on the medical rotation and Turk works the surgical rotation. After spending long hours at the hospital together, J.D. and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) start to develop romantic feelings. While standing over a sleeping patient and discussing their busy schedules and lack of personal lives, Elliot unexpectedly leans in and purses her lips for a kiss. A stunned J.D. is about to kiss her, but is interrupted as Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) enters the room. As a result of this missed opportunity, J.D. has 48 hours to kiss Elliot, or they have to remain friends.

Turk (Donald Faison) and Carla (Judy Reyes) have taken their friendship to another level and are now dating. Turk is also excited because for the first time, by himself, he was able to close his patient, Mr. Bidwell (Max Kerstein), after surgery. For Elliot, her mouth has gotten her into trouble yet again. This time, after getting some misguided advice from Dr. Cox, she confronts Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) about his calling her sweetheart. She thinks it’s sexist and unprofessional.

Later, Mr. Bidwell’s post-operative condition worsens. J.D. fears that Turk accidentally left an object in the patient before sewing up the wound and it has developed into an infection. It turns out that the patient was diabetic and J.D. mistakenly gave him insulin before the patient had a chance to eat, causing his blood sugar to fall dangerously low. Turk caught the error before the situation got worse.

After that close call, J.D. realizes he only has 30 seconds to kiss Elliot. Just as he is about to plant one on her, Elliot asks if they can talk. She has doubts about their relationship going beyond friendship. Time runs out and Elliot and J.D. are now in the Friend Zone.

The three interns are each assigned patients with various illnesses. Statistically speaking, one of the three will die. J.D.’s (Zach Braff) patient is 86-year-old Mrs. Tanner (Kathryn Joosten), who is in renal failure; Twenty-year-old David Morrison (Travis Webster) is Turk’s (Donald Faison) hernia patient and Elliot’s (Sarah Chalke) patient Mrs. Guerrero (Esther “Tita” Mercado) only speaks Spanish and might have lupus.

After making a diagnosis, each doctor tries to bond with their patient. When no one was watching, Mrs. Tanner left her room and went to the park with her family for a birthday party/picnic for her five-year-old granddaughter. After having some s’mores and cake, J.D. brought her back to the hospital. Turk and David take a moment and bond by watching a classic football game on television. Elliot has Carla (Judy Reyes) teach her some phrases in Spanish so she can communicate with Mrs. Guerrero.

Later, all of the patients develop life-ending complications. J.D., Turk, Elliot and Carla are in a state of shock since this is their first professional experience with death. But each of them learns that although death happens, life goes on.

Elliot Reid?s (Sarah Chalke) 13-year-old patient Jared, who is very sick with leukemia, has an unusual request: he wants to see the boobs of a real, live girl. With J.D.?s (Zach Braff) prodding, but still against her better judgement, Elliot bares her breasts, which causes Jared?s condition to improve. Thinking this might work with other patients Elliot bares her breasts for two other patients, with various results. Meanwhile, J.D. also gets Turk (Donald Faison) into a sticky situation when he makes a rude comment and incorrect assumption about Turk?s and Carla?s (Judy Reyes) sex life. Carla overhears the comment and blasts Turk for not setting the record straight with J.D. that the two of them haven?t yet slept together. To make her feel more secure about their relationship, Turk gives Carla a pen that he later finds out was obtained from a rather unsettling place, the Ass Box. When he confesses to where he got the pen, it only makes her love him more.

J.D. has his own problems trying to please the two men that are most important to him during his internship, but who completely hate each other: Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins), the head of the hospital and Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), J.D.?s direct supervisor. Dr. Kelso turns down any procedure not necessary or covered by insurance and Dr. Cox tries to go around the system to help patients who aren?t insured.

Dr. Kelso invites J.D. to join Dr. Cox and Dr. Steadman (Matt Winston) in their weekly round of golf. Each doctor tries to outplay the other, with Dr. Cox emerging as the victor. Back at the hospital, Dr. Cox completes a secret procedure on an uninsured patient. Dr. Kelso later finds out and the two of them duel in the hallway with their light saber pens, ? la Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi. Dr. Kelso wins the duel and promptly suspends Dr. Cox.

J.D. (Zach Braff) is assigned a VIP patient, Jordan Sullivan (Christa Miller) a spoiled, beautiful, young woman with an undetermined illness, who happens to be a hospital board member. Thinking she might have some influence on the board, J.D. enlists her help in getting Dr. Cox?s (John C. McGinley) suspension lifted. When she tries to leave the hospital, he gives her a harsh reprimand, which sparks some sexual tension that leads to them sleeping together. After their quick tryst in her hospital room, J.D. is shocked to find out that Jordan is Dr. Cox?s ex-wife. They had a volatile marriage, but that doesn?t prevent her from eventually getting him reinstated. When Dr. Cox asks if he slept with Jordan, J.D. wisely says no.

Since starting her internship, Elliot (Sarah Chalke) has been a little overwhelmed. Her new patient is Dr. Greenberg, a psychiatrist with a broken jaw. Even though he can?t respond, Elliot uses him as a sounding board to discuss the loneliness she feels. Feeling nothing but happiness, Carla (Judy Reyes) and Turk (Donald Faison) take their relationship to the next level by finally sleeping together. But when her mother breaks her leg in the shower while Carla was spending the night at Turk?s apartment, she feels guilty and has second thoughts about spending so much time with Turk. She gets over her guilt when she realizes that she needs to finally break free and live her own life.

Now that J.D. (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) are more familiar with the hospital and its procedures, they have an air of confidence and cockiness. But a rival intern Nick Murdoch (Sean Hayes of “Will & Grace”), also smart and well-liked shows them that being confident is sometimes a mask for pure fear. Because Nick is so nice and congenial, J.D. has a hard time disliking him. But things change when Nick can?t handle the pressures of dealing with a very sick patient and eventually drops out of the residency program. Turk (Donald Faison) has a confidence crisis when he freezes up during surgery. The love and support from Carla (Judy Reyes) and some self-love bring him back to normal.

Elliot tries to deny her moments of doubt but decides that sometimes she just needs to have a little cry in private. Meanwhile, Dr. Cox has his own problems when he introduces two patients to each other: one believes that he is Jesus Christ and the other believes that he is Satan.

During a rare lunch break, J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) stop by the neighborhood strip joint. But a TV crew and a bunch of protesters picketing the club block their way in. Just as J.D. and Turk explain that they are against the club, the cameraman collapses. J.D. and Turk rush to his aid and give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. After their quick save, they are quickly brought down to earth now that intern evaluations are due. Instead of writing the evaluation himself, Dr. Cox has J.D. write it. That doesn’t sit well with J.D., who demands that Dr. Cox write the evaluation.

Later, the reporter from the strip club tracks down the guys and interviews Turk about being a black doctor in an inner city-hospital. Meanwhile, Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) uses their notoriety to create a billboard touting the hospital as a symbol of diversity, with Turk featured prominently in the ad. Turk is of course upset about how his image is being used and confronts Dr. Kelso.

Elliot is trying to establish a friendship with Carla (Judy Reyes), but as usual she manages to put her foot in her mouth.

It’s Thanksgiving and J.D. (Zach Braff) and Turk (Donald Faison) are letting off a little steam at the local bar, The Free Clinic. A sharp pain in J.D.’s side sends him back to the hospital. Elliot (Sarah Chalke) performs a rather rough exam on J.D. but can’t determine the cause of his pain. He is later diagnosed with appendicitis. Meanwhile, another patient has been admitted, Dr. Benson, who is the former chief of medicine and a mentor of Dr. Cox’s (John C. McGinley). Dr. Cox is competing with Dr. Kelso (Ken Jenkins) for Dr. Benson’s attention and he’s getting the short end of the stick. Later, Dr. Kelso rushes to Dr. Benson’s room after he suffers a cardiac viral infection. Dr. Cox rushes in too late to help.

Concerned about her bedside manner, Elliot polls another patient, Mike to find out if she really is that rough. She is. With help from Carla (Judy Reyes), she takes steps to project a softer, kinder, gentler manner. J.D. has his own fears to deal with when he learns that Turk will be performing his appendectomy, and Turk is hurt that J.D. would doubt his surgical abilities. The surgery goes well. To celebrate what is left of Thanksgiving, Turk loads J.D. into a wheelchair and heads back to The Free Clinic. Dr. Cox, Elliot and Carla join them a little later for a holiday toast.