| Dr. Christopher Turk, M.D. | |
|---|---|
| Scrubs character | |
| First appearance | "My First Day" |
| Last appearance | "Our Thanks" |
| Created by | Bill Lawrence |
| Portrayed by | Donald Faison |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Brown Bear, Chocolate Bear, Turkleton, Turkleberry, Gandhi, Turtlehead, Black Whale |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Surgeon |
| Title | Chief of Surgery |
| Family | Unnamed father Margaret Turk (mother) Kevin Turk (brother) Bob "Jabbari" Turk (brother) Unnamed sister |
| Spouse(s) | Carla Espinosa |
| Children | Isabella "Izzy" Turk (daughter) Unnamed daughter (implied to have been born by season 9) |
| Relatives | George (cousin) Tiger (cousin) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Christopher Duncan Turk, M.D.,[1][2] is a fictional character played by Donald Faison on the American comedy-drama Scrubs. Turk has appeared in every episode except three Season 8 episodes, "My Saving Grace", "My New Role" and "My Lawyer's in Love". Donald Faison is the only original cast member, besides John C. McGinley, that returns for season nine as a regular cast member.
Commonly known by his surname, "Turk" is the best friend and former roommate of the series' protagonist, J.D (Zach Braff). Turk roomed with J.D. at the College of William and Mary and at medical school, and the two have an extremely close relationship, which is best described in the season 6 episode My Musical as "Guy love". J.D. claims that Turk's middle name is such because his father loved doughnuts.
Starting in season one as a surgical intern, he worked his way up to attending surgeon (season 3) and later the chief of surgery (seasons 8 and 9) at Sacred Heart Hospital, where the series takes place. In season one, he began dating and at the end of season 3 married to Carla Espinosa (Judy Reyes), the Head Nurse. He and Carla have a toddler daughter, Isabella ("Izzy"), as well as another daughter mentioned in season 8 and 9. He could have a son, who is shown in season 8 finale "My Finale", when J.D. visualizes a film on his future.[3]
Turk is a very competitive person. He says that his competitive nature drove him to "play everything" in high school, and also cites it as the main reason that he became a surgeon. At one point, he also says "winning is more important than friendship. My Gram-Gram taught me that".[4] It also accounts for his antagonistic relationship with Chief Attending Physician (and fellow "alpha male") Dr. Perry Cox (John C. McGinley). In season 1, they compete for Carla's affections, and consistently insult and annoy each other throughout the series. In the season 6 episode "My Turf War", they fight a battle of wits over a hypochondriac patient; Turk eventually tricks Cox into losing, eliciting Cox's grudging respect.
Turk has two brothers, Kevin (D.L. Hughley), who paid for Turk's college and medical school;[5] and Jabbari (formerly Bob), who is described as "militant".[6] He also mentions a sister. Turk notes that while his family is dysfunctional, it is very close.[6] Turk's mother is a Jehovah's Witness, although Turk himself is Roman Catholic as evidenced by his attendance of mass and his wearing of a small crucifix around his neck. In the episode My Own Personal Jesus, JD notices that when Turk's faith in God is shaken after being on call for Christmas Eve, witnessing horrific injuries, and his optimistic spirit is dwindled. However, as Turk looks out to see the star of a Christmas tree in the local park, reminding him of the Star of Bethlehem, he rushes to the sight to find a girl giving birth and helps her deliver. After that, his faith is restored.
Carla catches Turk's eye immediately, although she is reluctant to go out with him at first because of his arrogance, purely physical attraction to her, and his god complex.[7] He impresses her in "My Mentor" by telling her that she should give Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke), with whom she does not get along, a break; she agrees to a date with him, and they soon become a serious item. In season two, they get engaged after Carla initially rejects his proposal. They then spend the whole of season 3 planning their wedding, which happens, albeit with a few problems, in the season finale.
During season 4, the two experience some marital trouble; in "My Best Laid Plans", they briefly separate when Carla finds out that Turk is maintaining a friendship with an ex-girlfriend without telling her that he was married. The situation is worsened in "My Lips Are Sealed", when Carla and J.D. share a "friend kiss" after getting drunk together. Eventually, the two fix their relationship, and at the end of season four they agree to begin trying to have a baby. They spend most of season 5 trying to conceive, finally succeeding in the sixteenth episode of the season, "My Bright Idea". Their baby, Isabella, is born after some complications in "My Best Friend's Baby's Baby and My Baby's Baby".
In "My Cake", Turk is diagnosed with type two diabetes; he initially jokes about this as a way of coping with his fear about the disease, but now takes it seriously.[8] In "My Manhood", it is revealed Turk had a testicle removed when his daughter, Izzy, kicked him in the groin, causing testicular torsion.
Turk and J.D. are best friends and surrogate brothers. They both attended The College of William and Mary (Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence's alma mater), where they roomed together.[9] They share a goofy sense of humor; for example, they both enjoy dancing "the robot",[10] "dramatic slow running", pretending to be "multi-ethnic Siamese doctor", and also pretending to be the "World's Most Giant Doctor." He and J.D. own a stuffed Yellow Labrador Retriever named Rowdy which they treat like a live dog. J.D. was also Turk's best man,[11] and, is the godfather of his and Carla's child, Izzy.
There have been several joking allusions to the fact that they are so close as to almost be a couple. However, they best explain their relationship in their duet "Guy Love" in "My Musical": "It's Guy Love/That's all it is/It's Guy Love/he's mine, I'm his/There's nothing gay about it in our eyes." Carla is generally supportive of Turk and J.D.'s close relationship, although she occasionally gets jealous. In "My Old Friend's New Friend", while witnessing their ecstatic reunion after she and Turk return from their honeymoon, she wistfully remarks, "Maybe one day he'll love me like that"; in "Her Story II", she refers to J.D. as Turk's "boyfriend".
In "My Half-Acre", Turk joins the air-band, Cool Cats, with The Janitor (Neil Flynn), Ted Buckland (Sam Lloyd), and Lloyd the Delivery Man (Mike Schwartz).
It is revealed in "My Jerks" that he is 1/8th Japanese although he is mostly of African descent.
When J.D. leaves Sacred Heart in "My Finale", Turk makes a large banner outside the hospital that says "Goodbye J.D.". Though the two realize that their relationship will never be the same, they still remain best friends. In J.D.'s fantasy/flashforward, the Turk family spends a Christmas together with J.D. and Elliot (now married), as well Dr. Cox's family. It is also revealed that Izzy eventually becomes engaged to Sam (J.D.'s son), to the extreme delight of both J.D. and Turk.
It is also well known that when he sweats he smells like eggs, something he is self-conscious about.
Turk is often incorrectly referred to as Turkleton by Dr. Kelso, despite not being his name. It even got to the point that at Carla and Turk's reception, Dr. Kelso (albeit drunk) stated that he thought Turk was Dr. Turk's first name (aptly thinking Turk Turkleton to be his full name). After their marriage, Dr. Kelso even starts referring to Carla as Nurse Turkleton.
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