Ben returns for his first regular check-up in two years, while JD suffers Cox's wrath when he loses a patient.
- Actually Pretty Funny: Dr. Cox is arguing with Ben about J.D. being responsible for a patient's death. When Elliot interrupts, Ben mimes puppeteering her, and despite himself, Dr. Cox starts laughing. He applauds the guy's commitment to a comedy bit. It becomes much sadder when the viewer realizes that Ben wasn't actually there.
- Back for the Dead: Ben returns after two seasons and is Killed Offscreen.
- Cutting Back to Reality: Dr. Cox and Ben chat on and off with each other throughout "My Screw Up", until they're walking to an event together and are interrupted by J.D. The next shot shows that Ben isn't there and Cox is actually going to his funeral.
- Daydream Surprise: Cox's interactions with Ben after the latter dies offscreen.
- Dead All Along: Ben.
- Dead Person Conversation: What Cox is actually doing while talking to Ben for most of the episode.
- Finagle's Law: Ben happens to die of cardiac arrest during a checkup that his brother-in-law forces him to get, having feared that his cancer might have returned. We find out that it did.
- Foreshadowing:
- Dr. Cox tells off Ben for not seeing a doctor regularly while traveling or coming stateside. We find out he had a reason to worry, as Ben's cancer returned and he developed sudden cardiac arrest.
- After the unspecified code, Ben no longer has his camera - which he said he'd only get rid of when he died - and only interacts directly with Dr. Cox.
- Ben reads a patient chart over Cox's shoulder, even though it's literally illegal, and Cox doesn't seem to care. In fact, having a random non-doctor guy follow Cox around during his rounds for no apparent reason is pretty strange.
- Shortly after JD tells Cox "he died" (we're supposed to believe it was his elderly patient with an arrhythmia), we see him talking to that same patient as Cox walks up with "Ben" in tow.
- Cox tells Ben that "As a rule of thumb I don't attend parties where the guest of honor has no idea what the hell is going on.".
- Kelso finds Carla crying in a supply closet and she mentions it's been "an emotional couple of days". While it's played as if she's upset about her issues with Turk her extreme emotions make more sense once you know what happened to Ben.
- The episode ends with everyone getting dressed in formal wear, tuxedos and all. They weren't going to a birthday party, but to Ben's funeral.
- Friendship Moment: Kelso connects with Carla and tells her "That thing you hate so much is the very same thing you miss when it's gone.".
- Killed Offscreen: Ben's death is not shown to preserve the reveal at the end.
- Non-Nude Bathing: J.D. wears "shower shorts" while using the showers in the locker room. Cox thinks they're ridiculous but J.D. stands by the purchase.J.D.: For the man who has nothing to hide, but still wants to.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Kelso has been blowing off Carla asking for help with how to deal with Turk's mole. When he sees her crying in the closet, he tells her about how his wife Enid used to snore a lot, and he hated it. Kelso then found he missed her snoring when making her get a medical procedure, and advises Carla that you don't know what you miss until it's gone.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Elliot is concerned when Dr. Cox starts laughing when talking to her, despite the fact that his brother-in-law died a few days ago. She excuses herself so he can get some time to calm down.
- Properly Paranoid: Dr. Cox ordered Ben to get a checkup as well as his bloodwork done when he returned to Sacred Heart. He ended up being completely right about that.
- Rewatch Bonus: When you realize that Ben was not there, Elliot being puzzled at Cox laughing at her makes a lot more sense.
- Too Dumb to Live: This is sadly what killed Ben. After he entered remission, he spent two years traveling but hadn't gotten a regular checkup. If he had, he would have realized his remission had ended a while back. Ben's specter later agrees, pointing out that J.D. was in no way responsible for a patient that refused to take care of their own health.
- Wham Line: "Where do you think we are?" Cue the reveal that Dr. Cox is at a funeral. Ben's funeral.
- Whole-Plot Reference: To The Sixth Sense.
