JD is anxious about turning 30 and joins a triathlon without any prior training as a result. Turk considers doing a hypnosis surgery. JD and Elliot consider moving back in together.
Tropes:
- Artistic License – Biology: Hypnosis is a relaxed, focus state that makes you slightly more open to suggestion and may help alter some behaviors. It certainly can't put you under for surgery.
- Artistic License – Law: Absolutely never they would never ever not in any way ever allow a surgery to proceed with hypnosis rather than anesthesia.
- Brain Bleach: We don't learn what Jake's kink is, we just learn that it's so disturbing Elliot doesn't want to hear about it ever again. It is Elliot, but she did want the bleach.
- The Cloud Cuckoolander Was Right: JD was right that Todd would give Turk a betrayal-five and steal the briefcase.
- Et Tu, Brute?: The Todd betrays Turk to get Dr. Wen's briefcase.
- Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: The beginning of has one of JD's fantasies involve Turk and Todd getting into a kung fu battle to return Dr. Wen's briefcase (and set to the trope-naming song, naturally).
- Funny Background Event: During the discussion between Turk and Kelso when the latter laughs at "Sacred Fart" and then growls "There will be no vandalism at this hospital!", JD walks into the background (out of focus) then quickly runs away.
- Hypocritical Humor: Cox repeats Turk's joke about "I'd like to sleep with [female celebrity], but that ain't happening either." in response to a patient wanting hypnosis in stead of anesthesia. Turk then joins Carla in objecting to that sexist humor.
- Innocently Insensitive: Elliot at one point complains that there's no way her life could get worse...in front of a double amputee.
- Large Ham: Both Turk and the Todd dial it up for JD's Imagine Spot, but the Todd goes absolute ham.
- Milestone Birthday Angst: The episode depicts JD's anxiety over turning 30, as he feels he hasn't accomplished as much as he'd hoped. This prompts him to participate in a triathlon, without having done any training in preparation.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: JD delivers one to Elliot about how she's always sabotaging her relationships and she walks away from him in anger. He wasn't really right, but she realizes he was right about her needing to open up to Jake just as she wants Jake to open up to her when he hands her a glass of white wine when.JD: All right, fine, Elliot, you wanna know why [you won't go talk to your boyfriend instead of me]? You're just like me; you're scared because you feel like you haven't accomplished anything with your life, but instead of running a triathlon you're pushing forward with a guy you don't belong with, and you know as well as I do, one of these days he's gonna open up a bottle of white wine for you when you really prefer red, except you never told him that. You wanna know why? It's because he's not right for you, Elliot. Are you happy now?
- Road-Sign Reversal: The Janitor flips a road sign during JD's birthday triathlon. JD ends up biking uncontrollably down a near-vertical hill.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Turk makes it halfway through a surgery with hypnotism instead of anaesthetic... but only halfway, because that's when the patient starts screaming.
