JD's ne'er-do-well brother hits it off with Elliot.
- Black Comedy: Discussed. Doctors have to have defense mechanisms in order to function.Cox: You see Dr. Wen in there? He's explaining to that family that something went wrong and that the patient died. He's gonna tell them what happened, he's gonna say he's sorry, and then he's going back to work. Do you think anybody else in that room is going back to work today? That is why we distance ourselves. That's why we make jokes. We don't do it because it's fun; we do it so we can get by. [{beat}] And sometimes because it's fun.
- The Bro Code: With a literal brother! Dan agrees to stay away from Eliot because she's JD's ex. Subverted when he sleeps with her anyway.
- Calling the Old Man Out: JD calls out his brother, saying that he deserves something better than to be a bartender who lives with their mother, and that he thinks his brother wants more but is afraid to go for it. That he pretended to be a doctor because he wanted to feel important and that he's driving an expensive car across the country not for the $300 paycheck, but because he wants to be a guy who gets to drive an expensive car.
- For the Lulz: How Cox justifies messing with Turk.
- I Coulda Been a Contender!: This is how JD sees his brother; he was the BMOC back in high school, popular with everyone, but now he's a 30-something bartender who still lives with their mother.
- Not So Above It All: The prankster gorilla turns out to have been Kelso.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Eliot and Dan both call JD out for being obviously ashamed of his brother.
