‘Scrubs’ Star Scott Foley Breaks Down Sean’s Return & Lingering Love for Elliott

Scrubs welcomed back another familiar face as the revival’s latest episode, “My Ex’s Ex,” reintroduced audiences to Sean (Scott Foley), the on-again, off-again ex of Elliott Reid (Sarah Chalke). Warning: Spoilers for Scrubs, Season 2 Episode 3!

The marine biologist made a splash during his return, as J.D. (Zach Braff) and new girlfriend Charlie (Rachel Bilson) came face-to-face with Sean, albeit with glass between them, at the local aquarium. It didn’t take long for Sean to ditch his diving gear once he exited the aquarium tank to catch up with J.D., who invited him to Sacred Heart to reconnect with Elliott.

On making his return, Foley tells TV Insider, “I was so thrilled they were able to make it work. They reached out last year, and I was busy and wasn’t able to do it.” The actor admits, “I felt like I missed an opportunity to be back with these guys that I enjoy working with so much. So, when they reached out this time, we were able to make the dates work.”

Disney / Sergei Bachlakov

“I was so thrilled to be back in the mix,” he continues. “The fact that it’s been 20 years or however long it’s been since we last saw Sean, and he’s still doing the same thing, albeit in a different location and not at SeaWorld anymore… I loved it,” he muses about discovering that Sean was still deep into his marine biology work.

And thankfully for audiences, his return shook up Elliott’s outlook as the doctor turned into a bit of an awkward but endearing mess when she joined her ex for a coffee in the cafeteria. The sequence, which involved Elliott agreeing to go out on a date with Sean, allowed Chalke a moment to shine in her physical comedy element.

“Watching Sarah Chalke do [that scene was] immensely pleasurable,” Foley explains. “She is such a gifted physical comedian, and to see her get to do that again just brings me such joy.” As for what endears Sean to Elliott, Foley shares, “I think there’s some sort of unresolved emotional feelings there, and whatever has happened relationship-wise to Sean since he last saw Elliott, they both seem to be in a similar place in their lives with regards to relationships.”

Disney / Sergei Bachlakov

“I think that’s appealing to not have to do the whole rigmarole and get to know someone,” he adds, noting, “there’s a base there.” Still, that base only left Elliott more nervous to engage as she wasn’t sure she was ready to move forward with dating amid her ongoing effort to raise the bar as a doctor.

She showed up to their dinner with pajamas on before she ditched Sean. Still, it didn’t close the door on them for good as J.D. tried convincing Sean that he should give it another try. Sean was admittedly a little suspicious, but agreed to trust J.D., despite past experiences when he’d gotten jealous and stole Elliott back from Sean.

Safely dating Charlie seemed to be enough to convince Sean, but Foley says, “I think that’s the beauty of Sean. My wife calls Sean the ultimate himbo. There’s something so beautiful about someone so trusting, and I think that’s part of his appeal to Elliott as well. His ability to overlook the past is endearing and charming, and I think it allows the joke to live on.”

While the episode ended with a door left open for romance, the nostalgia didn’t just extend to J.D. and Elliott crossing paths with Sean, as Foley enjoyed reuniting with the cast all these years later. “Being on the set was one thing, but what really got me was sitting in a scene with Zach and Donald [Faison] and Sarah. I’ve seen them all here and there over the past 20 years… but to look at all of us, a little grayer, a little more wrinkly, that’s when it really hit me,” Foley reveals about the lingering sense of deja vu. “I’m so fortunate. It’s a good thing,” he reiterates.

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Foley continues to sing their praises, adding, “[Zach and Donald and Sarah, and Bill Lawrence] care a lot about the original show, about the fans who watched that show, about representing the show to those fans in a way that feels authentic, and what I also love about this show is that they’re telling emotional, heartfelt stories that are filled with laughter and humor, but they’re going for the hard joke too; there are zingers left and right.”

Whether the jokes are told at Sean’s expense or not, it’s clear Foley’s enjoyed dipping his toes back into the world of Scrubs. Whether fans will see Sean back before Season 2 of the revival is through, the actor couldn’t confirm, but he leaves fans with “I mean, look, between you and me? Maybe [Laughs].”

What did you think of Sean’s return? Let us know in the comments section below and stay tuned for more on Scrubs as Season 2 continues to unfold on ABC.

Scrubs, Season 2, Wednesdays, 8/7c, ABC