Part 3 - Winter by Joshua Radin

“Where do you think we are?”

When I first watched episode 14 of season 3 “My Screw Up”, these words made me do a double take. At the start of the episode, we learn that Dr Cox and Jordan are planning a birthday party for their son. That means their whole family is in town - including Ben, Jordan’s brother and Dr Cox’s best friend.

Ben loves his camera and takes pictures whenever he can, much to everyone’s annoyance. He tells Dr Cox he’s doing the “kooky guy with the camera” “till the day I die.”

At the end of the episode, when JD asks Dr Cox “where do you think we are?”, the scene shifts from what we were led to believe was the kid’s birthday party, to Ben’s funeral. It’s revealed that Ben actually earlier in the episode, and Dr Cox has been imagining him there since.

Looking back through it, you can see that Ben has died when he longer has his camera, and the only person he’s interacting with is Dr Cox. There’s a particular bit I remember when Ben is sat behind Elliot making fun of her behind her back. When she turns around, she is surprised - on first watch, it’s because you think Ben pretends he wasn’t making fun of her. But when you know the truth, she’s surprised because there’s no-one there - he’s in Dr Cox’s imagination.

This episode is a poignant turning point for me, not just because it shows how clever the writers are, but because we see Dr Cox’s vulnerability for the first time. This adds more depth to his character that sets the foundation for more emotional storylines to come, like “My Lunch” in season 5.

Check out the music and lyrics to Winter by Joshua Radin in my Lyrics Library, or watch the final scene on YouTube below.