Zach Braff and Donald Faison are a little blue at the beginning of this episode of Fake Doctors, Real Friends – Covid case numbers and lockdown measures are taking their toll on everyone, and “we need to put on some Coldplay and cuddle in the corner together,” Donald says. Fortunately, their guest is Stephanie, a psychologist who's been studying the effects of Covid on teens and youth. Her advice lifts them up, as does their hilarious conversation about the Scrubs episode “My Dirty Secret” that leads to debate over whether or not they’d let their significant others start an OnlyFans, why there was so much controversy around Baby Yoda eating the eggs on The Mandalorian, and how much money Zach would have to pay Donald before he’d get a tattoo of Zach’s face on a very sensitive spot.
JD was wearing a onesie in this episode, which is perfect because Zach just approved a design for a Fake Doctors onesie. He had some notes, though, saying that his skin tone was too dark and Donald’s too light. “We looked like cousins or something,” he laughs. Sadly, like too many onesies these days, there’s no buttflap. Donald doesn’t understand why Carla would withhold sex from Turk, but Zach says there are plenty of people out there who don’t have Donald’s “infinite libido.” Barry Bostwick is the guest star on this episode; he also starred in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, kicking off a conversation about the fandom around that movie. Neither Zach nor Donald has been to a screening where fans will throw toast and sing along, but Donald is sure that “you’re definitely going to smell the reefer.”
Then Stephanie joins them to talk about her work with teens and youth. The pandemic has had an effect on everyone’s mental health, putting us all under additional pressure, and kids are no different. However, many parents go into problem-solving mode when their kids try to open up about how they’re feeling, and it’s not always effective. She stresses the need for empathy, saying something as simple as, “That really is stressful, of course you’re feeling like this. That sucks.” And modeling that emotional health as well, by saying, “I’m also so tired of that, it’s really getting to me too.” She gives great tips and free resources for families, and their conversation makes Zach feel like he’s been “in a warm bath with all of you.” Listen to the episode for the entire loving and funny conversation on Fake Doctors, Real Friends.
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