Carla Espinosa
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Nurse Carla Espinosa is a fictional character played by Judy Reyes in the American sitcom Scrubs.
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[edit] Profile
Carla is a strong-willed nurse from the Dominican Republic, but her family moved to Chicago during her childhood. She grew up there, constantly claiming to be "from the block." We are told in Season 5 that she is 36, which suggests that she was born in 1969 or 1970. Carla has been married to Turk since the end of Season 3. She speaks Spanish. Despite Elliot's best efforts, Carla didn't feel particularly close to her at first, although they have since become good friends. Conversely, she and J.D. (whom she refers to—affectionately—as "Bambi") have a fairly close friendship. She is protective towards J.D. and stands up for him when Dr. Cox shouts at him for no reason. She has a tendency to tell people their faults without them asking, and to give unwanted advice. She loves this and refers to her need to do so as being "her crack" in the 5th season. No one makes fun of her as all the other characters are scared of her when she gets upset. She has a strong love of family, which spreads across her three sisters and brothers. She was profoundly affected by the death of her mother. Her attempts to get pregnant with Turk turn out successful after half a season trying, although it has been implied that she has had children before. She enjoys wearing scarves and pirate earrings.
[edit] Relationships with other characters
[edit] J.D.
She claims that of all the interns she has worked with, J.D. is the only one whose approval she actually cared about, to the extent that she feigned an interest in black-and-white photography so he would think she was more intelligent.
While Carla sometimes complains that Turk and J.D. seem to be a better couple than she and Turk, there has been no real rivalry between Carla and J.D. for Turk's attention, and both seek to encourage Turk to do the right thing as a husband and friend, respectively. Furthermore, it seems that at times J.D. is a closer friend to Carla than Turk, as he happily engages in girl-type gossip with her.
[edit] Turk
Carla is currently married to Turk after the ceremony in the season finale of season 3. They have dated for almost the entire run of the show, and constantly prove to have a sound relationship. From the start of season 5 Carla and Turk had attempted to get pregnant. Carla finally became pregnant in episode 5.16, "My Bright Idea".
Despite their good relationship, Carla was initially hesitant to accept Turk's proposal of marriage in Season 2. Also, earlier, when Carla found out that Turk had been hiding his knowledge of Dr. Cox's crush on her from her, Turk was relegated to J.D.'s room ("My Overkill").
For a brief period in the series, Carla and Turk underwent a separation, after Carla discovered that Turk was still talking to his ex-girlfriend and not telling her he was married. She moved in with Elliot for a while. Strain on the marriage was attributed to J.D. and Elliot's constant presence "being up in their space". Following some couples' therapy, and some frank discussions with Turk and J.D.; however, the couple reunited and immediately began trying to conceive.
See also: (see Turk and Carla).
[edit] Elliot
At the beginning of Season One, Elliot and Carla clashed repeatedly, with Elliot often maintaining a 'holier-than-thou' attitude towards Carla. The characters gradually became best friends, however, after friendly overtures from both sides. Bill Lawrence has stated on DVD commentaries that this mirrored Judy Reyes' and Sarah Chalke's real-life relationship.
Though there were implications in Season 3 that Elliot was not on the list of invited guests to Turk and Carla's wedding, she subsequently is revealed to be a bridesmaid, and indeed, Carla implies that she feels closer to Elliot than she does to her sisters.
[edit] Dr. Cox
Dr Cox has always had feelings and a soft spot for Carla despite knowing she is in a relationship with Turk. He likes her because she is not afraid to stand up to him. In one episode, it is noted that they even went out on a date early in Carla's career at the hospital (presumably either before Dr. Cox and Jordan became involved, or more likely, after their divorce). Also Dr Cox says he fears Carla because "even though she is small she has suprisingly strong legs"
[edit] Nicknames
- Nurse Turkleton (by Dr. Kelso, in an extension of his nickname for Turk, "Turkleton")
- Carla from the Block
- Once called "Nurse Fajita" by a racist patient
- Scary Nurse Wife (by Janitor)
- Nurse Snickers (by Dr. Kelso)
| Scrubs |
|---|
| List of Scrubs episodes | List of relationships on Scrubs | Sacred Heart Hospital |
| Characters |
| J.D. | Elliot | Turk | Carla | Dr. Cox | Bob Kelso | Janitor | List of minor characters of Scrubs |
