Monk 8/20/04 (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

In the season finale (I think), Monk takes some pills prescribed by his shrink because Monk is distraught over his condition, and finds himself paralyzed to do anything when a suspect runs right by him in a police take-down of the suspect. Monk goes from being OCD to a carefree spirit with no-focus at all. Shaloub was pretty funny as "The Monk". The scenes with Monk and Trudy are so heartbreaking at times. (Trudy reminds me of Sela Ward with long dishwater blonde hair).

 

[Dan Rudolph]

I also loved this episode. I thought it was great how they didn't try for a whodunnit this time, perhaps realizing that the show has been a major victim of economy of characters, with it usually blindly obvious who the culprit is.

 

[Jim Dalton]

I just wish they would find ONE Trudy and stay with her or at least be consistent with a particular look!
The Trudy they had for this episode looked nothing like the previous ones, other than she was blonde.

I also was a bit disappointed (unless I missed it) that the search for the guy with 6 fingers (revealed in this seasons premire episode as hiring the bomber to kill Trudy) just kind of faded into the wind.

Here's hoping next season picks things up a bit.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

That's a really hard thing to do with a character who only appears once or twice a season. You can't be certain that the actor will be available or interested when you need him/her again - or exactly when you will need them since most shows just go from episode to episode without any over-all plan. (Even a show like Babylon 5, which did work to a general plan, was not always able to get the same actors back for every recurring role in all cases. In one instance an actor who was actually signed for a return episode got a higher paying offer from another series and broke his contract to take it. The producers decided his character wouldn't really be important to the rest of the story, so they killed him off-screen and introduced his assistant, who took over his part for that episode.)

SAG rules don't allow producers to sign actors too far in advance of projects or make them commit at the start of a season for only one or two appearances. Sometimes you work with what you can get. As for Trudy's "look"... Why should Monk only envision her with one look? Presumably she wore her hair many different ways over the years. Why can't Monk sometimes remind her as she was when they first met (as in the game show episode) and other times as she was just before her death, and at other times at different points in between? Precisely because she isn't seen that often, I don't think it is that much of a problem. As long as the actress is blonde, appears in Monk's imagination or memory and is addressed as "Trudy" we know who she's supposed to be. It isn't like Trudy is an ongoing and living character in the story like Stottelmeyer or Sharona. She's a memory that Monk carries with him. Her only importance lies in Monk's feelings for her and that remains constant, no matter who happens to fill the role in a given episode.

BTW, I do hope they solve Trudy's murder next season. I don't think you can realistically sustain certain story threads and mysteries. They may be helpful in establishing a series, but once it gets on its feet and finds a formula beyond that initial "hook", the hook can get really boring and needs to go. (See also Crossing Jordan and the whole soap opera surrounding the death of Mrs. Cavanaugh. At a certain point you just want to say, "Enough, already!")

Regards,

Joe

 

[Keith I]

Yes, it was a nice episode and I agree that the scenes with Trudy were heartwarming and that the show should start dealing with her death.

However, my wife and I both thought last week's episode (the game show) had the best use of Trudy. Now THOSE scenes were truly heartBREAKING.

I read on tvtome.com that this was not officially the season finale because more new 3rd season eps will be shown this fall (16 eps in all).

 

[Linda Thompson]

I'm just glad that they seem to have chosen a permanent Benjy! Kane Richotte for the 2-hour pilot, then Max Morrow for the rest of Season 1...then Kane Ritchotte again for all of Season 2 and all of Seasonette 3. ("Seasonette" = "half season"...this latest ep was the finale of the first half of Season 3.)

Seven new eps will finish out Season 3, starting in January '05.

As for the man with 6 fingers... When we first heard this clue from Warwick Tennyson, who else's first thought was of (the literary version of) Hannibal Lecter? Wonder if it was a sly nod to Ted Levine's role as Buffalo Bill?

 

[Richard Gilmore]

I found it hard to believe Monk (in his normal OCD state) would touch chalk. A bit messy.

Was the chase in the Mustang an homage to "Bullitt"?

BTW, I pretty much agreed with the viewers favorite episodes, especially the "3 pies" episode.

 

[Randy Tennison]

I love this show. The Trudy scenes had me tearing up. That is what keeps the show interesting to me. Monk as a person, rather than a crime solving machine.