Monk Season 4 thread (1 Viewer)

[Jason Walstrom]

Did anyone else think that this episode ended kinda abrupt? He just says to Laurie Metcalf 'I don't hate you, I don't really know you' and then they leave. I guess there was nothing more to be said but I thought it would've ended on more of a punchline. Maybe her character returns later in the season?

 

[Parker Clack]

Have you been to the USA Network website to check out the trailers for upcoming episodes. The one for Monk going to the gym is a riot.

 

[Steve...O]

Someone gave me a copy of this week's TV GUIDE which features an interview with Tony S and lists some upcoming storylines: Monk goes to the Denist, Monk serves on a jury, and Monk proves an astronaut committed murder while in outer space.

These all sound like winners.

 

[Keith I]

 

[Johnny Angell]

Yes, I felt excatly the same. The ending seemed odd. Poor editing, perhaps?

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

All things considered, I think that Adrian handled having a mouse in his pocket better than I expected.

And yes poor Captain. Stottlemeyer. :frowning: It was nice to see the show focus it's attention away from Adrian and concentrate on another character that we've come to care about.

I must say, though, that his wife is one fridged, cold-blooded bitch! He knew that he made a mistake by accusing her, but he had cause to do so from that cop and the photo that Natalie took, it's painfully obvious that he loves her but she just handed him those divorce papers like she was handing out Halloween candy and couldn't care less that it tore his heart out.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I loved this episode. The homeless guy wasn't reduced to a cliche or condescended to, the "mouse toss" in the hospital was hysterical, and for once the Captain got the line of the week. ("You're sleeping with a divorce lawyer?")



Regards,

Joe

 

[Linda Thompson]

Great episode. Even Disher had a few shining moments, when he was actually assertive and in command. I loved the parts where he was setting up the line-up, and dealing with the aftermath.

See...he could be a really great, well-rounded character, if only the writers would make a few tweaks and start things in that direction. (See my post #47 in this thread for my earlier spouting about Disher's character.) They're really missing an opportunity by keeping him as a perpetual comic-relief boob. Witness the pointer incident in this ep...then compare it to the assertive moments. He could be SO MUCH MORE...and it would definitely be to the show's benefit, IMO.

Some episode endings are uplifting, some are cute, some are funny, some are poignant, some are puzzling (like last week's)... Tonight's was heartbreaking. I've never particularly liked the wife character, but the effect this is having on Stottlemeyer is very moving to watch, and I'm glad that they're not reducing it to comic levels.

Another winner in my book.

 

[Steve...O]

I've been a big fan of this latest bunch of MONK episodes, but this episode did nothing for me.

One big problem was that Monk is usually portrayed as brilliant but flawed. However this episode had him being a bigger boob than Disher with way too much emphasis on the OCD.

The "mystery" was even simpler than usual. When Disher said "contaminated by 2 of our own" at the briefing that pretty much gave you the who and why right there.

Question: Monk called the Captain "Leland" a couple of times in the episode. Has he ever called him by his first name before? That also seemed out of place.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Actually, I figured out the mystery when the guy spit out the blood in the teaser, but I still liked the episode. I didn't think Monk was a boob at all. He was stressed and distracted by the impossible position that Stottlemeyer put him in, and had his buttons severely pushed first by the junkyard, then by the mouse (gotta love the mouse) and then by the Captain's situation. And, as we know from previous episodes, Adrian's OCD always gets worse when he's under emotional strain.

I think Monk has called the captain by his first name once or twice before - again, in moments of extreme emotional stress. I seem to recall his having done so on one of the rare ocassions when the Captain used Adrian's first name. Probably one of the episodes touching on Trudy's murder, or perhaps the one where the Captain stayed at Monk's house.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

2/3/06

Man, what a fun episode! It might as well have been called It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Monk LOL.

 

[Steve...O]

Indeed! Very bizarre Monk episode. I like original stories better. This seemed like an attempt to copy a plot that's been done before.

One thing I do like is that Disher is being played more straight. Not nearly as annoying.

There was a very blatent "in-joke" at the end when the Captain made reference to being on 2 contract for 2 years with a guaranteed 16 murders a year. This refers to the 2 year renewal USA gave the series (16 episodes a year).

Anybody wonder who is taking care of Natalie's daughter while she's on all these jaunts with Monk? If Monk is broke, how does he afford the very expensive Dr. Kroger? How does Natalie support a daughter and make house payments?

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Well, my comparison between Monk and IaMMMMW is more of a compliment, I thought that this episode was just a mad-cap fun ride.

 

[Linda Thompson]

Definitely a light, fun episode...

I absolutely cracked up at the renewal in-joke (guaranteed 16 homicides over the next two years), and I very much appreciated the writers taking Disher in a more realistic direction. A definite step forward for the character, IMO.

Loved the setup for the final Gladys "punchline" too...

 

[Garrett Adams]

Monk told Dr. Kroger that at one time he didn't even cash his pay checks. I seem to recall this coming up in a past episode so perhaps he has reverted to that idiotic practice. All he said to Natalie was that he didn't have any money in the bank. He never mentioned shoe boxes in his closet. :b

 

[Steve...O]

Good point. It could be that Kroger does this pro bono because he knows that if he refuses to see him, Monk will just sit on his (Kroger's) front steps and wait for him to come home.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Lincoln didn't cash his, either, until the Treasury Department sent him a sharp note saying they were having trouble balancing the books. I guess great minds think alike.

Monk specifies that he didn't cash his checks "when he was on the force", presumably while Trudy was still alive. I'll bet that she got him signed up for direct deposit once they were married. Monk also seems to live a farily comfortable life (cashflow problems notwithstanding), so it is plausible that Trudy also made sure the some of their money was invested for the future - and given Monk's mental state, that some of it might be in trust under the control of the bank. Thus his regular bills (including Kroger's) might get paid automatically until/unless that money runs out, and Adrian could still end up cash-poor for everyday purchases, which he pays for out of his detective's income.

And I also liked the in-joke about the renewal.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Tony Kwong]

Anyone else notice there seems to be much more on location shooting this season compared to previous seasons?

 

[Joseph S]

Part mutant, part wuss = Muss

Tonight's was an easy case to figure out from the start, but not bad.

 

[Steve...O]

I was not sure I was going to like this episode after watching Monk getting laughed at by the kids in the classroom (that was painful), but the writers did a good job of contrasting that to Monk's bravery at the end (even if the scene of him chasing down a fighter jet wasn't all that believable).

The only real criticism I have is that Disher is back to being an idiot.