"Monk" Season 7 Thread (1 Viewer)

[Ockeghem]

I'm thrilled we're getting an eighth season.

My mind is running with various speculations now regarding who may have killed Trudy, and the tip-off to Monk. I'm thinking it will have to involve Dale, but I would love it if it also involved someone relatively close to the series, and really surprised the heck out of a lot of us. That would be interesting.

Any ideas on who might be involved in Trudy's death?

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I think it's Disher. Nobody could actually be that stupid. It has to be an act, the perfect disguise of a master criminal.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Ockeghem]

Joe,

LOL. I kind of doubt that. Maybe it was ... Monk?

Seriously, I wonder if it could be someone in the police force, though. I think that such a story line might be able to work. Maybe someone who was threatened by Monk remaining on the force? Okay, I'm reaching just a bit here.

Who hates Monk more than anyone else? Could it be Harold Krenshaw? I know there was at least one episode in which Harold feels sorry for Monk, because he (Harold) is married, and has someone to go home to at the end of the day. But do we know for certain that Harold is married? Hmmm.

 

[Tom Brennan]

It can't be Harold! They met in Dr. Kroger's office for the first time... so there is no connection there. I'm willing to bet it will be someone in the Mayor's office and it will tie in closer to the story Trudi was working on than to anyone associated with Monk. I'm gonna have to re-watch some episodes to catch what we know so far about her death. Dale is definitely involved too, obviously.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Me too. An eighth season was by no means assured. This pick-up will allow Andy Breckman to craft a 16-episode sprint to the finish, with plenty of time to wrap-up the biggest outstanding issues.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Well, that isn't to say that Harold doesn't have a friend or relative who got in trouble because of Trudy's reporting, or who didn't get locked up by Monk. Anybody seen in the series could have had that kind of indirect motive for killing Trudy.

The way I see it there are two possible classes of motives for killing Trudy: Something having to do with her job (prevent her from finding something out or revenge for something she'd alredy written) or an indirect attack on Monk. Killing her destroyed Monk without killing him. It got him off the force and made him a total wreck while leaving him alive and suffering. Killing Trudy to spike a story or as retribution for one is nasty, but there's a certain Don Corleone detachment to it. "It isn't personal. It's just business." So would killing Monk himself for similar reasons. But killing Trudy to get to Monk is sadistic and deeply personal. (It is, of course, possible that both motives were present. Trudy may have been working on a piece that would have led to a police investigation, and the subject of the story might already have crossed swords with Monk. But the fact is if you can plant a bomb in Trudy's car and set it off when she's in it, you could also have set it off when they were both in it. Killing Monk and Trudy together wouldn't have been much more difficult than just killing Trudy. So I'm convinced that it is either the case that Trudy was the sole target or that she was at least in part to punish Monk. And I'm leaning towards the latter.)

Twisted thought: It was Sharona!

Regards,

Joe

 

[Tom Brennan]

Interesting theories... I just think Monk is above shocking twists like that. If that's the case, it should be Dr. Kroger and we find out he faked his death!

Personally, I would love to see Monk find love again, someone who makes his OCD lower drastically, like Trudi did. I also want to see him get re-instated formally as a Detective. Maybe wishful thinking, but it would have a finality vibe to the series.

 

[Ockeghem]

The reason I mentioned Harold, more than any other reason, is because he has repeatedly said that he 'hates' Monk. Then again, he also said (after having taken a bullet), "Beat that," which implies he still has somewhat of a sense of humor. Incidentally, I wish they had had a follow-up episode whereby Monk says, about a foot from Harold's face, "Beat that."

Joe,

I think your latter theory may be spot on. You're quite right about it being as easy to kill both Monk and Trudy, had the killer wanted to do so. (Side note: Wouldn't it be odd if the killer had wanted to kill both, and had failed because Monk wasn't where he was 'expected' to have been at a given time? Just a thought.)

I suppose it's rather easy to assume that someone who has been put away for life (like Dale) is actually behind this, but I've been lead to believe that he is only a key, and that his motives for doing what he does toward Monk really have nothing to do with Trudy directly.

Did Dale say, in an early episode of the series, that Sharona was his nurse before he got his current nurse? Or was he just bragging to another person who was in the room? I can't recall exactly. But I may have another theory, although it depends on what Dale said regarding his nurse in that episode. I will have to watch that one again.

As much as I loved the 'Trudy's eyes' episode, I really wish that they hadn't done it now, only because having Trudy somehow surviving the explosion would be an astonishing way to end the series.

****************

Okay, I apologize in advance if what follows does not make too much sense. Perhaps someone knows what I am talking about and can express it more clearly.

My wife and I were trying to think of what the episode Mr. Monk and the Three Julies was about the other night. We thought it was the basketball episode, and then realized that those girls were named ... Emily. I turned to my wife and said, "They've done it again!" We eventually figured out which episode was which. But this gets to my main point. With regard to the three Emilys / three Julies, I think I have about six or seven instances whereby the series takes a title (or part of a title) from one episode, or a theme from a previous episode not specifically related to the episode at hand, or some other related but asynchronous commonality, and very cleverly weaves it into a future episode so as to blend two or more episodes together in such a way that the two episodes are not related to each other plot-wise, but are related to each other on some (perhaps secondary?) level. A second example is the episode having to do with the multi-million dollar baseball and the episode about the cleaning lady finding the million dollar lottery ticket. And another example is the episode Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink, which is not really the episode in which he gets his new shrink permanently (yet this does occur in a future episode for real). I will post a few other examples as I think of them.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I don't think there is anything intentional about any of this. Partly the limitations of the self-imposed "Mr. Monk and the..." format make a certain degree of repetition inevitable. The "Shrink" title in particular strikes me as accidental, since no one was anticipating a permanent replacement at the time the episode was made. But I'll be interested in seeing any other examples you come up with. I could be wrong about this.

Joe

 

[Ockeghem]

That's a fair point (about it not necessarily being intentional). I will post other examples as I watch the episodes. This time, I will remember to write them down.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Oh, I fully expect the series finale to involve two things: a solution for Trudy's murder and a resolution to Monk's police career. (Either his return to the force or his decision not to return - which I think he could make after solving Trudy's murder.) I also think the romance thing is possible - perhaps even with Natalie, who actually has helped Monk with his OCD somewhat. His relationship with her and Julie has always been more familial than the one he had with Sharona and Benjy. Speaking of whom, there are a lot of characters I'd like to see come back for a final bow, and they're near the top of the list. (Of course that may come down to what kind of terms Bitty Schram left on, and whether any bitterness that might have been connected with her departure has faded by now.)

Regards,

Joe

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Wouldn't that be a pisser if Stottlemeyer was involved!?

 

[Ockeghem]

I thought of this too recently. I really wouldn't want this to occur in any way, though. He's been way too good of a friend to Monk through some very tough times. I can't see this happening, although it is fun to ponder.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Just a reminder that the Monk holiday special debuts tonight. (Along with the annual Psych holiday episode.)

Regards and Happy Thanskgiving,

Joe

 

[Ockeghem]

Joe,

Many thanks! I may have stumbled upon it, but I hadn't recalled that it was on. This will be fun.

 

[Ed Moroughan]

Monk, p.i.! That was hilarious and unexpected, and I almost missed it fast forwarding the DVR. Good episode, especially the end. Randy keep the mustache!

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I really liked the episode, but except for the opening scene with Julie and the cardboard tree it could have been any regular season episode. I did appreciate the idea introduced that Randy would actually get his crap together if Stottlemeyer wasn't there to protect him. I also thought the ending, with Monk standing alone before the fountain, desperately wanting to drink the water but seemingly not quite able to, to be one of the most bittersweet, heartrending endings since the first season.

 

[Garrett Adams]

Great episode. The chapel scene where Monk and Natalie are chanting the crime reveal to Leland was outrageous. Very inventive!

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

That was very good, although for me the best thing in the show was the dinner scene. It was just so painful for Adrian to have those guys around him and eating at his table. And I loved Natalie's line, "Mr. Monk and the Monk". It was a cute nod to the audience.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Reminder: New episodes of Monk (and Psych for those who also follow that show) start tonight. (Check local listings for time. )

While you're waiting, you might want to read this column from today's Wall Street Journal: "Here's What Happened: How Natalie Saved Monk" about Traylor Howard.

Regards,

Joe