A New Season of Monk! 6/18

A few random thoughts on the new episode:

Interesting to have a show where the clues were really only present in the first few minutes of the show. The rest was about Monk’s reaction to NYC.

I need to go back and count how many times he said, “I really don’t think . . . I really don’t think . . . I really don’t think . . .” I was just about on the floor! Hilarious.

Very surprising when he flipped that switch at the end (I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t watched it yet). I didn’t think he had something like that in him. Even with what happened next, I was still amazed.


And last but not least, today’s mail brought my Season One Monk DVD set! Guess Mr. S and I will be busy the nest few nights.

I thought overall it was kind of an iffy episode (the explanatory summary and subsequent arrest of the suspect by New York’s finest was perfunctory and implausible, and the street-preacher scene was contrived and labored) with a handful of remarkable highlights. The best, of course, is the closing minute or two you describe, with the switch. That was amazing.

I love this show, but I didn’t think this was its best hour.

Yeah, I think, by the nature of the setting and all, it was a bit too focused on the NY gimmick. It’ll probably rehit its stride once it’s back in SF.

I think they missed a great chance for character development.

Monk should have killed the guy.

He almost did. In Tennyson’s weakened condition, the excruciating pain probably would have killed him in not too long. But I don’t think it would’ve felt right for Monk’s character. Not that anyone outside would have blamed him, especially not Stottlemeyer, but still.

Monk has a peculiar genius for these kinds of scenes (the greatest, of course, being the “Pete and Re-Pete” conversation from the Season 1 finale). That one was a standout moment, as was Monk freaking out when he spotted the, um, guy from the subway (don’t want to spoil anything here). And the ending, well, that was just wonderful.