# Monk: the Second Episode \*\*SPOILERS\*\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795 "2002-07-25T16:56:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/1 "2002-07-25T16:56:31Z")
Ok, so I settled in for the second episode of USA’s _Monk_. As I’ve stated in a previous thread, I like Tony Shalhoub and looked forward to his new series. This episode, however was _so_bad. In fact, if it wasn’t for the fact Shalhoub starred in this series, I would have turned the channel. Much like _Law and Order: Criminal Intent_, I don’t care too much for knowing up front who done it unless there’s a twist somewhere. The only twist in this episode was the phony psychic lady discovering the wife’s body. When she had to adjust the driver’s seat in her own car before driving away, it was a dead give away that someone drove her there. The rest of it was just fluff. By the time end scene rolled around, it was so easily predictable (that the commissioner would lose his composure and, in effect, confess) hubby and I were dying with laughter. I so wanted to give this show a chance. It has such potential. I’ll give it a whirl one more time but, unless they retool the show (maybe give it just a wee bit of a darker edge [yes, I do realize people are getting murdered and it doesn’t get much darker than that], not reveal who done it at the beginning of the show or make it less predictable) I don’t think they can count on me to be a loyal viewer (a crushing blow, I know). So, did anyone else catch the second ep of _Monk_? What did you think of it? ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/2 "2002-07-25T17:09:15Z")
Ack! Would a mod please move this to Cafe Society? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/3 "2002-07-25T17:36:24Z")
True. I liked the first episode. When he was too paranoid to go down the hill, but knew the intersection cause he saw half the windsheild cleaned, I thought that was clever. This episode lacked the cleverness of the first. I’ll give it a couple more tries to live up to the first episode, if they fail, well, there’s always Junkyard Wars reruns. ---
**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/4 "2002-07-25T18:55:31Z")
An amazing decline from the first episode. I hope it improves; it deserves Colombo-level scripts, not late-period-Remington-Steele stories. And if it doesn’t, we’ll at least be able to tell our granchildren that we got to see a show jump the shark in two episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/5 "2002-07-25T19:04:30Z")
I so very much agree. As I stated in your first post, “liked it, doubt that they can sustain it.” However, I’m disappointed that I was shown to be right so soon. Everything about the episode was bad. There was so little evidence that they would never get a conviction and much of it was obtained illegally. I hope that it improves. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/6 "2002-07-26T00:35:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by JuanitaTech \* > \*\*Ack! Would a mod please move this to Cafe Society? \*\* You got it! Veb ---
**Author:** ![widdershins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f0a364/32.png) [@widdershins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/widdershins)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/7 "2002-07-26T01:19:31Z")
Very weak plot, and recycling elements from the pilot movie (adjusting a chair/car seat, a car crash that’s not what it appears to be) in the second episode. Bad signs, and I had such high hopes for this show. The cast and premise are too good to be wasted on stories like this. I’ll give it a few more weeks. I hoping USA was finally going to do some better original programming. ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monk-the-second-episode-spoilers/120795/8 "2002-07-26T01:26:30Z")
I like it, but in the second episode I realized it’s basically Columbo with Columbo being split into two characters (Monk and his assistant). I too knew exactly what happened as soon as I saw the psychic move the seat, and thought it was strange that they used the same clue in both episodes.