Monk-- Why do the stories suck?

Cafe Society
1

I love Monk and think it is funny, but it seems to me that the plots have been getting more and more unbelievable. First we had the “doctor” stabbing someone on stage in front of hundreds of people and no one seemed to notice. Then for the season finale, we had a doctor killing people just to lure Monk to Mexico. Then when he actually gets him there, he does a completely half-assed job of trying to kill him. I mean, just shoot him already.
Is there a reason they can’t seem to balance the comedy with an at least serviceable plot?

2

IMO, we’re just supposed to sit back and enjoy the stories while not paying too much attention to the plots. “Monk” is more in the spirit of Encyclopedia Brown rather than “Murder, She Wrote.”

3

Yeah but it could be the new Columbo if they’d just write better mysteries…

4

There’s a parallel discussion going on in the “Why doesn’t Stottlemeyer believe Monk” thread.

I think the “he couldn’t have done it, he was 1,000 miles away” plot device is simply that, a plot device to show off Monk’s quirks and obesessive-compulsive personality. It’s a character study at least as much as a mystery. Let’s face it, we know Monk will solve the mystery (after all, the show is not called “Unsolved Mysteries.”) Let’s just sit back and enjoy HOW he does it.

As for the “I mean, just shoot him already” argument, come on. Look at (to name a few)

Batman
James Bond
Austin Powers
Any spy novel or movie with an evil genius
The Wild Wild West
Get Smart
Mission Impossible
and others too numerous to mention

If you shoot the hero, he can’t solve the mystery!

5

That wasn’t the season finale. That was the second episode of the season. The season finale featured

A man who was angry at a certain juror he once faced in court…but he didn’t know which one. So he killed all the jurors off, one by one.

6

You mean a MacGuffin?

Yes, the core of the show is to enjoy Monk’s weird personality. Though I agree a little that deserves better plots, I love the show, just watching Monk doing his sometimes unintentional tricks and unintentionally pissing off his friends.

What a very lovable character.