Since two different boys played Benjy, I don’t think that role had much job security, anyway. Kane Ritchotte played Benjy in the pilot and in seasons two and three. Max Morrow played him in the first season.
If by that, you’re picking Mary Anne and and Bailey as the two hottest ones, I can agree with you. 
I didn’t think I’d like natalie much, because I hated her on Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, which was a horrid sitcom. But though she’s not as sarcastic and confrontational as Sharona was, she’s strong enough to give as good as she gets, with the right writer.
I’m really liking the current episodes of Monk, they’re pushing the humour more which I find really entertaining.
They’re still making Randy too scatter-brained for my tastes, though.
“Oh, my God. Which twin is which? Say ‘Aunt.’”
Stottlemeyer: “Randy, why don’t we try arresting the one who isn’t drowning?”
:rolleyes:
Sometimes it’s impossible to tell Randy Disher from Randy Hickey.
One of the Monk tie-in novels, Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, has Sharona return to the area and resolve some of the emotional loose ends caused by the actress’ sudden departure.
Not quite. Sharona was his nurse during his worst breakdown (the post-Trudy-death one) and stayed on as his assistant. I recall a specific episode in which Sharona said that, though she was no longer a nurse (by which she meant she was no longer practicing the trade of nightengale), Monk was still her patient; she said this to keep him from freaking out when they were trapped someplace.
Though Sharona was better at keeping Monk from going into full-blown freakouts, I think Natalie’s probably better for him overall, because she doesn’t see him as a patient and is quicker to call him on his bullshit. She also pushes him to work more.
Sharona has better legs, though.
That is all.
Plot outline, according to Wikipedia:Sharona’s back in town dealing with legal issues related to a recently-deceased uncle and Monk thinks foul play was involved.
Return of Sharona! Yaaaaay!
Just dredging this up because Sharona’s back this Friday on Monk! According to the TV listings: After Sharona returns to San Francisco to handle legal issues related to an uncle’s death, Monk suspects foul play and finds himself torn between the different styles of Sharona and Natalie. This should be good!
Nah. Sharona offed herself. Got tired of teenaged boys singing the wrong words to her song…
But Natalie’s kid is a lot cuter 
Hope it’s not the last. This is the last season isn’t it? I would hope they’d bring her back for both the “Monk solves his wife’s murder” episode and the series finale, assuming they aren’t the same episode.
I don’t think this needs to be in a spoiler because it’s in Wikipedia, but just in case:
Yep, it’s the last season. And Monk solves Trudy’s murder in the finale. It’s a two-parter.
Does anyone think there’ll end up being a romantic relationship between Monk and either Sharona or Natalie?
StG
I seriously doubt it.
BTW, this episode would presumably invalidate the events of Lee Goldberg’s novel, Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants.
Monk was a lot sweeter and kinder to Shirona. Monk had his issues in the early seasons, but he never was mean or disrespectful. Monk has treated Natalie much harsher. At times he’s a real a-hole. I think it’s a problem with the writing. It’s hard keeping a character eccentric and quirky without making them unpleasant.
Nah. I think the writers simply realized that making Monk a bit self-absorbed makes him a funnier character. They alluded to this in the commentary track on at least one of the DVD sets.
They did go overboard with his self-absorption in some of the recent episodes, though.
I’ve always though Sharona could beat the snot out of Natalie. Maybe we’ll get to see!
I’m fairly sure that a Natalie-Sharona fight lasts about 20 seconds and ends with Natalie on the ground, begging for mercy and promising to pay for the manicure Sharona now requires after clocking Teeger repeatedly. Of course, it’s equally possible that they’ll become best buddies, as they both share the trying experience of working not merely with, but for Monk.
If a fight does break out, it’ll be over Monk. Sharona loves Adrian, even though she doesn’t like him much, and she’ll think that Natalie is being too rough on him. Natalie will counter that Sharona coddles him too much for him to ever get better.
Shirona always called Monk “Adrian” but Natalie always calls him “Mr. Monk”. I suspect Monk feels more entitled to treat Natalie the way he does because he doesn’t have the (presumably) same emotional foundation that I assumed he had with Shirona.
Did we ever know how long Shirona was working with/for Monk? It always felt like quite a while. Did she know Trudy?