Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
bad.

Pros - Monk backstory - more character development (i.e. good making me
sympathize with him at both ages, and strengthening the bond between him and
Natalie too).

Cons - Plot. Um couldn't the husband just go to Mexico or something. Or what
about this other tried and true plot - he fakes his own death to avoid
paying alimony (BTW, I'm not in any way condoning the non-payment of
alimony, I'm just offering other options a criminal might have taken). I
mean, isn't he taking a really, really, risky chance that those two are
going to actually fall in love in get married? If he was smart enough to
execute this crime, I think he'd be smart enough to know that simply
re-introducing his wife to one of her schoolmates wouldn't necessarily end
in marriage. And as my wife said - if I was getting 20,000 a month in
alimony, I'd NEVER marry again!

I actually liked the junior crimesolver episode better than the adult
episode. It was cute, and sweet, without being too over the top IMO. Being
the type of adolescent who was more likely to be found in the locker, I
enjoyed seeing the bully get busted. Oooh, maybe they can now do a new thing
in spin-offs - a character before they were introduced to us (has that
happened before, we've probably had some types of prequels (Enterprise) -
but not necessarily a "character prequel".

New this January on USA "Little Monk" desc. Junior Obsessive/Compulsive
detective solves crimes. See all 4 episodes and then wait until July for 3
more! I've already got my TiVo set!!!!! (note the sarcasm :-).

Since they film so few episodes anyway, maybe Tony could get out of even
more work by inserting the occasional Little Monk episode in - they can pay
the actors lower rates, Tony gets a vacation, it's a win-win for him.

Ok, back to reality....

Randy was almost, almost, dumb. It was almost, almost not overdone, but
then, it almost almost was. We're talking nanometers between being stupid
and real.

One thing that I haven't mentioned before, and I was reminded of in this
episode - Monk is never scared of the perpetrator. I mean, like when last
week he was dancing with the bride, he wasn't scared of her - "are you
threatening me". I've always liked that about his character - he knows he's
right, and right is on his side, and he doesn't seem to be afraid of the
criminal. This was very obvious in the Professor and killing the girl in the
clock tower episode. He does stand up. I wish they'd use this more as it's a
direct anthesis to his phobia type fears.

One more con - what is Natalie? Is she playing Kato to Monk's Green Hornet?
Last couple of episodes she's kickin a** and taking names - the professional
hit man she one ups at the wine place, taking th eknife and putting her foot
in the throat of the black widow last week, and this week, she's even
spurting out clues before Monk can finish a sentence, brushing off the guy
in the bar, then picking up the cue stick and playing Bruce Lee (I
especially like the "chain wallet nun chucks" (that's not a religious
practitioner vomiting by the way) - Hell, we don't need Adrian anymore.

Oooh, another spin-off: Teeger. Just, Teeger.

Steve

In article <Km5Qe.7729$um2.3221@trnddc03>, Steve Latham
<llatham@verizon.net> wrote:

> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
> bad.

I didn't get any sense of "finale" at all from this one. They go into
production knowing the schedule, so why didn't they take advantage of
the break and give us something a little special? This episode was
pretty flat, I thought.

> Pros - Monk backstory - more character development (i.e. good making me
> sympathize with him at both ages, and strengthening the bond between him and
> Natalie too).
>
> Cons - Plot. Um couldn't the husband just go to Mexico or something. Or what
> about this other tried and true plot - he fakes his own death to avoid
> paying alimony (BTW, I'm not in any way condoning the non-payment of
> alimony, I'm just offering other options a criminal might have taken). I
> mean, isn't he taking a really, really, risky chance that those two are
> going to actually fall in love in get married? If he was smart enough to
> execute this crime, I think he'd be smart enough to know that simply
> re-introducing his wife to one of her schoolmates wouldn't necessarily end
> in marriage. And as my wife said - if I was getting 20,000 a month in
> alimony, I'd NEVER marry again!

I thought that was weak. It would have been a stronger premise (and
less obvious) to have had the art restorer be the one who hired the
guys, etc., because he'd never gotten over his crush on whatzername and
wanted to meet up with her again in some meaningful way. The
ex-husband would have served as a wonderful red herring.

Of course, the art guy could have just called her up and asked her out.
That's the only thing wrong with my theory.

> I actually liked the junior crimesolver episode better than the adult
> episode. It was cute, and sweet, without being too over the top IMO. Being
> the type of adolescent who was more likely to be found in the locker, I
> enjoyed seeing the bully get busted. Oooh, maybe they can now do a new thing
> in spin-offs - a character before they were introduced to us (has that
> happened before, we've probably had some types of prequels (Enterprise) -
> but not necessarily a "character prequel".

The high school mystery was a better mystery than the main one, despite
the red flag they waved about her always setting her combo lock to
zero.

The ending was off, too. I thought I had a better one: Monk takes the
flower she'd just given him and carefully places it in the yearbook ...
right next to the other one she'd given him.

> Oooh, another spin-off: Teeger. Just, Teeger.

Fine with me!

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 14:59:06 -0700, Steve Latham <llatham@verizon.net>
wrote:

> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
> bad.
>
> Pros - Monk backstory - more character development (i.e. good making me
> sympathize with him at both ages, and strengthening the bond between him
> and
> Natalie too).

That "Oliver Beene" kid got the Monk rhythm and mannerisms down quite
well. It really was a very fruitful way of getting in a ton of backstory.

> Cons - Plot.

The plot was brutal, but the plot is never much better than a C- anyway.

>
> Randy was almost, almost, dumb. It was almost, almost not overdone, but
> then, it almost almost was. We're talking nanometers between being stupid
> and real.

I kinda feel like Randy's character is under the microscope a bit here. He
was so bad for a brief period there that we're all on the lookout for
overly stupid behavior. I think it helps his character when he's used in
very short bits.

> One thing that I haven't mentioned before, and I was reminded of in this
> episode - Monk is never scared of the perpetrator. I mean, like when last
> week he was dancing with the bride, he wasn't scared of her - "are you
> threatening me". I've always liked that about his character - he knows
> he's
> right, and right is on his side, and he doesn't seem to be afraid of the
> criminal. This was very obvious in the Professor and killing the girl in
> the
> clock tower episode. He does stand up. I wish they'd use this more as
> it's a
> direct anthesis to his phobia type fears.

I've noticed that too. I think you can see Adrian the cop re-emerge in
those moments.

> One more con - what is Natalie? Is she playing Kato to Monk's Green
> Hornet?
> Last couple of episodes she's kickin a** and taking names - the
> professional
> hit man she one ups at the wine place, taking th eknife and putting her
> foot
> in the throat of the black widow last week, and this week, she's even
> spurting out clues before Monk can finish a sentence, brushing off the
> guy
> in the bar, then picking up the cue stick and playing Bruce Lee (I
> especially like the "chain wallet nun chucks" (that's not a religious
> practitioner vomiting by the way) - Hell, we don't need Adrian anymore.

She is kicking *** and I love it. They've made the most with
Sharona/Natalie switchout. It has allowed them to craft a much more
involved (and interesting) assistant for Monk.

> Oooh, another spin-off: Teeger. Just, Teeger.

It can't be worse than Hooperman.

--
Joe

Steve Latham wrote:
> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
> bad.
>
**********
That seems to be par for the course in the post-Sharona era of Monk.
The show seems to have stabilized this season since (I'm quessing)
there isn't as much turmoil behind the scenes as there was last year.
That means there aren't many great shows but there aren't many stinkers
either. The shows are good enough to keep me watching.

"Mojambo" <joepman@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:op.sv652oygylfruc@x2a1y8...
> On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 14:59:06 -0700, Steve Latham <llatham@verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
>> bad.
>>
>> Pros - Monk backstory - more character development (i.e. good making me
>> sympathize with him at both ages, and strengthening the bond between him
>> and
>> Natalie too).
>
> That "Oliver Beene" kid got the Monk rhythm and mannerisms down quite
> well. It really was a very fruitful way of getting in a ton of backstory.

You're right - he did do a good job I thought.

>
>> Cons - Plot.
>
> The plot was brutal, but the plot is never much better than a C- anyway.

Oh come on now. I've seen at least a straight C once :-D


>
>>
>> Randy was almost, almost, dumb. It was almost, almost not overdone, but
>> then, it almost almost was. We're talking nanometers between being stupid
>> and real.
>
> I kinda feel like Randy's character is under the microscope a bit here. He
> was so bad for a brief period there that we're all on the lookout for
> overly stupid behavior. I think it helps his character when he's used in
> very short bits.

Well, you're right. But that's what they get. Anytime you do silly things to
a character it's hard to get over. It's like in the trials when someone says
something incriminating, and yet, the strike it from the record, it's still
out there (or when a suspected criminal is exonerated - sometimes there's a
ot of doubt left in peoples mind - more so than if they never were arrested
in the first place). I think the Stot-Randy relationship and asides can make
for nice little asides - I think what I'm seeing is that the PTB are trying
to overuse them as comedic asides, rather than just plot asides. I don't
want to eliminate them, but make them funny AND relevant to the show and
character development.

>
>> One thing that I haven't mentioned before, and I was reminded of in this
>> episode - Monk is never scared of the perpetrator. I mean, like when last
>> week he was dancing with the bride, he wasn't scared of her - "are you
>> threatening me". I've always liked that about his character - he knows
>> he's
>> right, and right is on his side, and he doesn't seem to be afraid of the
>> criminal. This was very obvious in the Professor and killing the girl in
>> the
>> clock tower episode. He does stand up. I wish they'd use this more as
>> it's a
>> direct anthesis to his phobia type fears.
>
> I've noticed that too. I think you can see Adrian the cop re-emerge in
> those moments.

Yes, I think that's an extremely powerful aspect of his character. It should
be used just a touch more.

>
>> One more con - what is Natalie? Is she playing Kato to Monk's Green
>> Hornet?
>> Last couple of episodes she's kickin a** and taking names - the
>> professional
>> hit man she one ups at the wine place, taking th eknife and putting her
>> foot
>> in the throat of the black widow last week, and this week, she's even
>> spurting out clues before Monk can finish a sentence, brushing off the
>> guy
>> in the bar, then picking up the cue stick and playing Bruce Lee (I
>> especially like the "chain wallet nun chucks" (that's not a religious
>> practitioner vomiting by the way) - Hell, we don't need Adrian anymore.
>
> She is kicking *** and I love it. They've made the most with
> Sharona/Natalie switchout. It has allowed them to craft a much more
> involved (and interesting) assistant for Monk.

Well, I think that borders back on unrealistic things - like when Randy is
really, functionally stupid. WOuldn't it have been better to have Natalie
have some backstory about some kind of self-defense training or something?
She's really being crazy and irresponsible to the safety of those around
her, and, with the pool cues, it becomes another Randyism.
>
>> Oooh, another spin-off: Teeger. Just, Teeger.
>
> It can't be worse than Hooperman.

LOL.


Steve

"Dan" <nobiledn@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1125236847.372135.101480@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> Steve Latham wrote:
>> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
>> bad.
>>
> **********
> That seems to be par for the course in the post-Sharona era of Monk.
> The show seems to have stabilized this season since (I'm quessing)
> there isn't as much turmoil behind the scenes as there was last year.
> That means there aren't many great shows but there aren't many stinkers
> either. The shows are good enough to keep me watching.

I'll agree with that last bit: It seems more even keel lately, but just
mediocre. It was violent mood swings before, now it's just sedate. But still
worth the hour.

Steve

On Sun, 28 Aug 2005 10:03:13 -0700, Steve Latham <llatham@verizon.net>
wrote:

> Well, I think that borders back on unrealistic things - like when Randy
> is
> really, functionally stupid. WOuldn't it have been better to have Natalie
> have some backstory about some kind of self-defense training or
> something?
> She's really being crazy and irresponsible to the safety of those around
> her, and, with the pool cues, it becomes another Randyism.

Yeah, I'm with you there. I tried to chalk her bar room brawling skills up
to her time as a bartender, but that scene was pretty cringeworthy. They
over-stepped big time.

--
Joe

"Dan" <nobiledn@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1125236847.372135.101480@g44g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> Steve Latham wrote:
>> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
>> bad.
>>
> **********
> That seems to be par for the course in the post-Sharona era of Monk.
> The show seems to have stabilized this season since (I'm quessing)
> there isn't as much turmoil behind the scenes as there was last year.
> That means there aren't many great shows but there aren't many stinkers
> either. The shows are good enough to keep me watching.
>
Ooh, turmoil? I missed turmoil?

What turmoil?

Tom P.

"Steve Latham" <llatham@verizon.net> wrote in message
news:l7mQe.4589$FL1.2298@trnddc09...
>
> "Mojambo" <joepman@comcast.net> wrote in message
> news:op.sv652oygylfruc@x2a1y8...
>> On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 14:59:06 -0700, Steve Latham <llatham@verizon.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Not the greatest Season Finale I could have hoped for, but it wasn't too
>>> bad.
>>>
>>> Pros - Monk backstory - more character development (i.e. good making me
>>> sympathize with him at both ages, and strengthening the bond between him
>>> and
>>> Natalie too).
>>
>> That "Oliver Beene" kid got the Monk rhythm and mannerisms down quite
>> well. It really was a very fruitful way of getting in a ton of backstory.
>
> You're right - he did do a good job I thought.

He didn't look like someone immitating Monk, it looked like Monk.


>
>>
>>> Cons - Plot.
>>
>> The plot was brutal, but the plot is never much better than a C- anyway.
>
> Oh come on now. I've seen at least a straight C once :-D

They are going to start dipping into old Encyclopedia Brown's next.


>>> Randy was almost, almost, dumb. It was almost, almost not overdone, but
>>> then, it almost almost was. We're talking nanometers between being
>>> stupid
>>> and real.
>>
>> I kinda feel like Randy's character is under the microscope a bit here.
>> He was so bad for a brief period there that we're all on the lookout for
>> overly stupid behavior. I think it helps his character when he's used in
>> very short bits.
>
> Well, you're right. But that's what they get. Anytime you do silly things
> to a character it's hard to get over. It's like in the trials when someone
> says something incriminating, and yet, the strike it from the record, it's
> still out there (or when a suspected criminal is exonerated - sometimes
> there's a ot of doubt left in peoples mind - more so than if they never
> were arrested in the first place). I think the Stot-Randy relationship and
> asides can make for nice little asides - I think what I'm seeing is that
> the PTB are trying to overuse them as comedic asides, rather than just
> plot asides. I don't want to eliminate them, but make them funny AND
> relevant to the show and character development.

Having said all that - I've done just what he did. When left to myself to
make an abject choice, I get hung up. It's like because nothing matters,
all the little things matter.

Just my way of saying, they're taking steps. They're making him better.


>>> One more con - what is Natalie? Is she playing Kato to Monk's Green
>>> Hornet?
>>> Last couple of episodes she's kickin a** and taking names - the
>>> professional
>>> hit man she one ups at the wine place, taking th eknife and putting her
>>> foot
>>> in the throat of the black widow last week, and this week, she's even
>>> spurting out clues before Monk can finish a sentence, brushing off the
>>> guy
>>> in the bar, then picking up the cue stick and playing Bruce Lee (I
>>> especially like the "chain wallet nun chucks" (that's not a religious
>>> practitioner vomiting by the way) - Hell, we don't need Adrian anymore.
>>
>> She is kicking *** and I love it. They've made the most with
>> Sharona/Natalie switchout. It has allowed them to craft a much more
>> involved (and interesting) assistant for Monk.
>
> Well, I think that borders back on unrealistic things - like when Randy is
> really, functionally stupid. WOuldn't it have been better to have Natalie
> have some backstory about some kind of self-defense training or something?
> She's really being crazy and irresponsible to the safety of those around
> her, and, with the pool cues, it becomes another Randyism.

I turned away, I couldn't watch. I was waiting for Monk to come up with a
sweetly shy way of getting out of it when she whips out a pool cue and I
just looked away.

>>
>>> Oooh, another spin-off: Teeger. Just, Teeger.
>>
>> It can't be worse than Hooperman.
>
> LOL.
>
Don't laugh! That might encourage them.

Tom P.