Monk - General Discussion

[Annber03]

5 hours ago, AorTux said:

Check this official site for the podcast out

Oh, this looks fun. May have to give that a listen :). Thanks for sharing!

On 3/11/2021 at 2:08 AM, LexieLily said:

Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine, while a very funny episode, also bugged me because not only did Kroger apparently not consult with Sharona (Monk's licensed nurse) before giving him the bottle of pills or talk to him about a dosage to take, by the end of the episode Monk is disgusted with his behavior and throws the pills out, deciding never to take them again. Surely Kroger/Sharona could have worked out a plan to figure out a dosage that worked for him. How much of "The Monk's" frat-bro attitude that episode was due to the pills themselves and how much of it was that he might have been overmedicated? 

Just saw this episode earlier today and you make a lot of good points about the issues with the medication. Given his staunch resistance to medication in general before and after that episode, it might've taken some major convincing to get him to even consider going back on meds...but yeah, still, I agree that it would've been a worthy conversation for Kroger and Sharona to have, at the very least. 

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(That episode did give us the great line that Sharona wanted to absolutely smack The Monk, but she couldn't because "that would be hurting you.")

I liked the bit when Monk was trying to explain how he came up with the nickname he gave Disher XD. Quite the interesting train of thought :p.

Stottlemeyer being shocked at him eating some of his food in the hospital room was good, too. This episode was another good example of what we discussed before about how well he and Monk really seem to get and understand each other. 

[LexieLily]

5 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Stottlemeyer being shocked at him eating some of his food in the hospital room was good, too. This episode was another good example of what we discussed before about how well he and Monk really seem to get and understand each other. 

While I have no doubt that Monk frustrated and annoyed the crap out of Stottlemeyer on a daily basis, they actually are alike in a lot of ways and I think that once we got past the first season where the secondary characters weren't fully defined yet, the Monk/Stottlemeyer friendship predated both of their spouses.

You were planning on making a list of some of your favorite episodes and why, but does anyone have episodes that for whatever reason you just don't like? One of mine is Mr. Monk and the UFO. The mystery didn't really work for me, the subplot with the UFOs and thinking Monk was an alien didn't seem to fit with the tone of the show, and I don't even think Stottlemeyer/Randy were in the episode.

[Annber03]

3 hours ago, LexieLily said:

While I have no doubt that Monk frustrated and annoyed the crap out of Stottlemeyer on a daily basis, they actually are alike in a lot of ways and I think that once we got past the first season where the secondary characters weren't fully defined yet, the Monk/Stottlemeyer friendship predated both of their spouses.

Indeed. I think that similarity is precisely why Stottlemeyer got a little frustrated with Monk sometimes-sometimes his advice to him seems to take the tone of, "Don't make the same mistakes I made." Especially when it comes to whenever Monk's fighting with Sharona or Natalie about something. 

Another thing I liked about that episode was how Disher kinda had to hold everything together for a good portion of it. Stottlemeyer's injured and Monk's out of it and doing all sorts of weird things, and Sharona's focus is naturally on trying to help Monk, so Disher had no choice but to take control of the case and whatnot. It was interesting to see that more serious side to his character like that. And it was a very subtle moment, but I also liked how, when Monk first showed up after Stottlemeyer got shot, and before he took the meds, Disher made a point of telling him he was glad he was there :). 

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You were planning on making a list of some of your favorite episodes and why, but does anyone have episodes that for whatever reason you just don't like? One of mine is Mr. Monk and the UFO. The mystery didn't really work for me, the subplot with the UFOs and thinking Monk was an alien didn't seem to fit with the tone of the show, and I don't even think Stottlemeyer/Randy were in the episode.

I found that one kinda amusing, myself, and I liked the idea of Monk just rolling with the "I'm an alien" thing, and trying to sort out just what the heck he saw flying around. But yeah, I can see where you feel that way, too, 'cause you're right, it is a rather odd episode in a lot of ways. 

[LexieLily]

8 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Indeed. I think that similarity is precisely why Stottlemeyer got a little frustrated with Monk sometimes-sometimes his advice to him seems to take the tone of, "Don't make the same mistakes I made." Especially when it comes to whenever Monk's fighting with Sharona or Natalie about something. 

YES. One of the scenes from the later seasons showed this perfectly, IMO, from Mr. Monk on Wheels (when Natalie accidently shot Monk and Monk treated her horribly because of it.) At the graveyard Leland took Monk to the side and told him very sternly, pretty much, that he was thisclose to losing Natalie and he couldn't keep behaving like this unless he wanted Natalie to leave. "Ask me how I know. / How? / Because, you're acting like me."

Randy was a dope for most of the show with crazy outlandish theories that cracked me up as much as they frustrated the captain, but he was very good at being the one in charge when Stottlemeyer was injured and/or indisposed. There were a few episodes like that, I think.

[AorTux]

Anyone else like Sharona and Natalie pretty much the same or is it just me?  IK most people are either mostly firmly for team Natalie or firmly for team Sharona.  I appreciated both of the characters though and the actresses portraying them

Edited March 19, 2021 by AorTux

[Bastet]

9 minutes ago, AorTux said:

Anyone else like Sharona and Natalie pretty much the same or is it just me?  IK most people are either mostly firmly for team Natalie or firmly for team Sharona.  I appreciated both of the characters though and the actresses portraying them

I'm the same, and I think many posters are too - I don't recall any Natalie vs. Sharona battles here, but there has been plenty of "I like this one better, but like the other too" and "I like both of them equally" sentiment.

I really liked Sharona (and was on Bitty Schram's side in the contract renegotiation battle), so I was surprised at how seamless I found the transition to Natalie. 

I don't often watch this show when I come across it, and the times I do I'm more prone to stop on a Sharona episode than one with Natalie, but that's just about earlier vs. later episode, not Sharona vs. Natalie

[AorTux]

makes sense.  i think both bitty schram and traylor howard played their characters well and their characters were also good.  too bad we don't hear from them nowadays

[andromeda331]

I liked both. I thought they both did a good job. 

[Annber03]

Add me to the "I like them both" crowd 🙂 . I like how, even though they do have a few similarities between them (notably that they're both single moms), they're still very different types of characters, and the ways in which they each forged a relationship with and helped Monk were different, too. I liked the episode where they got to meet in person for the first time-even with the momentary tension that arose between them at one point, it was still fun to see them getting to know each other better and everything. 

I also like the little bits of their respective pasts that we got to learn about them throughout the show. They'd make for good fleshed out stories in their own right. 

[shapeshifter]

Sometimes it helps me to think of Monk as having had 3 assistants: Sharona, poor Natalie, and rich Natalie.

[chitowngirl]

I think Sharona was what Monk needed after Trudy died and Natalie was what he needed after Sharona.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

I think Sharona was what Monk needed after Trudy died and Natalie was what he needed after Sharona.

Sharona was an actual nurse, I think and Natale had been a bartender. It shows Monk's growth from being mentally and emotionally paralyzed after Trudy's death to a healthier, slightly more capable adult that he no longer needed a medical professional full time to just needing a little friendly support. I loved the way they bonded over Monk's legendary cheapness.

[AorTux]

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Sometimes it helps me to think of Monk as having had 3 assistants: Sharona, poor Natalie, and rich Natalie.

well I don't think Natalie took money from her parents even after the wedding episode.  I just think she was in a better position after working for Monk for a while because even in season 8 she states she doesn't take a dime from her parents which I believe since it is a TV show, and I doubt Natalie was lying.  She did definitely have a fashion glowup in the 5th season, but is is kind of what I respect about her.  Her being as "fiercely" independent as she is

18 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Sharona was an actual nurse, I think and Natale had been a bartender. It shows Monk's growth from being mentally and emotionally paralyzed after Trudy's death to a healthier, slightly more capable adult that he no longer needed a medical professional full time to just needing a little friendly support. I loved the way they bonded over Monk's legendary cheapness.

true, but I still Natalie had a hard job too than just "friendly support".  Even though, she didn't have the job of getting him out of the bed, she still kept him on his feet and pushed him to take cases and in some cases confront his fears.  I still think even at that stage of his life, working for Mr. Monk is one of the toughest jobs in the world.  I did love the way they bonded and complimented each other.

Edited March 19, 2021 by AorTux

[peacheslatour]

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true, but I still Natalie had a hard job too than just "friendly support".  Even though, she didn't have the job of getting him out of the bed, she still kept him on his feet and pushed him to take cases and in some cases confront his fears.  I still think even at that stage of his life, working for Mr. Monk is one of the toughest jobs in the world.  I did love the way they bonded and complimented each other.

Oh god yes. It would take the patience of a freaking saint.

[AorTux]

1 minute ago, peacheslatour said:

Oh god yes. It would take the patience of a freaking saint.

i love that portion in the end of the Natalie x Sharona episode when Sharona was like "you are a saint" and Natalie was like "you needed to be tough with him".  I also found this awesome photo too.  Something about it is so legendary

 

[chitowngirl]

Plus, Natalie’s spouse also passed away, so she could bring that to the table.

[Annber03]

8 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I think Sharona was what Monk needed after Trudy died and Natalie was what he needed after Sharona.

 

6 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

Sharona was an actual nurse, I think and Natale had been a bartender. It shows Monk's growth from being mentally and emotionally paralyzed after Trudy's death to a healthier, slightly more capable adult that he no longer needed a medical professional full time to just needing a little friendly support. I loved the way they bonded over Monk's legendary cheapness.

Agreed on both of these sentiments.

I also love the moment at the end of that episode when Monk and Sharona hug goodbye as she's going home. The "thank you" doesn't need to be said, it's written all over Monk's face and in the way he hugs her, and it's a really sweet, lovely moment. I'm glad they got to interact once more before the show wrapped up. 

I also like that, with Natalie, Monk asked her directly to be his assistant. It says a lot about how much he trusted her and the way she interacted with him, despite them having just met, to ask her to take on such an important role. And of course...

5 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

Plus, Natalie’s spouse also passed away, so she could bring that to the table.

...this certainly helped, too. Indeed, she would get what he was going through, and would know how to handle the darker days. That's one of the things that makes the people in Monk's life so great, the different ways they each know how to connect with him, and the varied ways in which they understand and help him. It's a great insight into them as characters in their own right as well. 

That picture of Bitty and Traylor together is cute :). Aw. 

[AorTux]

Even though Monk could be rude to them at times, there are times where he is really nice to them and cares for them.  Season 8 he returns a hug to both of them.  Sharona in the episode she comes back, and Natalie when he finally sees her again after leaving the force again and her coming back from her short lived music job.  I think it kind of shows how much appreciative he really becomes after realizing how much he missed them

[Annber03]

4 minutes ago, AorTux said:

Even though Monk could be rude to them at times, there are times where he is really nice to them and cares for them.  Season 8 he returns a hug to both of them.  Sharona in the episode she comes back, and Natalie when he finally sees her again after leaving the force again and her coming back from her short lived music job.  I think it kind of shows how much appreciative he really becomes after realizing how much he missed them

Aw, yeah, I liked that, too. Even when they were about to leave for their respective jobs, they both had that moment of, "I'm going to miss you!" 

I caught the one on TV today where Monk had been laid up with a cold, and I love how he goes to rescue Natalie at the end, all while still sick and in his pajamas and a robe :D. It's neat to see the ways in which he'll confront his fears and phobias in order to save his loved ones. 

[andromeda331]

8 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Aw, yeah, I liked that, too. Even when they were about to leave for their respective jobs, they both had that moment of, "I'm going to miss you!" 

I caught the one on TV today where Monk had been laid up with a cold, and I love how he goes to rescue Natalie at the end, all while still sick and in his pajamas and a robe :D. It's neat to see the ways in which he'll confront his fears and phobias in order to save his loved ones. 

That's one of my favorites. I also love him telling the murderer what happened. I liked that Natalie wanted to return the money. Of course him going to rescue Natalie. 

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, andromeda331 said:

That's one of my favorites. I also love him telling the murderer what happened. I liked that Natalie wanted to return the money. Of course him going to rescue Natalie. 

Yeah, it was fun to see Natalie having such an intense focus on solving this case for a change, and trying to find the necessary clues. I also like when she's with the murderer, and she keeps having to stop him to explain the  incredibly detailed way Monk would've packaged the garbage that contains what he's looking for :p. Julie's get well card for Monk inadvertently proving helpful was a cute touch, too 🙂. 

Monk rescuing Natalie is also impressive because for someone who's sick, he got in a few good kicks and punches when fighting with the killer. Do not threaten the lives of those he cares about, 'cause he will kick your ass if need be. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Annber03 said:

Do not threaten the lives of those he cares about, 'cause he will kick your ass if need be. 

I also appreciate that this show does not dwell on gratuitous violence like so many do. "Ass kicking" is the last resort. 😉

[LexieLily]

19 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Monk rescuing Natalie is also impressive because for someone who's sick, he got in a few good kicks and punches when fighting with the killer. Do not threaten the lives of those he cares about, 'cause he will kick your ass if need be. 

Oh, yeah, for all of Monk's phobias and all of the things he won't do and/or won't touch, he can push past all of that when Sharona or Natalie are in danger, or when Randy/Leland need him.

Edited March 21, 2021 by LexieLily

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I do think that Monk (the character) would have been viewed much more differently and tragically, if the series had started out with his marriage to his wife for several episodes, and then showed her demise, and then the transition of what Monk became after his wife's murder.  Regardless what this series is considered, Monk was a tragic figure, and there is at least one murder in every episode.  I think the series would have been much better off if it had started off with Monk in his married life with Trudy being alive

Monk is a tragic character, not a comedic one...

OTOH, I like that Monk has as many comedic elements as it does. I don't care for most dramas or comedies, but tragicomedy is just right for me. I always wonder if Tony Shaloub patterned his portrayal of Monk in part after Charlie Chaplin. The internet uses a couple of Shakespeare's plays as examples of tragicomedy, but I couldn't find anything worth quoting here to explain or describe the merits of tragicomedy. For me life is a stream of tragicomedy, both mine and many around me. But I also see a lot of people who seem to have only tragedy. I also see a lot of unfunny comedy. I don't think, for example, Americas Funniest Home Videos are funny at all. I guess it's a matter of personal taste.

While I agree that "Monk is a tragic character, not a comedic one," somehow his comedic bits amuse rather than offend me. But it is such a fine line, that I can totally understand how some might not be amused.

Edited March 21, 2021 by shapeshifter

[Annber03]

16 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I always wonder if Tony Shaloub patterned his portrayal of Monk in part after Charlie Chaplin.

Interesting observation. Now you mention it, I can see where you get that, yeah...from the few snippets of Chaplin I've seen here and there, there does seem to be a little similarity :). 

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While I agree that "Monk is a tragic character, not a comedic one," somehow his comedic bits amuse rather than offend me. But it is such a fine line, that I can totally understand how some might not be amused.

Yeah, I think this show did a really good job of knowing how to make him funny in a way that we laughed with him instead of at him, which helped a lot. We could relate, on some level, to his moments of awkwardness, or stumbling about or causing a goofy accident, or telling jokes that nobody else gets/laughs at, or whatever, and so it made those moments funny in a sympathetic way. And those comedic moments were a nice, welcome balance to the tragedy. It was fun to see Monk when he'd be acting goofy, intentionally or unintentionally, and it fit with the show's themes regarding grief and moving on. It was a nice reminder that even amidst such pain and heartache, you could still laugh and find the humor in things and in life.

Some of those funny moments also allowed us to get a deeper glimpse into just what parts of him had been so consumed and affected by his grief, too,. Through those moments, we can see why Trudy fell for him, why Stottlemeyer's remained a close friend for so long, why Sharona and Natalie were able to overlook the stress and frustration that came with their jobs and became close friends as well. All of those moments added to our understanding of Monk as a character. 

Helps, too, that Shalhoub has such good comedic timing, and knew how to make those moments feel natural and true to the character. 

17 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

I do think that Monk (the character) would have been viewed much more differently and tragically, if the series had started out with his marriage to his wife for several episodes, and then showed her demise, and then the transition of what Monk became after his wife's murder.  Regardless what this series is considered, Monk was a tragic figure, and there is at least one murder in every episode.  I think the series would have been much better off if it had started off with Monk in his married life with Trudy being alive

I've wondered a bit about this, too, when I was working through this series. On the one hand, it would've been interesting to see more of what their life together was like before she died, on the other hand, and indeed, having that time for the audience to get to know and love Trudy alongside Monk would've affected how we viewed Monk's mourning her on a whole new level, for sure. It also would've been interesting to get to know Trudy on her own as a character. 

On the other hand, I kind of like that it started with her already gone., and the way little tidbits about her and her life with Monk were dropped in throughout the series. They were small details, but they said so much, and yes, sometimes we were learning about her through him, but some of those details said a lot about her as a character all on her own, and I did still feel like I got to know about her as a character separate from Monk, too. 

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The other part of this series that should have been explored much more deeply is his home life as a child with his mom and and his brother Ambrose.  There would have been a lot of backstory that could have been filled in, both when his father lived with them, and what happened after his father abandoned them.

How much of the behavior of Monk and Ambrose was nature driven and how much of it was nurture driven.  From what we have seen of his mother, she came off as rather cold and joyless. 

 

I definitely agree with this. Especially the nature/nurture bit. 

The mention of his mom-I know they said in one episode that she died in the early '90s, and it seemed like it was around that same time that there was talk of Trudy having some issues with something relating to her work or something like that, too. That would've been a pretty stressful time in their lives and marriage, and I would've been interested to see how that impacted them in a little more detail, too. Add in the fact that he loses his mom, and then just a few short years later, Trudy, and even if he didn't have the closest, warmest relationship with his mom, that's still quite a double whammy. He had so much left unresolved with Trudy, you know he probably still had some lingering unresolved feelings regarding his relationship with his mom, too. 

[kathyk24]

I think Monk had OCD from childhood but he was able to cope until Trudy died when he became severely depressed. One of my favorite episodes is when he goes back to his college reunion, He has OCD and he's naive but he's able to graduate and get married. I would have like to see what Sharona did for Monk when the show starts he really doesn't need a nurse. Monk's mother may not have been affectionate but her sons loved her and unlike their father she stood by them. I think he would have benefitted from taking an antidepressant the right medication wouldn't change his personality.

[LexieLily]

I always thought that the idea that Molly existed seemed to be a shoehorned-in retcon of what we knew of Trudy's life before Monk and I hated in the finale when Natalie said to Monk that "[Molly] it's what you've been missing. She [Trudy] sent you somebody to love." Monk slowly had made a life for himself after Trudy's death even if it wasn't the way he planned or envisioned; he had people to love and he had people that loved him. That was so much pressure to put on Molly and I wasn't sure if Monk would ever be able to see her as anything but an extension of Trudy. I think it would have broken him all over again if Molly pulled away or disappeared from his life.

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, LexieLily said:

I always thought that the idea that Molly existed seemed to be a shoehorned-in retcon of what we knew of Trudy's life before Monk and I hated in the finale when Natalie said to Monk that "[Molly] it's what you've been missing. She [Trudy] sent you somebody to love." Monk slowly had made a life for himself after Trudy's death even if it wasn't the way he planned or envisioned; he had people to love and he had people that loved him. That was so much pressure to put on Molly and I wasn't sure if Monk would ever be able to see her as anything but an extension of Trudy. I think it would have broken him all over again if Molly pulled away or disappeared from his life.

Yep. It felt incredibly forced. Like they knew the show was ending and wanted to wrap everything up in a neat little bow, no matter how incongruous it was.

[AorTux]

3 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I always thought that the idea that Molly existed seemed to be a shoehorned-in retcon of what we knew of Trudy's life before Monk and I hated in the finale when Natalie said to Monk that "[Molly] it's what you've been missing. She [Trudy] sent you somebody to love." Monk slowly had made a life for himself after Trudy's death even if it wasn't the way he planned or envisioned; he had people to love and he had people that loved him. That was so much pressure to put on Molly and I wasn't sure if Monk would ever be able to see her as anything but an extension of Trudy. I think it would have broken him all over again if Molly pulled away or disappeared from his life.

i will disagree you there.  i thought it was a great twist in the ending and it was a great way to wrap up his story, and it showed he was getting better.  i understand what natalie meant.  I think she meant because Molly is sort of an extension to Trudy, it is someone he can be connected to through the memory of Trudy.  Of course, he still loves and cares for his peers around him, but anything Trudy related means a lot to him.  Just check out the game show episode.  Look at how comfortable he was with his father and mother in law.  They are practically like a father and mother figure to him

Edited March 22, 2021 by AorTux

[shapeshifter]

3 hours ago, LexieLily said:

I always thought that the idea that Molly existed seemed to be a shoehorned-in retcon of what we knew of Trudy's life before Monk and I hated in the finale when Natalie said to Monk that "[Molly] it's what you've been missing. She [Trudy] sent you somebody to love."

20 minutes ago, AorTux said:

i thought it was a great twist in the ending and it was a great way to wrap up his story, and it showed he was getting better.

I agree with both, LOL. Sort of like: And THAT is how you shoehorn a story ending! It shouldn't have worked, but they pulled it off. IMO.

 

[AorTux]

2 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I agree with both, LOL. Sort of like: And THAT is how you shoehorn a story ending! It shouldn't have worked, but they pulled it off. IMO.

 

fair.  i think majority of viewers liked it as it is the highest rated episode on imdb being 9.4/10.  let me clarify, second part is 9.4 and first part is 9,2

[Bastet]

I like the game show episode (the series finale, not so much).  Well, I should say I like Monk's interaction with Trudy's parents; not having the rest of the cast and having to put up with Kevin are pretty big hurdles to overcome.

Another casting element was also initially distracting, as the actor playing her dad is so entrenched in my mind for his many bad guy roles - especially the labor spy in Matewan and the warden in The Shawshank Redemption - that I kept expecting him to turn out to be lying.  But I eventually got sucked into the relationship, and teared up when he thanked Monk for figuring out the cheating mystery and Monk replied, "Thank you for Trudy."

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, AorTux said:

i will disagree you there.  i thought it was a great twist in the ending and it was a great way to wrap up his story, and it showed he was getting better.  i understand what natalie meant.  I think she meant because Molly is sort of an extension to Trudy, it is someone he can be connected to through the memory of Trudy.  Of course, he still loves and cares for his peers around him, but anything Trudy related means a lot to him.  Just check out the game show episode.  Look at how comfortable he was with his father and mother in law.  They are practically like a father and mother figure to him

I think this is a good way to look at it, and I agree with this. Though I can see where one can read @LexieLily's interpretation into it, too. I'm okay with Molly because we'd gotten numerous hints throughout the series that Monk and Trudy had talked about wanting kids someday, and he'd shown interest in becoming a father (just look at how he was with that little boy, Tommy, from the case with the finger-god, that episode is so sweet and so very sad). So it is nice that he does ultimately get that, and that it's still with Trudy, just not in the way he may have initially planned.

I also like that she doesn't have to be biologically his for him to love her. Of course, he would love her either way, simply because she was Trudy's child, but I do like the show highlighting that all the same. I also think it's interesting that she's an adult when they meet. Most shows would have the child still be an actual child when they meet their parent for the first time, so I kinda like that the show didn't go such a predictable route. Sure, it means there's a lot about her life up to that point that Monk's missed out on, but I also like the idea of them getting to know each other as adults, too, and connecting on that level. 

7 hours ago, Bastet said:

I like the game show episode (the series finale, not so much).  Well, I should say I like Monk's interaction with Trudy's parents; not having the rest of the cast and having to put up with Kevin are pretty big hurdles to overcome.

Another casting element was also initially distracting, as the actor playing her dad is so entrenched in my mind for his many bad guy roles - especially the labor spy in Matewan and the warden in The Shawshank Redemption - that I kept expecting him to turn out to be lying.  But I eventually got sucked into the relationship, and teared up when he thanked Monk for figuring out the cheating mystery and Monk replied, "Thank you for Trudy."

Yes, his interaction with her parents in that episode is so lovely and touching 🙂. I like that the show didn't go the route of them blaming him for her death, or having always struggled to understand and accept him, or anything like that. It makes sense for Trudy's parents to be who they are, 'cause it helps explain why she was the kind of person she was, and why Monk loved her so much as a result. 

I know what you mean about what it's like seeing certain actors on this show, too. I've seen a few I've recognized from some other series over the years (there's quite a few people who've appeared on here who also appeared on "Criminal Minds" in some role or another, which kind of amuses me a bit :D), and it is fun and strange sometimes to see them playing someone so different. 

(Also, speaking of Trudy, I caught the end of a "Matlock" episode when watching TV today, and I saw the woman who plays her, Melora Hardin, in the credits in the episode info. So that was interesting :p.)

[LexieLily]

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

(Also, speaking of Trudy, I caught the end of a "Matlock" episode when watching TV today, and I saw the woman who plays her, Melora Hardin, in the credits in the episode info. So that was interesting :p.)

Yes, she worked as a paralegal for a a lawyer that sexually harassed her and tried to pimp her out to their client, and then she was accused of murdering him. (The lawyer, not the client.)

[Annber03]

Oh, wow. Interesting. Seems like a case that would've been good for Monk and the team to investigate :D!

[LexieLily]

30 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Oh, wow. Interesting. Seems like a case that would've been good for Monk and the team to investigate :D!

We could have had a crossover! (Except Monk was early 2000s and Matlock was 80s/90s.) Lol!

[shapeshifter]

11 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

We could have had a crossover! (Except Monk was early 2000s and Matlock was 80s/90s.) Lol!

I think there’s an episode in which Leland jokingly invokes Matlock’s name, but I can’t recall if he calls Randy or Monk “Matlock.”

[LexieLily]

40 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I think there’s an episode in which Leland jokingly invokes Matlock’s name, but I can’t recall if he calls Randy or Monk “Matlock.”

I don't remember that. Probably he called Monk "Matlock."

[shapeshifter]

13 hours ago, LexieLily said:

14 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I think there’s an episode in which Leland jokingly invokes Matlock’s name, but I can’t recall if he calls Randy or Monk “Matlock.”

I don't remember that. Probably he called Monk "Matlock."

I may be conflating lines from one series with another. It's possible it was Lennie Briscoe (L&O) or Munch (L&O: SVU) or Provenza or Flynn (The Closer or Major Crimes) who jokingly called a colleague "Matlock" rather than Leland on Monk. If I hear it again, I'll make note if I can.

[kathyk24]

On 3/22/2021 at 5:52 PM, Bastet said:

I like the game show episode (the series finale, not so much).  Well, I should say I like Monk's interaction with Trudy's parents; not having the rest of the cast and having to put up with Kevin are pretty big hurdles to overcome.

Another casting element was also initially distracting, as the actor playing her dad is so entrenched in my mind for his many bad guy roles - especially the labor spy in Matewan and the warden in The Shawshank Redemption - that I kept expecting him to turn out to be lying.  But I eventually got sucked into the relationship, and teared up when he thanked Monk for figuring out the cheating mystery and Monk replied, "Thank you for Trudy."

I never understood why Trudy didn't tell her parents about the pregnancy they seem like nice people. I didn't mind Kevin as a recurring character but he would have been annoying otherwise. The main cast doesn't appear since they were negociating new contracts.

[Annber03]

1 hour ago, kathyk24 said:

I never understood why Trudy didn't tell her parents about the pregnancy they seem like nice people. 

I'm guessing part of it might've been that she was embarrassed about the fact her pregnancy was the result of an affair. Had she been able to keep her baby, I could see her perhaps making up a story about how she got pregnant, so as to not have to reveal the truth.

Either that, or, given how dangerous the guy she had the affair with ultimately turned out to be, maybe there was something creepy about him even back then that made her nervous about mentioning any of it to her parents at all? 

[LexieLily]

2 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I'm guessing part of it might've been that she was embarrassed about the fact her pregnancy was the result of an affair. Had she been able to keep her baby, I could see her perhaps making up a story about how she got pregnant, so as to not have to reveal the truth.

Either that, or, given how dangerous the guy she had the affair with ultimately turned out to be, maybe there was something creepy about him even back then that made her nervous about mentioning any of it to her parents at all? 

There WAS something creepy about him back then - he was a (married!) law professor in a position of power having an affair with one of his students. 

I don't remember the exact specifics - why, exactly, did they tell young, traumatized Trudy that her baby had died at birth? Because Rickover didn't want living evidence of his extramarital affair?

[Annber03]

19 minutes ago, LexieLily said:

There WAS something creepy about him back then - he was a (married!) law professor in a position of power having an affair with one of his students. 

Oh, certainly. I was just thinking in terms of possible hints of violent behavior or something, that she might've wanted to protect her parents from. He very likely would've had a controlling streak-maybe he isolated her from her parents? That could be another possibility to explain why they didn't know about what was going on with her, too. 

Quote

I don't remember the exact specifics - why, exactly, did they tell young, traumatized Trudy that her baby had died at birth? Because Rickover didn't want living evidence of his extramarital affair?

I believe so, yeah. 

[AorTux]

Randy Disher Podcast episode 2 comes out tomorrow.  He will be interviewing the guy who wrote the show and came up with the idea of Monk (Andy Breckman).  On episode 3 next week, he interviews Emmy Clarke who played Julie Teeger.  Can't wait to see who else he gets on.  

[dttruman]

On 3/25/2021 at 7:21 PM, AorTux said:

Randy Disher Podcast episode 2 comes out tomorrow.  He will be interviewing the guy who wrote the show and came up with the idea of Monk (Andy Breckman).  On episode 3 next week, he interviews Emmy Clarke who played Julie Teeger.  Can't wait to see who else he gets on.  

Was the character Natalie Teeger miscast? Considering the way the character "Julie Teeger" (Emmy Clarke) looked, I thought Mother and daughter looked about 10-12 years apart.

[shapeshifter]

8 hours ago, dttruman said:

Was the character Natalie Teeger miscast? Considering the way the character "Julie Teeger" (Emmy Clarke) looked, I thought Mother and daughter looked about 10-12 years apart.

Traylor Howard (who played Natalie) is 25 years older than Emmy Clarke (who played her daughter, Julie).

[LexieLily]

On 3/23/2021 at 11:52 PM, Annber03 said:

Oh, certainly. I was just thinking in terms of possible hints of violent behavior or something, that she might've wanted to protect her parents from. He very likely would've had a controlling streak-maybe he isolated her from her parents? That could be another possibility to explain why they didn't know about what was going on with her, too. 

That could be true, yeah. It would explain why a professor went after a student. From the game show episode with Monk and his in-laws it showed that Trudy had a good relationship with her parents. And it would explain why even ten plus years after the affair she never mentioned anything to her husband the cop when Rickover contacted her out of the blue. I'm sure between Monk and Leland they could have done something (even if Leland wasn't a captain back then.)

[dttruman]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

Traylor Howard (who played Natalie) is 25 years older than Emmy Clarke (who played her daughter, Julie).

IMO, Traylor Howard looked very young for her age back then

[AorTux]

On 3/28/2021 at 5:57 AM, dttruman said:

Was the character Natalie Teeger miscast? Considering the way the character "Julie Teeger" (Emmy Clarke) looked, I thought Mother and daughter looked about 10-12 years apart.

yeah, she just had youthful looks IMO.  I think I read that there was an audition process and quite a bit of people came to try for the role back in late 2004 when the show was on its hiatus, and they thought she fit the role the best cause she had the best combination of humor and warmth that the role required if I recall correctly.  despite coming on originally as a  replacement, I think she did really well in the role and became her own character within a few episodes, which I think helped viewers like her more

[LexieLily]

I was so disappointed when Sharona left (half because of the way she was written out and half because I liked Sharona as a character) but warmed to Natalie quickly. I thought she had good chemistry with Monk and Leland/Randy, and I liked Julie and Monk's relationship with her better than Benjy.