Goodbye, Mr. Monk: season 8

Mr. Monk and the Foreign Man review

Okay, it's time to review latest episode of Monk. Would have done it Saturday morning, but my weekend (well actually all of last week) was pretty crazy. If you haven't seen it, be warned since this will definitely contain spoilers!

All episode scores are on a scale of 10 because Monk would want it that way :)

I would give Mr. Monk and the Foreign Man 9 out of 10 stars. This episode was classic Monk. The mystery, the heart, the humor, and everything else in between made for what, as I expected from the preview, should have been the season premiere. The only thing that I think kept it from being the season opener is the lack of heaviness. I guess they decided something slightly "fun" would be more appropriate.

First up, the mystery. Maybe I was just being incredibly slow, but for the life of me, I could not figure out what the murderer's motive was. Yes, I knew instantly that the two cases were connected, but I never suspected that he accidentally ran over Ansara and then "had" to go murder the housekeeper who overheard it. They did a good job of keeping the mystery a little more hush hush than usual.

Of course, next comes the heart. From the very first moment Ansara came onto the screen, I seriously wanted to cry. I don't know how they did it, but they did an excellent job of developing a very strong connection to this woman within only the opening scene. I knew she was going to die, but seeing the kind of character she was, it made me just as angry as Samuel or Monk! Maybe I'm just crazy, but it was like Kevin Dorfman (okay, a little less) all over again. Also, there was some other heartwrenching moments, all of which shared between Monk and Samuel. The moment Samuel explained to Monk about his wife was very endearing. Monk allowing him to touch him, smoke in his house, etc. was all very nice. Then there was the Monk breakdown in the back of the truck. It was sad to hear him say he doesn't feel Trudy anymore. And finally, the closing scene where Samuel told Monk he was next...epic dialogue...epic foreshadowing!!

Now, as much as this episode literally had me on the verge of shedding a few tears, it had some very humorous moments to balance it out. And, in my opinion, the humor wasn't forced. The laughs were more reminiscent of the good old days (not that I'm saying the show still doesn't make me laugh!!). I love subtle humor. For instance, I love when Captain Stottlemeyer plainly told Monk to "shut up." It was cutting, but witty. Similarly, the "San Francisco treat" line from the Captain was good for a laugh. I also enjoyed the teasing/biting remark that Natalie made in the beginning to Randy about impressing the CSI lady. I wish I could remember it word for word, but having only seen the episode once, I can't. Then, there was the absolutely hilarious moment with Monk and Samuel in the back of the truck where Samuel asks if Monk can put his hand in his pants. I usually don't like drawn out jokes, but when they were silent for so long, I actually thought my t.v. screen had froze! No kidding! BUT when Monk finally answered with a leary "yes" I nearly fell out of my chair as did my dad who was watching it with me. This was one of those times when delaying the punch line was genius.

So, overall, I was much more impressed with this episode than Favorite Show. I can definitely see myself wanting to watch this one on box set someday in the future. Now, I can't wait for this week's episode, Mr. Monk and the U.F.O. It definitely looks interesting to say the least.

What did you think of Mr. Monk and the Foreign Man?

Mr. Monk's Favorite Show (Review)

Okay, it's time to review the final Monk season opener that will ever air. If you haven't seen it, be warned since this will definitely contain spoilers!

All episode scores are on a scale of 10 because Monk would want it that way :)

My score for Mr. Monk's Favorite Show is 4 out of 10. Yes, that horrific. From the lack of warning under the PG rating (e.g. L,D,S,V) of what to expect to the shocking lack of flow this episode seemed to have, I would have to say I label this episode as not only forgettable, but possibly the worst opener of all 8 seasons. At least The Other Detective and The Actor (also relatively lame openers of the past) had Jason Alexander and Stanley Tucci to make up for lack of real flare.

My first nitpick of this episode was the amount of suggestive material it contained. Now Monk has never been entirely innocent (it probably only appears that way in comparison to every other show on t.v. these days), but this episode seemed to push the envelope further than previous episodes. In fact, the entire first half an hour was nothing but innuendo after innuendo. Maybe they were going for the shock value, but, honestly, I felt just as embarrassed as Monk must have in this episode. The only bright side of the use of the dirty book was it gave the best dialogue of the episode: when Mr. Monk asked Natalie to burn his eyes out with her hot tea or said that everyone in the world had a motive to kill her.

Similarly, even if the suggestive material wasn't a turnoff for everyone, the fact that the entire story plot was based on nothing more than the questionable outcomes of child stars just seemed a little bland. Most of us already know what happens thanks to "Where Are They Now" specials and tabloids. And most of us have probably learned the hard way just like poor Monk that nothing is as it seems on any show past or present. But to make an entire episode about it? I'm beginning to understand what the writers meant when they said they were running out of ideas.

More proof that this episode was creatively shallow was the strange flow it had. The show within the show (Cooper Clan) segments came on without any warning which is okay, but seemed to drag on before getting to the point. It felt filler-ish. Also, the bit where Natalie was knocking on the already deceased man's door expecting an answer...I can't really tell if that was a joke or if the writers put it in and Tony Shalhoub adlibbed realizing it was an error on their part. Either way, it had me and my family stumped for a second as we watched on. We all looked at each other like, "Wait, isn't he dead?" It was just plain weird. And in my opinion the whole episode seemed that way.

Now, I'm not saying I didn't like this episode at all. In fact, had it not been dragged out so long, the Cooper Clan summation would have been the best part of the episode, and possibly one of the best episode summations ever, as Mr. Monk started telling the poor kids the tragic fates they would grow up to endure. And Monk shouting at the laugh track was a brilliant touch. But, again, did he really have to stand at the door listening to the applause for so long? That was at least a minute of wasted time, and then adding the incredibly long hug to boot?

Overall, this felt like a 3rd episode into the season kind of deal, and was hardly worthy of being the final season premiere. But, hey, those are just my opinions. What did everyone else think? Do you think this episode was awesome or are you like me and feel like it could have been better off aired later - or not aired at all?