I came to season 6 of Monk a few days after the Oxford English Dictionary entered the word "meh" into the latest revision. How appropriate then because sadly a word meaning indifference is one that I will find quite useful when considering this latest season of Monk. I am, of course, being a bit harsh but from the get-go it is apparent that season 6 is an improvement on season 5, where the writers regularly went badly off formula to try and generate stories and in the end it just made it feel false and far from the reasons I enjoyed Monk in the first place. Season 6 takes a different tack and instead of breaks in formula generating stories, we have events happening in the lives of people Monk knows as the main motivator for plots down the season. In itself this represents the same sort of "problems" the writers have in regards generating more stories with the same character and somehow keeping the series moving forward in a way that prevents viewers getting bored, but it is different because this method doesn't involving changing the very heart of the character/series in the way season 5 did so badly.
So this mostly takes away my problems with season 5 by ensuring that the reason I watch the show (I find Monk amusing and engaging) remains fairly steady this time. However this is not all that I am looking for it to achieve and simply "not making the same mistakes again" was not the only box I was looking for season 6 to tick. Sadly the results on this front are mixed and, while better than season 5, 6 doesn't manage to get itself on strong ground with any consistency. The first episode is spot on and it gave me hope, with Monk being Monk, a good story and plenty of comic awkwardness. Sadly this is followed up by an episode that sounds great but is actually poor the one with Snoop Dog. Is there any comedy cliché more painful to watch than the "white people awkwardly trying to 'be' hip-hop"? No, I do not think so and this is all the episode had to offer. The two big guest stars out of the way the season moves forward with the reliance on the narrative device of Monk knowing the people and it mostly allows for solid enough stories although none without their flaws.
You see, I always liked Monk as being something light I could dip in and out of, so I don't really see the need for him to have a connection to each case to allow the case to exist. He works for the police and can drop in and out on their instruction without an explanation of connection. The writers though seem to have forgotten that Monk works like this and perhaps success in the ratings has made them think they need to "do something" with the character. When they do this though it generally doesn't work because the show doesn't manage to engage when it turns serious and the impact is only felt in the absence of fun not the layering that they clearly have in mind. It is not awful though and I did enjoy most of the episodes, with only one or two that I considered poor. The conclusion is a lazy bit of writing though and the rubbish prosthetics on Dale Biederbeck (and the fact he is no longer being played by Alan Arkin or Tim Curry but rather Porter) suggest a cheaper standard that could be applied to the writing.
The cast continue to do their thing though, trusting the writers regardless. Shalhoub as an actor certainly has the ability to do more than his comic quirks but, (a) I don't really want him to and (b) the material doesn't allow him to do it. Instead he has to make jumps into more developmental type material which is sporadic rather than grown and that is not easy to do while delivering a character rather than a sketch show. The impossibly thin Howard is good alongside him though, adding comedy without getting in the way not sure about the slightly greater use of Clarke's Julie though. Levine and Gray-Stanford are freed of some of the errors of last season (building plots around them remember Randy suddenly getting a farm?) and are better for it, giving good comic support (whether it makes sense or not!).The various guests are all OK and provide some interest.
So depending on what measure you are using then season 6 of Monk will come across different ways. If you are comparing it with season 5 then it is a massive improvement in terms of narrative and fun, but looking at it coldly it must be said that season 6 still has its problems. The writers struggle to develop the stories and characters while also keeping true to the simply formula and fun that has won it fans from the start. They generally do OK but only one or two episodes are really good. Of course it is a good thing that there are equally few that are "bad" but what this leaves is far too many of them that tended to mostly draw the reaction of "meh".
So this mostly takes away my problems with season 5 by ensuring that the reason I watch the show (I find Monk amusing and engaging) remains fairly steady this time. However this is not all that I am looking for it to achieve and simply "not making the same mistakes again" was not the only box I was looking for season 6 to tick. Sadly the results on this front are mixed and, while better than season 5, 6 doesn't manage to get itself on strong ground with any consistency. The first episode is spot on and it gave me hope, with Monk being Monk, a good story and plenty of comic awkwardness. Sadly this is followed up by an episode that sounds great but is actually poor the one with Snoop Dog. Is there any comedy cliché more painful to watch than the "white people awkwardly trying to 'be' hip-hop"? No, I do not think so and this is all the episode had to offer. The two big guest stars out of the way the season moves forward with the reliance on the narrative device of Monk knowing the people and it mostly allows for solid enough stories although none without their flaws.
You see, I always liked Monk as being something light I could dip in and out of, so I don't really see the need for him to have a connection to each case to allow the case to exist. He works for the police and can drop in and out on their instruction without an explanation of connection. The writers though seem to have forgotten that Monk works like this and perhaps success in the ratings has made them think they need to "do something" with the character. When they do this though it generally doesn't work because the show doesn't manage to engage when it turns serious and the impact is only felt in the absence of fun not the layering that they clearly have in mind. It is not awful though and I did enjoy most of the episodes, with only one or two that I considered poor. The conclusion is a lazy bit of writing though and the rubbish prosthetics on Dale Biederbeck (and the fact he is no longer being played by Alan Arkin or Tim Curry but rather Porter) suggest a cheaper standard that could be applied to the writing.
The cast continue to do their thing though, trusting the writers regardless. Shalhoub as an actor certainly has the ability to do more than his comic quirks but, (a) I don't really want him to and (b) the material doesn't allow him to do it. Instead he has to make jumps into more developmental type material which is sporadic rather than grown and that is not easy to do while delivering a character rather than a sketch show. The impossibly thin Howard is good alongside him though, adding comedy without getting in the way not sure about the slightly greater use of Clarke's Julie though. Levine and Gray-Stanford are freed of some of the errors of last season (building plots around them remember Randy suddenly getting a farm?) and are better for it, giving good comic support (whether it makes sense or not!).The various guests are all OK and provide some interest.
So depending on what measure you are using then season 6 of Monk will come across different ways. If you are comparing it with season 5 then it is a massive improvement in terms of narrative and fun, but looking at it coldly it must be said that season 6 still has its problems. The writers struggle to develop the stories and characters while also keeping true to the simply formula and fun that has won it fans from the start. They generally do OK but only one or two episodes are really good. Of course it is a good thing that there are equally few that are "bad" but what this leaves is far too many of them that tended to mostly draw the reaction of "meh".