'Monk' has always been one of my most watched shows when needing comfort, to relax after a hard day, a good laugh or a way to spend a lazy weekend.
As a season finale, "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" is a well done one if not quite an example of "going out with a bang". Most of it was executed very well and it is one of the better Season 7 episodes (which saw great episodes like "Mr Monk and the Genius", "Mr Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr Monk Makes the Playoffs", and "Mr Monk and the Magician" and disappointments in "Mr Monk Falls in Love" and particularly "Mr Monk Takes a Punch") but it did feel like something was missing.
There are a few things that would have made "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" better. It would have been better if Monk's motivations for investigating the murder weren't so callous, selfish and cruel which generally is uncharacteristic for him. Also if the vacationing couple story line actually felt like it served a point, one does sort of question the necessity of it, that a couple of clues didn't come out of nowhere and made more sense and that the killer wasn't revealed so early (not unusual for 'Monk', but this episode would have benefited from a later reveal).
However, there are also several things that make "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" a delight. It is certainly one of the funniest episodes of the later seasons, especially everything regarding the hoot of a receptionist, the hot dog warehouse scene, the posters, the assistant for missing council woman scene between Monk and Dr Bell and Harold trying to guess the name of Monk's therapist and Natalie's reaction. "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" has its emotional side too, with the naming of the playground being very sweet and poignant and while Monk's objection to the demolition was in a way somewhat extreme once one knows the significance of his objection (obvious from the start) it is easier to understand.
It has a pretty good mystery, not as simple or as obvious as some Season 7 episodes and isn't convoluted or side-lined. It at least grabs you and makes one think, with some of the most satisfying crime-solving and deductions of the season. It just needed a later reveal and if they were to have the vacationing couple murder story at all more needed to be done with it.
One of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching.
Traylor Howard is down-to-earth and sympathetic, Jason Gray-Stanford is amusing even when a goofball and Ted Levine plays the loyal but frustrated boss character with his usual adept comedic chops. The characters are in character on the whole, with Monk not being a caricature or being over-reliant on the comedy. Disher is still a daft goofball, evidenced in the hot dog scene, but at least not an annoying one. Tim Bagley is always great value as Krenshaw and Stanley Kamel's replacement Hector Elizondo is proving all the time to be a worthy one.
Writing is funny, thoughtful and poignant, with Monk's quirks never exploited or over-the-top.
Visually, the episode is slick and stylish as ever. The music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now.
Overall, well done but for a season finale something was missing. 8/10 Bethany Cox
As a season finale, "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" is a well done one if not quite an example of "going out with a bang". Most of it was executed very well and it is one of the better Season 7 episodes (which saw great episodes like "Mr Monk and the Genius", "Mr Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr Monk Makes the Playoffs", and "Mr Monk and the Magician" and disappointments in "Mr Monk Falls in Love" and particularly "Mr Monk Takes a Punch") but it did feel like something was missing.
There are a few things that would have made "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" better. It would have been better if Monk's motivations for investigating the murder weren't so callous, selfish and cruel which generally is uncharacteristic for him. Also if the vacationing couple story line actually felt like it served a point, one does sort of question the necessity of it, that a couple of clues didn't come out of nowhere and made more sense and that the killer wasn't revealed so early (not unusual for 'Monk', but this episode would have benefited from a later reveal).
However, there are also several things that make "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" a delight. It is certainly one of the funniest episodes of the later seasons, especially everything regarding the hoot of a receptionist, the hot dog warehouse scene, the posters, the assistant for missing council woman scene between Monk and Dr Bell and Harold trying to guess the name of Monk's therapist and Natalie's reaction. "Mr Monk Fights City Hall" has its emotional side too, with the naming of the playground being very sweet and poignant and while Monk's objection to the demolition was in a way somewhat extreme once one knows the significance of his objection (obvious from the start) it is easier to understand.
It has a pretty good mystery, not as simple or as obvious as some Season 7 episodes and isn't convoluted or side-lined. It at least grabs you and makes one think, with some of the most satisfying crime-solving and deductions of the season. It just needed a later reveal and if they were to have the vacationing couple murder story at all more needed to be done with it.
One of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching.
Traylor Howard is down-to-earth and sympathetic, Jason Gray-Stanford is amusing even when a goofball and Ted Levine plays the loyal but frustrated boss character with his usual adept comedic chops. The characters are in character on the whole, with Monk not being a caricature or being over-reliant on the comedy. Disher is still a daft goofball, evidenced in the hot dog scene, but at least not an annoying one. Tim Bagley is always great value as Krenshaw and Stanley Kamel's replacement Hector Elizondo is proving all the time to be a worthy one.
Writing is funny, thoughtful and poignant, with Monk's quirks never exploited or over-the-top.
Visually, the episode is slick and stylish as ever. The music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now.
Overall, well done but for a season finale something was missing. 8/10 Bethany Cox