User Reviews

There are two stories-in-one here, at least at the beginning. It turns out, of course, there is a connection. Overall, it's a very good episode, a fun one for the most part.

We have the normal dramatic opening. Here, a robbery of an armored truck, and the armored guys killed (we don't see that). After the commercial break, we have Lt. Randy Disher having a major toothache and going to the dentist. While under, anesthesia (but partially aware of what's going on), he witnesses the dentist getting into a big fight with someone who had just come into the room. Randy tells Capt. Stottlemeyer, Monk and Natalie about it but no one believes him. In frustration, and tired of being the butt of jokes, he quits the force!

Despite those serious scenes, it's a funny show with Monk at the dentist office, first as a visitor and second as an unwilling "Marathon Man" participant and Randy trying to be a rock star (in his mind).

Two plot lines. One has to do with the robbing of an armored car. The second has to do with Discher being humiliated and quitting the force. There are some fun circumstances and an associated crime is at the center. We also get to see Monk's horror at being at the dentist's office.

This really brought back chilling memories, with Monk revealing every fear on going to the dentist. I wondered how the crime was committed, and we're kept guessing until the very end. Top notch writing in this fine episode. Reminded me of Marathon Man.

'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.

Season 4 to me was a reasonably solid season, most of them being decent-very good and some were great and there was one particularly special one ("Mr Monk Goes Home Again"). From personal opinion, the only average or less one of the season was "Mr Monk and the Big Reward", which didn't really feel like 'Monk'. "Mr Monk Goes to the Dentist" is one of the best Season 4 episodes. Monk could have had a little more to do here in what is essentially a Disher-centric episode (what he has is delightful though) and Disher's band song is awful. Other than that, there is really very little to complain about with "Mr Monk Goes to the Dentist".

The mystery is one of the best in terms of the mystery of the season. It is an episode of three parts in a way, the armoured car case, the dentist case and Disher's emotional subplot, neither element making the story disjointed and are individually very well done and tied up with no questions asked. Really liked the allusions to 'Marathon Man' and the climax is not drawn out at all and is instead pretty tense.

Loved that Disher is more developed than usual and really steps up when it comes to the mystery solving (a near-impossible case of him solving the case before Monk). His subplot is written beautifully and finally gives Jason Gray-Stanford some real meat other than the comic relief (that he did well admittedly) of the previous episodes which Gray-Stanford gives his all too.

As said many times, 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.

Natalie is down to earth, sympathetic and sassy, also being sensitive to Monk's needs and quirks which Traylor Howard does well bringing out. Ted Levine is suitably amusing and gruff.

Jon Favreau excels in an atypically "creepy" role, for a man known more for comedy and superhero films (as well as the excellent 2016 live-action re-imagining of 'The Jungle Book'). Brooke Langton is deceptively sweet and sensual before becoming the dentist assistant from hell.

It's not just the cast or story though. Another star is the writing, which is also essential to whether the show would be successful or not and succeed it does here. The mix of wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done, particularly the last one. The quirks are sympathetically done and never exploited or overdone.

Visually, the episode is shot in a slick and stylish way, and 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. Oh and a good job is done with the different opening credits sequence to accommodate the changes made.

Overall, great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Brooke Langton is absolutely beautiful and a terrific actress to boot. They should have dumped Traylor and kept Brooke Langton. There rating would have went through the roof with.

This episode really irritated me because the dentist scene was all wrong with Randy. They should've learned the right terminology in the dental field. Number 3 is on the RIGHT side of the mouth and the dentist and his assistant pulled a tooth on the left side. That's super annoying as someone who's a dental assistant. Like jeez it isn't that hard get it right.