User Reviews

I reached a point where Monk walking around with his head held back and Kleenexes held to his nose began to grate on me. At some point, I wanted this part of the comedic presentation to stop. Couldn't they have just bandaged his nose and made him look just as ridiculous. Having said that, the motives of the bad guy seem way beyond belief. Almost all doctors at a high level face potential malpractice suits. That's why they have that super-expensive insurance. The murder is again so far fetched that it defies believability. Charles Durning is wasted and plays a small role. Randy again comes up with one of his stupid theories which are actually quite funny.

'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.

Can definitely understand why some fans don't care for Season 5. There is more focus on character moments and comedy than on the mystery (which tended to play second fiddle and not be as interesting as ought), there were instances where the regulars particularly Stottlemeyer were underused and Monk at times was out of character (particularly in the previous episode, where his obliviousness to technology was hard to swallow). Count me in as somebody who did like the season in general, though it is far from perfect and there are episodes that are better than others. "Mr Monk Gets a New Shrink" and "Mr Monk and the Leper" were special episodes, and the first two episodes were also outstanding.

Personally thought that "Mr Monk Visits a Farm" was very good myself and in the better end of the season, for me the weakest was "Mr Monk and the Really Really Dead Guy" (with "Mr Monk Goes to a Rock Concert" also underwhelming somewhat), which had its good parts but Monk was out of character and intensely disliked the character of Agent Thorpe and the agents' quite distasteful and sackable-worthy treatment of Monk. "Mr Monk Goes to the Hospital" was an entertaining 45-50 minutes or so (excluding advert breaks when aired on television) episode, and not a bad season finale, but it could have gone out more with a bang than it actually did.

While some may find Disher funny in "Mr Monk Goes to the Hospital", to me his jealousy was incredibly childish (like a spoilt child who can't have their way) and overdone and Disher came over as annoying instead. Stottlemeyer has some nice dialogue and rapport with Disher (where he is like the voice of reason) here but felt under-utilised, there are episodes that have developed him well and then others that reduce him to a stock stereotype, this is an example of the latter.

However, the mystery is pretty good and there is a real sense of threat for Monk done suspensefully. The opponent is also one of the better ones of the season, along with the one from "Mr Monk is on the Air" he pits perfectly against Monk and is worthy of him as an opponent. How the murder is committed is very clever and not too over-the-top or absurd.

There are delightful moments here, especially Monk thinking that his nose bleed is actually a cerebral haemorrhage, which is very like the instances where he thinks his cold is the Ebola virus or when he thinks he's inhaled marijuana, and his and Natalie's touching chemistry and how much she cares for him. Also enjoyed the character of the geriatric patient.

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. Jason Gray-Stanford and Ted Levine are good as usual as Disher and Stottlemeyer despite not being used well. The supporting cast are solid.

It's not just the cast 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.

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. The episode is made with a lot of slickness and style as always.

Although, entertaining if not the cracker season-finale it could have been (and it had the premise to be so). 8/10 Bethany Cox

Legendary actor Charles Durning guest stars in this season finale of one of my favorite shows ever. I don't know about you, but I never really warmed to Randy Newman's opening theme. Also I'd love to see a Monk reboot please. Monk navigating social media would be something to behold.

A few years ago I wrote a review of Monk generally – not tied to any particular season but just a general review. Season one had been a bit stiff but generally season two onwards saw it have a certain amount of confidence in itself to work the formula with the focus on fun, with characters and stories all supporting this but still being pretty good on their own. As much as IMDb supports it, I never saw the point in doing multiple reviews of every episode in a season because mostly there is not a lot different to say – far less saying it sixteen times a season over several seasons. However now I find myself with something different worth saying, because to me season five is easily the weakest so far.

My partner loves this show and even she would continually complain about this season messing with the formula. To the new viewer, there is not a lot of difference between this seasons and the earlier ones because we still have Monk, solving complex crimes while also struggling with his neuroses. However to those that know the character and the series, season five represents a real drop in the quality of the writing and, with it weak, all the usual stuff parts of the formula diminishes by association. Examples of Monk acting out of character in order to get into situations are all across the season and it does feel like the writers were coming up with the "difficult" situations first and then trying to work backwards with the mystery then also how to get Monk involved. Normally the devices to achieve this are weak and they stand out like sore thumbs to the viewer. The worst example was the episode where Randy retires, inherits a farm and then calls Monk up – it is easily the worst of a bad bunch and only worth seeing to be able to understand what I mean.

The cast are of course stuck with the words and scenarios given them and it is hard to judge them as performers in this season. Shalhoub does his best but he cannot convince in regards some of the action his character is called upon to do. Levine is solid enough but Gray-Standford suffers at the hands of the writers to a greater extent. Howard is good enough, while Kamel has good chemistry with Shalhoub. Thing is, the problem is not with them but rather with the material and, for all their familiarity to the viewer, they cannot polish some of the turds handed them.

I still like Monk enough not to give up on it all – after all, it does still provide much in the way of amusing, undemanding entertainment. However season five does suggest that the formula has run its course and that the writers are really straining for ideas, embracing the ill-fitting and silly as "good enough", assuming that as long as they tick the formula boxes somehow then it will still work. It doesn't and hopefully they will have fixed it by season six.

I really got tired of the overworked nosebleed gag. Aside from that there was little doubt about the identity of the killer. My major concern was if Monk's assistant's date had actually stood her up.