Julie Bowen shows her acting range by playing twins. I think if Julie ever wants to shed her Modern Family image, she should play a nice/evil twin type role which would earn her an Oscar for sure. Here Monk hopes to get his comeuppance on a childhood bully, but it's not to be the case unfortunately. This is the 14th episode of season 7, with only 18 more episodes left to this fine series. Monk really needs to be rebooted please for these pandemic times.
8 Reviews
Monk's unhappy blast from the past
TheLittleSongbird22 September 2017
'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 said a few times, Season 7 was a very mixed bag up to this point, "Mr Monk and the Genius" being one of its best while also having major disappointments like "Mr Monk Falls in Love" and especially "Mr Monk Takes a Punch". "Mr Monk and the Bully" is certainly much better than those two episodes and is solid enough, if not one of the best of Season 7 like "Mr Monk and the Genius", "Mr Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr Monk Makes the Playoffs". It doesn't have the greatest of mysteries which started off well but thinned out once the viewer immediately knew what was going on (due to a blatant giveaway when Natalie's name is forgettable) and found it very easy to solve well before Monk does.
To me also the climax did lack tension. The outcome was just too easy, one doesn't get the sense that the victim was properly struggling (even in the state they were in) and not wearing flat shoes in a health-and-safety-rife scene was a no-no. It was livened up however by the amusing dialogue from Disher and particularly Stottlemeyer regarding the arrest.
However, the character interaction was great. Have always loved Monk and Natalie together and there are a lot of fun moments like with the oven, the bartender, the camera and the cartwheel. Disher and Stottlemeyer are fun too. Could totally understand how Monk behaved with Roderick, some may find it extreme but anybody mercilessly bullied in school (like me) who has been damaged by it, like with low self-esteem, and has not found it easy to forgive will completely relate to how Monk feels and think it justified.
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.
Julie Bowen and Noel Emmerich are excellent in support, Bowen's role is not an easy one for obvious reasons and she handles it with ease.
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.
Altogether, solid episode even though the mystery aspects are a little lacking. 8/10 Bethany Cox
As said a few times, Season 7 was a very mixed bag up to this point, "Mr Monk and the Genius" being one of its best while also having major disappointments like "Mr Monk Falls in Love" and especially "Mr Monk Takes a Punch". "Mr Monk and the Bully" is certainly much better than those two episodes and is solid enough, if not one of the best of Season 7 like "Mr Monk and the Genius", "Mr Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr Monk Makes the Playoffs". It doesn't have the greatest of mysteries which started off well but thinned out once the viewer immediately knew what was going on (due to a blatant giveaway when Natalie's name is forgettable) and found it very easy to solve well before Monk does.
To me also the climax did lack tension. The outcome was just too easy, one doesn't get the sense that the victim was properly struggling (even in the state they were in) and not wearing flat shoes in a health-and-safety-rife scene was a no-no. It was livened up however by the amusing dialogue from Disher and particularly Stottlemeyer regarding the arrest.
However, the character interaction was great. Have always loved Monk and Natalie together and there are a lot of fun moments like with the oven, the bartender, the camera and the cartwheel. Disher and Stottlemeyer are fun too. Could totally understand how Monk behaved with Roderick, some may find it extreme but anybody mercilessly bullied in school (like me) who has been damaged by it, like with low self-esteem, and has not found it easy to forgive will completely relate to how Monk feels and think it justified.
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.
Julie Bowen and Noel Emmerich are excellent in support, Bowen's role is not an easy one for obvious reasons and she handles it with ease.
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.
Altogether, solid episode even though the mystery aspects are a little lacking. 8/10 Bethany Cox
The Guy Never Changed
Hitchcoc16 April 2020
I guess the guy who harassed and belittled Monk in his childhood used these skills to become a successful businessman. It works. Look at our President. The humor in this supposedly comes from Monks dealing with his victimization. He comes off as a buffoon. For one who is clueless three fourths of the time, he certainly has direction here. All that aside, my lower score has to do with the conclusion, the details of the murder. Look at it yourself. Is this the best they can do?
Monk confronts his childhood nemesis
dmcreif15 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Would you feel uneasy about meeting a childhood bully you haven't seen in 35 years? Then you know that that's how Monk feels about speaking to Roderick Brody, whom gave Monk "swirlies" every day for several years in school.
And why has Roderick contacted Monk? He thinks his wife Marilyn might be stepping out on him, and he'd like to be reassured that he wasn't imagining things.
Monk is too eager to get revenge on Roderick, and he offers to take the matrimonial case. When the person Monk has seen with "Marilyn" is murdered, Monk is too eager to accuse Roderick of the crime, and Marilyn seems to confirm that story. But when Monk quickly finds several holes in Marilyn's story of the events of the night of the murder, he quickly figures that there is a murder plot in the making.
Cons:
1. No offense, but I would have been okay if they'd shown the murder taking place.
2. I think Monk's desire to exact revenge on Roderick could have been toned down a little bit.
Pros:
The episode has a nice amount of humor, and although the mystery is a little bit corny, at least the good work of the actors makes up for it. I do believe that Tony Shalhoub and Traylor Howard have very excellent performances in this episode. It is nice to have an episode where Natalie gets her share of screen time, especially as she didn't get much in the previous two episodes, "Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs."
Like I just said, the humor also makes up for it and my favorite moments show just that:
1. Monk puts his bare hand on a hot oven tray while having a flashback to middle school. He lifts the tray and says that his hand hurts!
2. Monk tries to get Dr. Bell to sign a note, without success. Then he tries to wrestle the note back from him after assuring Dr. Bell that he's not going to commit forgery.
3. Monk and Natalie walk into a bar while tracking down Roderick's wife. To get information, Monk attempts to ask a bartender, and then resorts to bribing him with a $1 bill, saying that perhaps General Washington can refresh the man's memory. When this doesn't work, Monk puts a dime on top of the bill and says that maybe there are "two General Washingtons".
4. Monk takes out his old film camera, and comments that it was a gift from his Nana. Natalie asks him if it was from Thomas Edison (referring to the fact that camera is so old). Monk takes a picture with a blinding flash, and then Natalie tricks a businessman into taking a picture of their target (the guy comments that he's got the same one, a "gift from his Nana").
5. Monk expresses his continuing urge to follow Marilyn as being "pro bono comeuppance," and Natalie berating him for this.
6. Monk makes an attempt to do a cartwheel, but he can't bring himself to do it, as he feels remorse for the arrested Roderick. Then he decides to try to do it again, then decides against it, calling himself a ghoul. When he can't decide, he tries to get Natalie to do one for him.
7. Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Disher stop Marilyn's identical twin from drowning her. To try and tell them apart, Randy tries to get Marilyn to say "aunt," but Stottlemeyer suggests that they arrest the twin that wasn't drowning.
And why has Roderick contacted Monk? He thinks his wife Marilyn might be stepping out on him, and he'd like to be reassured that he wasn't imagining things.
Monk is too eager to get revenge on Roderick, and he offers to take the matrimonial case. When the person Monk has seen with "Marilyn" is murdered, Monk is too eager to accuse Roderick of the crime, and Marilyn seems to confirm that story. But when Monk quickly finds several holes in Marilyn's story of the events of the night of the murder, he quickly figures that there is a murder plot in the making.
Cons:
1. No offense, but I would have been okay if they'd shown the murder taking place.
2. I think Monk's desire to exact revenge on Roderick could have been toned down a little bit.
Pros:
The episode has a nice amount of humor, and although the mystery is a little bit corny, at least the good work of the actors makes up for it. I do believe that Tony Shalhoub and Traylor Howard have very excellent performances in this episode. It is nice to have an episode where Natalie gets her share of screen time, especially as she didn't get much in the previous two episodes, "Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs."
Like I just said, the humor also makes up for it and my favorite moments show just that:
1. Monk puts his bare hand on a hot oven tray while having a flashback to middle school. He lifts the tray and says that his hand hurts!
2. Monk tries to get Dr. Bell to sign a note, without success. Then he tries to wrestle the note back from him after assuring Dr. Bell that he's not going to commit forgery.
3. Monk and Natalie walk into a bar while tracking down Roderick's wife. To get information, Monk attempts to ask a bartender, and then resorts to bribing him with a $1 bill, saying that perhaps General Washington can refresh the man's memory. When this doesn't work, Monk puts a dime on top of the bill and says that maybe there are "two General Washingtons".
4. Monk takes out his old film camera, and comments that it was a gift from his Nana. Natalie asks him if it was from Thomas Edison (referring to the fact that camera is so old). Monk takes a picture with a blinding flash, and then Natalie tricks a businessman into taking a picture of their target (the guy comments that he's got the same one, a "gift from his Nana").
5. Monk expresses his continuing urge to follow Marilyn as being "pro bono comeuppance," and Natalie berating him for this.
6. Monk makes an attempt to do a cartwheel, but he can't bring himself to do it, as he feels remorse for the arrested Roderick. Then he decides to try to do it again, then decides against it, calling himself a ghoul. When he can't decide, he tries to get Natalie to do one for him.
7. Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Disher stop Marilyn's identical twin from drowning her. To try and tell them apart, Randy tries to get Marilyn to say "aunt," but Stottlemeyer suggests that they arrest the twin that wasn't drowning.
Excellent episode
jeanpirise-9939228 October 2020
Very irritating half-hearted ending
AnthonyIMDB21 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The entirety of this episode revolves around Monk's childhood bully, Roderick Brody. On multiple occasions, Monk goes so far as to say that Brody stole his childhood, scarred him for life, and had recurring nightmares into adulthood over the bullying he suffered. Brody's character as an adult is a nonchalant, dense, insensitive baby boomer who happens to be a multimillionaire. The rest of the episode revolves around Monk wringing his hands at the idea of getting revenge on Brody after decades after chasing the belief Brody's wife is cheating on him and subsequently accuses him of murder.
However, we NEVER get any resolution of the conflict between Monk and Brody, which has haunted Monk into adulthood. Instead, Brody offers a half-hearted 'apology' by stating that what he did was "just kids stuff!" and has literally no remorse or empathy towards the mental and emotional torture that Monk went through. Brody also counters with a mind-boggling response that Monk 'called him names' and 'splashed' him. Yes, 'splashed' him - as if that's somehow equal to being forced into a bathroom stall and having ones' head shoved in a toilet. Monk himself also does not press the issue further on either occasion he had to speak with Brody about it, leaving it as a loose end. Brody simply does not care and, in my view, it's indicative of the infamously selfish baby boomer mentality.
Very disappointed that there was no resolution for Monk's dilemma here, especially when the vast majority of characters from his childhood seemed to be apologetic in adulthood and much more rational and reasonable thus far.
However, we NEVER get any resolution of the conflict between Monk and Brody, which has haunted Monk into adulthood. Instead, Brody offers a half-hearted 'apology' by stating that what he did was "just kids stuff!" and has literally no remorse or empathy towards the mental and emotional torture that Monk went through. Brody also counters with a mind-boggling response that Monk 'called him names' and 'splashed' him. Yes, 'splashed' him - as if that's somehow equal to being forced into a bathroom stall and having ones' head shoved in a toilet. Monk himself also does not press the issue further on either occasion he had to speak with Brody about it, leaving it as a loose end. Brody simply does not care and, in my view, it's indicative of the infamously selfish baby boomer mentality.
Very disappointed that there was no resolution for Monk's dilemma here, especially when the vast majority of characters from his childhood seemed to be apologetic in adulthood and much more rational and reasonable thus far.
Repugnant
elenitee6028 March 2020
Monk is irritating.
snitzell31 July 2022
The only other character in history as silly as Monk as a child was Beaver Cleaver and even he matured into an adult enough to admit he himself caused most of his problems.
Monk doesn't and never will. And what brilliant writers. That high tech computer thingy is so original.....gee a 3rd grade kid could not only operate a digital camera but would zoom in for a close up.
Any sympathy for Monk goes out the window with his juvenille acting in the Captain's office. Maybe if they had him throw his food on the floor and fling ketchup on the walls his tantrums would be amusing. Wait.....no they weren't.
Monk doesn't and never will. And what brilliant writers. That high tech computer thingy is so original.....gee a 3rd grade kid could not only operate a digital camera but would zoom in for a close up.
Any sympathy for Monk goes out the window with his juvenille acting in the Captain's office. Maybe if they had him throw his food on the floor and fling ketchup on the walls his tantrums would be amusing. Wait.....no they weren't.
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