'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.
Despite my love for the show, 'Monk' is not a consistent show and is not exempt from disappointing episodes once in a while (a majority of 'Monk' episodes range from good to outstanding). Sadly, "Mr Monk Takes a Punch" is one of the disappointing episodes to me. Up to this point in the show it is one of my least favourites of the show along with "Mr Monk and the Big Reward", "Mr Monk and the Rapper" and "Mr Monk and the Really Really Dead Guy". Not an awful episode, there are some good things, but a lot of what makes 'Monk' so good is lost here.
Let's start with the good things. 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.
The four regular leads do a very good job with what they have, which is beneath them but they are such good and conscientious performers who give it their best they've got no matter what's thrown at them. Tony Shalhoub has always been consistently wonderful as Monk, even in lesser episodes and with lacking material. Ted Levine shows loyalty and good comic timing. Traylor Howard and Jason Gray-Stanford do their best too, though Natalie is underused and Disher is an idiot even for goofball comic relief. In support, faring best are Robert Loggia and Hector Elizondo.
Aside from those two however, the rest of the supporting cast don't stand out. "Mr Monk Takes a Punch" suffers from a disappointing mystery, lacklustre writing and lack of character development and character moments. Its biggest problem however is with Monk. He is very out of character here, not just in how he deduces everything, which is under-utilised and not as observational or methodical but especially in how the quirks and his struggles with the situations are depicted. Like "Mr Monk Buys a House", there are things that Monk would make an enormous fuss about normally yet he acts like they are not problems at all. As said, there are issues with continuity especially with him being unfit despite being told otherwise in an episode earlier on in the show's run.
The mystery disappoints. To me, it is not focused on enough, instead focusing heavily on Monk being a fish-out-of-water. It's also too simple (another figure-out-even-earlier-than-Monk one, and Monk figures some of it out too early) and obvious with a very half-hearted reveal that is not a shock to the viewer in any shape or form.
Was disappointed in the writing too. There are very few if any memorable quotes or exchanges, while one misses the hilarious wry humour (the funniest thing about the episode was the sight of Monk in a lavender running suit), the sympathetically handled and rarely overdone quirks (it's pretty much Monk behaving out of character and being silly) or tender easy to relate to drama (non existent).
In summation, disappointing though not unwatchable. 4/10 Bethany Cox