Mr. Monk Goes to Group Therapy

A group therapy where the attendeed get murdered one by one. That's Bruce Willis and Jane March to me. Yeah, mediocre TV shows do lean more on revisiting tried tricks instead of being on the side of creativity, which is only part of my problem with Monk.

For me Monk is the ultimate fast food when it comes to spending time in front of a screen. The entertainment value meets the bare mimimum + some nice touches. The show works alright.

What I dislike is kinda like a walk of shame after a one night stand. Episodes end with the feeling of "So that was it? Was this worth my time?"

And the answers differs from one episode to the other in the example of Monk.

Monk receives a letter from his HMO stating that they have put a lifetime limit on the number of individual therapy visits that they will pay for - 2000. Monk does the calculations and determines he has only one individual session left. At that one remaining session, Dr. Bell tells Monk that the HMO will continue to pay for group therapy sessions.

Monk reluctantly joins Dr. Bell's group therapy session for people with phobias so he can continue to get counseling from Dr. Bell. And then people who are in Dr. Bell's group start getting murdered, one by one. Harold Krenshaw - who is also in Dr. Bell's group - accuses Monk of being the killer because he wants Dr. Bell all to himself. Monk denies the accusation, but wonders if he could be "the guy". Could he be killing the group members and then having a psychotic break and not remembering anything? Complications ensue.

As part of the denouement, Harold and Monk bury the hatchet - and I don't mean in each other. Being in a crisis situation in close quarters gets them to admit their own weaknesses and the other's strengths to each other. Harold admits he is jealous of Monk because he is at the top of his field in an important job - even famous in some circles. Monk admits his jealousy of Harold because, even though they are both "the same guy" from a personality disorder standpoint, Harold has managed to have a normal life and a family. Then Harold makes one final gesture of unselfishness that gives Monk what he thinks he needs. And yes, I am being deliberately vague.

Humorous bits include Disher naming whoever is killing Dr. Bell's group therapy patients the " opposite killer" as Stottlemeyer looks on in great disdain, and Monk putting on note card's every phobia that he has so that Dr. Bell can "cure" him in their one remaining individual session. I wonder why he didn't think of this before?

Monk is panicked when he realizes that his HMO won't allow him any more sessions with Bell. This leads to his doing group. Of course, the gang at group are people who have lots of problems of their own. Monk, however, manages to become despised by the others. But here's the kicker. Members of the group begin to die in spectacular ways. It's a lot of laughs, but one can't just forget the victims.

'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.

While "Mr Monk Goes to Group Therapy" is a better episode than "Mr Monk and the Critic", "Mr Monk Takes the Stand" and especially "Mr Monk and the UFO", to me "Mr Monk is Someone Else", "Mr Monk and the Voodoo Curse" and particularly "Mr Monk and the Foreign Man" ("Mr Monk's Favourite Show" is like this an in between episode) were better Season 8 episodes up to this point. It's a decent episode but more for the character moments than the mystery.

Parts of the mystery do intrigue, it starts well, the group therapy scenes are entertaining and intriguing and the murders are clever (especially the supposed suicide). It is let down sadly by two things. One is the far too obvious and revealed far too early identity and motive of the killer. The other, and especially so, is the ridiculously improbable ending, which was another standard Monk and another character in peril climax, but more contrived than the others, that felt more like padding above all else, and the killer turns from ruthless to a unrealistically complete wimp. Talk about an anti-climax.

Didn't buy entirely the too sudden change from rivalry to bonding between Monk and Krenshaw, that seemed more of a solution for finding a way to say goodbye to Krenshaw, in the end though it was pretty poignant. The police investigating is under-utilised and Disher and Stottlemeyer take far too much of a back-seat.

However, "Mr Monk Goes to Group Therapy" is elevated by the chemistry between Monk and Krenshaw. Have always loved these too together and they are simply delightful in this episode, their interplay and back and forth is comedy gold and their rivalry chemistry is portrayed with brio. Tim Bagley clearly enjoys himself playing off against Tony Shalhoub and makes Krenshaw a funny and strangely endearing "annoying" character.

The therapy scenes entertain and intrigue and the other patients, while not with much screen time, work well within the episode. Hector Elizondo plays the role of the sympathetic Dr Bell very well.

Character moments, mainly the comedic ones, are plenty and they more than make up for the lacking mystery aspect. The highlights are Krenshaw's fantasy flashback of Monk being the killer, the argument in the supermarket, Monk's priceless facial expression when told by Krenshaw where they're parked outside of in the climactic moments and the therapy room battle.

One of the best things about 'Monk' has always been Tony Shalhoub, who was as Monk consistently one of the best things about every episode regardless of what material is thrown at him.. 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.

While not used anywhere near as much, the other three regulars do good work. But it's the chemistry between Monk and Krenshaw that's most memorable here. The writing is funny, in a wry and quirky way, and provokes thought.

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.

In summation, decent episode but could have been better with a more consistent mystery and better ending. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Monk runs out of insurance coverage for his therapy with Doctor Bell, and ends up joining a group that Doctor Bell meets with twice a week and which Monk's insurance will pay for. Glory be to God, Monk's perpetual nemesis Harold is one of the group. But the real problem is, someone is killing off members of the group. We meet the killer early on, but must wait for a clear explanation as to why he is doing what he is doing. Mainly, the episode is about Monk, Bell and Harold. It's like old home week for these three. And it is all very funny. The ending is highly improbable, but it is in keeping with the silly nature of the episode.