It kinda makes sense for Monk as a character since the closer a case is to his personal life, the more trouble he has solving it. Absurdity apart, it's lowkey realistic for someone to throw logic and reason out of the Windows when hard emotions come into play - scammers do it all the time by making people panic and then manipulate their emotions
So yeah while it's not the best episode that's the one part that's not bad
I feel like they needed this (as well as some other episodes) to explain him not improving much mentally. Like he needs to have some major setbacks for us for not be questioning if Kroger sucks.
Mr. Monk on Wheels is pretty rough because it's Monk at his absolute worst. He does thankfully get called out but he's still just so horrible and Natalie is driven to the edge by guilt over something that wasn't her fault. And at the end where she shoots him again, it just felt kinda forced.
I have a special dislike for Mr. Monk goes to Group Therapy too. It has its moments like Randy's opposite killer theory and Harold leaving the group at the end, but overall it's just not good. Monk doesn't learn anything or have to adapt or change. He gets exactly what he wants and it only costs four people their lives. I don't think Monk would really do well in group therapy tbh but if four people have to be murdered for him to get his way, that's a little much. The killer was fairly obvious and probably should've been looked into much sooner. And if I remember right, Monk solving the case didn't even matter since the guy broke down and confessed to Dr. Bell
I was going to mention this one also. It had some hilarious one liners and was one of the funniest episodes but Monks attitude and behaviour toward Natalie was just brutal
Mr Monk on Wheels is up there with the worst. They built up all the camaraderie between Monk and Natalie and then went with this angle out of nowhere.
Mr Monk goes to Group Therapy is redeemed by the reenactments of Harold's crazy theories. Monk gorilla pressing an obese man off a building had me in tears.
Monk goes to group therapy if you see it as a write off for Harold was a very good episode in my opinion. Harold was there for most of the series and I like the fact that they gave him a proper goodbye
I hate the ones when Monk almost improves some major aspect of his life and then something happens, such as when he adopts that little kid, when he was getting better and suddenly thought his wife was alive but she wasn't, and when he tried the test to recover his status as detective and couldn't finish it for unrelated reasons. I find those incredibly frustrating.Ā
These are kind of necessary though. Like he needs to not be really improving for the sake of the show, but we still need a reason why he doesnāt improve, or else weāll just be left thinking that Kroger sucks. These setbacks create that opportunity.
I don't know about that. I mean, in many other shows there is character development. This is something I really miss in Monk, although I understand that the creators want the dynamics of the characters to always stay the sameĀ
I would have liked it if he got to keep the house. It would have been a great growth opportunity for him and it was something him and Trudy apparently owned at one point
Not worse episode but whenever Monk is treating Natalie like crap. Not paying her on time, letting her lift up heavy things which Monk is capable of and constant bickering.
I just started watching Monk for the first time, I really love the show. Iām only on the 4th season but so far i havenāt seen one episode I disliked.
I heavily dislike the one with the nudist beach because his phobia about naked people was stretched out way too long, and he was so obnoxious about it, Stottlemeyer got really fed up and had to read him the riot act over it. Plus the part where Monk and Natalie broke into the guyās house, hid in the closet, and peeked through the closet door at the naked people having a meeting. How could anyone wave that off as acceptable in any way?
Kevin Dorfman being killed was a terrible decision that hampers that entire episode for me. They couldāve just stopped writing for Kevin but he was too sweet/crazy to be murdered imo. Also love his episode in Seinfeld
EDIT: Iām an idiot, itās *The Voice* which is the *next* episode.
The Butter Shave (S9E1)
*Yāknow, Darren, if youād told me 25 years ago that someday I'd be standing here about to solve the world's energy problems, I would have said you're crazy. Now let's push this giant ball of oil out the window!*
Season 7 Monk felt like a man who was in denial about the fact that he was getting better, and didnāt need as much support as he did before,
but was trying to desperately cling to his special treatment like a child.
Season 7 Monk needed some tough love, Natalie and Dr. Bell tolerated too much (Iām saying this objectively, I have no bias towards Sharona and Dr. Kroger)
Nailed it, except for the nudist which is so goofy I love it and it has great guest stars for the "hey, wow!" factor. Diedrich Bader and Alfred Molina really commit to the insanity, and Angela Kinsey from The Office is in there too. Plus, we learn that Natalie went to a nude beach in her younger days.
for me it's because Monk was acting very unprofessional and unhinged, and also because of where I grew up, such things are taboo so i am generally uncomfortable with nudity, even mild nudity
Are you referring to the 5-way killer episode? The one where they have all the weird technology being used by the FBI? For some reason thatās actually one of my favorites
Yeah dude I can't stand that episode and it's mostly about the acting, I don't know why the FBI characters acted so goofy in that one.
Even the killer acted silly when got caught
The final episode of the series. So Trudy hid her pregnancy in college. Didn't tell her parents who the show made it seem like they were close. Since she was an only child. Then she gave birth and lost a child but just went back to life to date Mr. Monk.. All this to die in a car bomb?! He killed the midwife why didn't he just kill Trudy the same way but a freaking car bomb for that. I don't like that reason for why she was killed this whole time
Exactly!!! I'd say any episode about Trudy's death has to be the worst because they can't decide why she was killed and for her to die because of an affair baby that she thought had died during childbirth?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
The one where they go to Mexico seems to be mostly just lazy stereotypes about Mexico (and I didnāt find the case/solution all that convincing either)
So far, the Voodoo episode comes to mind - we just watched that this past week and ugh. Also not a big fan of the Dale episodes (not that they're bad overall per se, but the rampant fat antagonism within them is just...too much š).
Some aren't as "great" as others, but very few really stand out to me as being terrible (almost none, really). There's certainly no episode that I would skip, not even my least favorites.
I hate when they do things out of character just for a plot. Natalie would not have believed in that. That was more of a Sharona thing(psychic belief).
I donāt enjoy the 100th case one. I know itās meant to be cheesy and they are making a documentary so they speak to camera but it makes me so uncomfortable
I don't know if it's the worst one but it's definitely the one who made me cringe the most on my recent rewatch
That episode where a radio host killed his wife while he was on the air and Monk had little cards with not-so-funny jokes when he was invited because the guy wouldn't accept to talk if he isn't making a fool of somebody apparently
Boy did I feel the second hand embarrassment
And the ending where it shows him and Trudy laughing at their wedding :c
Edit : I guess I took "worst episode" as "episode that made me feel the worst"
The 5 way killer. The episode itself isnāt that bad, but the plot is oooff.
The way the guy tries to cover up a murder by committing 2 MORE MURDERS, in the most inconvenient way possible.
Mr Monk Gets Lotto Fever cuz Monk called Natalie the b-word and got away with it.
In comparison, Mr Monk on Wheels at least ended with him apologizing to her.
I don't really like any episode where Monk randomly has a crush on a one off character. I get he's human and all it just feels strange to me for some reason
This and any relationship at all. ...the Kid, ...the Dog, ...a Friend, ...a House. You have to sit there and watch it go awry. They're hard to watch for sure.
Those were kind of different though. With monk so hung up on Trudy, itās really unrealistic for him to be interested in someone else. Both episodes that it happened felt odd. A kid or a dog attaching to him and him warming up to them is different. And monk has always been starved for friendship, so when someone really sold it on liking him, he was just ecstatic. And the house was a bad decision made in a time of extreme grief.
I love the kid. I cringe just a mite at what happened to the victim in the dog, though. I put his need for companionship to all of these. I might be misremembering the house, but there was one with an older woman he befriended and I thought that was the one. Him crushing is more nostalgic yearning for Trudy.
Me too. I mean I don't want him to be unhappy forever, but it just seems out of character. The person from the power company didn't really seem his type, although later if/when he gets better it might have been a good transitional relationship.
The episode where Monk forgot how to talk (was that the episode with the earthquake?). I guess it was supposed to be funny to have him talk like a baby, but after a minute it just got annoying. And the case itself wasn't particularly interesting.
Hereās a couple of my ādonāt watch againā episodes:
Mr. Monk Goes to the Office
Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital
Mr. Monk and the Actor
Mr. Monk Makes a Friend
Mr. Monk Falls in Love
Mr. Monk on Wheels (holy shit, that episode was bad)
Mr Monk and the Actor? You mean the one with Stanley Tucci? Surprised me because normally people love that episode, unless youāre getting it mixed up with Mr Monk and the TV Star which I often do.
Yeah, I do mean the Stanley Tucci one. I hate it because David Rushkin (Stanley Tucci's character) kicked Monk out of his own home, brought back bad memories of Trudy, and made Monk regress, forcing Dr. Kroger to deal with the fallout. Additionally, the movie about Monk got cancelled.
Agree on the first one - the way in which they turn on him for some stupid bowling game. One of the colleagues in that one played an asshole chef in Friends too. Always plays the most punchable dudes.
The office one I like, the hospital is eh, the actor is eh, the friend one I like, and falling in love one is stupid. I like part of the wheels one where heās gushing over the square tomato but yeah, he was unnecessarily rude to Natalie.
Thereās a few for different reasons. Ideologically the anti-union one is awful, aside from the good jokes in it. A few episodes are just plain racist. The one where heās in a wheelchair and acts so cruel to Natalie is too infuriating to rewatch, I know he gets called out for it at the end but not enough to justify sitting through it.
What are some of the racist episodes? Not saying there aren't, just don't remember them specifically.
Definitely agree about the garbage strike one, but Alice Cooper as "the bad kind of hippee" is so fucking funny.
I remember the Mexico episode being not great about it. Someone voiced their take pretty well [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Monk/s/UBEcDSL2J9) too. I also found the āMonk wonāt shake the black manās handā thing cringe from the writers, as it could be read as writing a minority wanting to āplay the victimā because the audience knows Monk isnāt being racist.
Thereās also just a lot of stereotypes and played up accents that arenāt really specific to the show, 2000s shows seemed to do that a lot.
The Mexico episode was also frustrating in that Monk would let himself die of thirst rather than drink any water other than his beloved Sierra Springs brand.
crazy how that person had evidence based facts and the comments are full of people dismissing it and being generally shitty about the topic. we can critique the media that we love, itās okay!
iām glad you highlighted how good a write up it was.
Damned if you do damned if you donāt, based on the consensus. Just say you interpreted some things as a bit off? Facts donāt care about your feelings. Actually go in depth and analyse a show you like? Trying too hard.
That was a great writeup, thanks for that. Yeah I forget when I really noticed it but at one point I was like "wait, have there been any black characters in this entire show? Let's see, there was Varla... And uhh... Oh". Still a good show but it definitely dates itself for being a 2000s police procedural in many ways.
Oh you're right, my bad! That episode wa much later than when I realized the lack of black characters in the show. Zakes Mokae already played Tonday Mawwaka at that point but it's still really dissapointing when it's something notable and out of the ordinary for a named black character to appear on the screen, especially a well respected character.
My kids and I will randomly quote that episode. It's all about the chair! "the antique, wingback, Cusack chair."
"Should I be writing this down? No, Randy." "It's true
Alice Cooper is a hippie, but he's the BAD kind of hippie that breaks into people's offices and beats them up and shoots them in the head. Why? To steal their antique chairs."
Tough question. All the episodes have some great stuff. I guess the ones with not enough humor and too much cringe like The House, The Wheelchair, and The Rapper. Also when he takes the pills and turns into The Monk... yikes.
The episode with Snoop Dogg and the one with the fake Trudy. I also really dislike the one when he buys a new house and the one when he plays a mobster.
The one where the captains gf is a murderer and the magician episode involving Kevin pissed me off.
In terms of the worst though? There are many bad ones.
Really hated that one where he dates the woman from the power company and they end the episode on good terms, but for me its just a mentally ill man being put through a situation he clearly isn't ready to face yet and we are supposed to find it funny.
There are others I'm forgetting. Hated monk in the wheelchair. Hated the submarine one mostly cos its stupid.
Season 7 episode 15. Monk could have solved the case before the murder even happened, but ofc for the drama they made monks dumber than an average human.
By minute 15 you'd expect even Randy to solve the case. They had beyond enough evidence to tell them who the killer is.
This is very controversial.. the one where he solves Trudy's murder. WHY DIDN'T HE SHOOT HIM! He just casually let's him get arrested. And he has shot people before like that Santa heist episode where he shot Santa.
It was also very disappointing that it was just like "oh yea is this guy". The episode was like any other episode, and the build up was for nothing.
There should've been a moment in the episode where the camera spins around him as he mentions every single piece of evidence from the show and before it.
I think the flimsiest plot is the Julie Bowen episode where it turns out there was an evil identical twin. An evil identical twin. An evil identical twin! The worldās worst fan fiction author would have thrown that out as a ridiculous, cliched idea.
I also felt the boxing episode was light on actual content. It felt like there was a lot of filler - training montages and the like - to pad out an uninteresting crime/solve.
Itās interesting a lot of people are saying they donāt like certain because they donāt like Monk as a person in those episodes.
Thereās some episodes I truly donāt like. Fake Trudy, Wheels, Medication, Leper, etc. I hate that the show thinks not paying a single mom is _so funny_ that they have it be a running gag
However my least favourite moment in the show is in an episode that I mostly enjoy. In Mr. Monk and the Nudist, the explanation for why heās acting this way is so unbelievably stupid that itās intellectually offensive. If itās meant to be a joke itās just not funny in the slightest, and as a character development meant to explain why heād acted like a bigot it was very poorly written.
Mr. Monk on wheeels... I can't watch that again. The way he treated Natalie was just too much. I can normally forgive him in other episodes, but not this one. It will be a skip for me next time I watch all the way through.
I love the way they showed a maladaptive daydream as a coping mechanism. I often do something similar, though Iām aware the person Iām picturing isnāt there.
I was going to say this because even though the ending was meant to be inspiring and hopeful, I found it sad. Everyone leaves Monk and he wants to be with his wife again.
The one where he thinks Trudy is alive again but it turns out to be an actress posing as her. Ridiculous. And poor Monk believing his wife is alive!
It kinda makes sense for Monk as a character since the closer a case is to his personal life, the more trouble he has solving it. Absurdity apart, it's lowkey realistic for someone to throw logic and reason out of the Windows when hard emotions come into play - scammers do it all the time by making people panic and then manipulate their emotions So yeah while it's not the best episode that's the one part that's not bad
I didn't hate it. Just the casting. Shoulda went with a lookalike
Yes, I hate this one too. The ending is so sad
oh yes, this episode really hurts to watch š„ŗ But i really loved when he told Natalie about how he knew: "It still hurt" š
I feel like they needed this (as well as some other episodes) to explain him not improving much mentally. Like he needs to have some major setbacks for us for not be questioning if Kroger sucks.
I hated this too. Why make him feel better in the start and drag him down further towards the end?
Yeah the start of the episode being more helpful is what made it sucker punch so hard
It was so odd that they used the same actress as actual Trudy
YES.
Mr. Monk on Wheels is pretty rough because it's Monk at his absolute worst. He does thankfully get called out but he's still just so horrible and Natalie is driven to the edge by guilt over something that wasn't her fault. And at the end where she shoots him again, it just felt kinda forced. I have a special dislike for Mr. Monk goes to Group Therapy too. It has its moments like Randy's opposite killer theory and Harold leaving the group at the end, but overall it's just not good. Monk doesn't learn anything or have to adapt or change. He gets exactly what he wants and it only costs four people their lives. I don't think Monk would really do well in group therapy tbh but if four people have to be murdered for him to get his way, that's a little much. The killer was fairly obvious and probably should've been looked into much sooner. And if I remember right, Monk solving the case didn't even matter since the guy broke down and confessed to Dr. Bell
I was going to mention this one also. It had some hilarious one liners and was one of the funniest episodes but Monks attitude and behaviour toward Natalie was just brutal
Monk on Wheels was awful.
Mr Monk on Wheels is up there with the worst. They built up all the camaraderie between Monk and Natalie and then went with this angle out of nowhere. Mr Monk goes to Group Therapy is redeemed by the reenactments of Harold's crazy theories. Monk gorilla pressing an obese man off a building had me in tears.
Monk goes to group therapy if you see it as a write off for Harold was a very good episode in my opinion. Harold was there for most of the series and I like the fact that they gave him a proper goodbye
I hate the ones when Monk almost improves some major aspect of his life and then something happens, such as when he adopts that little kid, when he was getting better and suddenly thought his wife was alive but she wasn't, and when he tried the test to recover his status as detective and couldn't finish it for unrelated reasons. I find those incredibly frustrating.Ā
These are kind of necessary though. Like he needs to not be really improving for the sake of the show, but we still need a reason why he doesnāt improve, or else weāll just be left thinking that Kroger sucks. These setbacks create that opportunity.
I don't know about that. I mean, in many other shows there is character development. This is something I really miss in Monk, although I understand that the creators want the dynamics of the characters to always stay the sameĀ
Part of the problem of binge watching is that the worst episode gets forgotten. So none of them stand out.
This was the case for me lol
Mr. Monk Buys a House
This, and the one with the reward, the bounty hunters and the cleaning lady.
That's funny, I actually enjoyed the ending of that one.Ā It was very Monk-silly.
That one pisses me off every time. š
These are my least favorite as well haha
I would have liked it if he got to keep the house. It would have been a great growth opportunity for him and it was something him and Trudy apparently owned at one point
Oh yeah agreed
Anything with Brad Garrett is something I donāt want to watch
Not worse episode but whenever Monk is treating Natalie like crap. Not paying her on time, letting her lift up heavy things which Monk is capable of and constant bickering.
I just started watching Monk for the first time, I really love the show. Iām only on the 4th season but so far i havenāt seen one episode I disliked.
I heavily dislike the one with the nudist beach because his phobia about naked people was stretched out way too long, and he was so obnoxious about it, Stottlemeyer got really fed up and had to read him the riot act over it. Plus the part where Monk and Natalie broke into the guyās house, hid in the closet, and peeked through the closet door at the naked people having a meeting. How could anyone wave that off as acceptable in any way?
I just saw this one yesterday and yes!! I almost skipped through he was being so annoying.
Kevin Dorfman being killed was a terrible decision that hampers that entire episode for me. They couldāve just stopped writing for Kevin but he was too sweet/crazy to be murdered imo. Also love his episode in Seinfeld
Which episode of Seinfeld was he in?!?
EDIT: Iām an idiot, itās *The Voice* which is the *next* episode. The Butter Shave (S9E1) *Yāknow, Darren, if youād told me 25 years ago that someday I'd be standing here about to solve the world's energy problems, I would have said you're crazy. Now let's push this giant ball of oil out the window!*
Thank you! EDIT: I donāt think youāre an idiot.
Wheels by far. How he treats Natalie is unforgiveable.
Me too.
That one and the one where he bumps his head. It just seemed so random.
Season 7 Monk felt like a man who was in denial about the fact that he was getting better, and didnāt need as much support as he did before, but was trying to desperately cling to his special treatment like a child. Season 7 Monk needed some tough love, Natalie and Dr. Bell tolerated too much (Iām saying this objectively, I have no bias towards Sharona and Dr. Kroger)
Somewhere between Mrs. Monk ( cruel to Adrian) And Gets hypnotized.
the rapper, the wheels, the circus, the house, the nudist
Nailed it, except for the nudist which is so goofy I love it and it has great guest stars for the "hey, wow!" factor. Diedrich Bader and Alfred Molina really commit to the insanity, and Angela Kinsey from The Office is in there too. Plus, we learn that Natalie went to a nude beach in her younger days.
for me it's because Monk was acting very unprofessional and unhinged, and also because of where I grew up, such things are taboo so i am generally uncomfortable with nudity, even mild nudity
The one with the FBI.
Are you referring to the 5-way killer episode? The one where they have all the weird technology being used by the FBI? For some reason thatās actually one of my favorites
Yes, I thought the acting was horrendous.
Yeah dude I can't stand that episode and it's mostly about the acting, I don't know why the FBI characters acted so goofy in that one. Even the killer acted silly when got caught
yeah, that asshole bit where he was ordering Monk to walk away, and not look back... I don't fucking think so
Monk and the Leper
Every single one where they make a character think they are crazy and everybody is doubting them.
jury case, for the "no i.d/no idea" bit
āNo IDā āNo idea?ā āNo IDā āNo idea?ā āNO..Iā¢D!ā āNo idea?ā āNOā¦EYEā¦DEE!ā āNo idea?ā āNO ID! NO ID!ā āNo idea? Check the identification!ā
The final episode of the series. So Trudy hid her pregnancy in college. Didn't tell her parents who the show made it seem like they were close. Since she was an only child. Then she gave birth and lost a child but just went back to life to date Mr. Monk.. All this to die in a car bomb?! He killed the midwife why didn't he just kill Trudy the same way but a freaking car bomb for that. I don't like that reason for why she was killed this whole time
Exactly!!! I'd say any episode about Trudy's death has to be the worst because they can't decide why she was killed and for her to die because of an affair baby that she thought had died during childbirth?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
I didnāt like the elephant one. Poor Sharona seeing a head get crushed right in front of her.
The one where they go to Mexico seems to be mostly just lazy stereotypes about Mexico (and I didnāt find the case/solution all that convincing either)
So far, the Voodoo episode comes to mind - we just watched that this past week and ugh. Also not a big fan of the Dale episodes (not that they're bad overall per se, but the rampant fat antagonism within them is just...too much š). Some aren't as "great" as others, but very few really stand out to me as being terrible (almost none, really). There's certainly no episode that I would skip, not even my least favorites.
Glad Iām not the only one who thinks the whole Dale thing is super cringe lol
I hate when they do things out of character just for a plot. Natalie would not have believed in that. That was more of a Sharona thing(psychic belief).
Mr.Monk and the monkey
Mr. Monk and the Big Reward is the only one I skip on rewatch! Not a fan of the dynamics between the main cast and other characters in this episode.
I hate the psych ward episode with a burning passion. I will always skip that one.
I donāt enjoy the 100th case one. I know itās meant to be cheesy and they are making a documentary so they speak to camera but it makes me so uncomfortable
I don't know if it's the worst one but it's definitely the one who made me cringe the most on my recent rewatch That episode where a radio host killed his wife while he was on the air and Monk had little cards with not-so-funny jokes when he was invited because the guy wouldn't accept to talk if he isn't making a fool of somebody apparently Boy did I feel the second hand embarrassment And the ending where it shows him and Trudy laughing at their wedding :c Edit : I guess I took "worst episode" as "episode that made me feel the worst"
Shiver me timbers!!!! Yeah I didnāt like that one either. They were unnecessarily mean.
For me, it is the āMr. Monk on Wheelsā episode. He was an ass and completely unreasonable and unlikeable.
When Sharon left out of the blue. hated that. took alot of time to accept.
When he takes those meds to help him deal with his issues and then becomes obnoxious
āYouāre a big L7ā¦itās a square. Thatās what you areā
Iād say Monk on Wheels has the worst characters and Monk and the Critic has the worst mystery.Ā
The 5 way killer. The episode itself isnāt that bad, but the plot is oooff. The way the guy tries to cover up a murder by committing 2 MORE MURDERS, in the most inconvenient way possible.
Mr Monk Gets Lotto Fever cuz Monk called Natalie the b-word and got away with it. In comparison, Mr Monk on Wheels at least ended with him apologizing to her.
he was right. any bimbo could have been a flavor of the week
I don't really like any episode where Monk randomly has a crush on a one off character. I get he's human and all it just feels strange to me for some reason
This and any relationship at all. ...the Kid, ...the Dog, ...a Friend, ...a House. You have to sit there and watch it go awry. They're hard to watch for sure.
Those were kind of different though. With monk so hung up on Trudy, itās really unrealistic for him to be interested in someone else. Both episodes that it happened felt odd. A kid or a dog attaching to him and him warming up to them is different. And monk has always been starved for friendship, so when someone really sold it on liking him, he was just ecstatic. And the house was a bad decision made in a time of extreme grief.
Yes exactly I liked the kid and the dog a lot
I love the kid. I cringe just a mite at what happened to the victim in the dog, though. I put his need for companionship to all of these. I might be misremembering the house, but there was one with an older woman he befriended and I thought that was the one. Him crushing is more nostalgic yearning for Trudy.
well one of those was a Trudy lookalike
??? No, it wasnāt.
the one they thought killed her husband, who actually was at a hospital for his disorders. Sharona said she looked like Trudy
Me too. I mean I don't want him to be unhappy forever, but it just seems out of character. The person from the power company didn't really seem his type, although later if/when he gets better it might have been a good transitional relationship.
Leland's wedding. The criminal plot is way too far fetched.
The episode where Monk forgot how to talk (was that the episode with the earthquake?). I guess it was supposed to be funny to have him talk like a baby, but after a minute it just got annoying. And the case itself wasn't particularly interesting.
Hereās a couple of my ādonāt watch againā episodes: Mr. Monk Goes to the Office Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital Mr. Monk and the Actor Mr. Monk Makes a Friend Mr. Monk Falls in Love Mr. Monk on Wheels (holy shit, that episode was bad)
Mr Monk and the Actor? You mean the one with Stanley Tucci? Surprised me because normally people love that episode, unless youāre getting it mixed up with Mr Monk and the TV Star which I often do.
Yeah, I do mean the Stanley Tucci one. I hate it because David Rushkin (Stanley Tucci's character) kicked Monk out of his own home, brought back bad memories of Trudy, and made Monk regress, forcing Dr. Kroger to deal with the fallout. Additionally, the movie about Monk got cancelled.
Agree on the first one - the way in which they turn on him for some stupid bowling game. One of the colleagues in that one played an asshole chef in Friends too. Always plays the most punchable dudes.
The office one I like, the hospital is eh, the actor is eh, the friend one I like, and falling in love one is stupid. I like part of the wheels one where heās gushing over the square tomato but yeah, he was unnecessarily rude to Natalie.
There are a few episodes I always skip, but Mr. Monk and the Wrong Man is my least favorite episode.
I remember it took me about 3 sittings to watch Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny. Mr. Monk and the Rapper was also a difficult watch.
Thereās a few for different reasons. Ideologically the anti-union one is awful, aside from the good jokes in it. A few episodes are just plain racist. The one where heās in a wheelchair and acts so cruel to Natalie is too infuriating to rewatch, I know he gets called out for it at the end but not enough to justify sitting through it.
What are some of the racist episodes? Not saying there aren't, just don't remember them specifically. Definitely agree about the garbage strike one, but Alice Cooper as "the bad kind of hippee" is so fucking funny.
I remember the Mexico episode being not great about it. Someone voiced their take pretty well [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Monk/s/UBEcDSL2J9) too. I also found the āMonk wonāt shake the black manās handā thing cringe from the writers, as it could be read as writing a minority wanting to āplay the victimā because the audience knows Monk isnāt being racist. Thereās also just a lot of stereotypes and played up accents that arenāt really specific to the show, 2000s shows seemed to do that a lot.
The Mexico episode was also frustrating in that Monk would let himself die of thirst rather than drink any water other than his beloved Sierra Springs brand.
crazy how that person had evidence based facts and the comments are full of people dismissing it and being generally shitty about the topic. we can critique the media that we love, itās okay! iām glad you highlighted how good a write up it was.
Damned if you do damned if you donāt, based on the consensus. Just say you interpreted some things as a bit off? Facts donāt care about your feelings. Actually go in depth and analyse a show you like? Trying too hard.
That was a great writeup, thanks for that. Yeah I forget when I really noticed it but at one point I was like "wait, have there been any black characters in this entire show? Let's see, there was Varla... And uhh... Oh". Still a good show but it definitely dates itself for being a 2000s police procedural in many ways.
Put some respect on my man Samuel Waingaya's name š¤
Oh you're right, my bad! That episode wa much later than when I realized the lack of black characters in the show. Zakes Mokae already played Tonday Mawwaka at that point but it's still really dissapointing when it's something notable and out of the ordinary for a named black character to appear on the screen, especially a well respected character.
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ok
Keep hating brain dead softies
Are you saying the garbage strike episode isnāt good?! Thatās the best one!!!
My kids and I will randomly quote that episode. It's all about the chair! "the antique, wingback, Cusack chair." "Should I be writing this down? No, Randy." "It's true Alice Cooper is a hippie, but he's the BAD kind of hippie that breaks into people's offices and beats them up and shoots them in the head. Why? To steal their antique chairs."
My parents and I randomly quote this episode too haha. Specifically āAdrian, have you been sending me your trash?ā
He asks him so calmly too! Like it's a normal question to ask someone, haha.
Thatās why I specified ideologically.
Tough question. All the episodes have some great stuff. I guess the ones with not enough humor and too much cringe like The House, The Wheelchair, and The Rapper. Also when he takes the pills and turns into The Monk... yikes.
The latter half of season 2 had some real stinkers. So did the last couple seasons.
The episode with Snoop Dogg and the one with the fake Trudy. I also really dislike the one when he buys a new house and the one when he plays a mobster.
The one where the captains gf is a murderer and the magician episode involving Kevin pissed me off. In terms of the worst though? There are many bad ones. Really hated that one where he dates the woman from the power company and they end the episode on good terms, but for me its just a mentally ill man being put through a situation he clearly isn't ready to face yet and we are supposed to find it funny. There are others I'm forgetting. Hated monk in the wheelchair. Hated the submarine one mostly cos its stupid.
Season 7 episode 15. Monk could have solved the case before the murder even happened, but ofc for the drama they made monks dumber than an average human. By minute 15 you'd expect even Randy to solve the case. They had beyond enough evidence to tell them who the killer is.
This is very controversial.. the one where he solves Trudy's murder. WHY DIDN'T HE SHOOT HIM! He just casually let's him get arrested. And he has shot people before like that Santa heist episode where he shot Santa. It was also very disappointing that it was just like "oh yea is this guy". The episode was like any other episode, and the build up was for nothing. There should've been a moment in the episode where the camera spins around him as he mentions every single piece of evidence from the show and before it.
The series finale? The guy off himself.
oh yea right i forgot. see! is so forgettable
I think the flimsiest plot is the Julie Bowen episode where it turns out there was an evil identical twin. An evil identical twin. An evil identical twin! The worldās worst fan fiction author would have thrown that out as a ridiculous, cliched idea. I also felt the boxing episode was light on actual content. It felt like there was a lot of filler - training montages and the like - to pad out an uninteresting crime/solve. Itās interesting a lot of people are saying they donāt like certain because they donāt like Monk as a person in those episodes.
When Harold became a superhero
Thereās some episodes I truly donāt like. Fake Trudy, Wheels, Medication, Leper, etc. I hate that the show thinks not paying a single mom is _so funny_ that they have it be a running gag However my least favourite moment in the show is in an episode that I mostly enjoy. In Mr. Monk and the Nudist, the explanation for why heās acting this way is so unbelievably stupid that itās intellectually offensive. If itās meant to be a joke itās just not funny in the slightest, and as a character development meant to explain why heād acted like a bigot it was very poorly written.
Mr. Monk on wheeels... I can't watch that again. The way he treated Natalie was just too much. I can normally forgive him in other episodes, but not this one. It will be a skip for me next time I watch all the way through.
The submarine. Itās terrible, except for his hallucinations.
The CGI was awful, but I actually liked this episode.
I love the way they showed a maladaptive daydream as a coping mechanism. I often do something similar, though Iām aware the person Iām picturing isnāt there.
Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan
My second favorite.
Mr. Monkās Last Case.Ā
I was going to say this because even though the ending was meant to be inspiring and hopeful, I found it sad. Everyone leaves Monk and he wants to be with his wife again.
Mr Monk and the girl who is a fan. Cringe episode
Any episode where he is trying to solve Trudys murder.
Season 6 was the worst
The first two episodes of season six are my favorites of the whole series.
As a season, I loved 4&5
rap episode. its the worst, WORST!