'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.
Liked the Season 6 opener "Mr Monk and his Biggest Fan", but "Mr Monk and the Rapper" was a big disappointment and one of my least favourite 'Monk' episodes. "Mr Monk and the Naked Man" turned out to be leagues better than the previous episode, it's nowhere near a show high-point but turned out to be so much better than the absurd concept (when hearing about it and made me dread the episode) made it sound, a charming light-hearted romp and not the embarrassment expected. It's not perfect.
For my tastes Monk does solve the case far too quickly and jumps to conclusions without any proof in a baseless and rushed fashion (this time over a prejudice that makes one think "oh for goodness sake"), rather than the methodical approach he took to solve the case. The obsessiveness occasionally comes over as contrived, and Disher is not an endearing goofball anymore but has become ridiculously stupid and behaving like a child.
However, there are many good things. It's charming, light-hearted and amusing, with lovely interplay between Monk and Natalie and Stottlemeyer is still the authoritative and sympathetic leader. It was a lovely touch to see Monk moving forward and overcome another problem, which sees some character progression, as was the additional song by Randy Newman, completely removing the bad taste in mouth garnered from the remix of the theme song in the previous episode.
Diedrich Bader and Alfred Molina are very good here. Particularly Bader, who isn't phased at all being naked on screen and gives the character dignity. The mystery is a pretty good one and balances with the character moments well, definitely the best of the three Season 6 episodes up to this point and the least obvious.
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. Ted Levine is good and isn't wasted this time, and the blame can't be put at Jason Gray-Stanford's door for Disher being written so poorly.
Writing-wise, 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.
Overall, pretty good. 7/10 Bethany Cox
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