My Favorite Detective

Monk is a clever, hilarious, and refreshing show that I just can't seem to get enough of. My family and I keep convincing people to watch it and the results are always the same; they love it.

The Plot

Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is a former police detective, who was forced to leave his job when his personality disorder became worse after the death of his wife (who died 6 years ago when the show began). This disorder is Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and we get to see it all throughout the show. He now works as a consultant for the San Fransisco Police Department. Every episode deals with some strange murder that the SFPD, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (played by Ted Levine), and Lieutenant Randall Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) are baffled by and help from the great detective, Monk, becomes necessary. He is aided by Sharona Flemming (played by Bitty Schram). She is his nurse and assistant. A big reason as to why he is such a good detective is his attention to detail from his OCD. Monk says that this is both a gift and a curse. This is completely true. The same thing that causes him to solve a murder also causes him to drive others crazy. Throughout the season Monk is trying to get back on the force. He is also in a constant battle with solving the murder of his wife. The one murder that he wants to solve above all others is the one case that he can't solve.

Monks many quirks

Adrian Monk is a very original character. He has many quirks, a lot from his OCD. A few examples of these are; he has to touch (and count) all of the posts (or anything else in succession) on the street, he can only drink one kind of water (which in one episode causes some severe dehydration), and whenever he shakes hands with someone he has to use a wet wipe. He also has many phobias. In one episode when a snake got loose, Monk jumps up on a table and Captain Stottlemeyer comments, "I thought you were afraid of heights." Monk responds with, "Snakes trump heights. It goes germs, needles, milk, death, snakes, mushrooms, heights, crowds, elevators."

The Cast

Monk has a wonderful cast. I can't picture anyone else being that character. Emmy award winner, Tony Shalhoub is fantastic as Monk. He is absolutely perfect. The thought that the role almost went to Michael Richards from Seinfield just disturbs me. Bitty Schram does a wonderful job as Sharona, the single mom with a bit of an edge. She has a lot of funny moments. I just have to say that I miss her in the new seasons after she left the show and was replaced. Ted Levine does a really good job as Cpt. Stottlemeyer. You can tell that he's often irritated with some of Monk's quirks and at the same time you can tell that he really does care about Monk. He's good at being the tough guy with a badge. Jason Gray-Stanford also does a good job at being the comical and sometimes somewhat of a joke, Ltnt. Disher.

The Episodes

The episode break-up is as followed:
Disc 1
1-2: Mr. Monk And The Candidate
3: Mr. Monk Meets The Psychic
4: Mr. Monk Meets Dale The Whale

Disc 2
5: Mr. Monk Goes To The Carnival
6: Mr. Monk Goes To The Asylum
7: Mr. Monk And The Billionaire Mugger

Disc 3
8: Mr. Monk And The Other Woman
9: Mr. Monk And The Marathon Man
10: Mr. Monk Takes A Vacation

Disc 4
11: Mr. Monk And The Earthquake
12: Mr. Monk Meets The Red-Headed Stranger
13: Mr. Monk And The Airplane

Special Features (on disc 4)
-Mr. Monk And His Origins
-Mr. Monk And His O.C.D.
-Mr. Monk And His Fellow Sufferers
-Mr. Monk And His Emmy Award-Winning Performance
-Mr. Monk And His Partners In Crime

Time: Apprx. 9 hours and 23 minutes.

Overall

Monk is a lovable, funny and addicting show with very endearing and relatable characters. It is worth every minute of time spent watching it. I plan on watching it all over again this summer and I'm sure that I'll love it even more.