Review of Monk: Series 2

Introduction

It`s time once more to delve into the Universal TV back catalogue, with Season 2 of Monk. This is a somewhat more recent series compared to the Columbo and Magnum discs I received, but it receives somewhat similar treatment from the studio. As per the other series, I received a mere taster in the form of Disc 3 to watch, the difference being that I have never encountered the series before. Monk currently occupies the Saturday or Sunday afternoon slot on British television, the slot traditionally given to aging crime dramas tame enough to go out before the watershed. It`s your typical detective show in that the kind of murders that have the police stumped are solved by a smart and tenacious detective with enough of a personality quirk to make for interesting viewing. The difference is that Monk is all personality quirk As idiosyncratic as Columbo is, Monk suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and is a man who craves order and perfection, is obsessed with hygiene and cleanliness and is in every way, the anti-Columbo.

Adrian Monk was formerly a detective with the San Francisco Police Department. The murder of his wife affected him to the point where he developed Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Since then he has been on psychiatric leave, but his attention to detail and ability to piece together seemingly innocuous clues keeps him in demand as a consultant. His nurse Sharona assists him in his cases, as he attempts to convince his Captain Stottlemeyer that he is fit to be reinstated.

The disc I received has four episodes from Season 2 on them and they are detailed below.

Mr Monk And The 12th Man

When Security guard Frank Pulaski is dragged to his death with a pair of handcuffs and length of rope by a mysterious driver, it seems just another in a series of unrelated murders. San Francisco`s silly season seems to be taking its toll, but Monk finds an obscure connection between the deaths. Meanwhile Sharona is going out with a mayoral candidate, which makes her very popular among the ambitious public servants of the city.

Mr Monk And The Paperboy

A paperboy is murdered on Monk`s doorstep when he interrupts a masked stranger stealing Monk`s newspaper. It`s hard for the fastidious sleuth when there is a murder scene outside, but it becomes almost unbearable when the SFPD sets up a base of operations from his living room. Monk is convinced that the clue to the killer`s identity lies in the newspaper that he wasn`t allowed to read. It`s a quick trip to the convenience store to by a new copy, and when Monk solves a hit and run reported in the paper, it looks like an open and shut case. These things are never that simple though.

Mr Monk And The Three Pies

A town fair leads to murder when a man desperate to win a cherry pie in a raffle attacks the eventual winner. Stottlemeyer isn`t too pleased when Monk shows up to the crime scene, wishing to solve the case himself for once. Fortunately for him, Monk is distracted by a phone call from his agoraphobic brother Ambrose, who he hasn`t spoken to in over seven years. Ambrose is convinced that his neighbour has killed his wife and he wants Adrian to investigate. But there is bad blood between the brothers that needs to be resolved first.

Mr Monk And The TV Star

While TV star Brad Terry is entertaining the paparazzi outside, his ex-wife is being stabbed to death in her home. Monk gets introduced to the world of the television detective, as the investigation heads behind the scenes of Crime Lab SF, the show that has made Terry a star. Sharona is star struck, and Stottlemeyer and his men get roles on the show, but Monk feels left out. No doubt because he suspects Terry of the murder, despite all evidence to the contrary, and despite a fan confessing to the crime.

Video

A recent television show and anamorphic menus had me looking forward to seeing my TV screen put to maximum use. Unfortunately Monk gets a 4:3 regular transfer that doesn`t really show the programme off to its best. The image is pretty clear and well defined. However there is persistent grain and speckle, and there is a dullness to the palette that had me thinking the show was set in Chicago rather than San Francisco.

Audio

You have a choice of DD 2.0 Surround English, German and French with subtitles in these languages as well as Dutch. The dialogue is clear throughout, and there is a hint of ambience in the surrounds. It`s all unashamedly broadcast quality though.

Features

The disc I received even had an extra little something. There are a couple of other featurettes with the set, but I got to see a 5-minute character profile for Stottlemeyer. The actor who plays him, Ted Levine discusses the character and how he plays him, interrupted by the occasional clip.

Conclusion

Four episodes are barely representative of an entire series, but from what I saw, I`ll definitely be looking forward to another episode of Monk when it airs. Adrian Monk is a wonderful character that is brought to vivid and idiosyncratic life by Tony Shalhoub. His quirks, foibles and phobias must be a gift to an actor, and Shalhoub portrays him with a light touch and sympathetic feel.

Monk is pretty formulaic. Expect to see a murder or two along the way, the police fumble slightly in the investigation, and Monk find the little flaw in the killer`s method that points to the identity of the culprit. What saves the show from repetitive mania is the writing. The surrounding characters are well fleshed out, and the interactions between them make for much of the attraction. The episodes are written with a light touch, and the comedic elements are never far behind. The plots also border on the surreal, designed to emphasise the oddities of characters other than Monk. The introduction of a man with a length of pipe embedded in his skull in The 12th Man is a case in point. The lightness of touch and ephemeral nature of the stories do tempt a dismissal of the show, but then an episode like Three Pies comes up, where we meet Monk`s brother Ambrose played brilliantly by John Turturro. It`s a rather depressing exploration of Monk`s family, and we get to see a reason why he is the way he is. Ambrose`s problem is agoraphobia, he hasn`t been able to leave his house since their father left, and has been patiently collecting mail and newspapers, waiting 30 years for their father`s return. It`s a touching examination of the brothers` relationship, and I`d defy anyone not to be moved by the episode`s conclusion. That is Monk`s greatest strength, in that while the show is built around a character that has psychological problems, and played with a lightness of touch, the show never succumbs to the temptation to belittle the character because of his problems.

Finally on this disc is The TV Star, which allows for plenty of in-jokes as the detective is faced with his television counterpart. Not only is the show`s title a riff on the endless CSI franchises that have opened in the US, but also there is a chance to ridicule the silliness of plot devices like 30-minute DNA tests. There is also another in-joke that will tickle you especially if you have been watching Monk avidly since the beginning of the series.

I found Monk to be a delight. It certainly deserves a prime time slot and I find it odd to see it hidden away on the weekend afternoons. It`s a sort of cross between Columbo and Due South, where the mysteries are almost secondary to the brilliant characters. The discs` quality seems perfunctory, especially the image. But with a smattering of extras, I see no reason why a fan of the show should be disappointed.