TV Show Review: Monk - Season 4

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Well acted with great stories

Cons: "Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist," nothing new on wife's murder

The Bottom Line:

Funny mysteries

With some very wild murders

You'll enjoy this set

Fear Not.  There's More Fun with Season Four

Everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive, phobic detective is back! Police consultant Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) once worked for the San Francisco police department, but had to leave when his fears became too much as his wife was murdered. He still consults with them on occasion and with Season 4 he has sixteen more cases to solve. They're sure to leave him terrified and us helpless with laughter.

In this batch of episodes, Monk is faced with a brand new set of puzzles. Who shot the pizza delivery guy? Why did a masked man break a stock analyst's right hand? Did Monk's late wife fake her death? Who tried to run over Lieutenant Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford)? And how could an astronaut commit murder when he was in space? While working on answering these puzzles, he must face the challenge of dealing with the dentist, the flu, a cubical, a hangover, and amnesia.

Once again, the plots here are a little on the thin side. Heck, Monk usually tells us 15 minutes into the show who done it. The problem is figuring out how the person did it. I usually can't put all the pieces together until Monk explains it at the end, and then I feel foolish for missing it.

Of course, the heart of the show is the humor. The writers go out of their way to put Monk into situation that make him uncomfortable to show him over reacting to things. Yet they keep him human, making us care for him. This is best shown in "Mr. Monk and the Astronaut." In one scene, we're laughing at his reaction to the laser pointers, the next we're feeling sorry for him as the suspect in the case belittles him. Yet by the end we're proud as always of the way Monk overcomes his fears to save the day. Overall, this keeps Monk human.

Of course, the show works because the acting is so good. The actors take the material and make it shine. The cast is lead by Tony Shalhoub who brings Monk to life expertly. He was just nominated again for an Emmy award, an honor he truly deserves. This is the first full season with Traylor Howard as Monk's new assistant Natalie. I may be in the minority, but she continues to grow on me each time I see her. There is an innocence and sweetness in her character that compliments Monk so well. Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford as Captain Stottlemeyer and Lt. Disher continue their great work as the police who constantly have to call on Monk to solve their hardest cases.

Unfortunately, this season does have a couple of negatives. While Monk's wife's murder is mentioned a few times, that storyline doesn't really advance. I like the few clues we were given each season in the past. It is never much, but here it was missing entirely. And this season has the single worst episode of the show yet. "Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist" misses the comedy mark and becomes really dark really fast. While I liked the fact they made Lt. Disher smart for a change, the rest of the episode just didn't work for me.

Those who have been buying the previous seasons know what to expect here. All sixteen episodes are presented in widescreen and Dolby sound on four discs. The set is light on extras, this time giving us only two both on the last disc. The first is a fifteen-minute look at the process the writing staff goes through to create an episode, looking specifically at "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward." Despite what the box says, the actual second bonus feature is a brief profile of Jon Perkins, the detective who consults on the show to help add a bit of realism to it.

On the whole, Season 4 is another fine season of a great dramedy. This is the perfect way to preserve the show to watch over and over again.

Season 4 Episodes:

1. Mr. Monk and the Other Detective

2. Mr. Monk Goes Home Again

3. Mr. Monk Stays in Bed

4. Mr. Monk Goes to the Office

5. Mr. Monk Gets Drunk

6. Mr. and Mrs. Monk

7. Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding

8. Mr. Monk and Little Monk

9. Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa

10. Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show

11. Mr. Monk Bumps His Head

12. Mr. Monk and the Captain's Marriage

13. Mr. Monk and the Big Reward

14. Mr. Monk and the Astronaut

15. Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty

16. Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist