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Jan. 1st, 2005 08:53 pmMan, is that show Monk ever a wasted opportunity. Seems like such a good premise, until you actually watch an episode. A detective with OCD! It's funny because it's a detail-oriented job! But it's also funny because he despises disorder and crime scenes are full of it!
The way he's treated by the script feels exploitative. He gets set up for gag after gag, and we never learn anything useful about him or his OCD. Admittedly, I only sat through three (now five) episodes (there's a marathon on), but he's constantly comic relief, with little depth. The only reason the character's not an utter bumbling Essrog is that he's preternaturally good at what he does (and, we have to take the script's word for that; I never saw him display any really startling Holmesy leaps of logic). But that doesn't stop Assistant's kid from mixing up two sets of puzzle pieces and pouring them out in front of Monk, knowing that he has to sort them. It's not like amusing a cat, it's a compulsion, for Shatner's sweet sake. Utter lack of acknowledgement that Mental Disorders Aren't That Funny.
Also: Really weak plots. Poor revelations. Stuck with only half an hour, they can't develop anything like a Columbo plot, with at least SOME twists and red herrings. Hokey poorly developed subplots. In the episode I just watched, the audience knows who the murderer is very quickly, and the characters suspect as well, but take the rest of the episode not gathering evidence, but MAKING UP PLAUSIBLE CONJECTURES. The final plausible conjecture is so compelling that Monk has the culprit's tires shot out to prevent her escaping. This is so unlawful, it's hilarious. If you're that unconcerned about making sure that you're doing things according to the law, why not just arrest the killer right off the bat? It seems on the surface to be following Mystery Show Rules, but it's actually just a bunch of stuff slapped together. Especially sad because there is the odd good bit.
The way he's treated by the script feels exploitative. He gets set up for gag after gag, and we never learn anything useful about him or his OCD. Admittedly, I only sat through three (now five) episodes (there's a marathon on), but he's constantly comic relief, with little depth. The only reason the character's not an utter bumbling Essrog is that he's preternaturally good at what he does (and, we have to take the script's word for that; I never saw him display any really startling Holmesy leaps of logic). But that doesn't stop Assistant's kid from mixing up two sets of puzzle pieces and pouring them out in front of Monk, knowing that he has to sort them. It's not like amusing a cat, it's a compulsion, for Shatner's sweet sake. Utter lack of acknowledgement that Mental Disorders Aren't That Funny.
Also: Really weak plots. Poor revelations. Stuck with only half an hour, they can't develop anything like a Columbo plot, with at least SOME twists and red herrings. Hokey poorly developed subplots. In the episode I just watched, the audience knows who the murderer is very quickly, and the characters suspect as well, but take the rest of the episode not gathering evidence, but MAKING UP PLAUSIBLE CONJECTURES. The final plausible conjecture is so compelling that Monk has the culprit's tires shot out to prevent her escaping. This is so unlawful, it's hilarious. If you're that unconcerned about making sure that you're doing things according to the law, why not just arrest the killer right off the bat? It seems on the surface to be following Mystery Show Rules, but it's actually just a bunch of stuff slapped together. Especially sad because there is the odd good bit.
