"I love this part. He does this Zen Sherlock Holmes thing." - Bitty Schram as Sharona Fleming
Monk: The Premiere Episode DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
One new television trend of the past few years is "repurposing," in which a modestly rated network series (usually hour long dramas since they do not have as big a syndication afterlife as sitcoms) is given an instant rerun on cable. In the summer of 2002, USA Network's surprise hit Monk became one of the few shows to be repurposed TO a major network, in this case ABC. Monk: The Premiere Episode allows those of us who did not catch the series on either network to see what all the fuss was about.
Four years ago, Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) was a normal, well-adjusted detective with the San Francisco Police Department. Keenly observant, he was often called in to solve the department's most difficult cases. That all changed when his beloved wife was killed in a mysterious car bombing. This as yet unsolved case sent Monk into a tailspin, triggering an extraordinarily complex case of obsessive compulsive disorder combined with a multitude of phobias. Where Monk once used his singular focus and intense concentration to solve crimes, he now spends his time counting his toothbrush strokes, placing his socks in individual Ziploc bags for germ-free storage, and tallying up the number of parking meters he passes by on his daily walk.
His deductive reasoning now overpowered by his worries of whether or not the stove in his apartment has been turned off, Monk has been suspended by his boss, Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine). When the city is rocked by the assassination attempt on mayoral candidate Warren St. Claire (Michael Hogan), the current mayor forces Stottlemeyer to bring Monk back to the force to help solve the case and diffuse a potential political powder keg.
With the help of his gum-smacking nurse Sharona (Bitty Schram), Monk attempts to subdue his compulsions long enough to regain his investigative credibility. He'll need all of the help he can get. The list of suspects is a long one, including the candidate's wife Miranda (Gail O'Grady), her lover - and the Senior Vice President of St. Claire's company - Jesse (Vincent Gale), and even the campaign manager Ben (Gavin Lloyd). To complicate matters, Monk's credibility within the department is so low that no one believes his assertions that the assassination attempt is part of a string of recent deaths.
Of course most of this is played for laughs. Monk's obsessions are seemingly a goldmine of humor, especially when combined with the down and dirty nature of police investigation. This episode too often relies on shtick and dumb physical comedy. For example, the scene in which germaphobe Monk enters a kindergarten classroom to observe a photo op featuring Miranda starts out as a funny conceit. Classrooms are notoriously germ-filled environments, and the look of horror on Shalhoub's face when he is surrounded by hacking, wheezing children is priceless. The first half of the scene culminates in his funny reaction to a child who gives new meaning to the term "finger food." After this comedic highpoint, however, the scene devolves into a strained sequence in which Shalhoub attempts to squeeze into a child-sized chair while questioning the candidate's wife. This is a hoary bit of slapstick that even the Three Stooges would not touch, culminating in the chair becoming stuck on Shalhoub when he stands up. How original.
For the most part, though, Shalhoub is engaging. He and Bitty Schram prove to be an excellent team. She infuses Sharona with just the right amount of sass while still showing that she cannot help but like her crazy patient. Having her tag along to help "solve" the cases is also a fun idea. But while Monk: The Premiere Episode is somewhat entertaining, it does not stir up a longing to catch the rest of the series.
The episode is divided into eighteen chapters.
