Monk The Obsessive Compulsive Collection

 

 

Create your own review

I watched the Season 1-4 'Obsessive Compulsive' collection like a true trooper with OCD, ...non-stop. While the show is not about finite articulation of crimes or crime scenes like a CSI type show, it does provide a refreshing look at detective work via Tony Shalhoub as Monk, the OCD Detective, or as some call him on the show the 'Defective Detective' Even though my own version of OCD , with respect to continuity particularly involving his germaphobia in many episodes where if Monk was truly as phobia stricken as the writers portray, he would not do certain things in certain episodes. Or, the writers knowing this, could have explained it better why in some instances Monk seemingly 'forgot' his phobia about germs and nature in contradiction to things he said himself in previous episodes. ( ex; rolling around the grass with the child, after declaring several times, 'nature is dirty, animals do terrible things on grass' etc etc. )
With that said, who cares?, the show is fun, LOL funny at times, and a fresh idea in an arena of re-do's and work -overs. If I was forced to make a comparison, I might venture "Columbo becomes obsessed with clean " This purchase was one of the best I have ever made! Favourite episodes, way too many to count, take a chance and buy this set, you will definitely not be sorry.
Wants: ( without giving anything away) More evolution in the 'Trudy' case solving, then of course, ( even though I'm contrary to OLS ( Obligatory Love Scenes) a long term new love interest for Monk, his character is so sweet intrinsically, thanks to the writers, you just can't help but want him and his brother to succeed! Oh yes, more of the brother would be great, along with more flashbacks from their childhood, especially the parents.
Buy this, it's a little gem! Unfortunately in a world where Thursday night ratings are all that matter, this is probably lost for most of the general public who probably and most likely, if they took a minute and thought about it, are tired of the same old same old re-hashes in TV land.

Sherlock Holmes, Columbo, Hercule Poirot -- genius detectives are usually a bit quirky. But no other is as quirky as Adrian Monk, the obsessive-compulsive detective.

"Monk: The Obsessive Compulsive Collection" compiles the first four seasons of this funny, likable little mystery series. Tony Shalhoub shines as everyone's favorite obsessive-compulsive detective, solving the case with his gift/curse and his willingness to go anywhere... that doesn't have germs.

Adrian Monk's wife Trudy was killed in a car-bombing, and the devastated detective fell apart completely. Years later, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is partially recovered, but he still is obsessive-compulsive and has dozens of phobias. The only way he manages is with his assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) -- and later her successor Natalie (Traylor Howard) -- babysitting him.

When a politician is nearly killed in a mystery shooting, the police are baffled. So Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) reluctantly calls in his old pal to solve the case. From then on, Monk is called in for dozens of bizarre, baffling cases. His excellent memory and his OCD ("It's a gift.... and a curse") allow him to see patterns and details where other people see nothing.

Among Monk's cases are going undercover at a prison, a killer dentist, a deadly Christmas gift, an elephant used as a lethal weapon, a billionaire mugger, saving Willie Nelson from a murder rap, trapping a black widow, the death of a 115-year-old man, the Mafia, martial-artists, murdered models, and a guy who leaped out of a plane -- and died by drowning.

But as quirky and bizarre as the cases is, it never stops hitting the heartstrings. Monk is still passionately devoted to his dead wife; in the whole series, he goes on two dates (both disastrous). He also becomes attached to a little boy and even tries to adopt him, and it's a credit to this show's writers that the ending of that episode isn't maudlin or sappy.

"Monk" is the sort of show that usually gets cancelled after five episodes -- it's well-written, amusing, and smart. So by TV standards, lasting four seasons is nothing short of miraculous. Like any long-running show it has its duds ("Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine" always makes me cringe), but the overall series shows no signs of decline in all four seasons.

There are gunfights and SWAT teams, like on any cop show, but the main focus here is on detecting. And the writers are skilled at coming up with all sorts of bizarre or unsolvable crimes, which only Monk could unravel. Not to mention the dialogue, which leans heavily on dry humour ("There's an old saying: 'Don't change anything, ever." "That's an old saying?" "I've been saying it for years...")

But the series wouldn't be what it is without Tony Shalhoub. He played weird roles in movies like MIB and "Galaxy Quest," and so he knows how to balance out Monk's weirdness and genius without leaning too heavily on either. When told to sit on the ground, he says nervously, "I can't. Animals do things on the ground. Terrible, terrible things."

Schram and Howard are both good as his assistants, and they're similar without being TOO alike -- one was a hardened New York gal, and the other is a rebel rich girl with a checkered employment past. And Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford round off the cast as genial cop Stottlemeyer and his earnest (if slightly goofy) sidekick Disher.

"Monk: The Obsessive-Compulsive Collection" shows us all of this excellent show (so far), with its uniquely appealing hero. It's a gift... and a curse.

One of my girlfriends used to talk to me about Monk all the time, which is why I bought this item, although I had never watched an episode. I found it engrossing. After a while, it is hard not to think like Monk. The only thing I would say is that the change in character at the beginning of one of the seasons was unexpected and abrupt, so I was left feeling a little disappointed that no further explanation was given.

It is a well written, well acted show.

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 4 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

 

5.0 out of 5 stars best tv series
It was a real pleasure watching the first four seasons of Monk. It has enough humour to keep it from getting too serious.

Published on Jan 29 2010 by Andry Isaksen

Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

› See all 4 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Search Listmania!