Mr. Monk Bumps His Head

It's like Overboard and Monk had a baby, with Aunt Jackie as Kurt Russell and Monk playing Goldie Hawn. Fun!

One of the funniest of all Monk episodes. Laurie Metcalf's character and her relationship with Monk is hilarious!

'Monk' has always been one of my most watched shows when needing comfort, to relax after a hard day, a good laugh or a way to spend a lazy weekend.

One does have to give "Mr Monk Bumps His Head" credit for being different, when it comes to unique 'Monk' episodes "Mr Monk Bumps His Head" is very high up in the list. It is not one of my favourite episodes of Season 4, it has its faults and doesn't have that special quality to set it apart, and it is not one of my favourite episodes of 'Monk' either. Nonetheless, it is interesting and a worthwhile watch. It does fall downhill somewhat after a very dramatic and shocking opening scene, the first section lags a little and doesn't come to life properly until the mystery kicks in. The ending intrigues but not everything seemed resolved, especially with a clearer explanation as to why Cora pretended to be married to Monk and how the amnesia is dealt with at the end.

Wasn't sure what to make of Cora (although Laurie Metcalf does make a valiant effort with the character). The psychopathic side of the character is chilling, she has some good lines and the interplay between her and Monk is both amusing and creepy, but she was very annoying and somewhat cartoonish at first and her motives and treatment of Monk even for her character were on the extreme side. While Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine and Stanley Kamel do very well with what they have and all of them have good moments to shine, all of them are underused with their characters having little to do.

However, the whole thing with Monk's amnesia is done very well (essential considering that it is what dominates the episode and the most memorable thing about it), seeing a few hilarious moments (especially the scenes with the bees and in the bedroom) typical 'Monk' style and also with one feeling sorry for Monk.

The mystery, once it's introduced, plays second fiddle somewhat to the amnesia but is regardless an interesting and fun mystery that engages the viewer, not one of those easily guessable and obvious ones.

As said many times, one of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching.

It's not just the cast or story though. Another star is the writing, which is also essential to whether the show would be successful or not and succeed it does here. The mix of wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done, particularly the last one. The quirks are sympathetically done and never exploited or overdone.

Visually, the episode is shot in a slick and stylish way, and the music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now. Oh and a good job is done with the different opening credits sequence to accommodate the changes made.

In summation, a different episode and a decent one but not a favourite of mine. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This had to be one of the poorer episodes that I have seen in this series. An attempted extortion scheme from a man ,who claims to have insider knowledge regarding Trudy's death, leads to Monk being assaulted, dumped on the bed of an oil truck and waking up in some really small town in Wyoming, with no memory of how he got there. He falls into the clutches of a woman, who is a certifiable relative to Kathy Bates of "Misery" and is led to believe he has skills , which he obviously doesn't have and tries to do things which he is hopeless in (like climbing a ladder). In the midst of this hallucination, he manages to get involved in a senseless disappearance and does put his skills at detection to work. Improbable and unreal in every respect.

This one is pretty funny. I won't give away any spoilers, but it's great to see Monk out of his environment. Laurie Metcalf is great in this, playing her usual type of character. Without clicking the "spoilers" button for this review, I can't say much else.