Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty

Monk's ticks are more infuriating than ever in this episode, usually the writing uses these OCD habits to further the plot but now they're just unnecessary acting tropes.

There are some episodes of monk that are annoying, frustrating, boring or just flat out suck all the way through. This one does all that simultaneously. This episode is another in a recurring framework on this show, of one plot going on that has nothing to do with the title of the episode, and the one involving the main character that far more potential that just ended up being wasted.

The stuff involving the drug lord and his fiancé trying to break him out of the courthouse is bad, forced, unnecessary, and totally pointless and boring as can be.

The fiancé killing one of the jurors on the trial monk is part of leads to the most unfunny jokes that goes on for what feels like a small eternity.

If had to choose the part that makes me hate this episode the most, it's the complete rejection of effort by the writers, producers and the actors. If any of them stopped and thought about how they could make this premise work. We could have had a great episode here.

What do I mean? Monk throughout this serious has been forced out of his comfort zone, and this episode could have been a good example of Monk being taken out of his comfort zone and finding enjoyment in the place he's been put in. Because at the beginning he hates Jury Duty, but once he's on it he suddenly gets engaged because he gets to use his detective skills. If this episode had been done in the same style like 12 Angry Men, it could have been one of the best episodes the show ever did. But instead we get an uninteresting B plot that is very forced and boring and the stuff with Monk and the jury, and people (the actors and characters) are more interesting and engaging and it infuriates me that this episode couldn't do anything creative with that. This could have been a great character development filler for Monk. But it wasn't, just unfunny humor, along with the worst joke of "no I. D. versus. No Idea".

A dangerous South American drug lord is captured by Stottlemeyer and Discher. But the feds drop by after the arrest and claim jurisdiction, setting the appointed date for the transfer to federal custody. The drug lord vows he will escape.

In a separate story, Monk gets called and selected for jury duty in a stabbing case. The judge just thinks all of his weird proclivities are an elaborate attempt to get out of jury service. The case seems straightforward and goes to the jury quickly. On the first ballot there are eleven guilty verdicts and one not-guilty vote - Monk's. He spends all of that day and part of the next convincing the jury of the man's innocence. At the same time, he just looks out the window and sees things that lead him to believe there is a body in the dumpster nearby. He's right.

Do all of these things join forces at any point - the drug dealer, the jury deliberations, and the body in the dumpster? Watch and find out.

It is ridiculous to think that Monk would end up on the jury of any criminal case given his profile as a great detective, but then this is a comedy show with the plot points just held together by a mystery, so just go with it. The real point is that Monk can work with a team - even a team of total strangers - if circumstances force him to do so. He is not a lone wolf by necessity.

I decided to watch this episode because Screenrant said it is one of the best. Who the hell paid them to say that???? Yet another rehash of the already annoying Twelve Angry Men, and this episode adds nothing worthwhile. The setup doesn't suit the show at all. I like seeing Monk out and about, investigating an intriguing murder, not cooped up in a jury room with a bunch of caricatures. His way of solving the crime from his jury chair feels so trite and only makes the police look like idiots instead of making Monk seem brilliant. Monk is annoying and ridiculous the whole time, and he is kept apart from the captain and lieutenant, with whom most of the show's laughs were generated after they made the mistake of dropping Sharona. Avoid this episode!!!

I've really enjoyed watching Monk so far, but if this had been among the first of the series I would've gone no further. First, every show on TV just has to have a 12 Angry Men episode, which has become so overdone that's it's pretty much a cliche now. Normally, Monk does well turning familiar tropes on their heads, but it doesn't work here.

The other thing is how Monk's condition is portrayed. The series always plays his OCD and phobias for laughs, and usually it works because we're always reminded that ultimately what Monk is dealing with every day is no joke and no one is more aware of it than Monk himself. But in this episode, the writers skirt around all this by making it seem like it's all an affectation - something he chooses to get attention. Even Natalie tells the judge that Monk is "persnickety" instead being a real advocate for him.

The bottom line is that this episode is so far from being grounded in any kind of reality that it ends up being more annoying than anything else. There is just no way a man like Monk, with his mental health challenges, his career, and his connections to the people involved in the case would ever be chosen to sit on a jury. I recommend skipping this one and rewatching the finale from season 3 instead.