Mr. Monk Is Up All Night

Best Episode of "Monk" ever. Very well written, complicated plot line. The story is set in San Francisco in the wee hours and the action takes place in a funky bar, a train station, an alley way, a cab stand, a closed and gated little coin shop,the utility room of a very ordinary little restaurant, in a newspaper delivery truck, and along the dark streets of a city closed up for the night. More plot-driven than the typical "Monk," with less emphasis on the main characters quirks though the quirks exist in relationship to the action. There is a definite film noir feel to it and has the archly drawn characters that the genre is famous for.

'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.

Found "Mr Monk is Up All Night" an exceptional episode. One of the best episodes of Season 6, of the latter seasons and of the show, also the best one in a while. It is a very different 'Monk' episode, being more plot and mystery driven than most 'Monk' episodes lately and focusing less (while still not being devoid of them) on the character moments, the humour and the quirks. It was like it was returning to its original roots while also doing something different. The good news is that the mystery is one of the show's best in a long time, with a film noir feel and instead of being really obvious and taking a back-seat to the character moments, the mystery of the woman and the crime are real brain-teasers with an ending that is wonderfully unexpected.

The characterisation is still great. They did a fine job making us wonder whether Monk's lack of sleep/insomnia was making him see things or whether he was indeed telling the truth and that the criminals were being incredibly clever (the latter is what we expect throughout but are not sure). The four regulars are true to how they were originally written, even Disher is not the stupid, childish idiot he tended to be lately. One may need to suspend disbelief at how Monk keeps missing the mystery woman and Stottlemeyer getting drunk (very out of character), but these things do not bring the episode down in any way.

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.

Jason Gray-Stanford, Ted Levine and Traylor Howard are on typically good form, particularly Levine whose Stottlemeyer plays a large role in the mystery being solved.

Writing is tight and thought-provoking with some knowing humour and poignancy. Monk's situation is done in a sympathetic albeit suspenseful way, and doesn't feel overdone or trivialised.

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. The episode as always look slick and unusually (a good thing) film-noir in style (almost as much as "Mr Monk and the Leper").

In summation, exceptional and one of the best in a while. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Monk is walking down a busy San Francisco street when he encounters a Hispanic woman appearing to be in her mid 40s. There is nothing unusual about her appearance. Suddenly Monk takes off in the crowd, pursuing her. But she is lost to him in the sea of people. Monk suddenly gets insomnia from constantly thinking of this woman. He tells Dr. Kroger he hasn't slept in three days. Kroger asks him if he could somehow be attracted to this woman, and oddly Monk doesn't disagree.

Monk decides to take a walk one night, hoping to get tired enough to finally sleep. While on his walk he sees the same woman he has been obsessing about again. She is a taxi driver. She doesn't hear Monk call out to her and she drives off. He takes chase for awhile, but finally gives up.

When he does give up he finds himself in an alley where three people are emerging from a vehicle and going into the kitchen of a restaurant. His cop instincts take over and he wonders if he is seeing some kind of crime in progress. He peers through the window to the restaurant kitchen and sees an argument take place, one of the men claims to be a cop. One of the other two men shoot him, apparently killing him. Then both of the two men run away. Monk calls the police, but Stottlemeyer and Disher find the restaurant kitchen tidy and in order and there is no body. What goes on here with both of these mysteries? Watch and find out.

This episode of Monk deviates from the normal formula as it mainly takes place on the streets of San Francisco at night. It's mainly Monk chasing down leads or having leads just fall into his lap as he wanders the streets. It's got the style of a film noir from the 40s. And it has an ending that both explains everything and is heartwarming.

Thank you to you all who participated in this masterpiece either by writing, acting, directing, including you guys who set up cables for the lights, or those who prepared snacks for the team to eat, or those who checked the air pressures of the tires of the vehicles that were used in the shots and it doesn't mind if you hadn't checked the air pressures at all. To everyone whoever took part, big or small. Great teamwork. Great output. You made me cry. Thank you all. Thank you.

Following a chance meeting with a woman whom he's certain he has met before, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is unable to sleep. After several slumberless hours, Monk decides to go for a nocturnal walk...only to see the same woman again. Shortly thereafter, Monk witnesses a murder during a botched drug deal, but when he is unable to prove that anything actually went down, it is assumed that he is imagining things because of sleep deprivation. Things get curiouser and curiouser when the so-called murder victim turns up alive. Thus, Monk finds himself in mental overload as he not only tries to solve a murder that may have not been a murder, but also figure out the identity (and significance) of that ubiquitous "mystery woman".