'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.
After a very good Season 1, where the weakest episode "Mr Monk and the Earthquake" was still above decent, Season 2 gets off to a great start with "Mr Monk Goes Back to School", one of the season's best episodes. "Mr Monk Goes to Mexico" is not quite as good as the previous episode but is still a very good one, as well as an interesting change of pace (one of the show's most unique certainly) with reversals and mirroring on previous more standard (not a criticism by the way) episodes.
Occasionally the pacing could have been sharper, while the murderer's murder attempts seemed inconsistent and incompetent and Monk not adjusting the picture seemed out of character and less desperate, knowing him that would have been something that he would do.
There are so many great things with "Mr Monk Goes to Mexico". 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 is remarkable here that right from the first episode to when the show ended that one likes him straight away, even with his quirks and deficiencies that could easily have been overplayed, and also that he is better developed than most titular characters of other shows at this particular stage. Who can't help love Monk's brilliant mind too?
He is very well supported by a sharp and no-nonsense but also sympathetic Bitty Schram, whose Sharona makes for a worthy and entertaining partner for Monk's sleuthing and somebody with a maternal side. There is always a debate at who's better between Sharona and Natalie, personally like both in their own way and consider them both attractive though as of now leaning towards Natalie as the better acted and more attentive of the two. The two are so enjoyable together and the best detective duo of any show in recent years from personal opinion.
Jason Gray-Stanford and particularly Ted Levine are amusing support. They are underused here, but their mirror image detectives Alameda and Plato in Mexico were more than worthy, with Plato suitably suave and Alameda more forthright and with an even more complex relationship with Monk.
It's not just the cast 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 hilarious wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done but extremely deft, of which some of the funniest writing of the whole show is in this episode. The character moments are such a joy with the principal cast are always.
Monk's phobias are great touches, as are the focus on minor characters (such as the hilarious hotel owner), the subtle clue on measurement conversions and the characters of Plato and Alameda. The best one was Stottlemeyer's grief over Monk, which saw evidence of his seesaw feelings towards Monk, broken by things being not what they seem.
The mystery is very interesting, with lots of surprises that keep coming, things personally much more noticeable and appreciated than on previous viewings.
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.
All in all, very good and interesting change of pace. 8/10 Bethany Cox
After a very good Season 1, where the weakest episode "Mr Monk and the Earthquake" was still above decent, Season 2 gets off to a great start with "Mr Monk Goes Back to School", one of the season's best episodes. "Mr Monk Goes to Mexico" is not quite as good as the previous episode but is still a very good one, as well as an interesting change of pace (one of the show's most unique certainly) with reversals and mirroring on previous more standard (not a criticism by the way) episodes.
Occasionally the pacing could have been sharper, while the murderer's murder attempts seemed inconsistent and incompetent and Monk not adjusting the picture seemed out of character and less desperate, knowing him that would have been something that he would do.
There are so many great things with "Mr Monk Goes to Mexico". 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 is remarkable here that right from the first episode to when the show ended that one likes him straight away, even with his quirks and deficiencies that could easily have been overplayed, and also that he is better developed than most titular characters of other shows at this particular stage. Who can't help love Monk's brilliant mind too?
He is very well supported by a sharp and no-nonsense but also sympathetic Bitty Schram, whose Sharona makes for a worthy and entertaining partner for Monk's sleuthing and somebody with a maternal side. There is always a debate at who's better between Sharona and Natalie, personally like both in their own way and consider them both attractive though as of now leaning towards Natalie as the better acted and more attentive of the two. The two are so enjoyable together and the best detective duo of any show in recent years from personal opinion.
Jason Gray-Stanford and particularly Ted Levine are amusing support. They are underused here, but their mirror image detectives Alameda and Plato in Mexico were more than worthy, with Plato suitably suave and Alameda more forthright and with an even more complex relationship with Monk.
It's not just the cast 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 hilarious wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done but extremely deft, of which some of the funniest writing of the whole show is in this episode. The character moments are such a joy with the principal cast are always.
Monk's phobias are great touches, as are the focus on minor characters (such as the hilarious hotel owner), the subtle clue on measurement conversions and the characters of Plato and Alameda. The best one was Stottlemeyer's grief over Monk, which saw evidence of his seesaw feelings towards Monk, broken by things being not what they seem.
The mystery is very interesting, with lots of surprises that keep coming, things personally much more noticeable and appreciated than on previous viewings.
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.
All in all, very good and interesting change of pace. 8/10 Bethany Cox
