'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.
As said a few times, Season 7 was a very mixed bag up to this point, "Mr Monk and the Genius" being one of its best while also having major disappointments like "Mr Monk Falls in Love" and especially "Mr Monk Takes a Punch". "Mr Monk and the Bully" is certainly much better than those two episodes and is solid enough, if not one of the best of Season 7 like "Mr Monk and the Genius", "Mr Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr Monk Makes the Playoffs". It doesn't have the greatest of mysteries which started off well but thinned out once the viewer immediately knew what was going on (due to a blatant giveaway when Natalie's name is forgettable) and found it very easy to solve well before Monk does.
To me also the climax did lack tension. The outcome was just too easy, one doesn't get the sense that the victim was properly struggling (even in the state they were in) and not wearing flat shoes in a health-and-safety-rife scene was a no-no. It was livened up however by the amusing dialogue from Disher and particularly Stottlemeyer regarding the arrest.
However, the character interaction was great. Have always loved Monk and Natalie together and there are a lot of fun moments like with the oven, the bartender, the camera and the cartwheel. Disher and Stottlemeyer are fun too. Could totally understand how Monk behaved with Roderick, some may find it extreme but anybody mercilessly bullied in school (like me) who has been damaged by it, like with low self-esteem, and has not found it easy to forgive will completely relate to how Monk feels and think it justified.
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.
Traylor Howard is down-to-earth and sympathetic, Jason Gray-Stanford is amusing even when a goofball and Ted Levine plays the loyal but frustrated boss character with his usual adept comedic chops.
Julie Bowen and Noel Emmerich are excellent in support, Bowen's role is not an easy one for obvious reasons and she handles it with ease.
Visually, the episode is slick and stylish as ever. 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.
Altogether, solid episode even though the mystery aspects are a little lacking. 8/10 Bethany Cox