Highlights include the strong season opener, "Mr. Monk Goes Back to School," starring Andrew McCarthy as a science teacher whom Monk instantly suspects of killing a colleague. (The latter's death was disguised as a suicide.) Monk's investigation leads him to take, with many pitfalls and funny moments, a post at the school as a substitute teacher. But the episode also demonstrates the series' increasing preference for mysteries that concern how a crime was committed rather than who did it. Also good is "Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico," in which Monk finds himself in a panic without bottled water while working alongside two south-of-the-border equivalents (in looks and personality) of Stottlemeyer and Disher. "Mr. Monk Meets the Playboy" stars Gary Cole as a girlie-mag publisher who blackmails the chivalrous Monk by acquiring, and threatening to print, old topless photos of Sharona. One of the season's best shows, "Mr. Monk and the Paperboy," finds the fastidious, orderly detective in a major freakout when his own home becomes a crime scene. Still a comic joy and still stimulating for mystery buffs, Monk: Series Two is highly recommended. Among appealing guest stars are Rachel Dratch, Glenne Headley, Tim Curry, and John Turturro as Monk's Mycroft-like brother. --Tom Keogh
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Monk: Series Two finds the popular cable dramedy all the more satisfying and fun in its second year. Relationships between the series' core characters have (against all odds) actually deepened and sweetened, while the new whodunit storylines challenge obsessive-compulsive investigator hero Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) in fresh and novel ways. There are no big changes, but there is more compassion, even friendship, exchanged between Monk and his former boss, Captain Leland Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine), and grudging admiration for the difficult private sleuth from Stottlemeyer's second-in-command, Lieutenant Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). As for Monk's crucial bond with his long-suffering assistant, Sharona (Bitty Schram), well, nothing comes easier than before. On the other hand, Sharona continues to draw Monk out of his self-obsession by giving him someone to care about.
There is a Monk in everyone!
Review date: 2008-04-01 Rating: 10 out of 10
Monk is the surname of former member of the police force, Adrian Monk. After a bomb assasination against his wife Trudy, he barely goes out of his house for over three years. His colleagues from the police force insistingly employ his superior observing powers when they can not solve a case. Monk can not look after himself as he is morally wounded so a nurse always helps him during daytime. Sharona takes good care of him though Monk does not appreciate her helps accordingly.
I found out the Monk series quite by chance and became an addict instantly. His peculiar behaviours complemented with amusing events weaved together with a murderous atmosphere grips me. His observing qualities remind me of the great Sherlock Holmes.Of course his daily routine is much more amusing and naive.
After watching the Monk I started to rinse my tooth bursh with hot water also!
mr. monk goes back to school: when respected substitute english teacher beth landow falls from the clock tower police suspect it was suicide but the assistant principal suspects murder so he brings monk to investigate and then concludes that the science teacher killed her but he was proctoring an exam when the body was found.
mr. monk goes to mexico: when a friends college-aged son dies mysteriously in mexico doubting the cororners report the mayor doubting that the young man drowned in mid-air sends monk to investigate meanwhile he has his own problems when his luggage is stolen.
mr. monk goes to the ballgame: when a tyrannical CEO and his wife are murdered monk is called into investigate but notes that the husband was shot once and the wife four times meaning she was the primary target and the CEO's last words don't help much either.
mr. monk goes to the circus: when a very-unpopular and sarcastic ringmaster is murdered by an acro-bat wearing a face mask and ninja costume monk suspects is ex-wife who couldn't have done it because she has a broken foot confirmed by x-rays but still remains convinced she did meanwhile sharona tries to get over her fear of elephants but a second murder helps him solve the case.
mr. monk and the very very very old man: when captin Stottlemeyer's wife karen forces him to redecorate his office with the new age artifects given to him, his wife asks hime to watch her documentary about the worlds oldest man but can't bring himself to watch her documentary but his wife thinks her star was murdered and captin Stottlemeyer calls in monk to pacify her but unfortuntaely he agrees with her.
mr monk goes to the theater: when sharona's sister actress is suspected of murdering a male actor on stage with what she insists is a retractable knife and monk must take his place for a couple of days, meanwhile sharona's mother has come for a visit.
mr monk and the sleeping suspect: in a new twist of he or she could possibly have done it leads monk to investigate the murder of a young woman due to a terroists mail bombing but the suspect has been in a coma for 4 years.
mr monk meets the playboy: suspecting that her boss has been murdered after withdrawing his financial booking for a magazine she calls in monk to investigate.
mr monk and the 12th man: faced with a string of nine brutal murders with no MO's and no simalaritys among the victims captin stottlemeyer calls monk into help him investigate but later the body count rises.
mr monk and the paperboy: when adrian monks paperboy is murdered on his front doorstep monk searches the newspaper for clues but when he reads through it again it leads him to solve two unrelated murders including one in france but about a couple of miles away a convenience store clerk is murdered and then the paper gives him the clue he needs.
mr monk and the three pies: when monks older brother ambrose calls him on a life-or-death matter he reluctantly agrees to come and visit his estranged brother who refused to attend trudy's funneral and becomes convinced that his next door neighbour killed his wife.
mr monk and the t.v star: after visiting the set off the hit t.v show crime lab S.F during a celebration of its 100th episode monk becomes convinced that the shows star murdered his ex-wife so he wouldn't have to share his huge cash cheques.
mr monk and the missing granny: a middle-aged law school student who can't afford monks services asks him to help her find her missing grandmother and she will help him get reinstated at the police department.
mr monk and the captins wife: when captin stottlemeyers wife karen is hit by a tow truck and discover the driver was shot with a sniper on her way to a documentary and the captin goes beserk and blames an unofficial union leader and his hired thug and calls in monk to investigate.
mr monk gets married: after lt. disher discovers that his 58 year old grandmother is about to get married to a 37 year old antique dealer and for their honeymoon goes to a marriage clinic and monk and sharona pose as a married couple and join the same clinic and discover that he is after ancient buried gold.
mr monk goes to jail: when captin stottlemeyer asks monk to find out who would murder a death-row inmate 45 minutes before his execution despite monks determination to leave the prison and the prime suspet is an old-nemisis dale the whale beiderwick who the victim owed 1200 dollars to so dale says to monk that if he solves the case he will give him information in trudys murder,