Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion
- Episode aired Aug 11, 2006
- TV-PG
- 42m
Monk and Natalie go to Berkeley for Monk's 25th college reunion, but are sidetracked when Stottlemeyer shows up asking for their help on the recent homicide of a retired clinic nurse.Monk and Natalie go to Berkeley for Monk's 25th college reunion, but are sidetracked when Stottlemeyer shows up asking for their help on the recent homicide of a retired clinic nurse.Monk and Natalie go to Berkeley for Monk's 25th college reunion, but are sidetracked when Stottlemeyer shows up asking for their help on the recent homicide of a retired clinic nurse.
- Kyle Brooks
- (as Brian Mcnamara)
- Todd
- (as Reginald Veljohnson)
- Simon
- (as Charles Chun)
- Uniform Cop
- (as Cutter Mitchell Garcia)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMonk doesn't say his standard phrase "Here's what happened", to explain the sequence of events surrounding a murder. Instead, he tells Natalie, "OK I have a theory. It's completely crazy, but it would explain everything".
- GoofsWhen Monk, Natalie, Randy and the Captain leave the dance to look for Diane, Natalie is wearing strappy sandals. When they get into the courtyard a few moments later, she is wearing regular pumps.
- Quotes
Lt. Randall Disher: Captain. I uh, tracked down Kalimarakis. I don't think he's our guy. Number One: it turns out he was allowed to join the Olympic swim team as an alternate. He got a waiver.
Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: So there's no motive.
Lt. Randall Disher: Right, Number Two: he's dead. He died in 1995, and Number Three: He moved to Europe in the late 80s, so there's no record of him ever returning to the United States...
[Stottlemeyer interrupts]
Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: Randy? Randy? Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt you, but could you repeat Number Two again?
Lt. Randall Disher: Okey-doke. Uh, he's dead.
Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: Right... See, I probably would have stopped reading after Number Two. In fact I would have read Number Two first.
Lt. Randall Disher: You would have switched them?
Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: Yeah. But that's just me. And probably every other adult on the planet Earth.
"Mr Monk and the Class Reunion" is another Season 5 winner. It's enormously entertaining, affectionately nostalgic and intriguing. It is not quite one of my favourite 'Monk' episodes, but it is a long way from being one of the worst. To me, up to this point in 'Monk' (so from the beginning to this episode) the only average or less episodes were "Mr Monk and the Missing Granny", which went overboard on the ridiculousness, and particularly "Mr Monk and the Big Reward", which didn't feel like 'Monk' at all.
The mystery is not difficult to figure out, if one looks closely and adds things up the murderer is obvious. It was however very cleverly plotted, with an elaborate set-up/plan and a knockout climax that is a big surprise. Disher's increasing stupidity and childishness has quickly gotten annoying over the course of just three episodes, am aware that he was always comic relief and never was the brightest bulb on the block but he wasn't as much an idiot as in this and the previous two episodes. Only when he tells Stottlemeyer the reasons for ruling out a suspect is funny, which is a Season 5 comedic highlight actually if more for Stottlemeyer's reaction.
Shining even more are the character moments, there are many hilarious moments here. Mostly with Monk, but one of the biggest laughs (another Season 5 highlight) comes in the form of Stottlemeyer being exposed for something that goes down like a lead balloon with those present. With Monk, standout moments are with the freezer, the dorm room door, the registration form and in the college cafeteria.
As said many times, 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.
Natalie is down to earth, sympathetic and sassy, also being sensitive to Monk's needs and quirks which Traylor Howard does well bringing out. Jason Gray-Stanford and Ted Levine are good as usual as Disher and Stottlemeyer. The supporting cast are solid, particularly Cynthia Stevenson and Brian McNamara.
It's not just the cast or story 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 wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done, particularly the last one. The quirks are sympathetically done and never exploited or overdone.
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. Oh and a good job is done with the different opening credits sequence to accommodate the changes made.
In summation, great episode on the whole. 9/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 19, 2017
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Filming locations
- Founders Park, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA(touch football game)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime42 minutes
- Color