Reviews & Ratings for
"Monk" Mr. Monk and the Bully (2009)

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Monk confronts his childhood nemesis, 15 April 2011

Author: dmcreif from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Would you feel uneasy about meeting a childhood bully you haven't seen in 35 years? Then you know that that's how Monk feels about speaking to Roderick Brody, whom gave Monk "swirlies" every day for several years in school.

And why has Roderick contacted Monk? He thinks his wife Marilyn might be stepping out on him, and he'd like to be reassured that he wasn't imagining things.

Monk is too eager to get revenge on Roderick, and he offers to take the matrimonial case. When the person Monk has seen with "Marilyn" is murdered, Monk is too eager to accuse Roderick of the crime, and Marilyn seems to confirm that story. But when Monk quickly finds several holes in Marilyn's story of the events of the night of the murder, he quickly figures that there is a murder plot in the making.

Cons:

1. No offense, but I would have been okay if they'd shown the murder taking place.

2. I think Monk's desire to exact revenge on Roderick could have been toned down a little bit.

Pros:

The episode has a nice amount of humor, and although the mystery is a little bit corny, at least the good work of the actors makes up for it. I do believe that Tony Shalhoub and Traylor Howard have very excellent performances in this episode. It is nice to have an episode where Natalie gets her share of screen time, especially as she didn't get much in the previous two episodes, "Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs."

Like I just said, the humor also makes up for it and my favorite moments show just that:

1. Monk puts his bare hand on a hot oven tray while having a flashback to middle school. He lifts the tray and says that his hand hurts!

2. Monk tries to get Dr. Bell to sign a note, without success. Then he tries to wrestle the note back from him after assuring Dr. Bell that he's not going to commit forgery.

3. Monk and Natalie walk into a bar while tracking down Roderick's wife. To get information, Monk attempts to ask a bartender, and then resorts to bribing him with a $1 bill, saying that perhaps General Washington can refresh the man's memory. When this doesn't work, Monk puts a dime on top of the bill and says that maybe there are "two General Washingtons".

4. Monk takes out his old film camera, and comments that it was a gift from his Nana. Natalie asks him if it was from Thomas Edison (referring to the fact that camera is so old). Monk takes a picture with a blinding flash, and then Natalie tricks a businessman into taking a picture of their target (the guy comments that he's got the same one, a "gift from his Nana").

5. Monk expresses his continuing urge to follow Marilyn as being "pro bono comeuppance," and Natalie berating him for this.

6. Monk makes an attempt to do a cartwheel, but he can't bring himself to do it, as he feels remorse for the arrested Roderick. Then he decides to try to do it again, then decides against it, calling himself a ghoul. When he can't decide, he tries to get Natalie to do one for him.

7. Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Disher stop Marilyn's identical twin from drowning her. To try and tell them apart, Randy tries to get Marilyn to say "aunt," but Stottlemeyer suggests that they arrest the twin that wasn't drowning.

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