claudio_carvalho Reviews

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Sleeping Suspect (2003) Season 2, Episode 7

The Mailbombs and the Suspect in Coma

[8/10 · 1 May 2024]

Four months ago, Stottlemeyer and Randy are ready to arrest Brian Babbage, but he flees and is hit by a truck, staying in coma for four months. When his sister Amanda Babbage, who has just moved to another house, receives a mailbomb and dies, her brother Ricky becomes the prime suspect to ATF Agent Grooms since Brian is in coma. However, Monk insists that Brian is the suspect since the police do not have how it was made. Grooms is inclined to incriminate Ricky, but Monk is sure that the guilty is Brian. Meanwhile, Trevor Howe returns to Sharona and Benjy, but Monk is not sure that he is sincere.

"Mr. Monk and the Sleeping Suspect" is a great episode of "Monk" with the story of mailbombs where the police is lost of who the sender is. Monk is sure that a man in coma is the responsible, but cannot explain how he sends the packages, The crimes are very well resolved by Monk in the end. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e o Suspeito em Coma" ("Monk and the Suspect in Coma")

Millennium: The Pilot (1996) Season 1, Episode 1

The Frenchman Killer

[8/10 · 1 May 2024]

In Seattle, a peep show stripper is found murdered by the police. Meanwhile, the former FBI agent, Frank Black (Lance Henriksen), returns to his hometown Seattle with his wife Catherine Black (Megan Gallagher) and their daughter Jordan Black (Brittany Tiplady) to leave a peaceful life in town. However, when Frank reads the murder of the stripper in the news, he visits his friend Bob 'Bletch' Bletcher (Bill Smitrovich Lt.) from the Seattle P. D. to see her body. Frank, who belongs to the Millennium Group, has the weird power to be in the mind of the killer and sees how the girl was murdered. When a gay male hooker is found completely burned, Frank concludes that the serial-killer is following Nostradamus and will not stop his crime spree.

"The Pilot" is a great episode of "Millennium", where the consultant of the Millennium Group is presented. His powers are interesting since he can see the thoughts of the killer. This first episode seems to be a good introduction to the proposal of the "Millennium" series. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "The Pilot"

Carried Away (1996)

Midlife Crisis

[7/10 · 1 May 2024]

In the countryside of Texas, Joseph Svenden (Dennis Hopper) is a forty-seven-year-old schoolteacher with one lamed leg since he had an accident when he was a teenager, who lives in a farm with his mother that is terminal of cancer. Joey has been dating the widow schoolteacher Rosealee Henson (Amy Irving) for six years but does not marry her. His life is a boring routine, and he has never seen the ocean. When the hot seventeen-year-old Catherine Wheeler (Amy Locane) joins his class, her father Major Wheeler (Gary Busey) visits Joey and rents his barn to keep Catherine's horse there. Soon Catherine seduces Joey, and they have frequent sex in the barn. Joey knows that he is wrong but cannot resist the sex with Catherine. When Joey is fired from the school that is moving to another place and his mother dies, Rosealee learns his affair with the teenager and his life turns upside down.

"Carried Away" is a great and erotic romance directed by Bruno Barreto, about a middle-aged man that has a romance with a seventeen-year-old teenager. The midlife crisis of the lead character, Joseph Svenden, is very well explained by the script. First, it is hard to resist the beautiful body of the Lolita Amy Locane, no matter who you are. His affair makes him think about his boring and routine life in the countryside. The nude is not vulgar, but beautiful, and the sex scene between Amy Irving, who was Bruno Barreto's wife in 1996, and Dennis Hopper, is delicate. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Atos de Amor" ("Love Acts")

Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater (2003) Season 2, Episode 6

Silly Episode, Awful Title Song

[7/10 · 30 April 2024]

Monk and Sharona go to the theater together to see the performance of Sharona's sister Gail. During the show, Gail stabs she fellow actor Hal Duncan with a real knife, instead of the retractable one, and kills him in front of three hundred people. However, Gail claims that she used the retractable knife. Meanwhile, Sharona's mother Cheryl Fleming arrives in San Francisco to stay with Sharona, and Monk promises to investigate the case with Sharona. Soon they suspect of Gail's understudy Jenna Ryan, and Monk investigates her at a speed dating service. But she has a solid alibi and now is the star of the play. When Monk is invited to be Hal's replacement for two shows, he finds what happened in the tragic night.

"Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater" is a silly episode of this series. The awful title song is a terrible beginning for this season, and this episode is more comedy than a crime. How is possible that a retractable knife is fixed in the chest of the actor in a live show in one important question. Monk's stupidities are excessive and are becoming boring, instead of funny. Despite the murders, it is necessary to see this series as a comedy. Looking forward to seeing if this series improves. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Monk Vai ao Teatro" ("Mr. Monk Goes to the Theater")

Invasion: The Last Wave Goodbye (2006) Season 1, Episode 22

Lack of Respect from the Producers to the Audiences

[5/10 · 29 April 2024]

The hybrid soldiers are pushing the residents of Homestead from the harbor to the water and Dave calls the Air Force. Tom and Russell try to stop the hybrid while Szura flees with the hybrids, Mariel and four pregnant women. Tom and Russell hunt him down and they find Szura in a hideout that Tom knew. There is a showdown between Tom and Szura. Russell helps Mariel to bring the pregnant women to the water. Meanwhile, Brett and a partner go to Underlay's home to kill Tom. They capture Larkin, Jess, Kira and Rose while waiting for Tom. When he arrives, a tragedy occurs.

"The Last Wave Goodbye" is the last episode of the First Season of "Invasion" and consequently from the whole series since the Second Season was never made. The plot ends in a cliffhanger where the viewer does not know the fate of Larkin. There are also several unanswered question about the fate of Homestead or other important characters. This series is too weak, I agree, but if the producers should have ended with another episode or a movie. Leaving the way they did, shows a great disrespect towards the viewers. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "O Último Adeus" ("The Last Wave Goodbye")

Invasion: Round Up (2006) Season 1, Episode 21

The Shelter

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

Russell and Tom returns to Homestead, while Mariel, Larkin, Jess, Kira and Rose are fleeing to the north. Out of the blue, a tree falls on the road and they are trapped since the tree is heavy. A truck from the National Guard appears and the soldiers offer a ride to them. But Mariel feels that they are hybrids, and they are captives instead. Two hybrid deputies force him to go with them to Russell's home since they are hunting down Sheriff Underlay for killing Deputy Munger. They capture Dave but Lewis helps him to subdue the hybrid deputies.

"Round Up" is one of the best episodes of "Invasion", where finally there are action and tense scenes. Sheriff Underlay and Russell finally discover where the insane Szura is and are the last chance for the residents of Homestead to be saved. Dave is another character that has grown along the story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil": "Reunião" ("Meeting")

Invasion: Run and Gun (2006) Season 1, Episode 20

The Hurricane Miranda and Szura Are Coming

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

Russell tries to warn the major about the hurricane that is coming with Tom supporting him. Russell finds the hybrids submerged into the water, and when he returns with Tom, there are only their clothes. Tom finds Deputy Munger with Kira and after questioning him, he kills the hybrid smashing his head with his police car hitting a truck.

"Run and Gun" is a good episode of "Invasion", where Sheriff Underlay cannot trust his deputies but Lewis since some of them released Szura from his cell. Russel discovers that Frank Vargas is corrupt and is working with Szura. The fate of Deputy Munger is one of the best scenes of this show. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Fuga" ("The Getaway")

Invasion: The Son Also Rises (2006) Season 1, Episode 19

Human Reaction

[7/10 · 29 April 2024]

Russell is looking for Szura and his hybrids, and is suspended by his boss, who seems to be friend of Szura. Tom and Lewis go to the island to look for Szura and find an abandoned place. There is a lot of tension at school between the human and hybrid students He teams up with his mate Brett and other human guys to capture Sheriff Underlay and discover what is happening. But the guy almost kills Deputy Lewis Sirk instead, and Jess protects him. Tom and Russell go to the town and see the hybrids storing water, batteries and emergency supplies since they can feel that the Hurricane Miranda is coming to Homestead.

"The Son Also Rises" introduces modifications in the behavior of Tom and Jess. Tom seems to be honest with Russell now and it seems that they will team-up in the next episodes. Jess becomes a rebel, but his wrong attitude almost kill Deputy Lewis Sirk. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Revolta do Filho" ("The Son's Rebellion")

Invasion: Re-Evolution (2006) Season 1, Episode 18

The New Evolution

[7/10 · 28 April 2024]

Russell is decided to arrest (or kill) Szura and explores the island with Dave to capture him. They find Father Jeffrey Scanlon and he helps them, showing Szura's tent where they find a book written by him about a new evolution. Meanwhile, Larkin hits a military on the road and brings him home to treat his leg. Sheriff Underlay arrives at her house with two soldiers and arrest the man. When Larkin tells him what the soldier told her, he heads to the military base to see Colonel Sabrina Lopez and he learns that the hybrids are being subject to experiments. Jess does not recognize Marion as his mother anymore and is training shooting using his family's photos.

"Re-Evolution" is an episode where Szura's intentions are disclosed. Tom's make a discovery that the military are aware of the hybrids. And Jess is totally rejecting his mother. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Re-evolução" ("Re-Evolution")

Code 8: Part II (2024)

Unpleasant Characters, Stupid Dialogs

[5/10 · 28 April 2024]

In Lincoln City, after serving five years in prison, Connor (Robbie Amell) is released and refuses any help from Garrett (Stephen Amell). He works as janitor of a community center under the administration of Mina (Jean Yoon). Meanwhile, the corrupt but popular Sergeant 'King' Kingston (Alex Mallari Jr.) explains to the residents of a poor area that the guardians have been replaced by non-lethal dog robots. Garrett controls the apartment complex called Towers paying bribe to Kingston. When his courier Tarak (Sammy Azero) decides to rob the bag with bribe money, he is caught by a K9 dog that injects Spyke in him and killing him with an overdose. However, his sister Pavani "Pav" (Sirena Gulamgaus) witnesses his murder by the dog that is destroyed by her. She hides at the community center and Connor finds her. Mina asks Connor to protect Pav, while King and his corrupt cops hunt her down. Connor is forced to ask for help to Garrett.

"Code 8: Part II" is a disappointing sequel of the part I. In this sequel, the characters are unpleasant, and it is hard to understand, for example, Connor that asks Garret for help and treats him so badly. Or Pav, who is an unbearable character with her statements, telling Connor that she will not run away anymore. Why would Mina sacrifice her life to help such girl? Why Connor risks his freedom to risk this girl? If she knew her, or if the girl was nice, it would be easier to buy the idea. But she is an obnoxious character! My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Code 8: Renegados - Parte II" (Code 8: Renegades - Part II")

Monk: Mr. Monk and the Very, Very Old Man (2003) Season 2, Episode 5

The Oldest Man in the World

[8/10 · 27 April 2024]

On the eve of his birthday, the oldest man in the world, Hiram Hollings, is found dead on his bed. Stottlemeyer's wife, Karen, is a documentary filmmaker that made a film about Hollings and asks her husband to investigate the case since she believes he was murdered. Stottlemeyer calls Monk to help him, and they go to the crime scene, where Monk finds evidence that Hollings was murdered. Meanwhile, Stottlemeyer and Karen have an argument and Stottlemeyer moves to Monk's home to stay with him, but their relationship is problematic. However, they proceed investigating the case.

"Mr. Monk and the Very, Very Old Man" is another funny episode of "Monk", where the viewers are introduced to Stottlemeyer's wife, Karen. Monk's phobias are very funny and poor Stottlemeyer' living with that. The reason why Monk keeps the table in an inclined position is explained in the very end of the show. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Monk e o Homem Mais Velho do Mundo" ("Monk and the Oldest Man in the World")

Invasion: The Key (2006) Season 1, Episode 17

Return to School, Coteries, Offsprings and The Island

[6/10 · 27 April 2024]

Christina is waiting for Mariel in the parking lot and uses a gun to force her to exam her pregnancy. Mariel goes with Christina to the examination room and succeeds to send a message to Tom. Christina's ultrasound shows that she is breeding about six offsprings before Tom captures Christina. Russell learns that Tom knows Szura. Dave finds a key in Healy's belongings and Russell identifies as a boat key. They find maps inside the boat of an island, and they travel to the spot. Jess returns to the school and find that many schoolmates are different with weird behavior.

"The Key" shows how dangerous Healy is. The discovery of Mariel makes her give up having a baby with Tom. Jess sees his schoolmates with strange behaviors and coteries. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Ilha" ("The Island")

Invasion: The Fittest (2006) Season 1, Episode 16

Armed and Dangerous

[6/10 · 27 April 2024]

Mona is attacked and wounded by Christina and Derek in her post, and the couple rob a boat and medical and food supplies. She contacts Russell that treats her and teams up with Tom to chase the couple. Christina and Derek's boat runs out of gas, and they are forced to disembark on the margin of the bay and walk to Derek's cabin. Russell and Tom find the abandoned boat and tracks them in the margin of the bay. They stumble upon a group of migrant workers that have been cast out by their team that has a weird behavior. Kira is recovering and has not turned into a hybrid since she has a heart problem. Mariel tells Jess and Rose what happened to her during the Hurricane Eve. Larkin calls her friend from the base to know what happened with Paxton.

"The Fittest" is another strange episode of "Invasion". Russell learns that Tom has other secrets. How the death of a deputy with family will be covered by Sheriff Underlay? Jess is having difficulties to relate with his mother and Larkin is snooping again the military people. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil: "Os Mais Adaptados" ("The Fittest")

Invasion: The Nest (2006) Season 1, Episode 15

The Ovary

[7/10 · 26 April 2024]

The naive Kira meets Derek and Christina that have fled from the island in Florida by the water. Christina convinces Kira to go to an expensive store, where Derek and she shoplift clothes. Then they break in the house of Christina's former boss, and she stabs him to death. Meanwhile, Russell convinces Mariel to perform several medical examinations. Her tomography reveals an apparent tumor, and Russell collects material for a biopsy. Soon they realize that she has a great ovary in her body. Sheriff Underlay chases Christina and Derek to know the whereabouts of his daughter and finds them at the beach.

"The Nest" is an episode where Mariel finds that she has a different ovary in her body. The needy Kira is a naive girl that needs a psychologist. Her actions are stupid and her need to have friends is something that only a psychologist can cure. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Ninho" ("The Nest")

Invasion: All God's Creatures (2006) Season 1, Episode 14

The Creature

[6/10 · 26 April 2024]

Tom looks for Russell since he is hunting down the man that tried to kill him and wants information that might help him. Larkin stays with Dave, Jess and Rose in the house, but she notes that someone is snooping around. Dave chases the person with a row while Larkin and the children stay closed in the room. Dave traps the person in the garage and Russell arrives, and they see that they are chasing a strange creature that looks like Dave and has his memories. Russell and Dave conclude that the hybrid had no time to complete the changing when Russell took Dave from the water. Larkin arrives and is also confused with the creature. Meanwhile, Kira asks Mariel and Tom what happened with them in the water, but they do not give answers. Kira is also aware of what happened to Lewis.

"All God's Creatures" is another weak episode of "Invasion". The creature that looks like Dave is bizarre and it is hard to understand the feelings that Larkin and Dave feels for it. Russell is naive and seems to trust Underlay. Will Kira be modified by the orange creature? My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Todas as Criaturas de Deus" ("All God's Creatures")

Story of Women (1988)

Moral Hypocrisy

[8/10 · 26 April 2024]

In the occupied France in the World War II, the housewife and aspirant singer Marie Latour (Isabelle Huppert) is a young woman that raises her two children alone with many financial difficulties. Her husband, Paul Latour (François Cluzet), was made prisoner by the Germans and sent to Germany. When her next-door neighbor gets pregnant, she performs an abortion and receives a record player as a gift. Meanwhile, Paul returns too weak to find a steady job. Marie befriends the prostitute Lulu (Marie Trintignant) and learns that she can make money performing abortions and renting her room for prostitutes. Her life improves, she buys foods and clothes for her children and she, and has singing lessons with a teacher, but she refuses to have sex with Paul since she is in a loveless marriage. When she meets Lulu's client Lucien (Nils Tavernier), who is a collaborationist crane operator, he becomes her lover. One afternoon, she brings Lucien and has sex with him in her bed. Paul arrives earlier and sees them on the bed. Humiliated, he denounces Marie to the chief of police, she is arrested and sent to Paris to be judged. What will happen to her?

"Une affaire de femmes", a.k.a. "Story of Women", is another excellent film by Claude Chabrol that changes his usual suspense genre to a drama about moral hypocrisy in a occupied country during the World War II. The plot is based on the story of Marie Latour, who is magnificently performed by Isabelle Huppert, an uneducated woman that finds a means to survive in times of war and give a better life to her two children performing abortion of women knocked out by Germans, affairs or their own husbands and renting her room to prostitutes during the days. Her husband denounces her, and she is sent to Paris to become the scape goat in a political judgement in a defeated and hypocrite country. Chabrol touches the wound and Marie is guillotined in 1943. In the present days, abortion is still a polemic theme specially in Catholic countries like Brazil. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Assunto de Mulheres" ("A Subject of Women")

Invasion: Redemption (2006) Season 1, Episode 13

Surviving Again

[7/10 · 25 April 2024]

Sheriff Tom Underlay is shot at home and Mariel calls the ambulance and donates her blood to him. Meanwhile, Larkin wants to expose Underlay and the other survivors in a live matter about Sheriff Underlay, but Mariel convinces her that she should think of her family first. While in the hospital, Tom recalls when he survived the airplane crash and his first encounter with Mariel.

After two promising episodes, "Redemption" returns to the same soap opera. The plot has a good beginning, with Tom shot at home, but then returns to the same boring story. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Redenção" ("Redemption")

The Hatter's Ghost (1982)

The Strangler in La Rochelle

[7/10 · 25 April 2024]

In the small La Rochelle town, Léon Labbé (Michel Serrault) is a reputable hatter that lives with his crippled wife Mathilde (Monique Chaumette) and his maid Louise Chapus (Christine Paolini) on the upper floors of his store. The boy Valentin (Fabrice Ploquin) works for him at the store. His neighbor across the street is the Armenian tailor Kachoudas (Charles Aznavour), who lives with his wife and five children in the upper floors of his store. La Rochelle is shaken by a strangler that has already killed six women in the last weeks. Léon like to play card with his friends in a bar and is always followed by Kachoudas that suspects he might be the killer. Among his friends are the Chief of Police Caille (Robert Party), Dr. Chaudreau (Victor Garrivier) and the young journalist Jeantet (François Cluzet), who has theories about the strangler. Soon we learn that Léon killed his wife two months ago and begin the crime spree killing her six best friends that usually visit her on her birthday. There is only the seventh woman missing, but he finds that she died of natural causes. Now the sick Léon looks for a replacement and Louise may be his next victim.

"Les fantômes du chapelier" is an original French movie by Claude Chabrol, with a suspenseful story of an insane hatter respected by his community that is a strangler. The cast is impressively great, with names such as Michel Serrault, Charles Aznavour and François Cluzet, among others, and the screenplay keeps the attention of the viewer until the last scene. The plot is timeless and has not aged after more than forty years. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Fantasmas do Chapeleiro" ("The Ghosts of the Hatter")

Invasion: Power (2006) Season 1, Episode 12

Showing Power

[8/10 · 24 April 2024]

Christina is taken by two Underlay's deputies, and they drop her tied up in the middle of the bay. Larkin returns earlier from the resort and leaves Jess and Rose with Tom. When Russell learns, he heads to his house and only finds Mariel there. Tom did not say their destination to Mariel and his house is the only one in the street with power. Russell sees a man snooping outside the house and chases him, but a second man arrives and hits him from the back. Mariel is treating Russell's wounds when Larkin arrives at her home. Larkin believes Russell is having an affair with Mariel and he discloses the whole situation to her, but she does not believe him. Russell finds that his two aggressors are Underlay's deputies.

"Power" is another great episode of "Invasion". Why does Mariel not leave Tom? Very strange situation after she talked to him by phone. Larkin is maybe the weakest character of this series, with her suspicious and dramas all the time. The conclusion, with Derek, Christina and other people, is intriguing. Is a war coming? My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Força" ("Power")

Invasion: Us or Them (2006) Season 1, Episode 11

The Pack of Survivors and the Humans

[8/10 · 24 April 2024]

There is an incident after the meeting of the survivors in the church, when a man is severely assaulted by the participants when he calls the attention of his wife, who is a member of the group. Russell shows Mariel the skeleton of Tom and tells her that Sheriff Underlay is not human but a breed of alien. However, she does not accept his explanation and believes he wants full custody of their children. However, he tells her that he is worried with the children to be in danger with Mariel and Tom. Sheriff Underlay brings Deputy Lewis to his home to recover from the amputation of his arm. Lewis befriends Kira and learns that Tom is not a man of God. Disturbed with the revelation, he leaves Underlay's home. Meanwhile, Larkin, Jess and Rose are having vacation at a resort. Jess meets the gorgeous, but weird college student Emily and befriends her.

"Us or Them" is one of the best episodes so far of "Invasion". The revelation of Russell to Mariel about Tom is scary and one of the best moments of the show. Her reaction is expected but she will certainly think about it. The disappointment of Deputy Lewis Sirk when he learns that Tom is not who he thought it was is sad. The college girl Emily is a very beautiful young woman, but unfortunately Jess is naive and inexperienced snf looses the chance to have goodtime with her. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Nós ou Eles" ("Us or Them")

U-Boat 29 (1939)

The U-Boat Captain

[7/10 · 24 April 2024]

In 1917, during the World War I, Captain Ernst Hardt (Conrad Veidt) is assigned to travel to the Orkney Island to meet his contact, Fraulein Thiel (Valerie Hobson), to receive orders. Meanwhile, the new schoolteacher Anne Burnett (June Duprez) is intercepted by German spies and thrown off cliffs to look like an accident. Thiel poses of Anne Burnett and tells Capt. Hardt that the German submarine fleet should attack and destroy the British Fleet with the support of the rogue British Officer Ashington (Sebastian Shaw), who lost his position of Commander due to drink problem and is attracted by Thiel, who is his lover. Out of the blue, Burnett's fiancé Rev. John Harris (Cyril Raymond) arrives at her home to visit her but is subdued by the spies and made prisoner. Thiel keeps Capt. Hardt locked in his room during the night for her protection, and he tells his fellow officers in the submarine the plan to destroy the British Fleet. During the night, the lures Burnett and escapes from his room. He sees Burnett meeting Ashington and overhears their conversation, learning that the plan is indeed to destroy the German U-Boat fleet. Now he needs to contact his submarine to disclose the real plan, but the British soldiers are hunting him down.

"The Spy in Black" is a great 1939 (pre-WWII) movie of espionage. The plot is complex, with many twists and a cat-and-mouse game. The German plan is excellent, but the British plan is better and unexpected. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Not Available on DVD or Blu-Ray"

Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to the Circus (2003) Season 2, Episode 4

Suck It up!

[7/10 · 24 April 2024]

An arrogant man is having dinner with his date when a masked acrobat arrives at the restaurant and kills him with one shot in the heart. Stottlemeyer, Randall, Monk and Sharona are investigating the crime scene and soon they learn that the victim is Sergei Cluvarias, the unpopular ringmaster of the Dratch & Denby Traveling Circus. Stottlemeyer suspects of the animal trainer Nikolai Petroff, since he has the weapon of the same caliber that killed Sergei, is an acrobat apprentice and was the lover of Sergei's date Ariana Dakkar. However, Monk believes that Sergei's ex-wife Natasha Lovara, who is a skilled trapeze acrobat and shooter, is the killer. But the problem is that Natasha has a broken feet confirmed by X-rays. Meanwhile, Sharona has a trauma with elephants and Monk tells her that her fear is irrational, and she should "suck it up!". Sharona feels offended by Monk and is estranged to him. When the elephant's trainer Edgar Heinz is murdered by his elephant, Monk analyzes the odds and concludes Natasha has killed him. But how to prove both murderers?

"Mr. Monk Goes to the Circus" is another funny episode of Monk. His phobia with the police officer that is his fan but is not wearing a pair of identical socks is silly, but the clown in the circus when Monk is solving the case is funny. The reaction of Sharona when Monk says "suck it up" to her is fair, since her boss has many phobias, and this comment was not appropriate. My question is how a skilled radiologist can not identify old fractures from new ones. But the murders are well-resolved in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Monk Vai ao Circo" ("Monk Goes to the Circus")

Invasion: Origin of Species (2005) Season 1, Episode 10

Abducted and Amputated

[7/10 · 23 April 2024]

Dave is abducted early in the morning by a strange couple, Pria and Healy, who read his Blog about the aftermath of the Hurricane Eve. He is brought to an abandoned military base and Russell tracks him down. Meanwhile, Lewis investigates the dead woman and learns that the coroner found she had salt water in her lungs. When he discloses to Sheriff Underlay, he sends him to the bay with the pretext to find polluted water. An orange being takes Lewis and when he reappears, he has two arms. Now Sheriff Underlay uses his faith to convince Lewis to amputate his arm since the miracle was a test of God.

"Origin of Species" is a strange episode of "Invasion". Russell and Dave learn that the same phenomena happened in Cuba and Brazil, but in these countries, people committed suicide. Sheriff Underlay is a despicable character that destroys Lewis, who was close to the truth with his investigation. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Origem das Espécies" ("Origin of Species")

Invasion: The Dredge (2005) Season 1, Episode 9

Following the Priest's Advice

[7/10 · 22 April 2024]

Russell brings Larkin to a paradisiacal place in the bay for a picnic. However, he finds the fishes and a crocodile dead in the area. He heads to and breaks in the house of the drug dealers Bob and Carla Hemming and asks him what poison he has dropped in the bay. When Carla comes with a gun, Russell takes the gun and threatens Bob, but Larkin stops him. Bob tells Russell that the animals were already dead, and he did not poison them. Meanwhile, Mariel is ready to tell her friends in the church that she found her body in the water, but Dave arrives in the church to investigate EBE, and she does not complete her speech, believing Russell sent him to watch her. Russell and Larkin bring the crocodile to perform an autopsy with Mona, and Larkin learns that Russell has a criminal record as a juvenile. Mariel asks her husband to dredge the bay to look for her body, and Father Scanlon tells Tom to give something to her not necessarily the truth.

"The Dredge" is an episode of "Invasion" where the mystery of Mariel's body remains. Father Jeffrey Scanlon gives an advice to Sheriff Tom Underlay and he certainly replaced her body by the one of another woman to satisfy his wife. The drama of Larkin, when she learns that Russell has a juvenile criminal record is ridiculous. Dave will now participate in the meetings in the church to investigate the presence of aliens and may give something interesting to this dramatic series that looks more like a soap opera than a sci-fi series. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Draga" ("The Dredge")

Monk: Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame (2003) Season 2, Episode 3

The Three-Million- Dollar Ball

[7/10 · 22 April 2024]

The wealthy Lawrence Hammond and his wife Erin follow the GPS of his car to a resort and end in a deserted parking lot, where a criminal kills them. On the next morning, Monk and Sharona arrive at the crime scene to investigate the murder of the powerful man. Stottlemeyer and Randall Disher believe that Lawrence was the victim and investigate his enemies, but Monk believes Erin was the victim and Lawrence was a collateral damage. Monk investigates her personal life and finds that she was in love with the baseball player Scott Gregorio, who is close to break the record of the famous player Darryl Grant but was recently attacked by a man with a baseball bat. He contacts Scott, who is deeply affected by Erin's death, and they become friends during the investigation.

"Mr. Monk Goes to the Ballgame" is an episode recommended for fans of baseball. The empathy between Scott and Monk is nice since both are grieving the death of the beloved woman. The scene where Monk erases Michael Jordan's autograph in the football's ball of Grant's agent is one of the funniest scenes in the series. The dispute between Stottkemeyer's son and Benjy is silly. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Monk Vai ao Jogo" ("Monk Goes to the Game")