Mr. Monk and the Badge

When Monk gets reinstated, he is thrust into a world eleven years in the future. He is also a freelancer which puts him at odds with protocol. When a rookie becomes a suspect, Monk crosses the thin blue line, even though he is right. There are a couple pretty good scenes, but the hard part are the goodbyes and the helloes. A quote by Oscar Wilde sums it up when he sees his counselor. Well crafted episode which frees up some pretty significant ending events.

'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.

Season 8 of 'Monk' is a mixed bag quality-wise, with it being the final season it leans towards the worth watching but could have been better end. There are disappointing episodes, especially "Mr Monk Goes Camping" (bland) and "Mr Monk and the UFO" (excessively silly), and with both with weak mysteries, but there are a few outstanding ones up to this point in "Mr Monk and the Foreign Man", "Mr Monk is the Best Man" and now this. "Mr Monk and the Badge" is an excellent episode and to me one of the better episodes of the later seasons. My only complaints are the stuff with Monk manning the tip line, which was ridiculous, not easy to swallow and was beneath Monk, and Natalie's side story not being fleshed out enough.

Otherwise, the mystery itself, while derivative, was fun and had intrigue value, one of the season's better mysteries by far in a season that has had some underwhelming ones. Monk's deductions are nicely done and closer to "classic" methodical Monk than the rapid conclusion jumping Monk, while the climax is thrilling, not only having nail-biting tension but one is very proud of Monk at the end of it.

Character-moments-wise, "Mr Monk and the Badge" is a winner. How the episode handles exploring and resolving a long overdue on-going issue (the reinstating) is immensely satisfying, it's handled beautifully and probes some thought-provoking questions/feelings yet wisely shows that over-time Monk has changed and not the man he was. "Mr Monk and the Badge" may not be a laugh-out-loud funny episode, though it has shades of that with Edith, but it is very thought-provoking (Dr Bell's Oscar Wilde quote is an example), boasts some subtle and touching emotional moments in how Monk's situation is handled and the climax is tense. Season 8 has also been great in addressing and resolving on-going problems and phobias, showing that Monk is progressing and improving, and doing it gradually rather than all in one go just like that, this is true with "Mr Monk and the Badge".

One of the best things about 'Monk' has always been Tony Shalhoub, who was as Monk consistently one of the best things about every episode regardless of what material is thrown at him.. 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 sassy and sympathetic, while Jason Gray-Stanford and Ted Levine are amusing (Levine also showing Stottlemeyer as a firm, frustrated boss but loyal friend, which is very "classic" 'Monk' Stottlemeyer). The supporting cast are good.

Pathos, mystery, intrigue and the sprinkling of humour are beautifully balanced here in "Mr Monk and the Badge" and all four components are executed to a high standard.

Visually, the episode is slick and stylish as ever with some lovely scenery. 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.

In conclusion, excellent and one of the season's best episodes. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Monk comes into Stottlemeyer's office where Stottlemeyer makes a bit of a mess of telling Monk that he got his badge back. At first it sounds like he's being fired as a private consultant. When that misunderstanding finally gets straightened out, of course Monk is happy. But then comes the reality of the situation.

As a police detective versus a private consultant Monk is an employee, not his own boss. He no longer works for or with Stottlemeyer and Disher solving the cases that he wants to solve. Natalie, of course, has to find her own employment since Monk no longer needs an assistant or a nurse. That means they could drift apart as people do who don't see each other on a daily basis.

Monk's first task is working the phone lines where he encounters how technology has jumped ahead in the past twelve years. He doesn't understand how to even answer these modern phones. And then there is the computer. How many gigabytes of RAM? Monk has no idea what that even means!

And then Monk encounters a situation that might mean that a fellow cop is possibly "dirty". Unlike when he was a paid consultant and not part of the "thin blue line" this puts him on the outs with his now "fellow" cops when he raises the possibility of such a thing without absolute proof. Complications ensue.

This episode was really great at showing that sometimes you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone. Although I liked this episode a great deal, I found it odd that Monk getting his badge back was handled off-screen without Monk being an active part of that process when, up to this point, there had been hearings involved of which Monk had full knowledge and even some input.