When Monk [USA, Fridays, 9/8C] returns for its eighth and final season, we will see Adrian Monk display a kind of obsession that will be all too familiar to many of us: TV show fan! In fact, Mr. Monk’s Favorite Show opens with Monk [Tony Shalhoub] complaining that he’s last in line – Natalie [Traylor Howard] points out there are only two of them on line and she’s seared over a heating vent, so she’s not moving. It’s night, and the two are camping out on the sidewalk outside a bookstore so that he can buy the tell-all memoir of Christine Rapp [Elizabeth Perkins], his favorite member of the cast of his favorite TV series of all time, The Cooper Clan [Monk claims not to be obsessed, “I’m mildly fixated”]. But when an attempt is made on Rapp’s life, Monk is hired on to be her bodyguard.
Mr. Monk’s Favorite Show is a solid effort all around – though not because of the mystery. Instead, like the best eps, Favorite Show is good because of something we learn about Monk. There are reasons why The Cooper Clan [think The Brady Bunch] means so much to him reasons that allow us to learn a bit more about Monk’s childhood. Then there’s the book. Rapp, it turns out, was the sweet innocent she portrayed on the show – and there’s a great gag about page seventy-three.
As is frequently the case on Monk, the mystery isn’t particularly strong because it’s what we learn about Monk as he solves the mystery that is most important thing. Here, as we watch Monk talk about his childhood, we learn that The Cooper Clan gave him something he couldn’t find in real life – and Shalhoub is, as usual, devastating throughout.
We don’t see as much of Captain Stottlemyer [Ted Levine] and Lt. Disher [Jason Grey-Stanford] this time out, but in light of the bits of Monk’s background that are revealed, they might have been a bit much if they’d played a larger part though Stottlemyer does have a hand in the “page seventy-three” thing].
Perkins, it should be noted, is excellent as Rapp, the not-so-nice person who played the sweeter than sugar Cooper Clan daughter. Then there’s a dream Monk has that puts him smack dab in the middle of his favorite show, interacting with the whole family, that will hit a nerve with the more, shall we say “enthusiastic” fans of certain shows [*cough* Trek *cough*].
Even as we learn of Monk’s less than bright and cheerful childhood, the ep maintains that brisk, light tone, overall, that has made the series the longest running original series on USA. It’s a good way to get Monk’ final season underway.
Final Grade: B