(S07E10) The case of who killed Lindsay Bishop wasn't the primary plot line for this episode of Monk, and in many ways it was a nice change of pace. For one thing, any time we get more insight into the complicated Monk family history, it's a good thing. In the midst of making perfectly square pancakes -- about two inch squares, piled neatly on a plate -- Monk's world was thrown into flux by the unlikely appearance of Joe Endicott. That's just an alias, of course, because the man in question is actually Jack Monk, Jr., Adrian's half brother.
Throughout the show, Monk reminds Jack time and again they are not brothers. They're half-brothers, and unlike the great similarities between Ambrose and Adrian -- both afflicted with psychological disorders that seem to be caused by Jack senior having abandoned them as children -- Jack was so unlike Adrian that for a while it seemed that it was a scam. After all, Jack was quick to admit that he was a con man, a grifter, and a liar. He also called himself a lovable rogue, but as Monk pointed out, you can't call yourself a lovable rogue. And he was right; it took till the end of the episode for us to determine that he was indeed both lovable and a rogue.
He was not, however, a killer. Monk fairly quickly assessed that fact, which was obvious when there was no blood anywhere on him and he supposedly stabbed a woman to death. That and a second murder occurring at the prison after Jack's escape was another tip-off. With little effort, Monk determined that Lindsay's "fornication" partner was "the guy."
The plot points, however, were hardly important because the strength of the episode was the guest turn by Steve Zahn. Steve Zahn would not be my first choice as Tony Shalhoub's brother -- John Tuturro is, and he's perfect as Ambrose -- but since Jack is a half-brother, I bought it. I could buy him as Dan Hedaya's son, especially since Dan's Jack senior was an equally shiftless, lying character. Zahn has a goofy charm that was a nice contrast to Shalhoub's button-downed compulsion. His mumbling, "go back, no go back" over and over as Jack explained escaping through the sewer was priceless. So was Natalie knowing that Monk solved the case just by the look on his face.
Since this was an episode in which Monk goes up against a guest killer, there was no cat and mouse game. It was a nice change of pace, overall, especially since there was a question about Jack's veracity and fidelity till the end. When he retrieves the keys for Natalie's car -- after she tosses them in the line of fire (did you catch Zahn mouthing the words "unbelievable"?) -- I wasn't so sure he wasn't driving away and leaving them there.
The fact that he did circle back, that he did save them and turned himself in even though it would mean more prison time, wasn't inevitable. Leland and Randy could have showed up, but it was more fitting that Jack stepped up. And since Randy's handcuff key was missing in the end, I suspect that in future episodes (which aren't that many since Monk will end its run in 2009) Jack Jr. will be back because he's bound to escape again. Unless, like the reference to The Incredible Shrinking Man, Jack Jr. will simply disappear into oblivion. I'm hoping for the former.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-10-2009 @ 11:16AM
Justin said...
So Monk, in essence, stole an episode of Psych and mangled it to fit Monk? Eh....
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1-11-2009 @ 2:33AM
Mags said...
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/39097/Do-you-have-any-idea-how-much-that-stings
I normally like Monk, but an episode of Psych would have been WAY better than this 42 minute disaster.
1-10-2009 @ 12:46PM
Diane Breitman said...
Please don't say this is the last year for Monk! It's my favorite program. What can I do to push for another year? Thanks so much for this chance to comment.
Sincerely,
Diane Breitman
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1-10-2009 @ 3:34PM
JennieO said...
I love Steve Zahn, so it was a good episode for me. Monk, in general, is getting boring.
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1-10-2009 @ 3:38PM
bruce said...
I was absolutely shocked that this con man, who lied about everything over the course of the episode (including his mother) turned out to actually be Monk's half-brother. I was certain that at the end they would reveal that this conman is just some guy who did some time with Jack Monk and learned a few things about him, knew Adrian Monk was his son and a great detective, and so sought him out and pretended to be his brother.
I'm never wrong about these things, I have predicted every twist and turn on Monk ever since the show changed in or around season 5. This guy turning out to be his actual, real half brother was uncharacteristic of the show. Were the writers just too lazy to actually put it in there at the end? I'm certain that was the original plan.
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1-12-2009 @ 11:14AM
Leah said...
Did they actually prove he was Monk's brother? I don't remember seeing definitive proof. It came out of nowhere.
1-10-2009 @ 7:09PM
donna said...
This was the worst episode of Monk ever made. They hardly used any other of the cast members. Which as an ensemble makes the show so good! If they keep on doing shows like that I can see why this is the last season. I always look forward to seeing the new shows. Last night I fell asleep during the first half of boredom. Everyone I know thought this was the worst episode. I like Steve Zahn
but this wasn't for him!
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1-11-2009 @ 6:09AM
Paul said...
A title show is never an "ensemble". The other characters on the show are great (though even then, there's only 3 other main characters and a couple minor ones), but it's called "Monk" because it's the Tony Shalhoub show. His interaction with them is important, but we got the same (some might say better?) interaction with his half brother, Jack Jr.
I love Steve Zahn, so I really enjoyed a lot of his scenes. In general, "Monk" has been less funny and more boring/cringeworthy over the last couple seasons, but I still watch it and enjoy it (I watch "Psych" first, though, because it's one of the best shows on television). But even with a few moments that I *almost* fast forwarded through, I did really enjoy this one.
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1-12-2009 @ 10:52AM
powper said...
I really liked this ep. It took me a little while to warm up to Steve Zahn, but I think it worked because he was likable despite his faults in the same way that Adrian Monk is likable despite his faults.
Great episode to get started with Monk again.
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1-12-2009 @ 11:23AM
bruce said...
Leah: Well they didn't prove it, but with the guy having been locked up and convicted under a fake name, which is quite unlikely, it would have made more sense that he (or someone else with the info) admit at the end, after Monk solved the case, that he was not really Monk's half-brother. How did he get the info about their family? He was, at one point, locked up in the same jail with Monk's dad, and they got to know each other - enough for him to be able to plausibly pretend to be Monk's half-brother.
But at the end of the episode, that didn't happen - it was a given that he really was Monk's half-brother, the questions about his alias and his "mother" were ignored. I doubt we'll ever see this character again, and as such, the end of the episode was the time to reveal that he wasn't related to Adrian Monk. But they did not do that, and they maintained that they were half-brothers and even hugged at the end. It just seemed wrong.
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1-13-2009 @ 1:02PM
Jennifer said...
I agree with everyone else thinking, "This guy is his brother? For REAL? I don't buy it." I love me some Steve Zahn, but he sure as hell doesn't fit with the rest of the family issues or personalities.
That said, I couldn't help but enjoy the line he said in front of the TV about "look how we turned out." Amen to that.
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