Monk: Mr. Monk Takes a Punch

Okay, this episode was a definite reach, especially the convoluted way they came up with a climax to feature Monk doing all the things necessary to pass a fitness exam. Perhaps it was an homage to the Olympics, a twisted connection thanks to the NBC Universal. I don't know, but it took a leap of faith to buy it all.

For starters, there was no star murderer. It was an interesting case for a change, especially since the killer was a professional hit man. The planting of the bomb in the heavy bag was clever, although wouldn't a real pro make sure that the target would be hit? The set up was so random. And if you don't care about killing, why not leave a bomb big enough to destroy the gym and everyone in it? Just wondering...

So we get Monk in a boxing ring. Hmm... Was this episode inspired by the Rocky movies? You have to wonder, because boxing is hardly a "now" sport. This was more like a 1930's boxing movie, which is what Rocky was basically re-creating. Very anachronistic. This was especially true in the scene when Monk confronted Ray with the evidence that he took a dive, it seemed to come out of left field. There was no build up to it... Adrian said he was quitting before the commercial, then he's on the case.

The show did have familiar stars, like James Lesure who played Mike on Las Vegas, as the boxer (turns out that he's an amateur boxer). Great character actor Robert Loggia seemed to be doing the Burgess Meredith role from Rocky, you know, crusty old Mickey? (I guess I should be glad there was no Burt Young character).

The strands of this episode were all over the place -- Ray taking a dive for Flynn's daughter's operations, stolen art, Marino the mob boss, the hired gun man with the high powered rifle, Monk's ineptitude at physical activity -- which prompted a quick wrap up (at warp speed) once Disher and Stottlemeyer shot the assailant (and wasn't that a shock; normally nobody is shot by the cops on Monk). Randy looked devastated, even though Leland said they'd acted in self-defense.

Overall, not a great episode, but at least Monk's still on the San Francisco P.D. consultant list. Hopefully, "the beast" will get more interesting cases to come.

Other points of interest:

Great catch by Stottlemeyer, noticing that the thread from the heavy bag had been licked and had to have DNA on it.

What? Adrian Monk doesn't know anything about the web. Really? How could he tell Julie what to look up and how to find it on the Internet Worldwide Web if he's never used it. This seemed off to me. Monk has OCD, but he's not out of touch with the 21st century.

When Monk goes to the bomb site in the track suit, moaning that he's going to quit because he can't pass the fitness test, Flynn growls, "He looks like a big, sad plum."

For a change, Randy was very funny. His undressing to prove that he wasn't wearing a wire made me laugh out loud.

I never thought I'd see Tony Shalhoub mimicking Barbra Streisand, but his gags at ringside were just like hers in The Main Event, i.e. getting tangled in the ropes trying to climb into the ring, then straightening the boxer's socks when he's supposed to get back to the fight.