What I’m Watching: Monk

Monk: Season 8, Episode 13 “Mr. Monk is the Best Man” (B+)

It’s truly touching that Leland reaches out to Monk to be his best man. And it’s not as if Leland went to other candidates first and used Monk as a backup – he was actually his first choice. I wonder if the relatively unseen Randy was offended at not being chosen, but I guess that Leland and Monk go back a long time, presumably to long before Randy joined the force. The episode doesn’t contain anything terribly exciting, but it’s still a decent enough installment with no real faults. Monk ruining the surprise of Leland’s proposal isn’t quite disappointing, since T.K. has barely been seen on the show and therefore his popping the question might come as a big shock were it not prefaced by Monk’s clever detective work. Monk’s determination to protect the ring as if his life depended upon it is entertaining. It’s fun to see Teri Polo as T.K’s criminal friend, and even though her guilt is obvious from the very start, it’s still a nice guest spot. It’s also great to see Natalie get a chance to interact with some female friends, which is unusual, and to look at how put off by T.K. is by the danger of Leland being a cop since the lives of Leland and Monk seem so tame in comparison to some TV cops like any of the CSI guys or primetime drama detectives. These cases truly are fun, and Leland’s delighted singing on his way to see such a brutal homicide sums up the tone of this show well. There may be murders, but ultimately, there’s Monk, and it’s all about entertainment.