Mr. Monk and the Election - S3-E15
Question: At the school debate, behind the two candidates there is a picture drawn. The picture looks to me like the Honeymooners apartment - is it?
Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan - S3-E1
Question: When Monk took the train I was confused as to where they were going to? It seemed to me they left downtown Brooklyn on a train going further into Brooklyn, not Manhattan?
Question: Did the creators of the show draw inspiration from Taggert and Rosewood of Beverly Hills Cop to create Stottlemeyer and Disher? They seem to be like them to me.
Question: Is it ever stated (in-universe or otherwise) if Natalie has a second job, or how she can afford everything, including all her new cars (I've seen her in at least 5 new cars, including an Audi)? She's always complaining she's broke, even after it's revealed she's a Davenport. But she also claims she doesn't take money from them. Plus, she's always trying to get Monk to pay her and/or pay her the full amount she's owed.
Answer: In one of the episodes it shows her going back home and that she came from money. Her parents are wealthy. Maybe that is the answer.
But in the show after it's revealed she comes from money, she states she doesn't take money from her parents, despite still visiting them.
Question: Just how effective can Dr. Kroger be if Monk's been seeing him for ten or more years?
Answer: Given Monk's state of mental health and that Monk's been able to continue to function as well as he does, pretty effective. Therapy isn't about "fixing" someone, it's often about helping the person be able to accept themselves. Some people need regular therapy as part of their life. Even a regular person who doesn't get into all the antics Monk does can be in therapy for decades. A few years ago, TV host Billy Bush revealed he had been seeing the same therapist for 30 years.
Answer: Imagine how much worse Monk would be *without* regularly seeing a good therapist.
Mr. Monk and the Leper - S5-E10
Question: At the end, when the doctor is pulling Monk up, the camera pans down well past Monk's feet, but was there a reason for that? Was there something on the cliff side the audience was supposed to see? It felt like the camera was about to linger on the weeds growing out, but then the camera angle cuts back to Monk's feet. Was there something I missed, or was it just bad/odd camera work?
Answer: From an editing background, I think it was likely to cover up the shot once Monk is being pulled up. The shot was panning down, and they likely extended the shot in the editing. The fact he was pulling up Monk with one hand is very tough to do, so they may not have had a clean shot of him pulling Adrian onto the ground. Additionally, it may have not looked right so cutting to the shot panning for a couple more seconds before showing Monks shoes would likely fit the time it would take to pull him all the way up.
Mr. Monk and the Critic - S8-E6
Question: When they entrap the suspect is that legal?
Answer: It seems like a good lawyer could tear that to shreds. "When I said I'd never seen her before, I meant up close, in the same room. Look, a teenager had just falsely accused me of rape, you can't blame me for panicking a little bit."
Answer: Entrapment in and of itself is not legal. Entrapment entails the police (or agents of the police/government) forcing or tricking an otherwise law-abiding citizen into committing a crime; the person would lack the necessary intent to be convicted. However, merely providing (an already willing) person with the opportunity to commit a crime is not entrapment. Without knowing the specifics of the case you are referring to, it is impossible to know if there was entrapment. At the same time, the police know what does and does not constitute true "entrapment", so are not likely to try entrapping anyone - they would lose the case, defeating their efforts.
Question: How exactly does Monk afford to pay Natalie? Would he still get a pension after being discharged for psychiatric reasons? Is it ever mentioned (in-universe or otherwise) if he's independently wealthy or something? On several occasions Natalie tried to get the department to pay Monk more and tells Monk he can't afford things at times or his check will bounce, like he's broke.
Answer: Like a certain Poirot, he is paid by the case and thus has a lot of cases = lots of income.
Answer: He gets paid by the city on a case by case basis, and she gets paid out of that.
Answer: He would have received a disability check, suffering from a mental illness qualifies you, the same as a physical injury, but would be limited to his therapy and living expenses.
Except he would be limited in what he could earn to receive payments and that wouldn't be enough to pay a full time employee.
Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece - S6-E14
Question: How come Monk's Painting of Natalie isn't shown for the rest of the scene?
Answer: It was apparently embarrassing and ridiculous, enough that Natalie tried to burn it. It's funnier if you let the viewer image what it looked like.
Question: Monk's psychiatrist died of a heart attack - Why didn't Monk investigate the death of his shrink more thoroughly?
Answer: Because there was nothing suspicious about it. These things just happen and Monk is smart enough to know it was just one of those things.
Answer: In addition to the in-universe answer, an out-of universe answer (i.e. real life), since Stanley Kamel died in real life, it wouldn't be possible to film him in flashback scenes, like Monk's "here's what happened" summation. So setting an episode around solving his death, would be somewhat limited or require a stand-in.
Question: Is there a reason they chose the last names Monk and/or Teeger?
Answer: I couldn't find any info on the name "Teeger," but Monk got his name because they wanted to come up with a simple, single-syllable name for the protagonist that could easily stick in your head. They eventually settled on "Monk," which seemed to fit the character.
Just learned Bitty Schram's middle name is Natalie. Of course I'm overthinking it, but it's interesting.
Obviously without confirmation from a writer that's where they got the name, you can't be sure. But it is an interesting fact that makes it seem plausible that the writers used her middle name as a tribute when she was let go from the show.
Mr. Monk Goes to Jail - S2-E16
Question: I think this is a mistake, but I'm asking as a question because I don't know enough about the TV in question. In the prison library, the inmates are looking for the remote, which the librarian had hidden. But the TV looks like one where the channels can only be changed by turning the dial. It appears to be a TV with VHF and UHF dials. Can a remote be used with that type of TV?
Answer: Normally no but it could have a cable box that we can't see.
Answer: Through the entire show, I don't recall her ever mentioning another job. The two explanations I had for being able to afford those cars, was there might have been a life insurance policy after her husbands death (or Mitch left her quite a bit after he died). The other may have been she had accepted some money from her family willingly or unwillingly asked for it. But in truth, I would imagine it was for product placement in the show. Most shows like Monk tend to keep the characters moderately wealthy or financially healthy, so they can insert products or items for the characters to use. Phones, food items, cars etc.
Lummie ★