Mr. Monk Takes a Vacation

Monk Episode Review

In which this show is so Magnum PI.

What Happened

Monk finds a mystery on vacation after Benjy believes that he has witnessed a murder.

The Good

• "Fourteen bodily fluids." He had the single weirdest flirtation ever going on the with hotel security lady.
• Monk's spider dance. I've done that after encountering a spiderweb.
• "We're looking for a gang." It's all in the way he says it.
• Monk's wordless reveal of the body in the trunk. Beautiful.

The Bad

• Monk: "Benjy, can you read lips?"
  Benjy: "I'm in sixth grade. I can barely read words." What a sad commentary on our schools.

The Cliche

• And the wife is alive, of course. Okay, the missing maid is dead. They made too much of a point of introducing her as a plot point.
• Okay, Sharona's new boyfriend didn't kill her; he's just sleazing.

Best Lines

Benjy: "I can see Mr. Monk's room."
Sharona: "Which one?"
Benjy: "The first one. The one he couldn't stay in because it smelled funny."

Hotel Security Chick: "Do you think it's an inside job?"
Monk: "Maybe it's that comedian. Wouldn't that be great?"

Benjy: "Do you think the body's here?"
Monk: "Why not? It's been everywhere else."

What Did I Think?

What a trip.