With Season Eight, our favorite agoraphobic detective’s journey (emotional, physical, and mental) comes to an end, with tears and all.
Buy Monk: Season Eight Blu-rayTo be honest with you, there weren’t as many laughs this season as compared to other seasons, mainly because I was too busy crying. This season is just too sad, especially considering we finally discover who murdered Trudy (beautifully portrayed by frequent guest star Melora Hardin) and why.
The show’s formula is still the same, but is nevertheless winning. However, there is a lot more action and risk involved. Viewers are never far away from the main storyline, which was the overall catalyst throughout the series. And in the end, Monk (the incredible Tony Shalhoub) gets much-needed closure after 12 years since Trudy’s very untimely death.
It’s not just Monk who gets a happy ending; it’s also Natalie (Traylor Howard, usually charming) who is now dating a Navy officer; Julie (Emmy Clarke) is leaving for college; Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine, always wonderful) gets married; and Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford, always delightfully goofy but well meaning) leaves San Francisco for New Jersey for his new job as Chief of Police, and moving in with Sharona (Bitty Schram, who makes a great return appearance on “Mr. Monk and Sharona” (Episode 10).
Just like the other seasons, this one also has an amazing array of guest stars like Virginia Madsen, Brooke Addams, Daniel Stern, Meat Loaf, Elizabeth Perkins, Teri Polo, Craig T. Nelson, John Carroll Lynch, and the great Carol Kane, among others.
Monk will always be one of all-favorite shows because it has genuine heart, humor, suspense, and originality. This final season is no different.
Special features include video commentary for “Mr. Monk and the End” with Shalhoub, creator/episode writer Andy Breckman and episode director Randall; “Mr. Monk Says Goodbye” featurette with Shalhoub, Howard, Stanford, and the makers of Monk; Set Tours: The Making of the Final Season with co-producer Doug Nabors; and individual interviews with Shalhoub, Howard, Stanford, and Breckman.
