The most frustratingMonkepisode is also the lowest-rated on IMDb. This is a notable exception in an otherwise stellar run for the procedural series, whichdoes not have many weak installments despite airing for eight seasons and 125 episodes. From the emotional series finale to the more humorous “Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike” in season 5,Monk’s best episodesare memorable and are well worth watching more than once.
“Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike” is among thefavorite episodes of Tony Shalhoub, who plays the titular detective. His other favorite episodes include season 3’s “Mr. Monk and the Kid” and season 4’s “Mr. Monk Bumps His Head,” both of which push Monk outside his comfort zone. While the lowest-rated episode on IMDb also pushes Monk outside his comfort zone, many other elements of the episode do not work, and expose aharsh reality of rewatchingMonk.
“Mr. Monk And The Big Reward” Is The Show’s Worst Episode According To IMDb
Monk Takes On A Different Kind Of Case
Season 4, episode 13, “Mr. Monk and the Big Reward” isMonk’s lowest-rated episode as perIMDb.The episode sees Monk trying to solve the case of the missing Alexander Diamond, the recovery of which comes with an award of $1 million dollars. Even though he traditionally solves homicide cases,Monk’s assistant, Natalie Teeger(Traylor Howard), insists he pursue the case because of the financial reward, which she and Monk sorely need since they are both broke.
The investigation is made more complicated by three other individuals desperate to find the Alexander Diamond and who try to sabotage Monk’s effort and use his findings to their own advantage. Monk is able to solve the case when he realizes that the woman claiming to be Jennie Mandeville (Jamie Anne Allman), who keeps coming to the police station, is the key to the missing diamond. Despite figuring out the truth, Monk does not get the diamond or the reward, as the police station’s cleaner, Gladys (Davenia McFadden), finds it instead.
What Makes “Mr. Monk And The Big Reward” Such A Frustrating Episode
The Premise & Characters Feel Inauthentic
“Mr. Monk and the Big Reward” is primarily frustrating because of its flawed premise and because of certain characters acting in inauthentic ways. Under normal circumstances, a competition between detectives would be easy for Monk to win. The episode tries to navigate this by having the other competitors constantly trying to sabotage him, but this becomes frustrating to watch, and the story ends up focusing more on the sabotage than Monk or the actual case.
It is also frustrating to see Natalie and Monk’s therapist, Dr. Charles Kroger (Stanley Kamel) acting out of character as they become fixated on the Alexander Diamond reward money.
It is also frustrating to see Natalie and Monk’s therapist, Dr. Charles Kroger (Stanley Kamel) acting out of character as they become fixated on the Alexander Diamond reward money.Natalie is uncharacteristically aggressive towards Monkduring the investigation, only seems to care about the money, and suddenly stops being supportive of him. Dr. Kroger using a therapy session to talk about how he would use the reward money to buy an island where Monk can never find him also feels uncharacteristically cruel.
Monk Rarely Changed The Status Quo Of The Show
This Was Ingrained In The Show’s Procedural Format
Even though Monk should have won the $1 million Alexander Diamond reward money since he solved the case, the series couldn’t let this happen as it would have upended the status quo too much. Monk suddenly becoming a millionaire would have been too much of a game-changing element that couldn’t be ignored in future episodes of the2000s TV procedural. Even in the episodes where Monk was pushed outside his comfort zone, the status quo was rarely changed.
While this approach overall works well for the series, itleads to an unsatisfying ending in “Mr. Monk and the Big Reward.“Monk is only foiled due to the bumbling sabotage of the other competitors, which causes them all to be locked in a room when Gladys finds the diamond. It does not help that Gladys is set up to be antagonistic towards Monk and is rewarded by the end of the episode. Fortunately, this episode is a rare disappointment duringMonk’s eight-season run.
