Monk needs a new assistant. Teeger is bland, boring and does not add to the show.

Natalie Teeger is dryly funny, tough, smart, vulnerable, and good for Monk. Her character is also well written.

Patcat

LOL WTG Bubba
e

Natlile Rules she is so cool and lets not have a new asst for Monk. He does not need one she is good for his asst.

Eventhough I have already seen 5 episodes of the first season of Monk, I was able to get a better idea of Monk's first assistant- Sharona and last spring, his second assistant, Natalie. Personally, both are quite unique in their own ways. Sharona was a little bit more involved; Natalie is the same way but she knows her boundaries. Like what Patcat wrote, Natalie has been well written into the show, for Traylor Howard has been playing that character well. If I had my druthers, I would go for Natalie.

What is with all the Natalie haters? You all need to get over it, if you don't like Natalie it's tough, cause i'm very sure that she is permanent.

I like Natalie and Sharona too, they both are great on Monk, as i have said before.
They both have different personalities and different ways of doing things.

So- Stop moaning and jog on.

Thank you, Bubba, for the great laugh.

Look, I'm not a Sharona hater, nor do I have anything against Bitty Schram. But Sharon's character always seemed a bit of a caricature to me, as if the writing of her was a first or second draft. The writing is better for Natalie--more thought seems to have gone into it. She's gently forced Monk into taking more responsibility and seeing beyond himself. Her experience as a widow gives her a connection with Monk that Sharona didn't have. Sharona frequently treated Monk like a child; Natalie doesn't.

Patcat

hahaha, couldnt have said it better bubba, that was great

Bubba, you rock.

That is all.

Okay, not quite all. Isn't it embarrassing to keep making 'demands' and complaints that are clearly being ignored by people that make the show. Honestly, it's well past an excersize in futility.

I would be more embarassed to be a sychophant!

TPTB have only to visit other boards to see that Teeger is an undesirable character and needs to be replaced by a more viable and funnier character, for Monk to become a great show as it was in the first two seasons. Teeger's presence adds nothing whereas the rest of the supporting cast is excellent. Natalie's character is not funny or quirky. Monk needs a new assistant and only the sychophants can't see that.

OH NO!!!! The dreaded "S" word.
Gosh that really hurts........NOT.
See here you go making demands again .
Why should te TPTB look at other boards ?
All they have to do is look at the ratings to know the change was a success.
Get over yourself,we have.
E

Are you still watching the show? And if so, why? Doesn't the Natalie character stop you from watching?

I have become used to Natalie and I don't wish of the creators of the show to get another assistant. It would be too complicated and the writers would have to come up with a new storyline to explain Natalie's/Traylor Howard's departure. Besides if Monk doesn't get picked up for another season despite our best efforts it will be a moot point.

I think that Natalie does a great job as Monk's assistant...just remember he did have his biggest fan help and she gave up after she was shot...Natalie is good for Monk so lets give up on this one already!

Of course she does a great job. She's Monk's assistant, she helps him and he (don't forget) helps her many times too...They're best friends....

No, I am not watching the show because of Natalie character but I want to!

Has any of you ever watched "FRIENDS" or "Sienfeld"? All the actors in each show were perfect for their roles which among other things made those shows excellent and not just good or fair. Monk can be a great show if MONK GETS A NEW ASSISTANT!!

Well... You know, I think it's still great show, with or without Natalie. She is funny and very nice. I like her. Maybe she's not Sharona, but she is also great. I don't understand how it's possible stop watching show because of 'actress I don't like' - it's insane like for me.

Right Szynek, it's kinda weird to me that if there is somebody U don't like U stop watch the show, but U do show up on message board....I'm a little confused here...

That’s because you’re posting your negativity on those boards, too. And you’ve found a few other posters that agree with you. You are delusional if you think you’re opinion is shared by the majority of Monk fans. Although there are fans that still miss Sharona and may even prefer her, they are continuing to enjoy the show.

No, I think only the Bitty/Sharona fanatics CAN see that.


They were perfect, partly because they were what the audience had grown familiar and comfortable with as the show progressed. In time, the actors hit their stride with the characters and it becomes difficult to imagine anyone else in those roles. If TPTB had replaced one of them, there would have been fans that ranted about that, too.


He DID get a new assistant and it IS a great show!

I never understood why so many Sharona lovers get so emotional about this. I will admit that, even though there are things I like about both Sharona and Natalie, I like Sharona a little more. However, I can easily accept the show without her, becuase I watch it for Monk, not his assistant. I'm sure we have all heard about how Bitty Schram engaged in some very unprofessional and disrespectful behavior during her time on the show. She was not just cast off without a reason. There is no way TPTB will ever bring her back, nor should we expect them to. Natalie will do just fine.

Just my two cents,
Ashley

The definition of a sychophant is a person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage, or a servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people. I checked dictionary.com and I checked two separate dictionaries here and didn't find anything that came close to defining a sychophant as a person who holds a different opinion from one you hold to the point of being delusional.

I have no hope or desire whatsoever to gain any personal advantage, and I don't know who I would be seeking to gain personal advantage from or what sort of personal advantage anyone could possibly gain from being a sychophant on a message board. It's not like I expect, or want, Andy Breckman to call me up and run story ideas by me, ask my opinion or ask me to take over the helm. I'm severely camera shy so I don't want a role, and even if that somehow did happen, I would decline because I am the least ambitious person on the planet. I really doubt they are sending out cards, personal notes, checks or gift baskets to people who say nice things. So, you see, nothing to gain.

If he did, for whatever unfathomable reason, ask my opinion, I would be happy to give it in a well thought out, honest, and respectful manner. Respectful in this context meaning that I feel he is professional and mature enough that if he asked my opinion, he would want to know exactly what I thought whether I liked it or didn't. All honest and rational feedback is good feedback and serious craftspeople know that.

I'm not shy about saying when I don't like something, maybe if you looked through some of my posts (hint, anything to do with Private Eye, or Linda is a good place to start) you will see what I mean. I have given honest opinions that were not 100% glowing praise about episodes, lines, and even blog entries with the knowledge that they might (and in at least one case, knew) that they could be seen by the people who created said episodes, dialogue or blog entries. But I suppose in your opinion, just because they were rational, not vitriolic or angry, respectfully phrased and backed up with logic or at least my own personal reasons, and I knew that my opinion was only my own humble opinion, you didn't notice them or recognize them as non-sychophantic fare. Respectfully stating honest opinions is not sychophantic behavior, especially if said opinions have phrases like, 'I didn't really care for...' or 'I didn't like...' in them. Not being a troll does not make a person a sychophant, either, just for the record. I'm just clarifying the definition for you, because you seem to be a little confused and using it wrong, and if I were bandying about words I didn't understand and using them incorrectly, I would want someone to tell me. I want to be taken seriously.

I'm curious about what other boards are you referring to? The boards the writers should see to prove that your opinion of Natalie is actually more a statement of fact, I mean. Surely if you have such irrefutable proof that your opinion is indeed fact, you would be more than happy to provide it here. It would help the writers, if they actually are following this thread or are currently reading the board, if you provided links to these boards where non-sychophantic, reasonable people post. I read several other boards myself, though I don't post on most of them, but the ones I visit, it seems that the anti-Natalie numbers are dwindling, and at most, the balance is pretty even between the anti-Natalies and the anti-Sharonas, while the majority are who like both characters or who have at least had the sense to accept it and move on.

I really like you Liv you wrap up pretty much of the conversation with a nice gently matter. You state your opinion and say nothing to hurt anyone... Good Job Liv!!

I agree! Liv, you're cool.

When, we first met Monk and Sharona, she was his nurse. We found out that after Trudy's death, Monk could barely function and Sharona was hired, as his nurse. As, he began to return to the world and work as a detective, Sharona was with him, I think to ensure that he didn't backslide and to be supportive. As, the season progressed, she started to help him with his work and she wanted to be his assistant, not his nurse. Whether, one is happy that she left or not, I think it occurred at a good time because Monk was functioning on a better level and he was ready for either a change in their relationship or another assistant. When, Natalie entered, Monk was in a better place and I think this allows them to have a healthier relationship. I think, Natalie is a good compliment to Monk. Teeger is a wonderful actress and does a great job with her character. I liked the character of Sharona because she was a wonderful role model for single parents. She was trying to better herself. Teeger is a good role model for them also but she doesn't have money problems. Listen, when your parents are that wealthy, Natalie has a Trust fund, somewhere. LOL And, if not, we know that the grandparents would not let their grandchild go hungry, even if, Natalie wouldn't take their money. When, Natatlie talks about money woes, I have trouble believing this. I think, of the scene where she puts out her hand to her father and asks for money to give Monk, so he'll take a case. And, dear father reaches in and gives it to her. LOL So, please don't ask me to believe that she has money woes.

When Natalie asked Monk to reimburse her for her expenses in 'Cobra" she was still estranged from her parents. Also, as a matter of principal, no matter how much money her parents can lend her, Monk is still obligated to pay Natalie (or Sharona or any other assistant) for expenses incurred on his behalf. Natalie is about 40 years old, long past the age when a healthy or self-respecting person depends on their parents for income. Their money is not her money. In the case of "At Your Service" her parents owed her a little consideration for trying to match her up with that psycho Paul Buchanan in the past and present, but I don't imagine she feels free to run to them every time she's short of cash. I also don't imagine she'd let Julie starve if it came right down to it, but apparently it never has. That trust fund, if she had one, would have gone done the drain with her gambling addiction.

However, I do agree that Sharona was what Monk needed when Stottlemeyer hired her for him and Natalie is what Monk needed when Sharona left.

Liv, again you have come up with the most logical, well thought-out response. Boy do I ever respect you - even when you disagree it's with well written wisdom which doesn't offend or set others off.

You're cool, and neat - wish we were neighbors I'd love to sit down and talk with you.

Sue

FallingUp, Raven and Kees, thanks, but I'm really just a person with opinions like everyone else, and I talk excessively. And I've learned that it's not worth getting angry on a message board. If you find yourself angry and unable to keep your cool, you should just avoid the topic altogether because screaming about won't change anything except the appearance you give or the impression people have of you. Having said that, I also have to admit to going off here fairly recently and to setting someone else off, though unintentionally. No one is perfect, least of all me.

Kees, I wish we could have lunch together and just have a good old fashioned gab session. There are quite a few people here I would love to meet in person and get to know better.

tdasher- I didn't think that Natalie's financial situation or her parents' money was part of the discussion or topic, but okay-- Normally, Natalie does not ask her parents for money, normally she is a very independant person, and I can fully understand and believe without question that she wouldn't ask them for money or have their bank accounts at her disposal or even take advantage of her trust fund, if she even has one, which I'm inclined to believe she doesn't have, because if she has one, and she uses it, it's pretty much the same thing as taking money from the parents. And as Teresa said, even if she did have money and didn't mind using it (and I'm very inclined to think that she does not because they have never said on the show that she did, in fact they said the opposite in 'Wedding', when she told the gang, "They wouldn't offer me a nickle and I wouldn't take it if they did.") the fact still remains that if she workd for Adrian, he should pay her, and reimburse her for expenses incurred on his behalf. Saying that just because her family has money and she might have money so she shouldn't expect payment is a bit like saying that just because I might have $5 more in my checking account than my neighbor that I should give her things that she needs or wants and expect nothing for it. Natalie's account balance or the wealth that her family has does not negate that fact that she should be paid, on time, for services she renders and reimbused for expenses she incurs on someone else's behalf. The electric company has a lot more money than I do, but they still expect me to pay for my electricity and they should.

That scene in At Your Service where she asks her dad for money which he happily hands over is one scene that is truly cringe worthy and just one of the reasons that episode is very far from being my favorite. Natalie's behavior there seems like very poor characterisation and not at all like she is normally written. Previously we have seen her as a fiercely independant, proud person who wants to stand on her own two feet, and would rather crawl through salted broken glass than ask her parents for anything, but there, she just holds her hand out and accepts her Daddy's money like it's an everyday occurance and she's entitled. That episode, to me, seems like it was written with much less thought and care than most other episodes, as if they needed a way to get Adrian on the case or in the Buchannan home but they couldn't be bothered with finding a way that fit while still remaining true the the characterisation. It felt to me as if they thought having Sean Astin in it was good enough to get people to watch, which is something very unusual for this show. They have had other well known actors on before, but they usually write those scripts as if they had all unknowns on the cast, they didn't rely on the big name to carry the episode. I didn't hate the episode, but to me it was largely forgettable and I tend to think I might not have noticed if they left it off the Season Five DVD set. In my own humble opinion, At Your Service was the weakest of 5.5. Maybe they were rushed, trying to get the episodes for the second half of the season written and shot as quickly as possible because they needed to get them done before Traylor actually went into labor, and they did just barely manage to finish in time since she gave birth only a couple of weeks after the final episode was finished. It just goes to show that when you are rushed and there are extra limits placed on you, the quality is bound to suffer. You can't really blame either the writers or Traylor for it. I can accept that there were extraordinary circumstances for 5.5 and I think that they did a good job all things considered. But knowing that, I still cringe everytime I see that scene and wonder where the pod person hid Natalie.

Liv, I agree with you that it wasn't consistent at all with Natalie's character at that point in her life to ask/take (actually, more like demand) money from her parents, although she seemed to indicate she did it when she was younger.

But after watching the episode a few times, I began to feel more like she was hiring Monk on behalf of her parents since they were so concerned as to what happened to their neighbors. I think it was more a symbolic gesture to hand Monk some money to officially hire him. I doubt she had her purse with her at the table but many men have their wallet in their pockets all the time and she probably knew that. I don't remember how much she actually handed him. It could have been $3!

That's one possible interpretation, another is that she was hoping to boost Adrian's morale, and good point, it really could have been just a few dollars. But still, without them showing how much money she took from Dad's wallet or making it more plain, they really just made it look like a glaring inconsistancy in her character. And it would have been kind of funny in a weird way if it had been only about $3.