Just got done watching this episode.

It was pretty funny but, also had a nice trudy monent in there.

That's one of the few left that I haven't seen yet. I'm looking forward to it.

I was waiting for another thead on this episode. I am pretty sure tyou´ve already discussed it, but i re-watched it last week ( today I saw The Bank again - and changed my opinion. it´s a pretty good eppy!).
So, when we see it for the second, or third, or whatever ( me!), we get to see it in a different way, we get other features we didn´t notice before because we were too concentrated on Tony acting ( ME!!), on possible ship moments ( ME again!!) on Leland, Randy, Natalie, Julie or secondary things like the mistery, the plot, Trudy´s murder clues.....

Sorry, now my point: I was really astonished by the cast acting on this episode! The scene when they are trying to bring back Monk is shivering!
Monk is sitting on a matress on the floor, praying. Natalie enters the room, carrying a tray with some food on it, and tries to persuade him to eat. He refuses to eat, and when she tells she´s going to get a wipe to clean his mouth, he just gives her a very angry look, and like teasing her, he wipes his mouth on his sleeve! He does it looking at her, really trying to hurt her!!
Fantastic!
Then, she leaves Monk and arrives hopelessly at the living room, when the others are waiting. She is really concerned about him.

So, It´s Captain´s turn. He doesn´t open the door, he kicks it! He agressively throws pictures of the dead girl in front of Monk, and Monk do not react. He even kicks Monk´s feet, but no reaction. Leland gives up in his manly way. Great!!

Then, Randy. Haha, very funny, Randy takes the shirt off to be prepared for the fight! He enters the room, in a very respectful way, sits in front of Monk and starts to talk about the book ( the father´s bible). Next scene we hear both of them chanting the Father´s Hymn. Hilarious.

Dr Kroeger takes his turn, then. He enters the room, faces Adrian as he always does, in a very natural way, and shows reality to Adrian: the mansions Father owns and the lies father spreads. He even tryes to persuade him by telling Harold wasn´t so stupid to join this cult! But anything works, until Dr Kroeger shows Trudy´s picture to Adrian. We visibly see his facial changes, his inner changes. Monk tryes to deny it, but as soon as Dr Kroeger screws up the picture and tosses it on the floor, we get to see the pain Monk starts to feel again, we see some eyedrops forming on Monk´s eyes, and then he is back, for Trudy´s love. Fantastic!

Gee, every character enters the room in it´s unique way, and develops a conversation with Monk in its unique way. We clearly see each one´s personality, and we can measure the intensity of the relation they have among each other. Fantastic job for the actors, and remarkable acting job for Tony!! The different reactions he interpret, the posture Monk has with the other characters, so distinct from one to another and yet so consonant with the developed story throughout the years, and the inner change Tony shows on Monk´s reactions when he is brought back to reality by Dr Kroeger....uh, another Emmy to Tony!!!

I made it too long....sorry....

hugs
Mi

This is a great episode from the 6th season! I really can see how people can get caught up in cults. I almost could be a member of this one. I am a big Howie Mandell fan and he already has a strong personality. He was the perfect person to be the cult leader. I appauled whoever thought of using him! Tony played the part perfectly! Monk's OCD somewhat disappeared when he joined this cult. I'm just glad that Monk had people to interceed on his behalf.

You, too, huh?

This along with Buried Treasure are the two I haven't seen. And they seemed determined not to show it to us. There are no season 6 episodes at all in the USA schedule, at least last time I checked. It was on the USA site episodes, but it kept crashing on me. I might have to wait until the DVD's.

But then again, it's almost June...and after June? JULY. It's coming. If a few days we can talk about NEXT MONTH's new Monk episodes.

I really enjoyed the cult episode.

You can watch it online right now. Just got to monk page and click on full episodes and it's there..along with mr monk is on the run p 1 and 2..mr monk and the garbage strike, mr monk and the actor.

I thought the cult episode was one of the great episodes from season 6. Tony, as well as the other actors does a great job in this episode. Tony plays his part so well. I agree on another Emmy!!

This was an episode that makes me feel better that natalie is here instead of Sharona. Sharona not only would have forced her way to the cult but, even if monk got brainwashed she would have picked him apart when they got home.

Back to the scenes you mention.

Yeah I agree it was interesting to see their reactions and approaches.

Natalie for instance came at him with alot of kindness and it was interesting to see that monk even in the cult state was showing compassion something he would not have done in the earlier season. Trying to tell natalie that in fact he would not press charges if she let him go.

Stotlemeyer came from a professional stand point and we got some good dialogue there.

Disher vs monk was pretty funny. Getting disher to believe in the cult

Kroger who knew him best kind of hit him in all directions. For try to hit his pride by telling him that harold was able to beat the group, then logically by showing him father was a fraud then finally emotionally by showing him trudy.

I loved the choice of Howie Mandell because he has a bad case of OCD in real life, it's why he's shaved his head, and I also loved that Father's ailment was a bad back, because Andy Breckman has said that OCD, in some ways, is like having a bad back, because it's something almost everyone can relate to on some level. It was sort of a tongue in cheek joke or reference to real life, sort of like a mirror universe or something.

I just watched it at surfthechannel--hilarious! And the personality test and the comment about psychiatry being invented by the devil--a couple of benign but hysterical digs at scientology. Loved the episode! And Randy was nearly brainwashed in under ten minutes. I nearly peed myself.