I'm watching the show. And here he is. "Oh, you quit." He says. "Or you, or you or..." And he doesnt pick Monk as a 'you'.

And there it is.

The moment when my good nature towards life just gets 'sucked up' completely and I start thinking "They should issue hunting permits for people like you." or "A good hunting accident would really open your eyes."

I mean... He's just grinding my gears.

"Wuss."

OMG. <cracks knuckles>

"Man to Muss"

This must be what it feels like when the squirrley little scientist guy becomes the Hulk.

"You're a flincher."

A flincher? Flincher.

<shakes head>

I'd like a permit please.

-M

Yeah, I hate that guy. The flinching part especially gets me going, I want to slap him silly.

Some big hero. Hits women, kills people, maybe saved 5 people on that shuttle crash, maybe, once.

And how many lives has Monk saved and avenged?

Please.

Worthless space trash better not try and tell me about heroes.

Gets me all worked up. And on top of that ... OMG - Such a POSER! An absolute PHONY. 24/7.

-M

Yes, he is definitely one of the most loathable of all "the guys," perhaps because he really gets into Monks face and puts him low. (By some strange coincidence I'm watching the same episode. )

I'm trying to think what other villains taunted Monk, and all I can think of is Dale -- maybe the guy in Vegas (Thorn, was it?). But I can't think of anyone else who was quite so brutal a bully.

Oh, yeah..."On the Air."

Oh, the DJ. Yeah. They could play the astro and the dj back to back and completely insure my need for additional mediaction.

Absolutely.

Oh, it would rule if they were prison roomies, wouldnt it?

I hate that guy too, but ironically enough, my all time favorite monkisode to hate is the one that aired right before it--the stolen diamond episode. I hate stories like that. That episode makes me want to push pins into little dolls. Hate it, hate it, hate it.

I would want Dale, the DJ, the astronaut and Linda to all share a cell about the size of my closet, with no windows, solid walls, even in the doors, and one serving of bread and water for the four of them to share per day. If the guards remember to feed them everyday. How long do you think it would take for them to eat each other and who do you think would get eaten first?

Just thinking of that scenario put me in a better mood. You should try it.

I have never hated a show because of the way a character treats Monk. He's the sympathetic hero, who has some obvious problems. I have chosen not to re-watch episodes for other reasons. They bored me (Stuck in Traffic, Vacation, Mexico) or because of "issues" I didn't agree with, such as the Captain saying he'd help the blind woman in Red Headed Stranger to get a lighter sentence for killing the man who killed her parents and made her blind. Her reasoning was that he wasn't punished enough so she plotted to murder him, lie about not being able to see and then frame celebrity Willie Nelson (of 'being willie nelson" fame) (My issue was hers was a premeditated murder and his was sort of man-slaughter. And the Captain seemed okay that she would go out and kill someone - as opposed to going to parole hearings and such - because she didn't like the way justice was served - See how much issue I take w/ this episode? This is a lot to post for something that simply bugged me. I also don't tend to re-watch episodes where people, mostly the Captain, treat my beloved harshly. I really hate that. Anyway...Happy Thursday, all.

Oddly enough, while I despised Jeffrey Donovan as the Astronaut, I really like the show Burn Notice. Go figure...Possibly because I don't like anyone who hurts Adrian....or maybe it's two of my more conflicting personalities.

(Me #1:You did not tell them about that, did you??)
(Me #2: She probably did, she's such a tattler.)
(Me #3:It's such a crime the way she tells everything she knows.)
(Me #4: Will you all just shut up so I can go back to sleep?? I'll wake up #12 and tell her you won't let me sleep.)
(Me #s 32, 19, 76, and 48: Tattle-tale !!!)



Meme

I don´t like it too...but then I focus on the other end: I love Monk so much that it bothers me when someone treats him bad.

Then I do not spend so much time 'not liking' the others (I have a big list of this others here, by the way ). The love and appreciation I have on Monk surpass it!!!

So, guys, isn´t great to love someone, fictional or not, for free??

Hugs
(in-love) Mi

Meme - Isnt it great when you can have Multiple Personalities - and they're all smart enough to use the same name?

Mi - Your posts are always so up beat. They make me smile all the time. I try not to spend too much time hating anyone but some times these people can get the better of me. And the man who plays the astornaut is a very good actor who played a very mean man. It's a credit to his talent that he can upset me so.

Meme Again - Which brings me around to how you can like him in Burn Notice and hate him on Monk - He's defiantely better than most 'passable' actors on tv. He was the anti-Monk in a lot of ways. And he did it really, really well.

Still, a Monk video game that let you shoot him while he's escaping jail? I'd buy it.

He's just so mean!

-M

I liked 'The Astronaut' episode. After all the taunting, humiliation and misery he put Adrian through Adrian rose above it and acted upon his convictions to prove he had murdered and how he had murdered his girl friend. In the end he won the respect of this astronaut by standing tall on the runway, not flinching when the lasers from loaded guns were trained on him and overcame his own fears to catch the bad guy.

It's a classic case of the meek shall win over the bully, and, boy, did Adrian win the round.

I know I keep saying this over and over and I apologize that this is somewhat off-topic but the one episode that made me so mad I wanted to reach into the TV and strangle someone was "On The Air" OMG, those comments that Stephen Webber's character made about Trudy (Rest in pieces-OMG, I cringe just thinking about it) were horrible! And this is a huge credit to the writers and to Stephen Webber because no show has EVER affected me like that before.

I haven't seen "The Astronaut" in a long time, so it might be a good idea if I re-watched it.

Andrea

Jeffery Donovan is a great actor! He makes you depise Steve Wagner. He killed his girlfriend so she wouldn't put in her book that he beat her. He couldn't let that happen since he was running for public office. I mean, sure he landed a space shuttle into the ocean making him a national hero; but beating up your girlfriend, I know I would never vote for him. He even took the doll away from the little girl ( who Dad took it from the dead girl's porch)! He thought he was powerful; but Monk said in his presentation that he has put away famous people before; that what made Steve Wagner's arrest so sweet.

I get the whole "Monk triumphs in spite of the bullying" aspect of this episode, and yes, that's cool.

But the last thing in the world anyone needs is the respect of men like Steve Wagner.

"You beat me at my own game so now I think you must be great!"

No, forget that. I'd rather he was in jail, beating his bloody fists in to the wall growling and snapping about the Muss who undid him with barely a seconds thought on the subject.

Wagner should be humilited and ashamed. Not basking in his own glory, as it relfelcts off Monk, and claiming it raises Monk's standing in his eyes or the worlds.

He didnt even read the chapter! She might not have mentioned the abuse. He killed her JUST IN CASE. To protect a future he didnt even earn yet.

They hint that she mentioned the abuse - but even so - a former top white house guy just wrote a book and the white house is spending it's time claiming this insider has 'puzzled' them and 'invented facts'.

And I dont think he did either. But the point is - plausable deniability. There were 15 tell all chapters in her book. Presumably about 15 men of some interest or importance. Married men who made 'mistakes' top be with her.

I dont have to tell you how easy it would be to dishonor or disgrace a woman who releases her top 15 married guy countdown, now do I?

If a former trusted aide and high ranking official can recount embarassing political truth and the white house can just dismiss it as fantasy, then you cant tell me that Wagner couldnt have said "She's obviously confused me with number eight!' And get a laugh from the whole room.

He was a worm. And not an earth worm - an intestinal one - a parasite.

He must have been a real piece of work, and done a real number on that poor girl the first time around - for him to react like that.

For the life of me, I cant imagine why she would be alone with him again after something like that any way.

Citizens for Astronaut-Hunting Permits,

-M

Very well put, Mandeville,

But may I suggest a name change for your organization?

Have you considered

Citizens Requesting Astronaut Permits?

I absolutely love Jeffrey Donovan. He was supposed to be a mean, despicable character in Monk and he pulled it off with flying colors. I so wanted to slap that character. Of course it made it even sweeter when Monk proved his case.

I also get upset with anyone who is mean to Monk. Steve Wagner wasn`t too smart when he made his special drink for the girl, before he killed her. When Monk went to Steve`s house, he (Monk) picked right up on the fact, that the special drink was being served. He had noticed it at the crime scene.

Was anyone else a little upset with Julie? I know she is just a child, but she had told her whole class about Monk`s fears. The children were very rude, and thought it was funny to put the laser beam on him.

Yes, Julie did mess that up, but it didn't take her that long to really regret it, and Emmy played that really well. She looked devastated that her classmates were so cruelly tormenting Monk.

But I sadly suspect that most middle schoolers with a laser pointer might have aimed in a more embarrassing direction.

I completely agree with you on the points you made. She should not have told them about Monk's problems and quickly realized this, but at the point it was to late. Emmy did a fantastic job playing that, part. She did look completely devastated.

Absolutely true. The casting people on Monk have repeatedly made real quality decisions.

And in Julie's defence - she might not have been condescending while talking about Monk's fears. She might just have been innocently talking and covered those topics.

I only think that because right from the moment it starts to turn really bad, she reacts to the fist kid with such... I cant say if it's shock, disgust or horror - or some mixture of the three. But right there at that moment I would have beleived completely that the thought running through her mind was "Dont say it like that!"

I always 'see' this in her reaction at that moment. As though she really wasnt capable of talking like that but she could tell it sounded like she was anyway.

If she had been speaking loosely about Monk she would have seemed more guilty than upset.

In my mind, anyway.

But in any case, it was a wonderful performance. It's a shame that kind of range cant be used more fully in her character from time to time.

??? Who Knows ???

Maybe it will.

-M

I really hated the astronaut! He made Monk feel so inaquate as a human...as a man! I am happy that he overcame it!

Guess I shoulda just said that I hated the Astronaut...JD does a grrrrrrreat job in Burn Notice.

Hey Hello,

I agree with you all. The astronaut was one of he most sordid guys in the show. Another one that I think really challenged Monk was the Chemistry Teacher in "the Goes Back to School" episode. He also taunted Monk. But, diferently from the astronaut, I think he was smarter.
When someone is mean to Monk, I have two oposite feelings: I feel sorry for him, but at at the same time I like to see Tony's acting on these scenes, so I expect for more of them in other episodes. I just don't like when it's Stott, Natallie or Randy, who eventually does, because they know all about his problems, they know he is sick and has suffered too much during his whole life. So, for me, they should never treat him badly. I've seen, specially, the captain doing that. Maybe bacause he's so impulsive, he sometimes uses harsh words to talk to Monk, and it seems to be on purpose since he intends to atack in Monk's weak points when he doesn't agree with his theories.

Hugs,

Yeah. It bothered me too when I would see the captain get tough with Monk. But then I realize, if he were real, Stott would have needed psychiatric care long ago. And they write him like that I think. He's the second 'sickest' person on the show. But he's working on it. Remember the yo-yo?

Stott's high strung (to say the least) when he's emotional. And his job has a lot of emotion. His personal life had a lot of upheav... I cant spell that.

But I think I've made my point. Stott doesnt want to treat Monk badly any more. Every time he does he shows obvious remorse later. But that's a part of who he's supposed to be - a hard working, dedicated, professional detective/law enforcer.

Who just happenss to spend his life being second best because he ended up next to one of the few, rare natural detectives in recent history.

And even if you have come to love the man... Some times - that might still get the better of even the best of folks...

Or so I would imagine.

-M

You're right Mandeville! In everything, really. I guess I just forgot to see things by the Captain's eyes. And he's been trying hard to get better. But as he's so impetuous, word come out and he immediately regrets. Poor Captain! Monk is not easy, but is always right.

IT's interesting you mention that. It showed such a contrast between how he was in going back to school and how he was in this episode.

Back to school he was kind of wimpy, in fact if I am not mistaken some gym teacher wanted to beat him up and Sharona had to tell him off.

It was interesting Monk was the dominant person not natalie. As timid as monk he still confronted the astrounaut and in the end ran up and stopped him from taking off. He was able to grow from the experience.






Well leland has mention when natalie started working for monk and he went to a cabin and asked monk

"What happen to me? I was the youngest to become captain and should be chief . Now I am only know as the guy who can find you."

Leland and monk have grown closer over time but, truefully Monk still irks him like no tomorrow. Leland joked around that people on the bomb squad with nerves of steel couldn't work for monk...ANother funny moment when monk is looking for a new assitant asked what happen to leland's cousin and he replies

"I like her."

It still bothers me when I watch the pilot (The Candidate) Leland is sooo mean to Monk. Randy goes right along with it. I think there is, or was, a lot of jealousy on Leland`s part. Sharona really goes to bat for Monk in this episode. I know, she did quit, but came back, then went to the Deputy Mayor to get Monk back on the case. Leland had fired Monk, and was pretty mean about it.

OMG!! I know what you mean i hated the way he was so mean during like the first season or something, he was hostile and randy was like a bully's dumb sidekick in the playground "Defective detective" i was like yeah at least he's not dumb and up the captains @$$.

But that was only the first episode Lol!! I think Randy is a fabulous character and so is the Captain, it was just the first episode so i guess it is understandable, i couldn't imagine MONK without either of them it wouldn't be MONK otherwise!!

Oh i also really can't stand that stupid DJ, and the Astronaut made my blood boil like a volcano he was so smug, arrogant and such a shallow pretty boy i was like "WTH?" when they were both mean but at the end Monk had the last laugh on them both, because he is way more intelligent than them and he kicked their rear ends with his ability to catch them (haha but he quite literally did beat the DJ Lol!! go Monk!!) ha he made them look soooo dumb it was great to watch when they realized they'd been caught and there was no way out.

"You're not laughing now..are you?"

....Pinkie....

Yeah, it was pretty bad - early on. But compare The Canidate's Leland to On The Run's Leland - when L was talking to Randy about R's Monk tribute song and Randy says "It was the best song I ever wrote."

Leland tells him that he might get to use it. And Randy defends "No, you wont be the one to shoot him"

And Leland smiles, kind of coy and replies "You never know." Like it's his new happy thought or something.

It's still the same character, with the same problems. But he's done SOOOO much towards his own recovery that even his anger at Monk is cute.

I think a lot of it is Monk's track record. Leland probaby knows exactly how many of those cases he would have blown without Monk's help. How many innocent people would have died and how many guilty people would have gone free.

That has to be humbling. To say the least. It's really a credit to the character that he's developed this bit of 'understanding' about how he, the force and the city all really NEED Monk.

Now if Monk only got that all the time. lol. "You're going to let a murderer go free to get them to pick up thier trash?"

"How do I say this... YES!"

lol.

-M

I only saw the beginning but, saw that leland was pretty mean to monk. I know he said something like Monk hasn't listen to him since he's been a squad commander..then randy with the dumb defective detective.

I didn't get to see where leland fired monk.

I think they had to start the two characters there, or there would be no where for them to go. Not forward anyway. It adds to successive seasons to see how these two characters progress and how they get to understand each other more and more. Then when Stottlemeyer does or says something nice, you really appreciate it. I laughed my butt off when Sharona told him to bite her--hilarious. All of these characters--including Natalie from the way she was in her first episode and Sharona from the pilot through her last episode--have loosened up considerably and grown closer and more understanding. Nothing stagnates on this show--everything's moving. I love that.

I completely agree with you! Everything is moving forward, which is ALWAYS a good thing.

Watching the astronaut episode with Jeffery Donovan, he wasn't the producers first choice in that role. I remember reading somewhere that the producers wanted some one more famous; but after seeing Jeffery in Touching Evil, the producers thought he could do the role. And remember Steve Wagner had the best alibis of them all. "Monk, he couldn't have done it. He was up in outer space." That what made getting Steve Wagner so great.

Steven Webber was just good as an actor in Mr. Monk is on the Air. Tony and him were on Wings together which made the scene where Monk throws a punch at him even more intense. His alibi is just as good as Steve Wagner, he was on the air when his wife died.

Yes, I deplore both of those characters, but both Jeffery and Steven did a good job of making us hate them so much.

I just now put my finger on EXACTLY what I cant stand about that astronaut.

It's that an ego like that constitutes an untreated mental issue so large it dwarfs all of Monks problems put together.

It's the whole 'Pot calling the kettle black' thing... Wow. What a really racist metaphore/cliche.

...

Great. Now I'm suspicious of my cookware's attitude about civil rights.

I'm serious - some days - it just never ends, does it?

-M

I just watched Goes to Vegas. I have seen it years ago, so I didn´t remember it too well. The bad guy had persuased Monk to gamble, but Monk didn´t want. Anyhow, now Monk is gambling because of Randy. Randy has lost a lot of money and Monk helps him get the money back. He won all the time, he has a mountain of these game marks (or whatever they are) in front of him. And there was the owner,the murderer, and ordered two decks more to put the game impossible, but Monk played and won, and at the same tíme told this whodidit, howdidit. It was really marvellous! But this bastard called his gorillas and they throw Monk out. For a moment I thougt that now they hit him, but no, thanks God. This villian couldn´t stand Monk being so good. Maybe it wasn´t anything personally, but I disliked him.

I hadn´t seen On the Air, but the astronaut... Yes, I will buy these haunting permits. Nobody -expect Dale- hasn´t been sooo humiliating towards Adrian, all the time. It makes me sick. But I don´t hate the episode, ´cause of the end, when Monk stopped that fighter, stood before it and all the lasers pointed toward him. I think, this is one of the classic scenes of Monk. He was afraid of, but he won himself and that is the point. At the class room he losed his control (children can be so cruel, sometimes without understanding everything they do). But when he has to catch the guy, he wins his fears. It is mr Monk biggest obsession to get the murderer, and it wins everything else, so I think. It is not so, that he played this haughty bastard´s game, he plays the game of his own and wins always. He is always million times superb than these nasty rats.
And remember, what dr Kroeger said, that the guy is afraid of mr Monk. That is right! These guys always are afraid of Monk, ´cause he sees through them.

And Julie... she spoke little too loosely about Adrian, but that is the way, how people often do. Not only children, adults too. Emma acted Julie´s embarrassment so well. At the end she was so sweet, when she gave the medal to Adrian and told him, how all class were sorry and apologized to Adrian. Mr Monk is the real hero. I think, this was very good end to this episode.