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Well, I just finished watching the series finale for Monk. I don't know how many people still watch it, but I liked it up to the end.

I have to say, it was one of the best final episodes I've ever seen. It tied up the main points of the story while establishing back to a semi- status quo and actually had a happy ending.

The only nitpick I had, which as a card carrying geek, I have to have at least one, was the Deus Ex Machina of the unopened christmas present.

"Hey, the one gift I never opened from my murdered wife just HAPPENS to contain the identity of her murderer."

Other than that, I thought it was great.

I was pretty satisfied as well. I thought that it started very abruptly, but once they established the episode status quo, it was really good.

I forgave them for the Clue Ex Machina because the scene was overall really beautifully done.

I actually didn't mind the Present thing, if only because how stupid Monk clearly felt for not opening the fucking thing 12 years earlier. It was Deus Ex Machina, but the look on his face when he finally saw what it was... that was priceless.

There's a rumor floating around that the reason the Randy Disher subplot was played up over this season is because there's a potential spin-off in the works.

fade said:

There's a rumor floating around that the reason the Randy Disher subplot was played up over this season is because there's a potential spin-off in the works.

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If they bring back Sharona-era Randy when he was useful for something besides comedy relief, that could be cool.

Though, they way they built it up, they'd have to get Sharona on the show, and I'm not sure if that would happen.

Didn't like it. The twists were too easy to figure out. I mean common... "let's shroud the judge in darkness during the phone call to the hitman, because no one will figure it out from just the bald profile, voice, and the fact that we had the judge appear randomly not two scenes before this."

The wet naps I figured out easily.

The gift was cute but if anything it's a total "Up yours" to Monk who had the answer to the most horrible crime in his life, sitting up on his shelf the entire time.

What ever happened to the explanation of Trudy's last words which were apparently "Bread and Butter"? Via the episode with Dale the Whale.

Does this Molly girl not find it creepy that this OCD nutjob who claims to be her stepfather wants to be involved in her life now that she's 26?

Did Monk actually do anything semi-Monk like to solve the biggest case of his career?
"You have a sundial under a tree! Why would you do that unless you marked where you hid the body!"


An answer to the age old question "What happens when you need to end the series, but really made no plans ahead of time on how to do it?". The Monk Series Finale.
All and all, a series FAIL.

Shawnacy said:

What ever happened to the explanation of Trudy's last words which were apparently "Bread and Butter"? Via the episode with Dale the Whale.

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They explained that in the end of the very first Dale the Whale episode. She would say that if she and Monk were walking along, holding hands, and then got briefly separated by someone walking the other way or a telephone pole or something. Monk took her last words to mean that she was saying they would be briefly separated, but they would be together again soon.

I've been watching Monk since the beginning, and while I didn't like the first half of the final two-part episode, I did enjoy the last half. I really enjoyed the interaction between Monk and Trudy's daughter.

I think one of my favorite parts of the series as a whole was that Monk's character actually developed, and he made progress, but still remained quirky and troubled.

Shawnacy said:

The gift was cute but if anything it's a total "Up yours" to Monk who had the answer to the most horrible crime in his life, sitting up on his shelf the entire time.

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That was the entire point... it was to show that Monk's problems were entirely self-inflicted and that only he is responsible for the past 12 years of misery he's endured.

AshburnerX;314689][quote=Shawnacy said:

The gift was cute but if anything it's a total "Up yours" to Monk who had the answer to the most horrible crime in his life, sitting up on his shelf the entire time.

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That was the entire point... it was to show that Monk's problems were entirely self-inflicted and that only he is responsible for the past 12 years of misery he's endured.[/QUOTE]
Sure. But a Dues Ex Machina ending like that is not the way to end a series about the world's greatest detective.

True...Batman got to be his own Deus ex Machina. Even if he was technically using the Machina ex Deus....
....
....
Final Crisis sucked!

TeKeo said:

True...Batman got to be his own Deus ex Machina. Even if he was technically using the Machina ex Deus....
....
....
Final Crisis sucked!

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Sorry. The world's second greatest detective.

Shawnacy;314727][quote=TeKeo said:

True...Batman got to be his own Deus ex Machina. Even if he was technically using the Machina ex Deus....
....
....
Final Crisis sucked!

Click to expand...

Sorry. The world's second greatest detective.

[/QUOTE]

I'm sure Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot have something to say about that designation. Probably Inspector Clouseau too, but that's just his ego talking.

Shawnacy said:

Sure. But a Dues Ex Machina ending like that is not the way to end a series about the world's greatest detective.

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Technically, I'm not sure it's really a deus ex machina, since the present was introduced back in season 4. But meh, semantics... still felt kind of cheap.

Other than that, I quite liked the finale though. In fact the whole season has been pretty good, especially the fact that we got closure on a lot of the minor, recurring characters. I would have liked to see another Ambrose episode though. Either way, definitely a step up from the terrible seventh season.

Shawnacy said:

Sure. But a Dues Ex Machina ending like that is not the way to end a series about the world's greatest detective.

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True but there needed to be some new information or clue to finally break the case and I don;t know if any other way to introduce the evidence could avoid being a Deus Ex.

AshburnerX;314798][quote=Shawnacy;314727][quote=TeKeo said:

True...Batman got to be his own Deus ex Machina. Even if he was technically using the Machina ex Deus....
....
....
Final Crisis sucked!

Click to expand...

Sorry. The world's second greatest detective.

[/QUOTE]

I'm sure Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot have something to say about that designation. Probably Inspector Clouseau too, but that's just his ego talking.[/QUOTE]

No love for Miss Marple huh?