Monk – Recap & Review – Mr. Monk Goes Camping

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Monk
Mr. Monk Goes Camping

Original Air Date: Nov 6, 2009

Jeff P. – Sr. Staff Writer
jeffp@thetwocentscorp.com

It seems that Adrian Monk will be having another shot at reinstatement to the SFPD in tonight’s episode. He’ll just have to take Natalie’s advice left on post-it notes: “Be yourself… but not TOO yourself”.

Monk shows up at his reinstatement hearing early… about 6 hours early. After it’s over, the head of the board tells him that they’ll consider his request but they’re not sure if he has the temperament or judgment to carry a gun just yet. But Natalie assures Monk that it’s good to have 2 out of 3 officers from the board take his side. If only he could sway the last one.

Disher shows up at the scene of a armored car robbery dressed for camping and tells the gang that he’s doing “Buddies in Blue,” an outreach program that has inner city kids going camping with police. Disher mentions that one of the kids in the program, Brian, is the son of Director Willis who was the head of the board. Monk thinks that if he goes camping with his son and does well, he may be able to influence Willis into bringing him back onto the force.

As the campers are walking in the woods, Brian finally calls Monk out to what he’s doing. He said that there’s nothing that he can do to impress his father.

Elsewhere we meet the two guys who robbed the armored car and killed the guard. Stottlemeyer scares a girlfriend of one of them and she tells them to get rid of the evidence. They will now have to go to Spider Lake. (Probably not far from a certain group of campers, I’m thinking). They arrive at the site and they see the campers right in the area where they dumped their guns from the robbery. When the kids go to sleep, Monk asks Randy how he puts up with constant ridicule from everyone. He tells a story of how he saw a bumper sticker on a burning car say “Happiness is a choice”. As strange as it sounds, it changed his life. He chooses to be happy.

When everyone goes to sleep (which Monk does standing up against a tree) the criminal duo open up their packs and spread food all around the ground. Just enough to attract a bear! The campers run and end up running through the night to the daytime. The kids are unhappy with Monk since his screaming is what upset the bear.

The crooks find Randy’s phone and see a picture of one of their bullet shells on a fishing line made by one of the kids and know that they have to recover it. They go to meet the campers and pretend that they’re trying to help, but Monk observes the way that one of them cracks open their peanuts… Just like some shells that found at the robbery site.

Monk goes to get the shell from the fish that Brian caught, but Brian goes running. They start to fight over the fish until the bear comes back! Monk pulls the shell out then throws the fish out at him. The bear doesn’t want it, so Monk knows he has to speak calmly to him. He decides to tell the bear what happened and recites the crime, and thankfully the bear leaves quietly.

Meanwhile, Randy sets up an ambush for the robbers. He leaves the kids and disarms one of them and uses their gun to keep them at bay. They police come and arrest the diabolical duo. Brian warms up to Monk then and tells his father how Monk solved the crime.

Back at the hearing, Willis says that he’s changed his vote since Monk saved his son’s life. Monk is thrilled to hear this. But then, both of the other officers tell Monk that they’re not quite ready to reinstate him yet. Monk comes out of the meeting happy, albeit in denial. Natalie asks Monk if he realizes what’s happened and he said he did. After he runs out of the door, Randy says again that happiness is a choice.

I thought this was kind of a lightweight episode, and almost a throwaway. I did like Monk having a hearing for reinstatement for continuity. And I liked Randy’s life changing mantra found on a bumper sticker. But otherwise I thought this was one of the weaker episodes this season. Obviously, the tension is mounting knowing that the Trudy mystery is coming to a head.
Am I crazy, or was this show not as good as the rest? Your two cents is always appreciated.