This Subtle Detail In Monk Made Tony Shalhoub’s Performance As The Detective Even Better

Monk is arguably Tony Shalhoub's best performance, but there is a subtle detail throughout the show that made it even better. Throughout its eight seasons on the air, Shalhoub's Monk became a widely loved detective who highlighted Shalhoub's incredible attention to detail and skill in character acting. Some of Monk's best episodes even feature Shalhoub putting a spin on his character, showcasing his creativity and cleverness.

Even though there are several harsh realities of rewatching Monk, the character remains one of the most well-known detectives of the 21st century. Praised for his brilliant detective skills and particularity, Monk's uniqueness turned him into a memorable detective. Shalhoub's portrayal of him also breathed life into the character in a way that makes it hard to imagine any other actor in his place. Shalhoub's dedication to Monk is particularly highlighted by the way Monk interacted with others, which made the show stand out even more.

Monk Being Gullible And Naïve Despite Being So Smart Made The Character Even Better

Monk's Gullibility Made Him A Complex Character

Monk is a brilliant and intelligent detective, but also extremely gullible and naive. The complexity of his character makes him even better. Rather than being a know-it-all, Monk is highly aware of his faults, which gives him nuance and encourages him to work with others. Even though he has the knowledge and skills necessary to solve his cases on his own, Monk's assistants, Sharona and Natalie, and his colleagues at the SFPD often help him out, showing that each case is truly a team effort.

Making Monk gullible also adds a soft touch to his character and makes him more likable. Monk has many faults, but his naivety makes him more relatable and sympathetic to the other characters. It also helps to round out his character and make him more realistic. In a way, Monk is similar to Sherlock in the sense that Monk's gullibility adds a softer side to him, just like how Sherlock's disinterest in learning about the solar system adds a cynical side to Sherlock. In both cases, the addition of the characteristic gives the character more complexity.

Adrian’s Naïvity Made For Some Of Monk’s Most Hilarious Scenes

Monk's View Point Often Clashed With His Friends' In The Best Way

Monk meets Trudy's daughter, Molly Evans, for the first time

One of the best things about Monk is his particularity. His naivety led to some of the best scenes in the show and highlighted the immaturity of his character. Some of Monk's funniest scenes even include Monk's behavior towards romantic relationships. Besides his partnership with Trudy, Monk has had trouble viewing romantic and sexual relationships as sanitary. When a murder suspect is the victim's extramarital affair partner, Monk will often call them a "sex mistress" or "sex lover" in a somewhat ridiculous but very funny moment of anger.

Monk's naivety towards the reality of the world around him makes him an amusing character, but it also highlights his immaturity and unwillingness to see beyond what is in front of him.

Monk's naivety is also highlighted in the one scene where Dr. Kroger asks Monk about his sexual relationship with Trudy and Monk starts to sing show tunes in avoidance of the personal question. Monk's naivety towards the reality of the world around him makes him an amusing character, but it also highlights his immaturity and unwillingness to see beyond what is in front of him. While Monk is an expert in murder and perception, his naivety acts as a comical juxtaposition and adds a likable depth to him.

Monk Sometimes Went Too Far With Adrian’s Innocent Behavior

Sometimes The Joke Turned Cruel

Monk is a hilarious character, but sometimes the show's jokes go too far. Many of its comic scenes also relied on suspension of disbelief for the jokes to land. A major incident of Monk going too far is in "Mr. Monk And The Leper," where Monk is hired by a man who claims to have leprosy. Monk's fear of contracting leprosy is so intense that he believes he can contract it through the phone and asks Natalie to light his hand on fire. The ridiculousness of the scene only works if the audience believes in Monk's fears.

"Mr. Monk And The Leper" was inspired by the tradition of film noir movies and was originally filmed in black and white, before releasing a colored version shortly after.

The episode is cruel to Monk's characters, but also to real people living with leprosy as a joke was made out of their disease. It is also not the only time that Monk goes too far with Adrian's naivety. In Stanley Tucci's episode on Monk, Tucci plays a devoted method actor who gets inside Adrian's head and instills a new fear in him regarding Trudy Monk's case, erasing years of Adrian's progress. Throughout Monk, Adrian has trouble distinguishing good characters from bad ones. This leads to many cruel instances that are set up as comical but end up hurting Adrian.