As a public service to all Reform Club Monkophiles: tonight at 10 pm EST, USA Network premieres a special Christmas Monk episode, Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa. Since Monk's regular season doesn't start until mid-January, I thought some people might miss it.
Also on USA, and rather more improbable from my point of view: a very special holiday episode of.....The Dead Zone??
4 comments:
Kathy, many thanks for publicizing this! I was greatly looking forward to seeing this episode, and I had no idea it was coming up already! Woohoo!
I liked the atmosphere, Kathy, and it was fun to see a Monk Christmas story, but I solved the mystery before it actually happened. Not a very strong puzzle. Still, an enjoyable episode.
I think many Christmas episodes of series are the same way -- the usual particular strength of the setup is stretched to accomodate the Christmas theme. I agree, this time the puzzle was not very puzzling. However, the Christmas theme was done about as well as this collection of characters could do it. I have now watched the episode twice (I had to tape it for the kids because of other activities going on) and am struck by what a blatantly Christian place Mr. Monk's San Francicso is. Would Gavin Newsome really allow two city employees to sing O, Holy Night on city property? Not to mention: a nun browbeating Stottlemeyer into mercy by explicitly invoking God the Father; Natalie and Monk singing Silent Night to a stakeout target and then explaining there are only two of them because the rest of the carolers felt "uncomfortable with the explicitly religious songs"; and a touch we have seen before: although Monk is not of any definite creed, he unambiguously believes in the afterlife and the presence in it of spiritual beings who care what happens to us here. The snow at the end was clearly supposed to be sent by Trudy.
Kathy - I, too, noticed the emphasis on Christianity in the Monk Christmas episode and greatly appreciated that aspect of it. Thanks for pointing that out. It was an unusual and pleasing thing for them to do.
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