TV-Reviewed

At some point in your childhood you will eventually hear the phrase “be careful what you ask for.” Depending on the age, it may mean nothing to you, but in the case of “Mr. Monk and the Badge”, the phrase immediately comes to mind as Adrian is officially brought back to the force.

Adrian’s level of excitement was infectious. I couldn’t help but be excited for him. It’s been a long time coming. He’s deserving, that’s for sure. The excitement was dissipated fairly early on when it Adrian and Natalie realized that their working relationship was over. They were going separate ways. I admit it was sad to see them embrace one another like this.

I wasn’t bowled over by Natalie’s new job, assistant to some bigshot concert promoter. While Natalie is fully capable of handing dinner reservations and all that, she just seem to fit the job. It simply didn’t seem like the right job for her and I was pleased that this aspect of the episode’s plot didn’t get a whole lot of attention.

Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk

With Adrian getting back his old job, he inherited his old desk as well. Everything was as it was when he was relieved of his duties as a detective. There were some problems for Adrian, however.

Adrian has been working as a consultant for the last decade and the station has embraced computers, something Adrian has been reluctant to do in his own life. As a condition to his re-instatement, Adrian was assigned to desk duty for a few days. This made for an uncomfortable, but hysterical scene where he was responsible for working the tip line.

Additional problems came about when Adrian suspected a cop of being dirty. When he was a consultant, he could be a little more open about this kind of thing, but as a cop, you should be certain a fellow cop is dirty before voicing those theories. Adrian hasn’t censored himself like this in years. He’s grown accustomed to saying whatever he wanted to say and it nearly got him a whoopin’ in this episode.

I had no problems with the fact that Adrian had enormous problems fitting in with the other officers. It was the right way to go. It fit with the character and I should have expected it. I’m a little disappointed in myself for not thinking about what would actually happen when Adrian received his badge and gun from the city.

Adrian’s eventual leaving the force was the right move. The city of San Francisco is best served with Adrian as a consultant.

We’re down to just two episodes now and I’m looking forward to seeing the way the show ends. I really liked what I saw in the previews.

Rating: 7.6