11 reviews
Alice rocked!
With a title like this. . .
As soon as I saw the title of "The Garbage Strike," I knew this episode was going to be hilarious. The Sanitation Union has gone on strike for better wages, and when the union leader is found dead, the union members become even angrier and less willing to negotiate. As another reviewer wrote, this show gets off to a weak start: in an uncharacteristic turn (probably caused by his anxiety over the garbage in the streets), Monk tries to pass off the leader's murder as a suicide. He hopes that if the union members see the death as a suicide, they will reconcile with city leaders and start collecting the garbage again. However, at Natalie's insistence, Monk soon comes clean and begins investigating the murder. This is a typical Monk case with lots of details and twists. As the reeking bags of garbage pile up all over the city, Monk's already fragile mental state deteriorates even more, with hysterical results. Be sure to stay tuned for Alice Cooper's hilarious cameo!
- intriguement
- Jul 29, 2008
- Permalink
Hilarious, laugh out loud episode
But still a good mystery. Monk's reactions to the garbage surrounding him are just uproariously funny time and again. And they play enough trickery with clues to make the ending not as obvious as it might have been. One of my favorite episodes. Highly entertaining.
The strike may be "garbage" but the episode itself isn't
'Monk' has always been one of my most watched shows when needing comfort, to relax after a hard day, a good laugh or a way to spend a lazy weekend.
After the terrific season opener in "Mr Monk and the Actor", the high standard of Season 5 continues with one of the funniest 'Monk' episodes "Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike". It is hilarious, with some of the most side-splitting-from-laughing moments of the entire show, and it is terrific in its own right. As said in my review summary, it is the complete anti-thesis of "garbage". "Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike" has a fun, very well-written and never too predictable or obvious mystery that keeps one guessing right up to the final solution (one of 'Monk's' most memorable) and entertained by how Monk deduces it all.
But it is the character moments where "Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike" most shines. The humour elements are emphasised here and they are classic 'Monk' and among the show's funniest. The character interaction and how everybody reacts to Monk is delightful too. Standout moments include the scene between Monk and Kroger talking about the garbage in the mail, Monk taking things into his own hands and trying to solve the problem himself (not everybody like this scene, but for me it's always been a 'Monk' highlight), when Monk accuses Alice Cooper of murder, the whisper spot moment and Monk's suggestion to the mayor of how to solve the garbage problem.
Basically, how Monk reacts to the consequences of the garbage strike (which anybody can sympathise with, speaking from personal experience with a garbage strike going on right now where I live and am studying, the consequences of garbage strikes look and smell absolutely repugnant), which was a perfect scenario to show his everyday quirks and problems. Natalie's line referencing karma was the only line that fell flat a little but not enough to bring the episode down.
As said many times, one of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching.
Natalie is down to earth, sympathetic and sassy, also being sensitive to Monk's needs and quirks which Traylor Howard does well bringing out. Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford have fun as Stottlemeyer and Disher as ever and one cannot not mention the brilliant cameo of Alice Cooper.
It's not just the cast or story though. Another star is the writing, which is also essential to whether the show would be successful or not and succeed it does here. The mix of wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done, particularly the last one. The quirks are sympathetically done and never exploited or overdone.
Visually, the episode is shot in a slick and stylish way, and the music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now. Oh and a good job is done with the different opening credits sequence to accommodate the changes made.
In summation, a terrific episode and a hilarious one. 10/10 Bethany Cox
After the terrific season opener in "Mr Monk and the Actor", the high standard of Season 5 continues with one of the funniest 'Monk' episodes "Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike". It is hilarious, with some of the most side-splitting-from-laughing moments of the entire show, and it is terrific in its own right. As said in my review summary, it is the complete anti-thesis of "garbage". "Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike" has a fun, very well-written and never too predictable or obvious mystery that keeps one guessing right up to the final solution (one of 'Monk's' most memorable) and entertained by how Monk deduces it all.
But it is the character moments where "Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike" most shines. The humour elements are emphasised here and they are classic 'Monk' and among the show's funniest. The character interaction and how everybody reacts to Monk is delightful too. Standout moments include the scene between Monk and Kroger talking about the garbage in the mail, Monk taking things into his own hands and trying to solve the problem himself (not everybody like this scene, but for me it's always been a 'Monk' highlight), when Monk accuses Alice Cooper of murder, the whisper spot moment and Monk's suggestion to the mayor of how to solve the garbage problem.
Basically, how Monk reacts to the consequences of the garbage strike (which anybody can sympathise with, speaking from personal experience with a garbage strike going on right now where I live and am studying, the consequences of garbage strikes look and smell absolutely repugnant), which was a perfect scenario to show his everyday quirks and problems. Natalie's line referencing karma was the only line that fell flat a little but not enough to bring the episode down.
As said many times, one of the best things about 'Monk' has always been the acting of Tony Shalhoub in the title role. It was essential for him to work and be the glue of the show, and Shalhoub not only is that but also at his very best he IS the show. Have always loved the balance of the humour, which is often hilarious, and pathos, which is sincere and touching.
Natalie is down to earth, sympathetic and sassy, also being sensitive to Monk's needs and quirks which Traylor Howard does well bringing out. Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford have fun as Stottlemeyer and Disher as ever and one cannot not mention the brilliant cameo of Alice Cooper.
It's not just the cast or story though. Another star is the writing, which is also essential to whether the show would be successful or not and succeed it does here. The mix of wry humour, lovable quirkiness and tender easy-to-relate-to drama is delicately done, particularly the last one. The quirks are sympathetically done and never exploited or overdone.
Visually, the episode is shot in a slick and stylish way, and the music is both understated and quirky. While there is a preference for the theme music for Season 1, Randy Newman's "It's a Jungle Out There" has grown on me overtime, found it annoying at first but appreciate its meaning and what it's trying to say much more now. Oh and a good job is done with the different opening credits sequence to accommodate the changes made.
In summation, a terrific episode and a hilarious one. 10/10 Bethany Cox
- TheLittleSongbird
- Aug 17, 2017
- Permalink
The smell of garbage fouls up Adrian's deductive reasoning
- FlushingCaps
- Jan 16, 2019
- Permalink
The Stink Never Goes Away
Garbage bags flood the streets of San Francisco as a strike continues. Monk, of course, is facing his worst nightmare, filth. When a union leader is killed, he is brought in to figure out whether it was murder or suicide. There are some excellent scenes. My favorite is Monk with his counselor, talking while bags drop from floors above, crashing to the earth.
Mr. Monk faces a true test of the courage of his convictions
This is a surreal episode of Monk, with San Francisco facing a possibly prolonged garbage collection strike over the contract of the sanitation workers. Naturally this greatly disturbs Monk, who wishes the president of the sanitation workers' union dead. The next day he gets his wish as the union head is found dead in his office, shot through the temple, a gun in his hand. It's ruled a suicide by the police and the sanitation workers refuse to continue contract negotiations, believing that their union president was murdered. The union leaders thus approach Monk and say that they don't think their president was the kind of guy who would ever kill himself. Thus they want to hire Monk to decide independently if it was suicide or murder, and if it's suicide they'll go back to the bargaining table. If it is murder, will Monk have the courage of his convictions and say something that will delay the removal of these mountains of garbage? Watch and find out.
This is one great episode with bags of garbage being dropped from the offices above Dr. Kroger's as Monk describes his fear of being buried alive by garbage along with plot points that include an architectural oddity called the "Whispering Spot", a possibly menacing mayor, and even a cameo by Alice Cooper.
This is one great episode with bags of garbage being dropped from the offices above Dr. Kroger's as Monk describes his fear of being buried alive by garbage along with plot points that include an architectural oddity called the "Whispering Spot", a possibly menacing mayor, and even a cameo by Alice Cooper.
Dare I Say This Episode Reeks? Well, Not Entirely
In this episode we sadly discover Adrian Monk is not an honorable man. It's very disappointing to Natalie, who is an honorable person and has to badger our "hero" to tell the truth about a murder. Wow, I agree with her - very disappointing, but he's still "the guy" to all us fans.
The story is all about garbage and the smell it produces. I'm tempted to say this episodes "stinks," but I''ll save it for the headline.. It show did have its good moments, anyway.
The longest garbage strike in San Francicsco history is going on and Monk is mad at the union leader, blaming him for the city "reeking" so bad. Monk wants to get out of town and says he hopes the union guy dies. Natalie admonishes him for saying something like that. Apparently, somebody else isn't happy with the union boss either as he is killed overnight. Natalie tells Monk, "be careful what you wish for; look what you did with your karma." Okayyy.
Things get silly again when Monk goes to a union meeting the next day and makes a fool of himself. Nonetheless, when they find out who he is, they hire him as an independent investigator because they don't believe their boss would kill himself. Monk takes on the assignment when he hears that if he deems it a suicide, labor-and-city negotiations will continue and probably end the strike. So, despite seeing clues that indicate it was a murder, Monk lies and tells everyone it is a suicide, just so he can have all the city cleaned up! Pretty bad, eh? Thankfully, Natalie saves the day, morally-speaking, and Monk goes on, reluctantly, to figure out what happened.
Things settle down, but then with 10 minutes to go, the story gets really goofy with Monk obtaining a big truck and becoming a garbage man, himself. Then, of course, when his mind is finally cleared and we find out who the real killer is, it's not a shock when you know how politically-correct the writers of this show are. In this case - Andy Breckman, who also is the creator of the program, with an assist from Daniel Gaeta - would never have a minority as the killer. Just once, it might refreshing to see NOT see this incredible liberal bias, which is exhibited almost all the time.
The story is all about garbage and the smell it produces. I'm tempted to say this episodes "stinks," but I''ll save it for the headline.. It show did have its good moments, anyway.
The longest garbage strike in San Francicsco history is going on and Monk is mad at the union leader, blaming him for the city "reeking" so bad. Monk wants to get out of town and says he hopes the union guy dies. Natalie admonishes him for saying something like that. Apparently, somebody else isn't happy with the union boss either as he is killed overnight. Natalie tells Monk, "be careful what you wish for; look what you did with your karma." Okayyy.
Things get silly again when Monk goes to a union meeting the next day and makes a fool of himself. Nonetheless, when they find out who he is, they hire him as an independent investigator because they don't believe their boss would kill himself. Monk takes on the assignment when he hears that if he deems it a suicide, labor-and-city negotiations will continue and probably end the strike. So, despite seeing clues that indicate it was a murder, Monk lies and tells everyone it is a suicide, just so he can have all the city cleaned up! Pretty bad, eh? Thankfully, Natalie saves the day, morally-speaking, and Monk goes on, reluctantly, to figure out what happened.
Things settle down, but then with 10 minutes to go, the story gets really goofy with Monk obtaining a big truck and becoming a garbage man, himself. Then, of course, when his mind is finally cleared and we find out who the real killer is, it's not a shock when you know how politically-correct the writers of this show are. In this case - Andy Breckman, who also is the creator of the program, with an assist from Daniel Gaeta - would never have a minority as the killer. Just once, it might refreshing to see NOT see this incredible liberal bias, which is exhibited almost all the time.
- ccthemovieman-1
- Aug 4, 2007
- Permalink
One of the Worst Episodes
This episode is so far afield that it's hard to watch. No matter what Monk's phobias are, what this script would have you believe is that Monk would rather lie about a murder than let a garbage strike continue. It's all played for laughs, but it's really not funny. Monk may be loony, but the character is honest. Someone acting like Monk in this episode would be locked up in an asylum, not roaming the streets.
- kristufts-56872
- Oct 4, 2021
- Permalink
So disappointed
This episode went from sublime to nonsense. Not clever not funny and really the writers mailed it in once again. So far season 5 is a big 0 for two after some very clever episodes in season 1 through 4.
This episode is total Garbage
Never in my life have I seen a Tv episode be all for the comedy and not ever once for the mystery. We get it, Monk is afraid of germs, and he has a lot of other fears. But this episode stretches all of that into a plot hole ridden episode that just ends up being a huge waste of time. Now the mystery in this episode is halfway decent. I say that because I think this was heading in the right direction with the Mayor's office and him meeting with Jimmy Cusack. Because if this show cared more about the mystery instead of the comedy, then this would be a very engaging mystery.
Now the reason why the Garbage Strike is even happening is because of an unfair union contract. Subsequently the guy who killed Jimmy Cusack, Ron Neely was the one responsible for running the pension fund, so he was skimming money for years, and the books were going to be looked over as part of the negotiation to settle the strike and he knew he was going to get caught, so that's why he killed Jimmy Cusack.
However If I were writing this I have it be that Jimmy Cusack was the one skimming money with the help of Ron Neely. Because usually strikes like these are settled differently if there is a pension problem. Because Jimmy Cusack was the boss of the union boss of the sanitation commission, and they aren't suppose to take a cut. But seeing as unions can be corrupt, that is exactly what I think was going on here. Cusack was skimming money with the help of Ron Neely; however, the strike happens, and this would go on and on, and there would've been an investigation into the finances. Which bring me to the mayor. I think the mayor and Jimmy Cusack were negotiating on the side to end the strike, by having Neely take the fall. He would've made the ultimate patsy in all this. Somehow Neely over heard this, and that's why he killed Cusack and made it look like a suicide.
All in all this episode is garbage. The mystery isn't well develop, the jokes suck. Also (worst sin of all) they had Alice Cooper in this episode and they did nothing but do a stupid joke with him, that's not cool.
Now the reason why the Garbage Strike is even happening is because of an unfair union contract. Subsequently the guy who killed Jimmy Cusack, Ron Neely was the one responsible for running the pension fund, so he was skimming money for years, and the books were going to be looked over as part of the negotiation to settle the strike and he knew he was going to get caught, so that's why he killed Jimmy Cusack.
However If I were writing this I have it be that Jimmy Cusack was the one skimming money with the help of Ron Neely. Because usually strikes like these are settled differently if there is a pension problem. Because Jimmy Cusack was the boss of the union boss of the sanitation commission, and they aren't suppose to take a cut. But seeing as unions can be corrupt, that is exactly what I think was going on here. Cusack was skimming money with the help of Ron Neely; however, the strike happens, and this would go on and on, and there would've been an investigation into the finances. Which bring me to the mayor. I think the mayor and Jimmy Cusack were negotiating on the side to end the strike, by having Neely take the fall. He would've made the ultimate patsy in all this. Somehow Neely over heard this, and that's why he killed Cusack and made it look like a suicide.
All in all this episode is garbage. The mystery isn't well develop, the jokes suck. Also (worst sin of all) they had Alice Cooper in this episode and they did nothing but do a stupid joke with him, that's not cool.
- snickzella
- Jan 20, 2023
- Permalink