Best of Monk

An Even Selection of Eight Episodes
This little two disc set is fun for the casual Monk fan. Of course, can there really be such a thing when you are talking about the obsessive compulsive detective?

The two disc contain one episode a season from the hit show. That's right, they've include one from the about the conclude eighth season. These aren't necessarily the most important, but they are the ones that were chosen as the best.

The episodes include "Mr. Monk and the Candidate," "Mr. Monk and the Three Pies," "Mr. Monk Takes His Medicine," "Mr. Monk Bumps His Head," "Mr. Monk and the Leper," "Mr. Monk is Up all Night," "Mr. Monk and the Miracle," and "Mr. Monk and the UFO."

Frankly, I can see how this would be an almost impossible choice. I'm sure everyone has their favorites. It does make sense to start off with the two part pilot, which sets things up. And "Three Pies" is one of my favorites. On the other hand, "Up all Night" is one of my least favorites. Why was it included...

How About the Season 8 Finale???
The concept of having the "best" episodes on one DVD is a good idea, but I think that such a recap of this great series should have been delayed just long enough to include the two-part finale of Season 8 (not unlike the wrap up of "The Fugitive" from the '60s, which brings to a conclusion the protagonist's long and difficult search for the guilty one-armed murderer). So... how about an updated version of the "Best of Monk" which includes this dramatic and heartrending two-part climax?

Impossible to satisfy everyone
I recommend this DVD as it would have been impossible for the producers of "The Best of Monk" to satisfy everyone with their choices. However, even though there are some good episodes on this DVD I'm still surprised by the ones that were excluded. Some of the Monk episodes that should have been included by season order are:

"Mr. Monk Meets Dale the Whale" (Season 1, Ep. 4)
"Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic" (Season 3, Ep. 13)
"Mr. Monk Goes Home Again" (Season 4, Ep. 2)
"Mr. Monk and the Astronaut" (Season 4, Ep. 14)
"Mr. Monk Is on the Air" (Season 5. Ep. 13
"Mr. Monk and the Rapper" (Season 6, Ep. 2) or "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend" (Season 6, Ep. 4) and
"Mr. Monk and the Magician" (Season 7, Ep. 15).

I'm okay with the fact that they included "Mr. Monk and the Candidate (Season 1, Ep. 1) and "Mr. Monk and the Leper" (Season 5, Ep. 10). Those episodes were pretty epic and they shouldn't be missed. However, I do think the...

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