Mr. Monk Gets a Seventh Season by Gord Lacey (All reviews)
7/22/2009
Adrian Monk was one of San Francisco's finest detectives, but all that ended when his wife was murdered. He developed a severe case of O.C.D. (obsessive compulsive disorder) and now he can hardly function in society without help. Even with O.C.D., he has a brilliant mind, and he notices things about a crime scene that are often overlooked. He's a modern Sherlock Holmes, just with a few issues. He'd love to get back onto the police force, but his fear of germs, heights, flying, and countless other things make that a bit hard. For now he'll settle for being a consultant, knowing that one day he'll have another chance to prove himself. When he's called to help Captain Stottlemeyer he's accompanied by his assistant, Natalie, who helps him overcome the many obstacles he faces (like shaking hands, dirty areas and remembering where he is).
This 4-disc set includes all 16 episodes from the seventh season:
Disc 1 (2:51:41)
Mr. Monk Buys a House (43:07)
Mr. Monk and the Genius (43:06)
Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever (42:51)
Mr. Monk Takes a Punch (42:37)
Disc 2 (2:51:14)
Mr. Monk is Underwater (42:38)
Mr. Monk Falls in Love (42:34)
Mr. Monk's 100th Case (43:08)
Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized (42:54)
Disc 3 (2:51:26)
Mr. Monk and the Miracle (43:09)
Mr. Monk's Other Brother (43:04)
Mr. Monk on Wheels (42:05)
Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door (43:08)
Disc 4 (2:51:29)
Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs (42:18)
Mr. Monk and the Bully (42:55)
Mr. Monk and the Magician (43:08)
Mr. Monk Fights City Hall (43:08)
Video
If you've seen the previous releases then you'll know what to expect for season 7. The Super16 film still results in some noticeable grain, especially in the solid blue of the sky. There are a few specs of dust in the episodes, but you have to look hard to see them. The discs contain a "play all" feature, and there's a chapter set after the opening of the show.
Audio
There's just an English Dolby Surround audio track for this set; Universal ditched the French and Spanish tracks with the second season set. There are a few instances of directional audio from the right and left speakers, but most of the show contains dialog coming from the main speaker. The rear speakers are really only used when music kicks in. There are English subtitles available for those that want them.
Video Commentaries (24:21)
These aren't commentaries that last the entire episode, but short pieces on the episode.
Mr. Monk Buys a House (4:33)
Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever (4:38)
Mr. Monk is Underwater (2:46)
Mr. Monk Falls in Love (5:18)
Mr. Monk's 100th Case (3:35)
Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized (3:31)
Monk P.I. - Promotional Ad (0:34)
A hilarious Monk ad setup to look like Magnum P.I., complete with theme music.
Anatomy of an Episode (9:02)
A Look behind-the-scenes at the making of "Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs," featuring interviews with the cast and crew.
Summary
I had a thought while watching this set; the seasons is comprised of 16 episodes on 4 discs, with each disc containing 4 episodes. It's almost as though Mr. Monk created the shows, and the DVDs.
This season had a number of great guest stars. Notables include Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), James Lesure (Las Vegas), William Atherton (Centennial), Casper Van Dien (Watch Over Me, (Starship Troopers), Jaime Gomez (Nash Bridges), John D'Aquino (SeaQuest DSV), Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Henry Czerny (The Tudors, Richard Schiff (The West Wing), Steve Zahn (Comanche Moon), Titus Welliver (Deadwood), Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), Jarrad Paul (Action) and Steve Valentine (Crossing Jordan).
I'm sad to hear season 8 will be the last, though the show has had a great run. The 100th episode was exception; great story!
