Monk: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Monk: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 6, 2024

Kino has released the seventh, and penultimate, season of the hugely popular and award-winning TV show 'Monk' to the Blu-ray format. As with previous seasons, this release is sourced from a new 4K video restoration and also includes 2.0 lossless audio and a few supplements. And, as always, it looks and sounds terrific. While the show works very well as a standalone experience for season seven, viewers will be rewarded by starting at the beginning and are encouraged to check out Seasons One, Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six before watching season seven.

In Monk's seventh season, the series celebrates 100 episodes in a manner befitting the show (even if the 100th episode is one of the weaker of the season) with its own murderous twists and turns. The season doesn't build much on previous affairs (including Trudy's death apart from the season finale, which is more of an emotional tug than a deep dive into clues) but it does offer a barrage of wonderful standalone episodes, including some highlight moments that include Monk trapped in a submarine, mental duels with a magician and a chess grandmaster, Natalie's turn as a TV lottery girl, Monk in a wheelchair, a reunion with an old school bully, and a day at a pro football game. One of the season highlights is the replacement of the late Stanley Kamel with the formidable Hector Elizondo who capably fills some pretty big shoes.

The following episodes comprise season seven:

Disc One:

• Mr. Monk Buys a House: Monk decides to move out of his apartment when the girl next door practices classical piano too "loudly." Monk is conned into a home repair scheme, but it turns out that the home has been the site of a murder and may hold missing millions from a previous bank robbery. Also: Monk gets a new therapist.
• Mr. Monk and the Genius: A woman comes to Monk claiming her husband is about to kill her. She soon turns up dead, and her husband, of course, is the prime suspect. But her husband is a world champion chess player. Can Monk outwit one of the smartest men in the world to solve the case?
• Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever: When a popular TV "lotto girl" is murdered, Natalie suddenly finds herself thrust into the role as her replacement. As her popularity soars, she loses interest in working with Monk, who is none too pleased that his assistant is suddenly in the spotlight, especially with murders and mysteries to solve around the world of the lottery.
• Mr. Monk Takes a Punch: When an attempt is made on a famous boxer's life, Monk finds himself on the case. Good thing, too, because he needs to be able to pass a physical fitness test to keep his job, and the boxer in the middle of the case is more than willing to train Monk for the test.

Disc Two:

• Mr. Monk Is Underwater: Monk is drafted into looking into a death (read: murder) on board a submarine. While on board, the vessel is called to participate in a fleetwide wartime simulation exercise, leaving Monk trapped on the cramped submersible for several days, enough time to solve the murder -- or lead Monk to die from fear and claustrophobia.
• Mr. Monk Falls in Love: When a cab driver is murdered, the evidence overwhelmingly points to a kindly woman from a fictional war torn Eastern European country. However, Monk doesn't believe that she did it, but his judgment is clouded by the fact that he's falling in love with the suspect.
• Mr. Monk's 100th Case: Monk is the star of a popular true crime TV show as it follows his efforts to solve his 100th case since his wife's death years ago. As his colleagues celebrate at a watch party, Monk realizes that he's missed something that just might change the case and alter the course of his career for years to come.
• Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized: When Monk's fellow obsessive-compulsive patient, Harold Krenshaw, recommends a new hypnosis treatment, Monk gives it a try and finds himself acting like a child. But with a difficult case involving a celebrity wife's kidnapping and torture grabbing headlines, he'll have to "grow up fast" if he's to help solve an unsolvable case.

Disc Three:

• Mr. Monk and the Miracle: It is Christmastime but work never ceases for Mr. Monk. He’s terrified when a few homeless men enter his apartment, unannounced, seeking the great detective’s services. One of their friends has been murdered and they want to hire him to solve the case. The police are not interested in helping, so it’s up to a reluctant Monk to, as usual, peg the killer and bring justice to the streets of San Fransico. Meanwhile, an ailing Stottlemeyer seeks miraculous healing. Could there be a connection? (of course!).
• Mr. Monk's Other Brother: A prison escapee shows up in Monk’s apartment with startling news: he’s Monk’s half-brother, Jack Jr. He claims he’s just a harmless conman, not a murderer, even though there’s a dead body in his wake. Is he being truthful, or is he manipulating Mr. Monk to aid in his escape in plain sight?
• Mr. Monk on Wheels: The seemingly random and irrelevant theft of a scientist's bicycle leaves the police unwilling to commit resources away from homicides and other hard crimes, but Natalie is determined to get to the bottom of the case. Unfortunately, the investigation leaves Monk injured and wheelchair-bound yet still on his game, unraveling a mystery that points to an unlikely suspect with an age-old motive: greed.
• Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door: Monk makes a new friend, an elderly lady named Marge who helps him to pull away from some of his proclivities and serves as something of a mother figure in his life. Meanwhile, there has been a murder in a curiosities museum where an egg-eating machine is stolen, leading the police to suspect a competitive eater who recently lost to it. However, when another man is murdered, the case takes a turn for the surreal.

Disc Four:

• Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs: Pro football playoff fever has gripped San Francisco, and everyone in the city has their focus on the game -- except for Monk, that is, even though he's got two VIP tickets to watch the game with play-by-play legend Bob Costas. But when there is evidence of an arson in the parking lot and a dead body appears, Monk is pulled into a new mystery alongside his guest at the game, Captain Stottlemeyer, who would much rather be watching football than working a case.
• Mr. Monk and the Bully: Monk is terrified to learn that a person who bullied him in school has called him for a job. Monk reluctantly agrees, fearing the worst, but it turns out he is desires not to abuse Monk but hire him to catch his wife in the act of infidelity. Monk finds an avenue for retribution, to prove her infidelity and bring great shame and harm to his old tormentor. But is there something deeper at play?
• Mr. Monk and the Magician: An accountant who moonlights as a third-rate magician is murdered after he uncovers an error in his mentor’s taxes. The young man also happened to be someone Monk knew, and even liked; he was one of Monk’s neighbors. The case leads him into conflict with one of his most dangerous opponents yet: a professional magician with everything to lose.
• Mr. Monk Fights City Hall: The City of San Francisco is set to demolish the parking garage where Trudy was murdered. To prevent its destruction, Monk chains himself to one of its interior pillars and refuses to leave. When he finds a potential ally with the power to sway a second vote in Monk’s favor, he walks away. However, she turns up missing, leading Monk on a personal crusade to find her and maintain hope of discovering an overlooked clue that could finally lead him to Trudy’s killer.

Monk: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As with previous seasons, season seven looks wonderful on Blu-ray. Any of the above links to previous seasons offer a fine review of what to expect from season seven, so I will not belabor this review with an extensive text but simply to say that this release is very faithfully filmic and naturally sharp with no signs of detail removal or artificial sharpening, and abundant in color (for example there are very rich and full natural greens at a cemetery in episode two). The image also offers excellent black levels, stable whites, and healthy skin tones. The print is clean and the encode is efficient. This is a top end TV release from Kino.

Monk: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

This Blu-ray release of Monk: The Complete Seventh Season features the series' standard DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. It is truly no different from previous seasons in terms of spacing, clarity, and the like, following suit in a seamless manner that allows audiences to continue enjoying the show with the same level of audio excellence as before. Dialogue is the main element, and it is nicely imaged to the center with faultless placement and definition. Music is a high point, offering wide front side engagement and excellent clarity to both score and the popular opening title song. Ambient effects of course lack surround integration but do drift well to the front left and right sides. While there are no heavy or highly intense action-type effects, the track handles what is on tap well enough, including decent pop to gunshots in the season's 10th episode, but these are nothing earth shattering to be sure.

Monk: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Monk: The Complete Seventh Season contains a handful of extras across all four discs. No DVD or digital copies are included with purchase. This release does ship with a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Video Commentaries (480i, 1.78:1): This is a misleading title. These are not feature length commentaries but instead brief video sit-downs with the participants who briefly discussing the episode in question. They're still valuable, but not what they would appear to be at a glance. For "Mr. Monk Buys a House:" Creator/Co-Writer Andy Breckman (4:33). For "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever:" Writer Hy Conrad (4:37).

Disc Two:

• Video Commentaries (480i, 1.78:1): For "Mr. Monk Is Underwater:" Writer Jack Bernstein (2:46). For "Mr. Monk Falls in Love:" Writers Josh Siegal and Dylan Morgan (5:18). For "Mr. Monk's 100th Case:" Writer Tom Scharpling (3:34). For "Mr. Monk Gets Hypnotized:" Writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross (3:31).

Disc Three:

• Webisodes (1080p): Short live action Monk detective stories featuring Monk and Ambrose as schoolchildren. Included are Little Monk and the Geography Bee (4:00), Little Monk and the Saturday Rehearsal (4:22), Little Monk and the Balloon (3:46), Little Monk and the Talent Show (3:39), and Little Monk and the Little Trophy (4:40).

Disc Four:

• Anatomy of an Episode Featurette with Stars Tony Shalhoub and Traylor Howard, Guest Star Bob Costas and Members of the Monk Crew (480i, 1.78:1, 9:02): As the lengthy title suggests, cast and crew discuss one of the season's most enjoyable episodes, including the table read, wardrobe and props, Monk's discomfort at a sporting event, Bob Costas' Monk fandom and appearance in the episode, and more.
• Monk P.I.: Promotional Ad (480i, 4x3, 0:33): A fun intro for Monk in the style of Magnum, P.I..

Monk: The Complete Seventh Season Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Monk has not lost any steam in season seven. Episodes and storylines remain fresh and funny, the crimes are clever, and the acting is as good as ever. The Blu-ray is likewise wonderful, offering top-end video and audio and a decent smattering of extras. Very highly recommended!