by Paul Lines

Created on: January 21, 2008

Adrian Monk, played by actor Tony Shalhoub, is the fictional detective of the highly successful US TV, somewhat satirical, drama series of the same name, and is one of the most complex characters on television at present. Because of the various flashbacks and comments made during the shows, it is apparent that Monk is in his late forties. His father deserted the family when Monk was quite young and his mother died, ostensibly of cancer, when he was in his early teens. Monk also has a brother Ambrose who, from the death of his wife until recently, he has had little contact with. It was only following the revelation that Ambrose felt guilt about the death of Trudy, who was running an errand for him at the time, and Monk's assurance that Ambrose was not to blame, that the brothers became reunited.

Although Monk was employed by the SFPD in the past, following the death of his wife Trudy in a bomb incident that Monk believed was meant for him, Monk had a nervous breakdown and was retired from the force. For the following three years he became a recluse and never left the house. It was only with the help of his nurse that Monk was finally able to find some semblance of normality again and venture beyond the four walls of his home. He then took on a new role as an independent detective, often acting as a consultant to the police.

One of Monk's burning ambitions, although this has not yet been realised, is to find those responsible for his wife's death, an event that still causes him distress and sadness. However, he lives in hope of accomplishing this feat.

Perhaps the thing that makes Monk so unique is his compulsive disorders and phobias. Although under reasonable control before the death of his wife, the OCD condition Monk suffers from was exacerbated by this event and is now worse than ever. Similarly, his phobias appear to be endless. Some records suggest these phobias exceed three hundred in total, although the show has only revealed a small number in comparison. However, in just about every area of normal life Monk will be faced with one of these phobias.

The phobias range from the fear of animals, including frogs, dogs, cats, chickens and rabbits, to the fear of heights, dark, enclosed spaces and many others in between. His fears also encompass wind, lightening, crowds, beautiful women and dentists. In addition, and somewhat of a drawback to a man in his chosen career, Monk is also reputed to have a fear of bodily fluids, including blood, semen and saliva.

However, despite all of these drawbacks, Monk has proved himself repeatedly to be the consummate detective, able to solve homicides from the most miniscule of clues, and the solution to which may have confounded many of his work colleagues. His ability in being able to recreate the commission of the crime from almost no evidence at all is the primnary reason for the SFPD use of his services.

The flashbacks to earlier parts of Adrian Monk's life, which occur during most of the shows, provides a unique insight into the make-up of this complex character and certainly leads to a level of audience endearment that few other TV detectives earn. This goes a long way to explaining the popularity, success and longevity of the show.

Adrian Monk, as is apparent from the above, is a unique character amongst the myriad of detective roles in current TV drama and, because of this, his show can become, like the character himself, compulsive viewing.

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