Hehehe

Now that I have cable again, I finally got to watch Monk, USA Network's series about an obsessive-compulsive detective. Lover of mysteries that I am, I had some trepidation going in (no pun intended), mainly because I have OCD myself. But...

I loved it. I love Tony Shaloub anyway--I have ever since he played Antonio on 'Wings'. But I have to admit--he does a bang-up job with his acting out the rituals of OCD. The theory is that he was fine until his wife's death, showing that OCD isn't necessarily a failing but could happen to anyone with a predisposition. The same things that made him a good detective--attention to detail, for one--now limit his interaction with the world around him, but does not prevent him from solving the case. His assistant is great--both prodding and protecting him at once, she interprets his behaviour to others and has patience which I can understand is necessary for such a severe case. The OCD is really meant to show him as a sort of eccentric, but it's probably the first time many people see OCD in action and maybe they can understand that regardless of how irrational it can be...it is real. I don't think they make such light of it that it's gratuitous in any way--it's an essential part of the character. It's kind of nice to have an OCD hero, frankly, although I really want to spike his bottle water with megadoses of Paxil. :)