Is it just me or is hardly anyone sad they swapped out the Trudy's? I get where they were going with the initial Trudy, but I prefer Trudy #2 (Melora Hardin). It's kind of funny because any change in this show seemingly got a lot of heat except, I feel, that.
shareMaybe because she only appeared in 14 episodes.
shareGood point. But, that seems long enough to get to know someone. That's a whole season for some shows. I'm actually surprised it was that many. Trudy one seems sufficient but overshadowed. IMO.
shareI agree that's plenty to know a difference...I actually FAR preferred the first Trudy. Might be a minority opinion.
shareInteresting. None of my friends get this show, so I don't have anyone to bounce things off. What was the difference between the Trudy's that Trudy One, won you over on?
shareThe first Trudy was more like a memory and the second seemed like a ghost who sometimes interacted with Monk.
shareI think Trudy 1 matched more the vision of Trudy that I have from monk...sweet, sort of ethereal, just kind of there as a kind presence. Very gentle. Melora has a natural edge to her that didn't match as much to the Trudy monk described, to me.
shareThat's interesting. I never thought of it that way. Usually I'm an original kind of gal. Like in Bewitched, I was furious about the second Darren. And Arrested Development had a terrible second Marta. Maybe it's because when I started watching it, I started after the second Trudy. So even though she is the second, she's like my first. If that makes sense. Good point on Melora having an edge. I'll have to watch it with that in mind now.
shareI'm totally an original gal too. For me, Natalie was the original assistant so I'm partial to her (but I'm partial to her for other reasons too). Oh, and don't even get me started on second Marta! Ugh!!! Same with the wife on fresh prince...
It's maybe not an altogether justified position but melora had "too much" personality to me. I always figured while Trudy was a good person, monk did idealize her a lot, and I always thought of someone who was just there as a support for him. Not too much character, more angelic. Lol.
For me, Natalie was the original assistant so I'm partial to her (but I'm partial to her for other reasons too).
That's why I said "for me, Natalie was the original assistant". That's what I meant to get across at least. Of course she wasn't in reality the original assistant.
shareBut, technically she can't be the original assistant. Maybe your first assistant. Or the first assistant you knew. XD There can be only 1!
(I'm being a jerk. Sorry.)
Oh, I understand. Thanks!
shareSorry about being a jerk.
shareNo worries. I'm a passionate person who likes things to be clear and correct. I completely understand. ? Thank you, though. I should have been more clear in my comment.
shareDon't worry, I don't think this was in reference to anything you said
Quit being such a jerk scouter
My intention with that statement was to make it seem like it was the opposite of reality...like, Natalie was in no way the original assistant, but for me she was the "original assistant", even though she wasn't really, at all. It was a way to couch the fact that I started watching with her.
I'm always up for this sort of thing though, in a friendly way :)
I agree! And yes, she was definitely not the first assistant. I just happened to start watching when Natalie was the assistant. Sharona will always be the real number 1.
shareTo be fair, second Trudy sometimes creeped me out, specifically in the scene where Monk tries to go in for a kiss with the memory/ghost of his wife. Not that he's imagining it, but, for instance in Takes his Medicine, he is leaning in to kiss her. And there's no one there.
Though I did like in the beginning of he End Pt 1, when she leaves a little sparkle on the blankets when Monk wants to touch her hand. That was kind of cool.
Lol. Idk that she creeped me out, but I understand what you're saying. Esp in Monk Takes His Medicine. They were going for endearing and it missed the mark a little. The sparkle was a nice touch.
shareI completely agree. Trudy 2, Melora Hardin. She is exactly how I always pictured Trudy to look like, act and be and she portrayed Trudy PERFECTLY!
shareYay! One for the away team! I thought she embodied it well, too! I also like the actress, in general. Thanks. ??<-----Melora Hardin.
shareYW. I cant even begin to tell you how many times I watched 'Mr Monk and Mrs Monk' when it originally aired- Melora was so good in that episode, as in all episodes she was in. I barely even noticed the other actress who originally portrayed Trudy before Melora was hired and officially her replacement.
shareYes!! I agree. That episode had me doing a double take! I literally had to wait for the credits because I kept thinking wait, is that her?!?
Melora had spunk. It was so awful when he confronted her. You could feel his heart. :-(
Oh absolutely. I remember watching it for the first time and at the end when the woman is taking off the wig, I always wondered if the brown curly hair underneath which she then undoes and lets cascade to her shoulders was actually another wig or if she had dyed it dark brown. Because Melora's hair is naturally blonde I believe (taking this into context with pictures I've seen on google images) I honestly don't get why they didn't just have Melora have her natural hair all thoughtout that episode instead of employing her with a wig to wear- I get that her hair had to be two different colors, blonde and brown (brunette) but why not just dye her hair until it was the correct shade and then shoot the scenes that had to be shot with her dark, curly hair?
shareI didn't even notice until I was watching after I knew who Trudy #2 was.
They were both fine, but it didn't care when I didn't notice and didn't care when I did.
It was Sharona's departure that bummed me out.
Interesting! Yes. It was super sad the way they did it as well! Here one episode, gone the next.
I was happy they left in the sequence where Monk is walking on Trudy's old campus because you can kind of see a little bit of Sharona in the shot. It may be a strand of hair or her shadow. But it made me feel like they didn't divorce her. Then it was awesome to see her later in the show. ?
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Wow! It's funny how you don't really THINK of something until someone points it out. That is a lot of changes. They even changed Randy's last name from the pilot to the second episode.
I have all the seasons on iTunes, so hopefully there's commentary for every episode or any episode. You've sparked my curiosity as to what else they tried to gloss over. It is rather alarming, no?
For example, for the Sex and the City movie (the first one) they tried to get the exact clock that they had used in Sarah Jessica Parker's characters room on the show. The owner tried to scam them so they just found another on eBay. But I think it's dedication to the details that really make something a classic.
I read the very first pilot script online, and Monk was originally supposed to be set in New York, and Randy's last name WAS Disher. Captain Stottlemeyer was Chief Stottlemeyer...yeah. And Trudy died on a subway platform during an apparent mugging.
shareI've heard Disher wasn't originally going to be a recurring character, is that true?
I...drink...your...MILKSHAKE!
I DRINK IT UP!!!
He may not have been a recurring character. His part was diminished in the script. Stottlemeyer was the one who actually uttered the words "The Defective Detective".
I believe Jason Gray-Stanford proved himself during the filming, but the first few seasons his character didn't get MUCH development outside of mooning over/in conflict with Sharona.
I'll try to post a link if the forum will let me.
http://leethomson.myzen.co.uk/Monk/Monk_1x01_-_Pilot.pdf
WHHHHHHAAAAATTTTTTT!!!! I see the humor. He's a germaphobe in NYC. That's too many changes for me. I like the way they decided better.
shareYou stupid motherfvcker, TRUDYS, not TRUDY'S, no apostrophes in plural words. Why are so many forgetting this BASIC rule of grammar? When you fall you don't break BONE'S, you break BONES. People need to go back to school.
sharePlease don't write like that again. As you can see, this is a place where we respect each other. If grammar was so important to you, you would know that what you bring up is a common mistake. Not the first or last time you'll see it. I hope you don't use that same message every single time you do see it. I could go on about manners (which were absent from your reply) but it's a turn off when someone talks as you did.
share[deleted]
A punctuation error on the internet? Shut everything down!!!
You do know that the original poster couldn't correct the error even if s/he wanted to.
Contribute to the topic, please. No one cares about the apostrophe.
You do know that the original poster couldn't correct the error even if s/he wanted to.
I came here hoping to find a thread about this topic. However, I much preferred the first actress. As another commenter said, she had a more soft, ethereal presence, which just seemed to fit better with how Monk saw and described her.
Melora Hardin just had the completely wrong face (to say the least), in my opinion. Maybe it's from knowing her mostly from The Office, but she just seems to have "Resting BitchFace," as they say, and that really ruined it for me.
If they had used Gwenyth Paltrow or something, that would've been better, because she has that softer look that's closer to the original Trudy.
But Melora just felt wayyyy too wrong to me. I just couldn't find her believable or likeable. I love the show itself so much, but she makes it hard to watch sometimes.
Oh, and regarding Arrested Development, 1st Marta wins, too, in my book. And almost 1st Egg, too, simply because she's so forgettable (though I love Mae Whitman).
Am I the only one who didn't even notice? A couple of years ago, we watched one episode every night, straight through the entire series, and I don't offhand recall noticing. Admittedly I'm not much good with names and faces, but my husband (who is very good with them) doesn't remember there being two either. I do, however, recall saying "Is that Trudy?" a time or two, which may have been because of the switch, but at the time I assumed it was just my usual problem with faces.
I'm another person who generally dislikes cast changes, though. (Or theme-music changes!!!) So I wasn't real keen on Natalie at first, but by the end of the series I kinda preferred her over Sharona. Both actresses were good in their respective roles, but I grew to somewhat prefer the Natalie character.