#medium nbc

Watching Friday Night Lights (from 2006), and, holy shit, I forgot there was this weird period in time when television husband/wife shows (adjacent or centered) always had this weird ass plot where the wife had to hedge around the conversation of getting a job, instead of letting the husband be the only person working.

Hedge around it and then fight with the husband about it. Like, I'm actively remembering how much of a thing this used to be in media, especially in sitcoms (where the expectation was making fun of the wife for trying to get into the workforce).

It was even a significant point in Medium (starring Patricia Arquette and Jake Weber), which debuted a year earlier in 2005. Allison DuBois went to law school but was effectively a stay-at-home Mom until she started having visions about crimes. Then, she worked as a paid consultant for the Arizona PD.

In either case, neither husband really puts up a fight (I think the writers knew that would just make them look bad), but I'm screaming. Ma'am, get you a job and tell your husband to cry in his beer about having to do more than pick the kids up from school.

“So… Who is that guy?” Allison asked as she watched the man vigorously wipe his hands with what she assumed was some kind of disinfecting towelette.

Lee noticed where her stare was directed and chuckled. “That, Allison, is Adrian Monk.”

(“Did you have a dream?” meets “Here’s what happened.” Allison Dubois and Adrian Monk team up to investigate the hit-and-run murder of a young violinist. Can they crack the case, or will the ghosts of the past cloud their judgement?)

“Maybe,” Lee agreed, sounding as far from convinced as humanly possible.

“No, Mrs. Dubois might be onto something,” Monk said, matching pace with Lee and Allison. Sharona was only a step or two behind him. “Vanessa Sawyer deliberately pointed us in the direction of Marcus Jackson when she lied about the status of his and Louise Boudreaux’s relationship.”

“That’s right,” Sharona said, snapping her fingers. “She’s the only one who said anything about their relationship being on the rocks! Nobody else could confirm that.”

“Exactly,” Monk said. “They were on the verge of marriage, not breaking up!”

“According to your readings of Jackson’s body language,” Lee countered. “And he’s not exactly the most credible figure when it’s his significant other who’s dead. Besides, Sawyer was Boudreaux’s roommate. It’s entirely possible she heard stuff straight from Louise that wasn’t being passed over to Marcus.”

“Vanessa’s credibility is just as shot,” Allison insisted as they all came to a stop in front of Lee’s police cruiser. “Her story doesn’t add up and you know it.”

“Did you check out her car?” Monk asked. “The blue Nissan she claimed to own?”

“I did,” Lee confirmed. “She doesn’t own any Nissan, blue or otherwise. At least not one that’s registered with the DMV.”

“Then why did she have a key for a Nissan?” Monk demanded. He frowned. “And there was something off about her key, too. I wish I’d gotten a closer look at it.”

“I mean, she could’ve been holding onto the key for someone,” Sharona pointed out. “I agree there’s something fishy about her, but it’s possible the key wasn’t hers.”

“Then why would she lie and say it was?” Monk protested, raising his shoulders and holding out his hands. “She’s the guy. There’s a connection between that key and the murder of Louise Boudreaux.” He faltered, shoulders falling. “I just don’t know what it is. Yet.”

Vanessa stared at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“You’re a very talented violinist.” Monk gestured to the awards on the shelf to his left. “First chair material. It’s perfectly understandable for you to be interested in claiming the position, despite the… unfortunate circumstances by which it has become available.”

“Sir, I haven’t performed in years,” Vanessa said, both amused and offended. She lifted her left hand. Though she was still clutching the key ring, the scar that ran down her thumb was clearly visible. “I had a major surgery several years ago. I couldn’t even pick up my bow.”

Monk touched the rim of a lamp resting on a small table beside the couch. “You haven’t performed since,” he agreed, “but you have been practicing again.”

“What are you talking about?” Vanessa demanded. She glanced at Lee, who was observing the conversation with silent interest. “Detective, what does your consultant think he’s doing?”

“You have new calluses on your right fingertips,” Monk explained. Allison looked down at the woman’s right hand—sure enough, Monk was right.

“One of them blistered,” he continued, “and is now healing. You’ve been playing your violin again.” Monk paused. “Unless I’m wrong. Which, you know. I’m not.”

happy ffwf!! the last ffwf of 2021, so glad i scraped it in lmaooo

as to what i want to talk about, it OF COURSE has to be my Monk x Medium crossover, The Wrong Note, bc even though there's only a few people who will ever read it lol i am still VERY PROUD of this fic!! i don't want to spoil anything since i'm still in the process of posting it, but i literally constructed an entire murder mystery à la your typical Monk episode. i've never written that kind of plot before, but i loved coming up with the crime and laying down clues throughout the fic! im not saying y'all should read the fic solely for how the perpetrator committed the crime but also im absolutely saying that

i also really enjoyed this fic bc it's honestly the epitome of me writing the content i want to read. as far as i know, there is no other crossover content between these shows online except for my fic, and that's probably bc i am the only person in the world who wanted to see such a crossover happen 😂 i got to write allison whump, soft joe/allison moments, sharona being a badass, TRUDY MONK CONTENT WHERE IT'S NOT JUST MEMORIES/SET IN THE PAST, outsider pov of monk's million little quirks, sharona being an icon, conflict between allison and the police (as usual), and did i mention how much i loved writing sharona be her amazing self?