Monk Main Characters / Characters

"Detective Monk, why don't we solve my case first, all right? Then we can come back here and figure out who killed Ogg, okay?"

Monk's personal assistant starting with the second half of Season 3.

Unlike the other characters, Natalie is the only one to come from an upper class background. In her case, she was born in Monterey in the 1960s, child of Bobby and Peggy Davenport. She had one sibling, a brother named Jonathan. Her grandfather, Neville Davenport, was a former chemist's assistant, who eventually got an epiphany and founded his own toothpaste company, now the third largest in the world.

In the early 1990s, Natalie married a Navy lieutenant commander named Mitch Teeger. With him, she had one child, a daughter named Julie, named for Mitch's aunt. The resulting marriage also strained Natalie's relationship with her family. Their marriage lasted seven years, until 1998, when Mitch was killed in combat in the Kosovo War.

Over the next seven years, Natalie bounced around between a number of odd jobs, like blackjack dealer, office worker, and housesitter, but nothing stuck.

In her first episode, "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring," Natalie is working as a bartender and living in the Noe Valley neighborhood of San Francisco. Her life changes when her house is broken into twice in the span of a couple of days: the first time, a man posing as a water meter inspector comes in, but quickly flees when she catches him snooping around in the living room. A few nights later, a second man breaks in through a side window. Natalie is awoken by a noise, and when she goes down to investigate, the intuder, Brian Lemmon, attacks her. Natalie is forced to kill him in self-defense with a pair of scissors. Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher are baffled upon learning that this is the second intruder in less than a week, and they suggest Natalie take her case to Monk, who is currently trying to get over Sharona's departure from his life and looking for replacements. Monk is intrigued by Natalie's case, and comes in to help.

Throughout his investigation, Monk is impressed enough by her, and her similarities to Sharona, that he asks her if she wants to become his new assistant. At the end, when Monk is forced to choose between grabbing a valuable moon rock or Julie's pet fish, he chooses the fish, and this is the final factor that convinces Natalie to join Monk and leave her life of bartending.

15 Minutes of Fame: In "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever," Natalie gets a ridiculous amount of fame from a brief stint as a lottery girl, much to Monk's chagrin.

Adaptation Expansion: Whereas the TV series generally focuses on just Monk, Natalie arguably is almost as much a main character of the novels, as she is also the books' narrator.

The novels Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii and Mr. Monk is Miserable expand on Natalie's memories of Mitch.
Mr. Monk in Outer Space reveals that Natalie's grandfather's toothpaste company almost was closed down by the discovery that the formula was laced with sugar, expanding on the background mentioned in "Mr. Monk, Private Eye".
For the second half of season 4, all of season 5, and the first half of season 6, USA Network published a series of blog entries written by Natalie. The entries were written to coincide with episode air-dates, and refer to the events in the episodes. The episodes provide additional clarifying details about some episodes, like for instance again reinforcing in the "Mr. Monk is on the Air" entry that Monk and Natalie dislike radio DJ Max Hudson for using shock jock humor. Natalie's blog for "Mr. Monk Can't See a Thing" describes a scene cut from the story where Monk goes to a blindness therapy group to learn how to adjust to being blind, which doesn't go well for Monk (some of the stuff he tells the blind therapist convinces her that he's been preparing for blindness, stuff he says at Dr. Kroger's office in the episode). Many of the entries describe Natalie's reactions to the events of the episode in particular.

Arbitrary Skepticism: Played with. In "Mr. Monk and the Critic," when Natalie tries to convince Monk and the others that John Hannigan murdered his girlfriend Callie Esterhaus, Monk and the others don't believe her because they point out that he had a very airtight alibi for this, and they believe she's upset about the critical review Hannigan wrote of Julie's performance in the play he was using as his alibi. A number of other times, she has averted this:

In "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective," she supports Monk's belief that Marty Eels is "cheating" at the case.
In "Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show," she is the only one not skeptical of Monk's belief that the framed delivery boy is an innocent person. Whether Stottlemeyer or Disher are convinced right away that something is up like Natalie is unclear, although it's clear that they tag along just because Monk and Natalie mention who exactly they will be talking to in their investigation.
In "Mr. Monk and the Astronaut", she is at first skeptical of Steve Wagner's guilt in the death of his girlfriend until Wagner gives a "The Reason You Suck" Speech to Monk.
In "Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert," when Monk and Natalie are approached by Kendra Frank, the murder victim's girlfriend, Natalie is initially skeptical for a minute or so about Kendra's claim:
Kendra Frank: His real name was Greg Murray. Look, they're trying to say that [Greg Murray] OD'd! Okay? That's impossible! He's been clean for 17 months! I know, I talked to him about it every day!
Natalie Teeger: Well, Kendra, we were there. We saw a needle in his arm-
Kendra Frank: No, that's how I know there's something wrong. Stork was completely phobic about needles! He was the only roadie I've ever met that didn't even have one tattoo! I mean he missed a whole South American tour last year because he wouldn't get vaccinated!
Natalie Teeger: [shrugs] Maybe he got over it. [Kendra explodes with rage]
Kendra Frank: You don't just get over a phobia like that overnight! Do you?!
Adrian Monk: No. [shakes his head] You don't.
In "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend," Natalie is the only one quickly convinced by Monk that Stottlemeyer's girlfriend is a killer. Note that Monk and Natalie had been sent by Stottlemeyer to investigate that murder. Hence, Natalie proves crucial to helping Monk catch Linda: keeping Linda out of her house while Monk searches it. Later, Monk pretends to talk to Natalie over a webcam, as part of a trap to lead Stottlemeyer to the incriminating evidence.

Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In "Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever", Natalie is upset with Monk for having to be in the Witness Protection Program just because he didn't stay in the car, for: she is stuck with him, Stottlemeyer and Agent Grooms in the middle of the woods; her daughter is missing a full week of school since she has to stay with Natalie's parents, Monk has a price on his head, and... he broke someone's car radio antenna while trying to straighten it out. The last of these was the one that caused all of the earlier problems.

Aside Glance: In-Universe case. In one of the scenes in the documentary within "Mr. Monk's 100th Case," when Monk deduces that a murder was staged as a break-in, Natalie turns to the camera and says, "Pretty good, huh?" And later, in a scene where Monk and Natalie are driving with the cameraman riding in the backseat, with Monk telling Natalie to keep her eyes on the road as she simultaneously is telling the camera what lead they are on their way to check out. Monk says he's feeling nauseous, and Natalie says, "Did I mention he also doesn't like driving?"

Berserk Button: Natalie is mostly amused by Monk's eccentricities. However, a few of them can trigger this, which Monk does on a regular basis, although a few are triggered by something else.

Natalie is generally driven into a furious rage whenever Monk is late with her paycheck or is unable to pay her, for whatever reason (although unlike Sharona, she doesn't threaten to quit). Lampshaded in "Mr. Monk and the Genius," where Monk and Natalie are fighting about back pay, and are interrupted by Linda Kloster, who apologetically says she heard screaming. Natalie then calmly says, "Oh, no, that's just me. I scream every payday," which implies that this must happen very frequently.
Natalie gets angry if she learns someone has been lying to her or keeping the truth back from her. She gets pissed off with Stottlemeyer in "Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part 2" when she realizes that he has been covering up the fact that he helped fake Monk's death, is one example.
Also don't betray her. An example is in Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, when Natalie sees Dr. Kroger with Dr. Martin Rahner, a six-fingered man like the bomber Monk has been looking for since "Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan". Monk runs off, while Natalie's response is to suddenly punch Dr. Kroger in the face.

Beware the Nice Ones: Natalie is generally nice, and pretty decent to be around... but she is quite capable of defending herself. Her first ever scene in the show is herself killing an intruder in self-defense. In terms of fights, Natalie doesn't get involved in many, but there are a couple of memorable ones: "Mr. Monk and the Daredevil," where she attacks Joey Krenshaw with a piece of metal pipe (arguably to stop Joey from shooting or pushing his cousin Harold off a hospital rooftop), and in "Mr. Monk on Wheels," where she wrestles with Sarah Longson for a pistol, comes out on top, and trains it on her. Also, in the novel Mr. Monk on Patrol, she walks into a convenience store robbery and stops both of the would-be thieves with just a can of air freshener.

Black Sheep:

Once we learn about Natalie's family in "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding", it's clear that she is considered one by her parents. Her mother Peggy is described as having two habits: "Tennis, and making me feel like dirt. She's a champion at both." Her backstory, when constructed over the course of the series, portrays Natalie as filled with instances of youthful devilry. As another example, she keeps her late husband's surname after his death in 1998.
Not only that. Prior to becoming Monk's assistant, she is so estranged from her own family that she doesn't even tell Monk, Captain Stottlemeyer, or Lieutenant Disher about the fact she is descended from the founder of Davenport Toothpaste until "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding," and even then, this discovery is only because Randy happens to notice the name "Jonathan Davenport" on a wedding invitation, which prompts Stottlemeyer to say, "You're always kissable fresh with Davenport, like the toothpaste." Randy then skeptically says, "This is you?" while holding up a tube of Davenport toothpaste. However, Natalie's relation with her parents seems to have mended, as she and Monk are seen having an early lunch with them in "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service".

Bound and Gagged: In the episode "Mr. Monk Stays In Bed", Reggie Dennison subjects Natalie to this.

Braces of Orthodontic Overkill: In Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, Natalie mentions having worn braces while growing up.

Busman's Holiday: Naturally, wherever Monk and Natalie travel, bodies turn up shortly thereafter. This is more prominent in the tie-in novel series. Natalie generally tends to be the complainer about this happening too much, saying in Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop that the odds of them finding the Abominable Snowman stabbed to death in the Arctic when they are totally by themselves seem very high.

In Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii, Monk and Natalie go to Hawaii. Natalie goes because she's been invited to be a bridesmaid at her friend's wedding. Monk goes along because he'll feel hopeless without Natalie. The next day, not only does Monk ruin the wedding by exposing Natalie's friend's groom as a bigamist, but he and Natalie also stumble upon a beating death at a bungalow nearby. Hence, Natalie tries her best to enjoy what she can of her vacation, while Monk basically ropes her into helping him solve the murder and expose TV medium Dylan Swift as a phony.
In Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, Monk and Natalie go to Lohr, Germany solely to follow Dr. Kroger as Monk is suffering a breakdown. While they're there, a visiting journalist from Berlin is killed as is a local in a bizarre double-killing.
In Mr. Monk Is Miserable, which follows up on the previous: Monk and Natalie witness a man die of peanut poisoning on the flight to Paris, Monk stumbles on a fresh skull while they explore the catacombs, and later, when Monk and Natalie are at a blind restaurant (where you are put in full darkness), a woman who sits down at their table and starts talking to them is stabbed and killed.

Characterization Marches On: In her earliest appearances Natalie is significantly more brusque, standoffish, and overtly tough, dealing with the plot and Monk with more impatience and even occasional hostility. She was also more prone to solving problems using amoral means, with more emphasis on her Expansion Pack Past. In the next season, however, perhaps to distance her personality more from Sharona, she evolved into the bubbly and endlessly patient partner she came to stay as, writing her more as showing the harder sides of her personality only when the situation calls for it.

Chekhov's Skill: In "Mr. Monk Buys a House", Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Disher share the knowledge of Morse code. Proves handy when Monk and Natalie are taken hostage by Honest Jake Phillips and have no cell phone on hand to call for help.

Clear My Name: For Natalie, she and Sharona get this in the novel Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants when Ian Ludlow kills a shoe salesman named Ronald Webster and frames Natalie for it.

In Mr. Monk Is a Mess, Natalie gets into some hot scrutiny from the FBI when a woman commits suicide in Natalie's bathtub and sting money stolen from an FBI evidence locker room is discovered under her mattress, but she's never arrested or charged with a crime since the real perpetrator (one of the agents accusing them of the theft) is eventually caught in the end.

Contrasting Replacement Character: To Sharona. While both were single mothers, she is a widow who was happily married while Sharona had a bitter divorce. Also, she comes from a wealthy family whilst Sharona was more working class. Oh, and while she has a daughter, Sharona has a son.

A Day In The Lime Light: It should be noted that Natalie appears in all 87 episodes from her intro in "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring" onwards. However, whether she gets a day in the limelight is episode-dependant, as there are some episodes where she gets a lot of screen time, and others where she doesn't get much. For example:

In "Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion," Natalie appears in almost every scene Monk is in, except for flashbacks. Ostensibly, Natalie had to be present so that Monk has someone to talk to while attending his reunion.
In "Mr. Monk Meets His Dad", "Mr. Monk Visits a Farm," and "Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital," she gets all of roughly two or three scenes.
For an In-Universe one, "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever"
Episodes like "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend" do give Natalie more onscreen time.
Sometimes, one episode will give her more screen time to compensate for her lacking such time in previous episodes. In "Mr. Monk on Wheels," Natalie is in every scene that Monk is in because she is central to causing the main plot. In the next two episodes, "Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door" and "Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs," Natalie goes to the background and doesn't get many scenes. Then in "Mr. Monk and the Bully," Natalie appears in every scene Monk is in except for two (Monk talking with Roderick Brody in the police interrogation room and Monk in Dr. Bell's office).

Deadpan Snarker: Just like Monk. A few examples:

From "Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever":

Agent Grooms: All right, you can stretch your legs. Just don't call any attention to yourselves.

Natalie Teeger: Good advice coming from a guy wearing a three-piece suit in the middle of the woods.

From "Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert", Monk walks into a port-a-potty, thinking it's a payphone. Later:

Adrian Monk: [wiping his neck] God, how long do you think I was in there [in the port-a-potty]?

Natalie Teeger: I don't know, Mr. Monk. Maybe a minute!

Adrian Monk: It was rough. It was like some kind of medieval torture device.

Natalie Teeger: Yeah, I know. I actually read that the Spanish Inquisition used to lock people in port-a-johns.

Adrian Monk: That wouldn't surprise me.

In "Mr. Monk's 100th Case," during one of her interviews from James Novak:

Natalie Teeger: Keeping him focused, that's one of my jobs.

James Novak: What else do you do for him?

Natalie Teeger: What else do I do? How long is your show?

In "Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door"

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: [getting taken hostage] Keyes, you don't wanna do this. You don't want to kill a cop.

Adrian Monk: Or an ex-cop.

Natalie Teeger: Or an ex-cop's assistant.

In "Mr. Monk and the Bully", Natalie has brought a new digital camera for Monk to use:

Adrian Monk: Where's the telescope thingie?

Natalie Teeger: Uh, it has an automatic zoom, so it's built-in.

Adrian Monk: Built-in? Excellent! [starts to slowly use a scalpel to make an incision in the packaging. Natalie drops her hands, exasperated]

Natalie Teeger: Mr. Monk, it's not heart surgery!

Adrian Monk: If we leave right away, we can be at her house by eight o'clock. [Natalie rolls her shoulders] We can follow her all day-

Natalie Teeger: Yeah, look, um, Mr. Monk, I have to tell you something. I made a decision: if you want to keep following Mrs. Brody, I suppose that's your right, although it really isn't, but... I can't help you anymore.

Adrian Monk: Why not?

Natalie Teeger: I—I—I'm just not comfortable! Her husband fired us!

From that same episode, when preparing to meet Roderick Brody:

Natalie Teeger: She [Marilyn] seems nice! How bad can her husband be?

Adrian Monk: It doesn't always work that way! Eva Braun took in stray puppies, for God's sakes!

Natalie Teeger: Well at least we know his checks won't bounce.

From "Mr. Monk and the Magician," when Monk is checking out one of Torini's knife props and brings one blade on Natalie's back:

Natalie Teeger: OW!

Adrian Monk: OK, this one might be real. Don't play with this one.

Natalie Teeger: All right, I won't.

Determinator: If Natalie decides she needs to do something - especially something that she feels morally obligated to do - pretty much nothing can stop her from doing it, and she can be a lot more stubborn than she initially seems. This includes whatever anyone says, whatever protocol the police have set up, and (what seems like) multiple attempts on her life - and she usually drags a reluctant Monk along for the ride ("Mr. Monk and the Election" and "Mr. Monk on Wheels" being good examples). Not to mention whenever someone close to her needs help - not even the threat of arrest or death will deter her.

"Mr. Monk and the Election": Natalie is determined to continue her school board election campaign even after her campaign office is shot up by a rifleman and said guy later tries killing her, Monk and Randy by lobbing a hand grenade through the window of her house
"Mr. Monk on Wheels": After accidentally helping thief John Kuramoto as he flees an office park on a bike he's just stolen, Natalie seems shaken and she decides that she is obliged to find the bike and return it to Dean Berry, the original owner. Monk is very reluctant to help out with the investigation of such a mundane matter, and Stottlemeyer and Disher clearly are uninterested. Then Monk gets shot in the leg.
"Mr. Monk Is On The Run Part II": In spite of being told by Stottlemeyer not to go see Monk, who is hiding from corrupt sheriff John Rollins, Natalie goes to see him anyway because she's afraid for him. Even though this almost causes Monk and Natalie to get held at gunpoint by Rollins.
A more humorous and benign example happens in "Happy Birthday, Mr. Monk," where the big running gag is Natalie becoming obsessed with tricking Monk into a surprise birthday party - paying no heed to the clear problem pulling the wool over the eyes of the world's greatest detective. Her attempts get more and more elaborate, until she finally gets him with a spectacle so over the top and elaborate - involving fake assassins and a car chase - that Monk is left completely stunned.

Drives Like Crazy: In "Mr. Monk and the Three Julies," Natalie "borrows" Captain Stottlemeyer's brand new Dodge Charger. The first time, she clips off the shotgun mirror, something Stottlemeyer can take in stride. The second time, the car's entire front end is torn up:

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: [drops his hands, exasperated] What the hell happened? It was only two miles!

Natalie Teeger: I took a shortcut. I... cut across the creek. [beat]

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: There's no bridge across the creek!

Natalie Teeger: I know.

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: There is no bridge across the creek.

Natalie Teeger: Yes, I know.

Captain Leland Stottlemeyer: There's no bridge across the creek.

Natalie Teeger: Captain, I am sorry. I will pay for everything.

Early-Installment Weirdness: Some of her early episodes feature scripts originally written with Sharona in mind, having her act far more caustic and impatient with Monk's quirks than she would later be.

Embarrassing Slide: Natalie and Monk are mortified when pictures of Stottlemeyer in riot gear show up in the slideshow in "Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion".

Expy: Like Monk is one of Sherlock Holmes, Natalie is one of Dr. Watson. However, it isn't entirely a perfect expy, as Natalie is a deceased Navy pilot's widow, in contrast to Sharona, who was a nurse before Monk hires her.

Natalie being a Dr. Watson expy is expanded on in the novels where she is the narrator.

Fake-Out Make-Out: Averted in "Mr. Monk and the Genius", when Monk and Natalie are on a stakeout. Natalie sees Patrick Kloster approaching their car:

Natalie Teeger: Oh my god, he's coming! What do we do? Uh, we should kiss! NO! I didn't say that! I wasn't thinking, I never said that!

Foil: She is one to both Monk and Sharona.

For Monk, they both lost their spouses under mysterious circ*mstances, but where Monk can't move on to the point he didn't start a serious relationship, Natalie had to move on for her daughter's sake and wound up falling in love again later in the series.
For Sharona, Natalie lost her husband while Sharona divorced hers, they have kids around the same age, though Sharona has a son while Natalie has a daughter, and even how they address Monk is different between Sharona saying his first name while Natalie always calls him "Mr. Monk."

Four-Temperament Ensemble: Natalie is the Phlegmatic. She's an idealistic, diplomatic and caring sort, which is definitely something Adrian needs in an assistant...

Gilligan Cut: In "Mr. Monk Is On the Run, Part 2", Stottlemeyer makes Natalie promise not to locate Monk (who is in hiding). Immediately, the scene cuts to Natalie packing a suitcase.

Good-Looking Privates: In "Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank," when Monk goes undercover as a guard at his bank to find the inside man on a robbery, there is a scene where he and Natalie are sitting in their car on a small stakeout. She spends several minutes complimenting Monk on his appearance while wearing the uniform, even asking if he will be allowed to keep it after he ends his assignment. While this adds to the ambiguity in any potential attraction between the two, it's better interpreted as being that Natalie is attracted to men in uniform. This is also seen in the way she flirts with Lt. Steven Albright in "Mr. Monk Is Underwater".

Has a Type: Of the "loves a man in a uniform" variety. Her late husband, Mitch, was a naval aviator. Before the series ends she reconnects—and falls in love—with Lt. Steven Albright, another naval officer who was a friend of Mitch. And she even takes a shine to Monk when he wears a security guard's uniform in "Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank."

Hey, That's My Line!: To flatter Monk in "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever," Natalie signs off with Monk's signature line, "You'll thank me later!"

Adrian Monk: "You'll thank me later?" That's my line! I say that!

Lt. Randall Disher: It hurts, doesn't it?

Hidden Depths: She played basketball through all four years of high school and draws on her experience to fill in for the coach of Julie's team in "Mr. Monk and the Big Game."

Hollywood Spelling: Natalie's last name has twice been a plot point.

In "Mr. Monk and the Election," Monk proves that a death threat letter against Natalie (running for the school board) was a diversion because he notices that although the shooter did take the time to dot his I's and cross his T's, he didn't write the last R on her last name when writing the message ("Close Ashton High, Natalie Teege Must Withdraw" is the result). This is proven when he realizes the shooter was getting her name from a custom poster with Natalie's name, from which the R had fallen off, indicating that the shooter didn't know her already.
In "Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse," Angeline Dilworth has disguised two accidental deaths as the work of voodoo, then kills her rich uncle, and makes his death look like a voodoo-induced heart attack. When Monk notices an error in her staging of the crime scene, Angeline, having overheard that Natalie is scared of voodoo, sends Natalie a voodoo doll to trick her into thinking she will be decapitated. Monk realizes that the sender can't have known who Natalie was, since the sender misspelled her last name as "Teager" (with an A instead of a double E). Then Angeline happens to be the one who picks Natalie up after she mistakenly ingests Reverend Jorgensen's concoction during a cleansing ritual. During the ride, after Monk gives The Summation to Jorgensen in the van, Natalie is in the ambulance and happens to notice that Angeline misspells her name as "Teager" on the patient chart. A struggle breaks out.

Hypocritical Humor: In "Mr. Monk and the Leper," Natalie tells Monk he's overreacting when Monk tries to douse his hand in kerosene and light his hand on fire after shaking hands with a leper (who turned out to be a phony). Later, when Natalie makes out with Dr. Aaron Polanski, who turns out to be a cured leper, her reaction is to drink a stream of hot water directly from the tap and instruct Julie to fill up a bathtub with Listerine. Lampshaded in the next scene when Monk sees her drinking a bottle of mouthwash:

Adrian Monk: Are you drinking that?

Natalie Teeger: [gulps] Mmm-hmm!

Adrian Monk: [shocked] Where’s the woman who’s been lecturing me all week about compassion and tolerance?

Natalie Teeger: Okay, you know what? It’s not funny! You didn’t have your tongue down his throat!

Adrian Monk: Well I shook hands with one! That’s bad enough!

Natalie Teeger: Your leper wasn’t even a real leper! My leper was the real deal!

Adrian Monk: I thought he was real! That’s what counts! You know the old saying, “There is no heart so black as the black, black heart of the Phony Leper”?

Natalie Teeger: No! I never heard that one!

I Just Shot Mr. Monk in His Good Leg: Natalie accidentally discharges a bullet into Monk's good right leg in "Mr. Monk on Wheels" due to lack of proper firearms training.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: In some of her early episodes before her characterization marched on, Natalie fit this. She was rather cynical and impatient, and her annoyance with Monk at times bordered on hostility. But she was a caring mother, and when push came to shove, always had Monk's back.

Last-Name Basis: She almost always calls Monk "Mr. Monk" as opposed to "Adrian" or simply "Monk." Sharona comments on this in her return episode, and despite her and Monk claiming they would have no problem with her referring to him by his first name when she tries they both agree it doesn't feel right.

Mama Bear: Do not mess with Julie or Monk in front of her.

Stottlemeyer: (interviewing Natalie after she killed a burglar who attacked her) Is there anything valuable in the house?
Natalie: Yeah: my daughter.
Stottlemeyer: Of course.

Mystery Magnet: Natalie supplies the page quote.

Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: "Mr. Monk on Wheels", the opening scene shows Natalie helping John Kuramoto after his bike hits a pothole and crashes, and even fixes his chain, then compliments him on his bolt-cutters, all while unaware that the bike is stolen. She is very embarrassed when Dean Berry, the bike's legitimate owner, comes running out just as Kuramoto rides away. This causes Monk to get shot in the leg by Kuramoto, ultimately leading to Monk verbally abusing Natalie to the point that she becomes his emotional punching bag/virtual slave.

Not So Above It All: In "Mr. Monk and the Leper," Natalie shames Monk into accepting a job from a man he didn't even want to touch due to the client suffering leprosy. However, when she finds out the doctor she's dating actually IS a leper himself, she freaks out in ways that even Monk finds extreme such as drinking Scope to disinfect herself.

O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever," Natalie becomes a lottery hostess. But immediately upon doing so, she changes, and Monk gets increasingly irritated as she becomes more of a liability than an asset to him. She is inattentive to Monk's investigation when he's filling her in with facts on his progress. Also, her personality shifts, from being a generally cheerful girl to a full tilt-diva. When she trips over a few sound wires on the floor after one show, something that most people would just get over, she gets so incredibly worked up about it that she gets into a heated argument with the sound engineer. Monk is disturbed by her getting all the attention when he thinks that he has the more important job:

Dr. Neven Bell: Natalie's your friend. Maybe you're afraid she doesn't need you any more; maybe you're afraid you're going to lose her.

Adrian Monk: Or maybe I just feel insulted!

See Also

List of Adrian Monk's Phobias

Dr. Neven Bell: Insulted?

Adrian Monk: What I do is hard! I am out there, I am sweating out every clue, I am putting killers behind bars! What does she do? What does she do?! [He grabs a calendar off the desk with the date "July 16" on it]

Adrian Monk: "91! Number 91! 91! Number 91! 91! Number 9-" I mean, how hard is that?! You know, a talking monkey could do her job! It's—it's embarrassing.

Dr. Neven Bell: Actually that's a 16. See, you're holding it upside down.

Adrian Monk: [looks at it] Oh, it's confusing. There's usually a little line under the 9.

And then:

Adrian Monk: All I'm trying to say is... it's not the same Natalie! If you knew her, you wouldn't know her! Last night after the show, she got somebody fired!

Dr. Neven Bell: Really?

Adrian Monk: One of the crew, sound guy! There were some wires on the floor, and she was just like [leans back in his chair, curls his fingers like claws, and snarls like a raptor] you know, complaining! And I met the guy when I was there and he was a nice kid. Now what's he gonna do?

Product Placement: At some point, the producers started giving Natalie a new car to drive every new season. They start with a Jeep Grand Cherokee from her introduction to halfway through season 5. She then drives a Buick Lucerne for a few episodes, then drives a Ford Escape for the duration of season 6. In season 7, she drives an Audi A3 for the first eight episodes, a Nissan Sentra for three episodes in the middle of the season, and then a Hyundai Genesis from "Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door" to the end of the series. How she affords this on Monk's low salary is questionable (although since the same license plate is reused on the last three, it's likely she did transfer plates whenever she changed vehicles). One person on the IMDB boards did suggest that perhaps Natalie is using a lot of short-term leases, but still her vehicle turnover rate is high. This doesn't, however, explain why she manages to keep the same license plate on the last three vehicles.

Properly Paranoid: In "Mr. Monk and the Voodoo Curse," Angeline Dilworth sends her a voodoo doll in the mail to trick Natalie into thinking she will be decapitated. Subverted in that Angeline is trying to distract Monk when he notices a mistake regarding the murder of her uncle.

Reckless Gun Usage: After fighting with Sarah Longson for her Walther PPK pistol in "Mr. Monk on Wheels", Natalie turns around, gun in hand. She tells Monk, who had already been shot in the leg earlier in the episode and was trying climb down some stairs to assist Natalie, that she was okay... and accidentally shoots Monk in his uninjured leg. Which makes no sense at first given that in "Mr. Monk and the Three Julies", Natalie tells Randy that she went to a firing range all the time and knows how to use a gun.

Actually, it's rather Justified: this is only the second time that Natalie has held a firearm (having once held, but never used, a twelve gauge shotgun in an earlier episode). For all we care, she probably hasn't used one for a minimum of eleven years.

Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Occasionally leaves Monk's side to pursue other responsibilities or personal interests. At times, she does so while he's in the middle of a murder investigation such as in "Mr. Monk and His Biggest Fan."

She Is Not My Girlfriend: Natalie is highly amused whenever someone tries to suggest she has romantic feelings for Monk.

(Dianne Brooks sees Monk and walks over to him)
Dianne Brooks: Adrian! There you are. We've been looking for you. [Dianne notices Natalie and looks at her suspiciously]
Natalie Teeger: Hi! I'm Natalie Teeger. [Natalie and Dianne shake hands]
Dianne Brooks: Hi. Dianne Brooks.
Natalie Teeger: I'm his assistant.
Dianne Brooks: Ahh... Oh, so you two aren't [dating]... [she points between Monk and Natalie; Natalie grins]
Natalie Teeger: [laughs] No!

And in Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii, Natalie has to deny to her friend Candace that she and Monk are dating.
In "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever", one of Natalie's lottery fans asks her if Monk is her boyfriend when Monk is grabbing wipes from her purse.

Shared Family Quirks: Natalie is disturbed by Kevin Dorfman's family being a bunch of Motor Mouths in "Mr. Monk and the Magician".

Ship Tease: In "Mr. Monk and the Genius", Monk and Natalie are on a stakeout. When their cover is threatened, Natalie briefly and inexplicably blurts out, "We should kiss!", and immediately wonders aloud why she said it.

Spit Take: Natalie has two memorable ones.

From "Mr. Monk Fights City Hall":

(Harold is trying to figure out the identity of Monk's new therapist)

Harold Krenshaw: I'm talking about your new therapist, the mystery doctor, the genius you're always raving about. Who is he? Just tell me his name!

Adrian Monk: I can't tell you. It's privileged information.

Harold Krenshaw: No, it's not. What happens in the session is privileged. His name isn't privileged. People recommend therapists everyday. Am I right, Natalie?

Natalie Teeger: I don't know. I'm just waiting for the conversation to be over.

Adrian Monk: Okay, fine. His name is doctor... (glances at elevator doors) Door.

Harold Krenshaw: Dr. Door? Is that the best you can do? I suppose if we were standing by that alarm you would've said "Dr. Bell". (Natalie promptly spits water in Harold's face)

Natalie Teeger: Oh god, Harold! I'm so sorry! ^note

From "Mr. Monk and the Genius":

Natalie Teeger: You have to admit, he's real good. (takes a sip from her lemonade) What? He was right. I am thirsty. '(Monk looks at her oddly) What?

Adrian Monk: How do you feel?

Natalie Teeger: Uhhh, I feel fine. (Monk continues looking at her oddly; she takes another sip) What?

Adrian Monk: It just occurred to me: if there's poison in the lemonade, we could go to the DA and we'd have all the evidence we need. (Natalie promptly spits out her lemonade)

Natalie Teeger: "It just occurred" to you?! And you didn't say anything?! My gosh, Mr. Monk, I've never seen you like this! (Disgusted, she dumps the rest of her cup onto the pavement)

Adrian Monk: How do you feel now?

Natalie Teeger: You know I hate to disappoint you, but I feel fine!

Spoiled Sweet: She grew up in a very wealthy family—an ancestor started a successful toothpaste company—and while she's proud of their past accomplishments she doesn't use the family money. She's also a kind and considerate person.

Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Some fans considered Traylor Howard, and in turn, Natalie, this, when she was introduced in the middle of season 3 to replace Bitty Schram (Sharona). The fandom has long been locked in a battle over which one is better. It works better here than a few other cases because things like Natalie being similar to Sharona down to having a kid the same age (Benjy, instead of Julie) can be explained by Monk trying to make things stay the same when life changes around him. Though the episode "Mr. Monk and Sharona" highlights how different they are as well.

Take Our Word for It:

In "Mr. Monk Paints His Masterpiece," Monk paints what is supposed to be an image of Natalie, although the subject in the image has a mustache like Stottlemeyer. Nearly everybody's reaction to it is one of disgust, and Natalie herself is mortified to find it on display at an art show. Going so far as to her trying to burn it at the end even as Randy tries to restrain, even though it's evidence against a money counterfeiting scheme. Averted, in that you do get a glimpse of the painting when Randy is trying to restrain Natalie. It looks like someone made a very bad Microsoft Paint doodle.
In "Mr. Monk Fights City Hall", when Monk and Natalie are searching one of Eileen Hill's apartments for evidence of her disappearance, Natalie opens a drawer to find something surprising and possibly dirty (in both ways), and then right after, she repeatedly tells Monk to never open that drawer.

Undying Loyalty: To Monk. No matter what, even when the whole world is against him, even when he is at his worst, Natalie is always there by his side. By the end of the series, she would go significantly out of her - even through hell and danger - to help and support him. Discussed with Sharona in "Mr. Monk and Sharona" where the two bond over why they're willing to go through so much hassle for him.

Unlimited Wardrobe: Natalie must have one. She has a different outfit for practically every single episode, and sometimes goes through as many as five outfits in one episode (although admittedly that might be justified if an episode takes place over the span of a few days). Her styles also change every episode.

A few episodes provide aversions, depending on how many days they are set over: Natalie's page image at the top of this section is a production still from "Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert." As that episode takes place over the course of a single day, she wears the same outfit for the entire episode - a white T-shirt and brown shorts. In "Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion," she does wear a couple of different outfits - a green t-shirt on the Saturday of the reunion, a long-sleeve V-neck shirt on the second day (Sunday), and a formal dress in the evening. In "Mr. Monk and the Bully," Natalie wears the same dark black trenchcoat on two days, though there are different shirts underneath.

Unusually Uninteresting Sight: In "Mr. Monk and the Miracle", when Monk and Natalie are harmonizing The Summation to get it to Stottlemeyer, we wonder how come none of the other monks hear two voices that obviously don't blend in.

Unconventional Smoothie: In "Mr. Monk is On The Run - Part 1", Natalie needs to use a power drill to get Monk's shackles off. Unfortunately, Randy is also staking out Natalie's house. To explain the drill, she pretends that her blender broke and uses the drill to create a smoothie from a number of questionable and unusual ingredients. It's quite funny, admittedly.

The Watson: More pronounced in the books where, like Watson, she's the principle narrator of each case.

Weirdness Magnet: In the episode "Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever", Natalie observes that everywhere Monk goes, people get murdered, supposing he's followed by some karmic cloud of disaster. By the end of the episode, she changes her mind about him: he's not a Weirdness Magnet for murder, he's cosmically drawn to where murders occur so he can solve them.

Natalie's one to talk here. Before her daughter Julie even gets her driver's license, she was involved somehow in six homicide investigations and one museum heist.

We Need a Distraction: In "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend," Natalie uses the pretense of viewing a new apartment to keep Linda Fusco out of her house while Monk searches it for evidence that proves her responsible for shooting her business partner.

What the Hell, Hero?: Natalie has been on the delivering end and the receiving end.

On the delivering end, among other examples, this one from "Mr. Monk and the Bully":

Adrian Monk: If we leave right away, we can be at her house by eight o'clock. We can follow her all day.

Natalie Teeger: Yeah, look, uh, Mr. Monk, I have to tell you something. I made a decision: if you want to keep following Mrs. Brody, I suppose that's your right, although it really isn't, but, I can't help you anymore.

Adrian Monk: Why not?

Natalie Teeger: I—I—I'm just not comfortable! Her husband fired us!

Adrian Monk: It's what they call pro bono.

Natalie Teeger: No, "pro bono" is for lawyers! This is stalking!

Adrian Monk: No, this is comeuppance. Pro bono comeuppance.

Natalie Teeger: No! No! That is just crazy talk! [She marches forward and switches off Monk's table lamp]

Adrian Monk: It's not crazy talk!

Natalie Teeger: Pro bono comeuppance?! That's the craziest talk there is! You heard what he said! He wants you to quit!

Adrian Monk: I wanted him to quit! I begged him to quit 40 years ago, in stall #3! [He starts looking at the digital camera as Natalie's cell phone rings] Oh yeah.

Gives two to Monk in "Mr. Monk and the Garbage Strike", first for wishing that the union boss behind the titular strike was dead the day before it was revealed the union boss did die, and then later for lying to the press that the union boss' death was a suicide rather than a murder in an attempt to get the strike to end sooner.
In "Mr. Monk Is On The Run," Natalie chews Stottlemeyer out for withholding the truth from her about Monk faking his death.
In Mr. Monk Goes to Germany, Natalie gets both the receiving and delivering end with Dr. Kroger. The first one, where they both deliver it to the other happens when Monk and Natalie show up at a psychiatric conference Dr. Kroger is attending and Dr. Kroger is not happy about their appearance:

Natalie Teeger: It's nice to see you. You're looking very rested.

[Dr. Kroger stood up, grabbed me firmly by the arm and led me into the lobby]

Dr. Charles Kroger: I am shocked, Natalie!

Natalie Teeger: I bet you are.

Dr. Charles Kroger: [thrusting his finger at me like a weapon] What Adrian has done today is a serious breach of the doctor-patient relationship and you enabled him to do it!

Natalie Teeger: No more than you enabled him to follow me to Hawaii.

Dr. Charles Kroger: I thought you were an intelligent and responsible woman, that you were a positive influence on Adrian's emotional and psychological well-being. Obviously I was wrong: you are a deeply disturbed woman.

Natalie Teeger: My "job" is to look out for Mr. Monk's best interests and that's exactly what I am doing!

Dr. Charles Kroger: By helping him to stalk me and invade my private life?! What he has done is a crime and you were his accomplice!

Natalie Teeger: I don't begrudge you a private life or vacation! God knows, I'd like to have them too! But don't play dumb. You had to know Mr. Monk was going to fall completely apart without you and that there was no way he would ever see a one-armed psychiatrist! But you didn't care. You dumped the problem in my lap and went on your way, leaving me to deal with it.

Dr. Charles Kroger: And this is your idea of a solution?

Natalie Teeger: Take a look at him! Adrian Monk is here, in Germany, a world apart from his own. Imagine the rippling fears he had to overcome just so he could be here in that chair right now. That's how much he needs you! All he asks in return is one hour of your time. One hour of patience, understanding and advice. Is that so damn hard for you to give?!

Dr. Charles Kroger: ....I shall call the police and have him removed.

Natalie Teeger: And create an embarrassing scene in front of your colleagues from around the world? I don't think so.

Later, she's the one solely on the delivering end when she sees Dr. Kroger with Dr. Martin Rahner, a psychiatrist with six fingers on his right hand, just like Trudy's bomber. Her response is to punch Dr. Kroger in the face, breaking his nose.

Dr. Martin Rahner: [helping Dr. Kroger to his feet and giving him a napkin to stifle the bleeding] What is going on, Charles? [He had a deep baritone voice that embodied authority and an undefined European accent] Who are these people?

Natalie Teeger: [struggling] As if you didn't know!

[Monk was right. The man who hired someone to put a bomb in Trudy's car had fled to the last place on Earth that Monk would ever visit. But then Dr. Kroger made the mistake of going there, leading Monk directly to his wife's murderer.]

Dr. Charles Kroger: [clutching his napkin] The man is Adrian Monk, one of my patients. This is Natalie Teeger, his assistant.

Dr. Martin Rahner: They stalked you all the way to Germany? [Everyone turned and looked at me with disbelief] I'm calling the police.

Dr. Charles Kroger: That won't be necessary.

Natalie Teeger: The hell it isn't! Call them! If you don't, I will!

[Dr. Kroger approached me slowly, with his head co*cked. I wasn't sure if he was doing that stop the bleeding or to regard me with curiosity]

Dr. Charles Kroger: I'm not going to press charges, but I would like to understand why you attacked me.

Natalie Teeger: How can you look me in the eye and ask me that question after what you have done?! You might as well have killed Trudy Monk yourself!

Dr. Charles Kroger: Have you lost your mind?

Natalie Teeger: You tell me, doctor! Does he have six fingers on his right hand or am I hallucinating?!

[Dr. Kroger looked back at Dr. Rahner, then agin at me. There was an expression of horrified realization on his face as the full impact of what was happening sank in]

Dr. Charles Kroger: Oh, my god.

Natalie Teeger: The charade is over, and you're both going to prison!

In Mr. Monk is Miserable, Dr. Kroger chews her out for refusing to help Monk in a homicide investigation.

You Never Did That for Me: In the episode where Sharona and Natalie meet, Natalie finds out that Monk paid Sharona a lot more than he paid her. Thus she complains that Monk never paid her that much. It was a difference of twenty dollars.

Monk Main Characters / Characters - TV Tropes (2024)