Natalie Teeger
Encyclopedia
Natalie J. Teeger is a fictional character
on the American
crime drama Monk
. She becomes Adrian Monk
's personal assistant
midway through the third season
of the show. She is portrayed by Traylor Howard
.
Traylor Howard was introduced after USA Network
released actress Bitty Schram
, who portrayed Sharona Fleming
, mid-way through the show's third season, stating they wanted to take the character in new directions. Natalie was hence introduced in the role of Monk's assistant to fill in the void left by Schram's departure.
in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring", when he investigates two men who had broken into her home, after she stabs and kills Brian Lemmon, the second intruder, in self-defense with a pair of scissors. Monk's former assistant Sharona has just left, and Monk asks Natalie if she would become his new assistant. Initially, she refuses, but over the course of the investigation, Monk proves himself kind to Natalie's daughter Julie, which makes Natalie change her mind and accept the position (not to mention, an opportunity to get out of her current job as a bartender, which she admits to hating). That episode mostly served as a way of bringing both Natalie and Julie into the series. However, the transition from Sharona to Natalie was not rapid, as Natalie's and Monk's chemistry is shown to be uneasy until the end of the episode "Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic." In the novel Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
, Natalie mentions that for a while, Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher frequently compared her to Sharona, but finally accepted her for who she was.
Since becoming Monk's assistant, Natalie has become an extremely devoted friend, as well as a devoted assistant. On several occasions, Natalie says explicitly that she loves him, though she might mean that in a platonic sense
. Such an example of this is in "Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus" (however, on several occasions, Natalie has sometimes done some dangerous things for Monk, like accidentally shooting him in the leg).
There have been occasions where Natalie is the only person to support Monk's ideas (such as in "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective," when Monk suspects loser-private eye Marty Eels of cheating), and she hence proves a valuable ally in helping him gather the evidence needed to make an arrest. She is also shown to be rather cunning, and is able to trick other people into doing things that help Monk with a case. In "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend," when Monk suspects Linda Fusco of murdering her partner, Natalie uses the pretext of wishing to view an apartment to keep Linda out of her house to buy Monk additional time to snoop around on his own, although Linda somehow figures this out. Later, at Linda and Stottlemeyer's going away party, Monk and Natalie set up a sting operation
to arrest Linda, where Monk pretends to talk to Natalie from Linda's house on a webcam (in reality, he was sitting in the back of an impounded rental truck). In the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk and the Bully," when Monk and Natalie are trailing Roderick Brody's wife, Natalie successfully tricks a businessman into taking a photo of their target. The episode also establishes that she shows some basic legal knowledge, possibly picked up from working with Monk, as evidenced in a scene where Natalie withholds Roderick's name from Captain Stottlemeyer
, citing client confidentiality.
Despite their platonic relationship, there have been instances where other characters believe that Natalie suppresses romantic feelings for Monk through gestures and comments, or even think they are a couple: in "Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion", when Dianne Brooks (Cynthia Stevenson
) first meets Natalie, Dianne appears to interpret that Natalie is Monk's girlfriend, a relationship that Monk and Natalie deny having. In the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever," when Natalie (as a lottery hostess) is signing autographs and Monk grabs some wipes from her, one of Natalie's fans asks her if Monk is her boyfriend.
Usually, when the two deny these comments, the asker will look suspiciously at Natalie, as if he or she thought there was something more in her denial. In other instances, Stottlemeyer and Disher will give each other looks as if they think they saw something in Natalie's reactions to Monk's situation or how she talks about him. Natalie's family has also given similar reactions, as well as characters from various episodes. While this may be a coincidence of Traylor Howard's acting style, it is definitely a noteworthy aspect of Natalie's relationship with Monk. Such a reaction can be seen in the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk and the Genius," when Monk notices Patrick Kloster (David Strathairn
) approaching their car through the mirror. Frantically trying to find out what to do to get Patrick to move on, Natalie blurts out "We should kiss! No! I didn't say that! I wasn't thinking; I never said that!"
Over the course of her relationship with Monk, Natalie is shown to also pick up a few detective instincts of her own on the way. In fact, in the novel Mr. Monk in Outer Space
, Stottlemeyer asks Natalie to try to figure out what happened at one crime scene, and she makes an accurate guess of what happened (without making much of an effort, mostly because of the nature of the crime). By the time of the novel Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop, Natalie has picked up enough skills to start asking herself questions about the case at hand.
Natalie has held several jobs, including bartending, which she quit to become Monk's assistant. The exact number of jobs Natalie held before meeting Monk (17 in all) is mentioned in "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding" when Peggy asks her to sample a Bloody Mary
, and Natalie has to remind her that she isn't bartending any more. It takes Peggy a few tries to get the current job right. During her tenure on the series, Natalie does temporarily take up several other careers:
company in the world after Colgate
and Crest. She keeps this hidden from Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher until the season 4 episode "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding," when she mentions that she has kept this a secret because of the fact that she is heavily estranged from them. It is later revealed in the season 5 episode "Mr. Monk, Private Eye" that the company was started by Natalie's entrepreneur grandfather, Neville Davenport. The novel Mr. Monk in Outer Space
also reveals that this business almost went under when it was discovered that the original formula for their toothpaste was laced with sugar - hastening to peoples' dental decay.
Natalie's decision to marry a "common" man like Mitch estranged her from her parents Bobby and Peggy Davenport; for years, Peggy refuses to display Natalie and Mitch's wedding photograph at her house on top of the piano where all the other photos are kept, and considered Natalie's marriage "illegitimate" even though she and the rest of the family dote on Julie. To further keep herself from the rest of her family, Natalie is revealed to have adapted Mitch's surname as her own after his death.
Natalie has a brother, Jonathan, whom she and Monk rescue from his murderous new wife, Theresa, who has married him to get at the family fortune, in "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding," after they prove that Theresa also tried running down Lieutenant Disher in the parking lot because Randy would have recognized her as Darlene Coolidge, a black widow
bride Randy investigated when he was a sergeant in Philadelphia. Natalie subdues Theresa at the wedding, saving her brother's life. This seems to spark a reconciliation between Natalie and the rest of her family, as she and Monk are seen later having a more or less friendly brunch with Natalie's parents during their next on-screen appearance, in the season 5 episode "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service."
Mitch was a Navy
fighter pilot
who was killed in Kosovo
in 1998 ("Mr. Monk and the Election"). They have a daughter named Julie, a teenager (she was 11 when first introduced with her mother in "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring"). Julie has been taught to believe that her father died heroically, though in reality, the details of his death are very murky and unclear, and he may have been trying to desert
when he was killed, as Natalie mentions in the season 3 episode "Mr. Monk and the Election" and in the novel Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
. Before he died, Mitch gave Julie a pet fish named "Mr. Henry," which Natalie has secretly replaced each year (as that is the lifespan of the fish, a crimson marble) so that Julie does not realize that the original fish died.
In the episode when Monk first meets Natalie, he shows that the fish is more important to him than an actual moon rock, which is part of what causes Natalie to decide to work for Monk.
She renews her old friendship with Mitch's old friend and comrade, Lieutenant Steven Albright (Casper Van Dien
) in the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk Is Underwater", and in the series finale, "Mr. Monk and the End
," the two are dating steadily and Natalie is planning to introduce him to Julie for the first time.
's series of novels based on Monk are written from Natalie's point of view. In a way, it likens her to being Monk's Dr. Watson, that is to say, his chronicler.
In the novels, Natalie has an on-again, off-again romance with a firefighter named Joe Cochran, whom she first meets when Julie asks Monk to investigate the killing of a beloved firehouse dog in Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse
. The two are strongly attracted to each other, but Natalie decides not to grow too close to another man in a dangerous job. Cochran subsequently also appeared in Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
and Mr. Monk in Outer Space
.
The novels also serve as a way to expand Natalie's past prior to when she met Monk. In Mr. Monk is Miserable
, it is known that she and Mitch went to Paris
, and in Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
, it is known that they also once spent a weekend getaway in Mexico, and she is found to be very unnerved when hack psychic Dylan Swift somehow manages to get information on her past to create "messages" from Mitch's "spirit". It also establishes that Mitch was shot down two days before his 27th birthday.
In Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, Natalie has an epiphany - she notes that with the exception of the fact that Monk has OCD, they are actually not that different - both have lost their spouses (Mitch and Trudy, respectively) to violent deaths (plane crash and car bomb
), and they were both heavily affected by their spouse's death.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
crime drama Monk
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
. She becomes Adrian Monk
Adrian Monk
Adrian Monk is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Shalhoub and the protagonist of the USA Network television series Monk. He is a renowned former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department...
's personal assistant
Personal assistant
A personal assistant or personal aide is someone who assists in daily business or personal tasks. It is common in design to have a PDA, or personal design assistant....
midway through the third season
Monk (season 3)
The third season of Monk originally aired in the United States on USA Network from June 18, 2004 to March 4, 2005. It consisted of 16 episodes. Tony Shalhoub, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford reprised their roles as the main characters, and Traylor Howard joined the cast. Bitty Schram left...
of the show. She is portrayed by Traylor Howard
Traylor Howard
Traylor Elizabeth Howard is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sharon Carter on the television series Two Guys and a Girl and as Natalie Teeger on the USA Network series Monk.-Early life:...
.
Traylor Howard was introduced after USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
released actress Bitty Schram
Bitty Schram
Elizabeth Natalie "Bitty" Schram is an American actress, most widely known for having played Sharona Fleming in the television series Monk.-Career:...
, who portrayed Sharona Fleming
Sharona Fleming
Sharona Fleming is a fictional character in the award-winning series Monk. Sharona is a divorced practical nurse from New Jersey and a single mother with a young son named Benjy. She was played by Bitty Schram. Schram was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.-Biography:Sharona's...
, mid-way through the show's third season, stating they wanted to take the character in new directions. Natalie was hence introduced in the role of Monk's assistant to fill in the void left by Schram's departure.
Relationship with Adrian Monk
Natalie first meets Adrian MonkAdrian Monk
Adrian Monk is a fictional character portrayed by Tony Shalhoub and the protagonist of the USA Network television series Monk. He is a renowned former homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department...
in the episode "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring", when he investigates two men who had broken into her home, after she stabs and kills Brian Lemmon, the second intruder, in self-defense with a pair of scissors. Monk's former assistant Sharona has just left, and Monk asks Natalie if she would become his new assistant. Initially, she refuses, but over the course of the investigation, Monk proves himself kind to Natalie's daughter Julie, which makes Natalie change her mind and accept the position (not to mention, an opportunity to get out of her current job as a bartender, which she admits to hating). That episode mostly served as a way of bringing both Natalie and Julie into the series. However, the transition from Sharona to Natalie was not rapid, as Natalie's and Monk's chemistry is shown to be uneasy until the end of the episode "Mr. Monk Gets Stuck in Traffic." In the novel Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is the fourth novel based on the television series Monk by Lee Goldberg. It is the first Monk novel to be published in hardcover, on July 3, 2007...
, Natalie mentions that for a while, Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher frequently compared her to Sharona, but finally accepted her for who she was.
Since becoming Monk's assistant, Natalie has become an extremely devoted friend, as well as a devoted assistant. On several occasions, Natalie says explicitly that she loves him, though she might mean that in a platonic sense
Platonic love
Platonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
. Such an example of this is in "Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus" (however, on several occasions, Natalie has sometimes done some dangerous things for Monk, like accidentally shooting him in the leg).
There have been occasions where Natalie is the only person to support Monk's ideas (such as in "Mr. Monk and the Other Detective," when Monk suspects loser-private eye Marty Eels of cheating), and she hence proves a valuable ally in helping him gather the evidence needed to make an arrest. She is also shown to be rather cunning, and is able to trick other people into doing things that help Monk with a case. In "Mr. Monk and the Bad Girlfriend," when Monk suspects Linda Fusco of murdering her partner, Natalie uses the pretext of wishing to view an apartment to keep Linda out of her house to buy Monk additional time to snoop around on his own, although Linda somehow figures this out. Later, at Linda and Stottlemeyer's going away party, Monk and Natalie set up a sting operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
to arrest Linda, where Monk pretends to talk to Natalie from Linda's house on a webcam (in reality, he was sitting in the back of an impounded rental truck). In the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk and the Bully," when Monk and Natalie are trailing Roderick Brody's wife, Natalie successfully tricks a businessman into taking a photo of their target. The episode also establishes that she shows some basic legal knowledge, possibly picked up from working with Monk, as evidenced in a scene where Natalie withholds Roderick's name from Captain Stottlemeyer
Leland Stottlemeyer
Captain Leland Francis Stottlemeyer is a fictional police officer played by Ted Levine on the American crime drama Monk. He is Captain of the San Francisco Police Department 's Homicide Detail, and a longtime friend of Adrian Monk from their days on the force together where he served as Monk's...
, citing client confidentiality.
Despite their platonic relationship, there have been instances where other characters believe that Natalie suppresses romantic feelings for Monk through gestures and comments, or even think they are a couple: in "Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion", when Dianne Brooks (Cynthia Stevenson
Cynthia Stevenson
Cynthia Stevenson is an American actress.Stevenson was born in Oakland, California, the daughter of Gayle, an editor, and Al Stevenson, an upholstery warehouse owner. She grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia....
) first meets Natalie, Dianne appears to interpret that Natalie is Monk's girlfriend, a relationship that Monk and Natalie deny having. In the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever," when Natalie (as a lottery hostess) is signing autographs and Monk grabs some wipes from her, one of Natalie's fans asks her if Monk is her boyfriend.
Usually, when the two deny these comments, the asker will look suspiciously at Natalie, as if he or she thought there was something more in her denial. In other instances, Stottlemeyer and Disher will give each other looks as if they think they saw something in Natalie's reactions to Monk's situation or how she talks about him. Natalie's family has also given similar reactions, as well as characters from various episodes. While this may be a coincidence of Traylor Howard's acting style, it is definitely a noteworthy aspect of Natalie's relationship with Monk. Such a reaction can be seen in the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk and the Genius," when Monk notices Patrick Kloster (David Strathairn
David Strathairn
David Russell Strathairn is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck...
) approaching their car through the mirror. Frantically trying to find out what to do to get Patrick to move on, Natalie blurts out "We should kiss! No! I didn't say that! I wasn't thinking; I never said that!"
Over the course of her relationship with Monk, Natalie is shown to also pick up a few detective instincts of her own on the way. In fact, in the novel Mr. Monk in Outer Space
Mr. Monk in Outer Space
"Mr. Monk in Outer Space" is the fifth novel in the Monk mystery novel series by writer Lee Goldberg, published on October 30, 2007.-Plot summary:...
, Stottlemeyer asks Natalie to try to figure out what happened at one crime scene, and she makes an accurate guess of what happened (without making much of an effort, mostly because of the nature of the crime). By the time of the novel Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop, Natalie has picked up enough skills to start asking herself questions about the case at hand.
Biography
Natalie's past is filled with instances of youthful devilry, in a seeming deviation from her strict posh upbringing. Certain elements of her past are revealed throughout several of the novels and episodes:- In the season 3 episode "Mr. Monk Goes to Vegas", Natalie reveals that she worked as a blackjackBlackjackBlackjack, also known as Twenty-one or Vingt-et-un , is the most widely played casino banking game in the world...
dealer in Las VegasLas Vegas StripThe Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
for two years while Mitch was still alive, and she is a recovering gambling addict. At the time her husband died, she lived in base housing on a base in South CarolinaSouth CarolinaSouth Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
. - In the season 4 episode "Mr. Monk Goes to the Office", Natalie mentions to stock analyst Warren Kemp that she worked in an office for two weeks before quitting; she claimed she was unable to stand the "same routine" every day, and she spent time in a jail in VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
for throwing a man through a window in order to protect a friend. - In the season 4 episode "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa", it is mentioned that the summer after she completed high school, Natalie worked in a shopping mallShopping mallA shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
where her boss "liked [her] a bit too much." Natalie uses this to convince her old boss to hire Monk and her as respectively a store Santa and his elf in an attempt to bring murder suspect Frank Prager out of hiding. - During a conversation between Monk and Natalie in the season 5 episode "Mr. Monk Goes to a Rock Concert", Natalie mentions having studied about how the Spanish InquisitionSpanish InquisitionThe Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
locked people in outhouses, after Monk likens accidentally locking himself into a port-a-potty to a medieval torture device. - In the season 5 episode "Mr. Monk is At Your Service", Paul Buchanan, who had a crush on Natalie through high school, mentions to Monk that she has a tattooTattooA tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
. Monk (posing as a butler named Adrian Melville) is surprised to hear about this. Buchanan mentions that Natalie's tattoo is in a place where no one can see it. However, Natalie's opinion of Paul Buchanan is one of hatred, which is the primary reason why she believes that the guy killed his parents. - In the season 6 episode "Mr. Monk and the Naked Man", it is revealed that Natalie was an exchange student in GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
when she was 19 years old. - In the season 6 episode "Mr. Monk and the Three Julies", Natalie mentions that Mitch took her to the firing range all the time, so she knows how to use a gun. However, her experience in using loaded firearms is called into question in the episode "Mr. Monk on Wheels", where she accidentally shoots Monk in the leg after picking up Sarah Longson's stainless steel Walther PPKWalther PPKThe Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
handgun. - In the season 7 premiere episode "Mr. Monk Buys a House", it is revealed that Natalie knows Morse codeMorse codeMorse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
. When Captain StottlemeyerLeland StottlemeyerCaptain Leland Francis Stottlemeyer is a fictional police officer played by Ted Levine on the American crime drama Monk. He is Captain of the San Francisco Police Department 's Homicide Detail, and a longtime friend of Adrian Monk from their days on the force together where he served as Monk's...
and Lieutenant Disher accompany Monk and Natalie to Cassie Drake's house, Stottlemeyer and Disher knock Morse code messages on the door. Natalie immediately chastises both of them, saying "That's not the way I heard it. My husband was in the Navy, remember?" Later in the episode, when Monk and Natalie are taken hostage by "Honest" Jake Phillips (Brad GarrettBrad GarrettBradley "Brad" Garrett is an American actor, voice actor, stand-up comedian, and professional poker player. Throughout he has appeared in numerous television and film roles....
), Natalie's knowledge of Morse code comes in handy: With no form of communication to the outside world to call for help available, Natalie lights some rags, puts them in the fireplace, and opens and closes the flue to emit smoke signals that Stottlemeyer and Disher notice and interpret as Morse for "SOSSOSSOS is the commonly used description for the international Morse code distress signal...
".
Natalie has held several jobs, including bartending, which she quit to become Monk's assistant. The exact number of jobs Natalie held before meeting Monk (17 in all) is mentioned in "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding" when Peggy asks her to sample a Bloody Mary
Bloody Mary
- Personalities :* Mary I of England, Queen of England and Ireland* Bloody Mary , a ghost said to appear in mirrors when summonedQueen of England & Ireland in the Tudor era.Daughter of Henry VIII.- Literature :...
, and Natalie has to remind her that she isn't bartending any more. It takes Peggy a few tries to get the current job right. During her tenure on the series, Natalie does temporarily take up several other careers:
- In "Mr. Monk Gets Lotto Fever," she spends approximately two weeks working as a lottery hostess, but she is accused of scheming with Stottlemeyer to rig the lottery drawing. She quits after Monk clears their names. While working on this job, Natalie's position as Monk's assistant becomes strained, leaving her unable to concentrate on Monk's homicide investigation. Eventually, Monk becomes so fed up with her lottery antics and autograph signings that he openly mocks her in front of her fans and nearly calls her a bimboBimboBimbo, in its popular English language usage, describes a woman who is physically attractive but is perceived to have a low intelligence or poor education. The term can also be used to describe a woman who acts in a sexually promiscuous manner...
(he stops midway and calls her a "bimportant person"). - In "Mr. Monk and the Badge", after Monk gets reinstated, Natalie works as assistant to a concert promoter, though Monk warns her that her new boss won't be as good as him.
Family
Natalie is more or less a pariah of the wealthy Davenport family, owners of Davenport Toothpaste, which is described in "Mr. Monk, Private Eye" as being the third largest toothpasteToothpaste
Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush as an accessory to clean and maintain the aesthetics and health of teeth. Toothpaste is used to promote oral hygiene: it serves as an abrasive that aids in removing the dental plaque and food from the teeth, assists in suppressing...
company in the world after Colgate
Colgate (toothpaste)
Colgate is an oral hygiene product line of toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes and dental floss.-Duraphat:Duraphat is a professional strength paste intended for the treatment and prevention of dental caries....
and Crest. She keeps this hidden from Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher until the season 4 episode "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding," when she mentions that she has kept this a secret because of the fact that she is heavily estranged from them. It is later revealed in the season 5 episode "Mr. Monk, Private Eye" that the company was started by Natalie's entrepreneur grandfather, Neville Davenport. The novel Mr. Monk in Outer Space
Mr. Monk in Outer Space
"Mr. Monk in Outer Space" is the fifth novel in the Monk mystery novel series by writer Lee Goldberg, published on October 30, 2007.-Plot summary:...
also reveals that this business almost went under when it was discovered that the original formula for their toothpaste was laced with sugar - hastening to peoples' dental decay.
Natalie's decision to marry a "common" man like Mitch estranged her from her parents Bobby and Peggy Davenport; for years, Peggy refuses to display Natalie and Mitch's wedding photograph at her house on top of the piano where all the other photos are kept, and considered Natalie's marriage "illegitimate" even though she and the rest of the family dote on Julie. To further keep herself from the rest of her family, Natalie is revealed to have adapted Mitch's surname as her own after his death.
Natalie has a brother, Jonathan, whom she and Monk rescue from his murderous new wife, Theresa, who has married him to get at the family fortune, in "Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding," after they prove that Theresa also tried running down Lieutenant Disher in the parking lot because Randy would have recognized her as Darlene Coolidge, a black widow
Black Widow
Black widow is a common name of some spiders in the genus Latrodectus.Black Widow may also refer to:-Fiction:* Black Widow: A Novel, a 1981 novel by Christina Crawford...
bride Randy investigated when he was a sergeant in Philadelphia. Natalie subdues Theresa at the wedding, saving her brother's life. This seems to spark a reconciliation between Natalie and the rest of her family, as she and Monk are seen later having a more or less friendly brunch with Natalie's parents during their next on-screen appearance, in the season 5 episode "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service."
Mitch was a Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
who was killed in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
in 1998 ("Mr. Monk and the Election"). They have a daughter named Julie, a teenager (she was 11 when first introduced with her mother in "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring"). Julie has been taught to believe that her father died heroically, though in reality, the details of his death are very murky and unclear, and he may have been trying to desert
Desertion
In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning...
when he was killed, as Natalie mentions in the season 3 episode "Mr. Monk and the Election" and in the novel Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii is the second novel based on the Monk television series. It was written in 2006 by Lee Goldberg.-Plot synopsis:...
. Before he died, Mitch gave Julie a pet fish named "Mr. Henry," which Natalie has secretly replaced each year (as that is the lifespan of the fish, a crimson marble) so that Julie does not realize that the original fish died.
In the episode when Monk first meets Natalie, he shows that the fish is more important to him than an actual moon rock, which is part of what causes Natalie to decide to work for Monk.
She renews her old friendship with Mitch's old friend and comrade, Lieutenant Steven Albright (Casper Van Dien
Casper Van Dien
-Early life:Van Dien was born and grew up in Milton, Florida, the son of Diane , a retired nursery school teacher, and Casper Robert Van Dien, Sr., a retired U.S. Navy Commander and fighter pilot. There is a long military tradition in Van Dien's family. Aside from his father, his grandfather was a...
) in the season 7 episode "Mr. Monk Is Underwater", and in the series finale, "Mr. Monk and the End
Mr. Monk and the End
"Mr. Monk and the End" is the two-part series finale of the USA Network original criminal mystery dramedy television series, Monk. It is the fifteenth and sixteenth episodes of the eighth and final season, and is the 124th and 125th episodes in the series overall...
," the two are dating steadily and Natalie is planning to introduce him to Julie for the first time.
Novel series
Lee GoldbergLee Goldberg
Lee Goldberg is an American author, screenwriter and producer, known for his work on several different TV crime series, including Diagnosis: Murder, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Hunter, Spenser: For Hire, Martial Law, She-Wolf of London, SeaQuest, 1-800-Missing, The Glades and Monk...
's series of novels based on Monk are written from Natalie's point of view. In a way, it likens her to being Monk's Dr. Watson, that is to say, his chronicler.
In the novels, Natalie has an on-again, off-again romance with a firefighter named Joe Cochran, whom she first meets when Julie asks Monk to investigate the killing of a beloved firehouse dog in Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse
Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse
Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop is the eighth novel written by Lee Goldberg to be based on the television series Monk. It was published on July 7, 2009. Like the other novels, the story is narrated by Natalie Teeger, Monk's assistant.-Plot summary:...
. The two are strongly attracted to each other, but Natalie decides not to grow too close to another man in a dangerous job. Cochran subsequently also appeared in Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants
Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is the fourth novel based on the television series Monk by Lee Goldberg. It is the first Monk novel to be published in hardcover, on July 3, 2007...
and Mr. Monk in Outer Space
Mr. Monk in Outer Space
"Mr. Monk in Outer Space" is the fifth novel in the Monk mystery novel series by writer Lee Goldberg, published on October 30, 2007.-Plot summary:...
.
The novels also serve as a way to expand Natalie's past prior to when she met Monk. In Mr. Monk is Miserable
Mr. Monk is Miserable
Mr. Monk is Miserable is the seventh novel in the Monk mystery book series by writer Lee Goldberg. It was published on December 2, 2008.-Plot summary:Natalie wants a break so she blackmails Monk in going to Paris, France...
, it is known that she and Mitch went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and in Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii
Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii is the second novel based on the Monk television series. It was written in 2006 by Lee Goldberg.-Plot synopsis:...
, it is known that they also once spent a weekend getaway in Mexico, and she is found to be very unnerved when hack psychic Dylan Swift somehow manages to get information on her past to create "messages" from Mitch's "spirit". It also establishes that Mitch was shot down two days before his 27th birthday.
In Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants, Natalie has an epiphany - she notes that with the exception of the fact that Monk has OCD, they are actually not that different - both have lost their spouses (Mitch and Trudy, respectively) to violent deaths (plane crash and car bomb
Car bomb
A car bomb, or truck bomb also known as a Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Device , is an improvised explosive device placed in a car or other vehicle and then detonated. It is commonly used as a weapon of assassination, terrorism, or guerrilla warfare, to kill the occupants of the vehicle,...
), and they were both heavily affected by their spouse's death.
Background information and notes
- Natalie drives a variety of vehicles throughout the series. These include a silver 2005 Nissan QuestNissan QuestThe Nissan Quest is a minivan manufactured since 1993 by Nissan, and is now in its fourth generation. The first two generations of the Quest were a joint venture with Ford, which marketed a rebadged variant as the Mercury Villager...
and a silver 2005 Jeep Grand CherokeeJeep Grand CherokeeThe Jeep Grand Cherokee is a Mid-size SUV produced by the Jeep division of Chrysler. While some other SUVs were manufactured with body on frame construction, the Jeep Grand Cherokee has always used a unibody chassis.- Development :...
during seasons 3 and 4 and the first half of season 5, a silver 2007 Buick LucerneBuick LucerneThe Buick Lucerne is a full-size car sold by the Buick division of General Motors. Introduced at the 2005 Chicago Auto Show, the Lucerne replaced both the Park Avenue and the LeSabre for the 2006 model year, and was sold through the 2011 model year...
in the second half of season 5, a silver 2007 Ford EscapeFord EscapeThe Ford Escape is a compact SUV sold by the automaker Ford Motor Company introduced in 2000 as a 2001 model year and priced below the Ford Explorer. Although technically it's a crossover vehicle, it is marketed by Ford as part of its traditional SUV lineup rather than its separate crossover lineup...
during season 6, a 2008 Audi A3Audi A3The Audi A3 is a small family car produced by the German automaker Audi since 1996. Two generations of A3 exist, both based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, which they share with several other models such as the Audi TT, Volkswagen Golf, Volkswagen Caddy and Volkswagen Touran as well as SEAT...
during the first half of season 7, a 2008 Nissan SentraNissan SentraThe Nissan Sentra is a compact car produced by automaker Nissan Motors and is generally a rebadged export version of the Japanese Nissan Sunny. The name "Sentra" is not used in Japan....
in the second half of season 7, and a 2008 Hyundai GenesisHyundai GenesisThe Hyundai Genesis is a full-size luxury car initially introduced as a concept car in the 2007 New York International Auto Show. Hyundai has introduced the vehicle worldwide, known internally as the BH model, and markets the Genesis as a "premium sports sedan". The Genesis is currently not...
during the later part of season 7 and in season 8. In the novel Mr. Monk and the Dirty Cop, Monk and Natalie are hired by Intertect, a private investigation agency, and as part of Natalie's benefits plan, she drives a 2009 LexusLexusis the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
SUV (though whether the car is a RXLexus RX (AL10)The Lexus RX is the third generation of the Lexus RX series of crossover SUVs, sold by Lexus since 2009. The vehicle series is a complete redesign of Lexus' crossover model line, with models debuting in 2009 including the RX 350 and RX 450h...
, GXLexus GXThe Lexus GX is a mid-size sport utility vehicle sold in North American and Eurasian markets by Lexus. The first generation GX 470 was introduced at the North American International Auto Show in 2002 as a 2003 model, and subsequently became the third SUV to enter Lexus' lineup. The 4.7 L V8...
, or LXLexus LXThe Lexus LX is a full-size sport utility vehicle sold by Lexus since 1996. Three generations of the Lexus LX have been produced, all based heavily on the long-running Toyota Land Cruiser series of SUVs. The first generation LX 450 debuted in 1996 as Lexus' first entry into the SUV market. Its...
is not established), in addition to receiving a higher salary and dental insurance. In "Mr. Monk and the Three Julies," Natalie often "borrows" Captain StottlemeyerLeland StottlemeyerCaptain Leland Francis Stottlemeyer is a fictional police officer played by Ted Levine on the American crime drama Monk. He is Captain of the San Francisco Police Department 's Homicide Detail, and a longtime friend of Adrian Monk from their days on the force together where he served as Monk's...
's new car, a midnight onyx Dodge ChargerDodge ChargerThe Dodge Charger is an American automobile manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler. There have been several different Dodge vehicles, built on three different platforms and sizes, all bearing the Charger nameplate...
, severely damaging it in the process (first breaking the passenger-side rearview mirror, and then completely smashing up the hood after supposedly "cutting across the creek," even though Stottlemeyer insists that there are no bridges across the creek). - Natalie has appeared in more episodes (87) of the series than Sharona (37).
- Natalie only holds firearms twice in the series, and both times they are someone else's firearms: the first is in "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service," where she and Monk train twelve-gauge shotguns on Paul Buchanan. The other time is in "Mr. Monk on Wheels," when Natalie grabs Sarah Longson's Walther PPKWalther PPKThe Walther PP series pistols are blowback-operated semi-automatic pistols.They feature an exposed hammer, a double-action trigger mechanism, a single-column magazine, and a fixed barrel which also acts as the guide rod for the recoil spring...
handgun during a fight to subdue her, and accidentally shoots Monk when she turns around. - Natalie is often seen wearing Christian LouboutinChristian LouboutinChristian Louboutin is a French footwear designer whose father is cabinetmaker Roger Louboutin and homemaker mother Irene. His siblings include three sisters, no brothers. Landscape architect Louis Benech has been his partner since 1997. Louboutin launched his line of high-end women's shoes in...
shoes as shown by the trademark red sole. Christian Louboutin shoes are expensive (some pairs in excess of $1,000), and taking into account Natalie's low salary from Monk, she either has a jones for shoes, wears knockoffs, or they are gifts. - During several episodes of the fifth season ("Mr. Monk Makes a Friend," "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service," "Mr. Monk Visits a Farm," "Mr. Monk and the Really, Really Dead Guy" and "Mr. Monk Goes to the Hospital"), Traylor Howard was pregnant, so Natalie is always carrying boxes, newspapers and the like, or sitting/standing behind something like a car or a desk to hide her enlarged stomach in these episodes. However, in "Mr. Monk Is At Your Service," Natalie pretends to be pregnant to Paul Buchanan, which she later explains to Monk as having achieved by stuffing a pillow under her shirt.
- There have been several episodes of Monk that guest star actors or actresses that have worked alongside Tony ShalhoubTony ShalhoubAnthony Marcus "Tony" Shalhoub is an American actor of Lebanese descent. His television work includes the roles of Antonio Scarpacci on Wings and sleuth Adrian Monk on the TV series Monk. He has won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe for his work in Monk...
, Ted LevineTed LevineFrank Theodore "Ted" Levine is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs and Captain Leland Stottlemeyer in the television series Monk.-Early life and career:...
or Traylor HowardTraylor HowardTraylor Elizabeth Howard is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Sharon Carter on the television series Two Guys and a Girl and as Natalie Teeger on the USA Network series Monk.-Early life:...
. Vincent VentrescaVincent VentrescaVincent Paul Gerard Ventresca is an American actor, best known for playing Darien Fawkes on SCI FI's The Invisible Man .-Early years:...
, who portrays sports agent Rob Sherman in the season 6 episode "Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees," had previously starred on Boston CommonBoston Common (TV series)Boston Common is a television sitcom that ran on NBC from 1996–1997. It starred Anthony Clark and took place in the city of Boston. It was one of the 10 highest rated shows in its first season as it ranked 8th in the yearly ratings and was viewed by an average of 14.96 million households per episode...
, a show on which Traylor played a principal character. In the 1998 film Dirty Work, Traylor Howard portrays Kathy, who works for a used car dealer who is portrayed by David KoechnerDavid KoechnerDavid Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
. David Koechner stars in the season 6 episode "Mr. Monk and the Daredevil" as Joey Krenshaw (Harold Krenshaw's cousin). She also starred alongside Alfred MolinaAlfred MolinaAlfred Molina is a British-born American actor. He first came to public attention in the UK for his supporting role in the 1987 film Prick Up Your Ears...
(who portrays Peter Magneri in the season 6 episode "Mr. Monk and the Naked Man") in the 2002 sitcom Bram & AliceBram & AliceBram & Alice is a television sitcom that aired on CBS from October 6 to 27, 2002. The show only lasted four episodes, although five unaired episodes were also produced.Universal HD aired all nine episodes of the show during the spring of 2010...
.