"The Monkees" Rewatch: Monkees à la Carte

In “Monkees à la Carte” the boys are fired from their job as, presumably, the house band at a restaurant after a couple of gangsters muscle out the original owner, Pop. They decide they should help Pop get the place back, which leads to them going undercover for the cops (want proof Fuselli is part of a crime ring called the Syndicate) while working for Fuselli as “chefs, dishwashers, musicians, hat check girls, cooks, cigarette girls.” When the Syndicate uses the restaurant for their first face-to-face meeting the boys take advantage of their ignorance and decide to impersonate the Purple Flower Gang in an effort to buy time until the cops come.

Even as Monkees episodes go, “À la Carte” is a weird one, at least in context of the series up to this point; eleven episodes in and already five episodes where the band gets mixed up in some criminal activity. This fact is made weirder when one considers the fact that the Monkees are meant to be teenagers or the very least 21 and under. Maybe it’s me, but even by frequently ridiculous Sitcom Logic the amount of criminals they run into is just bizarre. I realize given the magical realism and psychedelia to come in the series my thoughts on this aspect might seem pretty bizarre themselves. What can I say? Apparently my suspension of disbelief can take talking pot-aliens, but draws the line at a bunch of teenagers having run-ins with mobsters and spies. Go figure.

Or, maybe it’s just that I don’t know what else I could say about this episode, because, while it has its moments, it’s not that memorable for me. This is especially clear for me since the next three episodes rank as some of my big favorites, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

One thing I’d like to point out, though, is that I think the combination of “She” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” makes “À la Carte” the strongest thus far in terms of music. Granted, this is a matter of personal taste, but the early song choices tend to be a mixed bag (especially if “Last Train to Clarksville” is involved.) But here, both tracks are fantastic and strong enough to stand toe-to-toe without one massively overshadowing the other. Plus, the romp for “Steppin’ Stone” with the guys messing about in a kitchen is a highlight of the episode.