Natalie Teeger
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| Natalie Teeger | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Mr. Monk and the Red Herring |
| Created by | David Hoberman |
| Portrayed by | Traylor Howard |
| Information | |
| Gender | Female |
| Age | Early 40s |
| Occupation | Assistant to Adrian Monk |
| Family | Mitch Teeger (deceased husband) Jonothan Davenport (brother) Bobby Davenport (father) Peggy Davenport (mother) Neville Davenport (grandfather) |
| Children | Julie Teeger (Daughter) |
Natalie Jane Davenport Teeger is a fictional character on the American television series Monk. She became Adrian Monk's personal assistant after Monk's personal nurse Sharona Fleming left. The character is portrayed by Traylor Howard.
Howard was introduced after USA Network released actress Bitty Schram mid-way through the show's third season, stating they wanted to take the character in new directions.[1] The character of Natalie was to replace Schram's popular Sharona Fleming character. To date, Natalie has appeared in more episodes (55) than Sharona (37).
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[edit] Relationship with Monk
Natalie first met Monk when he investigated two men who had broken into her home, one of whom she killed in self-defense. Monk's former assistant Sharona had just left, and Monk asked Natalie if she would become his new assistant. Initially she refused, but over the course of the investigation Monk proved himself kind to Natalie's daughter (see Family section), which made Natalie change her mind and accept the position.
Natalie appears to have become an extremely devoted friend to Monk as well as a devoted assistant. In the episodes "Mr. Monk Makes A Friend" and "Mr. Monk and the Man who Shot Santa", Natalie expresses explicitly that she loves him, though it is still unclear whether or not the comments were made in a platonic sense.
Other characters have implied that Natalie may have suppressed romantic feelings for Monk through gestures and comments (such as asking them both if they were married/dating), including Natalie's own parents.
However she appears to have feelings for Monk's brother Ambrose and even went out or "in" a date with him (because of his agoraphobia) when he expressed a romantic interest in her.[2]
[edit] Biography
Natalie's past is filled with instances of youthful devilry, in a seeming deviation from her strict posh upbringing:
- She was an exchange student in Greece; while there she frequented a nudist beach.
- The summer after she completed high school, she worked in a shopping mall where her boss "liked [her] a bit too much".
- She has a tattoo. [3]
- She worked in an office for two weeks before quitting; she claimed she was unable to stand the "same routine" every day.
- She spent time in a jail in Vermont for throwing a man through a window in order to protect a friend.
- She worked as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas for two years while her husband was still alive, and she is a recovering gambling addict.
Natalie has held several jobs, including bartending, which she quit to become Monk's assistant.
[edit] Family
Natalie comes from an extremely wealthy family who own the "third largest toothpaste manufacturer in the world", Davenport Toothpaste[4], a company started by her grandfather Neville Davenport.[5] Natalie's decision to marry a "common" man estranged her from her parents, Bobby and Peggy Davenport; for years, Peggy refused to display Natalie's wedding photograph at her home and considered Natalie's marriage "illegitimate" even though she and the rest of the family dote on Julie.[4]
Natalie has a brother, Jonathan, whom she rescued from his murderous new wife, Theresa, who married him to get at the family fortune.[4]. Natalie subdued Theresa at the wedding, saving her brother's life, which seems to have sparked a beginning reconciliation with her family, as Monk and Natalie have a friendly brunch with her parents in a later episode.
Natalie's husband Mitch was a Navy fighter pilot who was killed in Kosovo in 1998. They have a daughter named Julie, who is now 16 (she was 11 when first introduced). [6] Julie has been thought to believe that her father died heroically, but in fact the details of his death are very murky, and he may have been trying to desert when he was killed.[7] Before he died Mitch gave Julie a pet fish named "Mr. Henry," which Natalie has been secretly replacing each year so Julie doesn't realize that the original fish died.[6] In the episode when Monk first met Natalie it is shown that she has birth control pills in her jacket pocket.
In the episode when Monk first met Natalie, he showed that the fish was more important to him than an expensive stolen artifact, which was part of what caused Natalie to decide to work for Monk.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ Byrne, Bridget. ""Monk" Boots Bitty", E! Online, E! Entertainment Television, Inc., 2004-08-31. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
- ^ Mr. Monk Goes Home Again
- ^ Mr. Monk is At Your Service
- ^ a b c Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding
- ^ Mr. Monk, Private Eye
- ^ a b c Mr. Monk and the Red Herring
- ^ Mr. Monk and the Election
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