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| Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard) Traylor Howard as Natalie Teeger
Natalie Jane Teeger née Davenport is 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. The character of Natalie replaced Schram's character, Sharona Fleming, in the role of Monk's assistant. Relationship with Adrian MonkNatalie first met Adrian 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, which made Natalie change her mind and accept the position. One of the differences between Natalie and Sharona is that while Sharona was more protective and motherly toward Monk, Natalie has far less tolerance for his phobias, "forcing" Monk to do things that would normally be his assistant's job, therefore slowly helping him recover from his OCD. BiographyNatalie'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 a bit too much". She has a tattoo. 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. The vehicles driven by Natalie vary, including a silver Nissan Quest and a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee in earlier episodes, a silver 2007 Ford Escape, a silver Buick Lucerne, a silver Audi A3, a Nissan Sentra and most recently a Hyundai Genesis. In "Mr. Monk and the Three Julies", however, she often "borrows" Capt. Stottlemeyer's car, a midnight onyx Dodge Charger, and wrecks it. FamilyNatalie comes from an extremely wealthy family who own the "third largest toothpaste manufacturer in the world", Davenport Toothpaste, a company started by her grandfather Neville Davenport. She has had a Nissan, Buick, Jeep, and an Audi, which is believed to have been received from her parents. 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. Natalie has a brother, Jonathan, whom she rescued from his murderous new wife, Theresa, who married him to get at the family fortune.. 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, a teenager (she was 11 when first introduced). Julie has been taught 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. Before he died Mitch gave Julie a pet fish named "Mr. Henry," which Natalie has been secretly replacing each year so Julie does not realize that the original fish died. In the episode when Monk first met Natalie, he showed that the fish was more important to him than an actual moon rock, which was part of what caused Natalie to decide to work for Monk. | |||||||||||||||
