Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk
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Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk is an episode of the USA Network series Monk.
| Monk | |
| Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk | |
| Season 4, Episode 6 | |
| Air Date (US): | August 12, 2005 |
| Production No.: | T-2351 |
| Written by: | David Breckman |
| Directed by: | Randall Zisk |
| Guest stars: | Stanley Kamel Jarrad Paul Melora Hardin Kevin Kilner Harve Presnell |
| Previous: Mr. Monk Gets Drunk |
Next: Mr. Monk Goes to a Wedding |
| Full list of episodes | |
[edit] Plot synopsis
Natalie goes out to run errands for Monk, when she notices a woman who looks exactly like Adrian's late wife Trudy (Melora Hardin). "Trudy" is talking with a man named Zach Ellinghouse (Harve Presnell), and explains that she had to fake her own death because she was working on a dangerous article. She wants a key from him and arranges to meet him later. Natalie eavesdrops on their conversation and notes what she says. Meanwhile, Monk explains to Dr. Kroger at his weekly session that he thinks he's been cured of his obsessive-compulsive disorder and is finally happy with his life. Kroger offers to call the Police department and recommend Monk for reinstatement.
Later, Monk, Natalie, and his neighbor Kevin Dorfman (Jarrad Paul) are preparing a potato salad to take to Capt. Stottlemeyer's annual barbecue. After conversing with Monk, Natalie is convinced that Trudy Monk is still alive. She goes with a camera to the place where she and Ellinghouse arranged to meet, and takes photos of her. Trudy notices and intercepts Natalie as she is leaving. She takes Natalie's film and tells her not to tell Adrian about her.
Later, at the Captain's barbecue, Stottlemeyer says that he is ready to bring Monk back on a contingency basis. Meanwhile, Trudy goes to Ellinghouse's home. Ellinghouse refuses to give her the key, and Trudy tries to take it from him, accidentally killing him. She takes the key and runs. Back at the barbecue, Natalie tells the Captain that she saw Trudy Monk, but he refuses to believe it. Lt. Disher reports that a murder has been committed at the home of Zach Ellinghouse. Stottlemeyer tries to get Monk to stay at the barbecue, but he insists on coming.
At the crime scene, Monk reports that there was a struggle with a woman who wore the same perfume that Trudy wore and sweetens her coffee with cinnamon, the same way Trudy did. He notices the indentation of a key inside one of the books on the table, and theorizes that they were fighting over that. When Monk hears the name of the victim, he realizes the connection. Disher also adds that the neighbors heard Ellinghouse yelling Trudy's name at the time of the murder. Natalie tells him that she believe Trudy is alive. Monk runs outside, overwhelmed by the news, and notices Trudy in the crowd of onlookers. He runs after her, but she gets into a car, which drives away.
Monk is driven into a psychotic episode, and Dr. Kroger comes. Kroger asks Monk if he thinks Trudy is alive, and Monk says he doesn't know. Monk leaves to look for Trudy, and he insists on doing it alone. Monk goes to Trudy's grave site, and convinces himself that his wife is still dead and that the woman he saw earlier was an impostor. The next day, Monk and Natalie go to the newspaper office where Trudy used to work. Her desk is still intact, even seven years after her death. The editor gives Monk a copy of the paper where Trudy's last article appeared. The article was an exposé on corruption within the dock workers' union. As a result, the union leader was arrested and ousted by his second-in-command. Eventually, they find out that Trudy was renting a storage locker downtown and theorize that the key belonged to that locker.
They find Trudy's locker just as the car that took the fake Trudy away from the murder scene pulls up. Monk recognizes the driver as Jack Bollinger (Kevin Kilner), the new union boss, as he unlocks the door of the locker. He realizes that Bollinger wants to get into Trudy's papers because they could be incriminating against him too. Natalie calls the Captain. Monk has another psychotic episode when he sees Trudy's impostor. Bollinger attacks Monk and points a gun to him, just as Stottlemeyer and Disher pull up. Bollinger turns his gun on the police, and the Captain takes him down. Bollinger's gun discharges as he is dying, and kills the actress who was impersonating Trudy. She dies in Monk's arms.
