Mr. Monk and the Astronaut

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“Mr. Monk and the Astronaut”
Monk episode
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 14
Guest stars	Jeffrey Donovan Eric Allan Kramer
Written by	Randy Zisk
Directed by	David Breckman Joe Toplyn
Production no.	T-2360
Original airdate	March 3, 2006
Episode chronology
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"Mr. Monk and the Big Reward"	"Mr. Monk Goes to the Dentist"
List of Monk episodes

"Mr. Monk and the Astronaut" is an episode of the USA Network series Monk.

[edit] Plot synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

When Joanne Raphelson is found dead in her San Francisco home, Monk, Natalie, Captain Stottlemeyer and Lt. Disher come in to investigate. Raphelson was found hanged from the ceiling of her living room, but Stottlemeyer and Monk spot several discrepancies, including the insufficient height of the stool she supposedly stood on that indicate she was murdered. Monk also notices a drink on the table with a peculiar garnish, but doesn't think much of it at the scene. Astronaut Steve Wagner's name appears in Raphelson's phone records before her time of death, and so the four go to talk to him.

Wagner, who is married, admits to having dated Raphelson. He says that she suffered from extreme depression, and would frequently call him when she needed to speak to someone. Monk notices that Wagner is drinking the same drink as was found at the scene of the crime, and his wife identifies it as a "Spacewalk," one of her husband's signature drinks. Monk is convinced that Wagner killed Raphelson, but his alibi appears to be vacuum-sealed: he was in space at the time of the murder.

Meanwhile, Monk and Wagner are both invited to speak at Julie Teeger's school career day. At the end of his speech, Wagner hands out laser pointers to all the kids, and they use them to harass Monk while he is speaking. Wagner confronts Monk outside of the classroom and says he will never solve the case because he is a "flincher;" Natalie is now convinced of his guilt as well.

Monk and Natalie return to Raphelson's home to look for more clues. Monk notices that there is a missing doll from Raphelson's extensive collection on the wall, as well as four holes drilled in the wall in the kitchen. Before he can think about these things very much, they notice Wagner sneaking around outside the house. He says he came to pick flowers, but Monk is sure he was looking for something.

Next door, Raphelson's neighbor Darrel Cain is yelling at his two children, Benny and Donna for leaving the garage door open again. He notices the celebrity Wagner and run across the street with his kids to get an autograph. When Wagner notices that Donna Cain is holding a doll, he invites the family to come see the test flight of a new fighter jet at the nearby air base; Natalie gets Wagner to bring her and Monk along as well. At the base, garage doors seem to be opening for no reason, and with that Monk solves the case.

Wagner went to Raphelson's home before setting off into space. He drugged her by spiking her drink, and then installed a garage door opener in her kitchen. He tied a noose around her neck, and attached the other end to the garage door opener. He then took the remote for the opener away from the house, taped down the button and stuffed it inside a doll he took from her house, and mailed the doll to her on two-day shipping. When the mailman brought the package to the house, it set off the garage door opener, which strangled Raphelson to death.

Donna Cain runs up to her dad crying that Wagner stole her doll, and Monk realizes he must act quickly because Wagner will try to eject the doll from his plane during his test flight, and then the evidence will be lost forever. By the time they find Wagner, he is already in his jet and preparing to take off. Monk runs in front of the plane, putting himself in grave danger to stop Wagner's escape. Stottlemeyer and Disher, called by Natalie, show up and along with the Air Force, stop Wagner and arrest him.