Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra
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| “Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra” | |
|---|---|
| Monk episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 11 |
| Guest stars | Patrick Fischler |
| Written by | Joe Toplyn |
| Directed by | Tony Palmieri |
| Production no. | T-3012 |
| Original airdate | January 28, 2005 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Mr. Monk and the Red Herring" | "Mr. Monk Gets Cabin Fever" |
| List of Monk episodes | |
Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra is an episode of the USA Network series Monk.
[edit] Plot synopsis
Author John Ricca wrote a controversial biography on a deceased Martial Arts movie star - Sonny Chow. Someone, looking like Sonny Chow, breaks into his house and murders him. Since Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) can't figure out if Ricca has really been murdered by someone who is already dead, he calls Mr. Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to solve the case. Monk and Natalie have a slight dispute: Mr. Monk refuses to pay for Natalie's expenses, but Stottlemeyer's call interrupts them.
Apparently, Ricca was really killed by Sonny Chow: hair from the martial artist is found, as are nun-chuks once used by Chow; and the killer, dressed like Chow, can be seen on the surveillance camera. Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) points out that there is much speculation around Chow's death and that there is a distinct possibility that he even faked it. Monk and Natalie (Traylor Howard) pay a visit to Master Zee (Mako), Chow's former teacher - who tells them that Chow is most certainly dead.
In order to find out the truth, Stottlemeyer digs up Chow's coffin - and finds a body in there, identified by the medical examiner as Sonny Chow. To get further information on why someone would want Chow to return from the grave, Monk and Natalie visit the Sonny Chow museum.
There, they find out that a hair brush of Sonny Chow's has been stolen, something that explains why his hair was found at the crime scene. Then, Monk remembers something: the grave digger at Sonny Chow's grave, Chris Downey, had the same stamp on his hand everyone gets when visiting the museum.
Back at the cemetery, Monk is able to solve the case: Chris Downey faked Chow's return from the grave. Years before, he had stolen jewelry and hid it in Chow's coffin. In order to get it back he had to find a way to exhume Chow's body - so he posed as Chow, making it look like as if he was still alive. Natalie, however leaves Monk before he can tell her what happened: Mr. Monk still refuses to pay her expenses, telling her that he does not have the money and refusing to give up his dead wife's empty office. Natalie quits as she needs the money and the second she leaves the room, Downey knocks out Monk and buries him alive.
Natalie, returning, discovers what happened and calls Stottlemeyer and Disher to find Monk. They try to get the whereabouts of Monk out of Downey, but he dies of a heart attack. An entire police squad starts to dig in the cemetery, while Monk, who has almost no air left, starts to hallucinate: he has a vision of his late wife Trudy who tries to keep him alive and sane. Also, she tells him to give up her office so he can pay Natalie. Meanwhile, Stottlemeyer discovers that a power line has been cut - and that proof leads to Monk's location. They are able to save Monk - and Monk, according to his wife's wishes and in order to keep Natalie, gives up her office and pays the expenses.
[edit] Goofs
- When Adrian Monk is unburied and the coffin is open we can see the molten wax of the lit candle he's holding covering his hand, in the immediate scene after Captain Leland Stottlemeyer's comment on his happiness we see him again in the coffin but this time, there's no molten wax on his hand and the candle looks brand new. It's also possible to see in these two scenes that the pillow and his suit are clearly crumpled in the first one and then they look all smooth and tidy in the second one.
