"Monk" Mr. Monk and Little Monk (2005)

Director:

Robert Singer

Writers:

Andy Breckman (creator)
Joe Toplyn (written by)

TV Series:

"Monk" (2002)

Original Air Date:

26 August 2005 (Season 4, Episode 8)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Crime

Plot:

When a woman's housekeeper is killed when someone breaks into her house and spray paints a painting that has great sentimental value to her...

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | Murder | Widower | Multiple Actors For One Character

Cast

  (Episode Cast overview, first billed only)

Tony Shalhoub	...	Adrian Monk
Traylor Howard	...	Natalie Teeger
Jason Gray-Stanford	...	Lt. Randall Disher
Ted Levine	...	Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Brett Cullen	...	James Duffy
David Hunt	...	Michael Norfleet
Donna Bullock	...	Sherry Judd
Susan Ruttan	...	Mrs. Ledsky
Katelyn Pippy	...	Young Sherry
Kevin G. Schmidt	...	Leo
Shane Haboucha	...	Jimmy Wagner
Brent King	...	Travis Baptiste
Michael Dunn	...	George Baptiste
Rose Abdoo	...	Trudy Monk
Karl T. Wright	...	Principal Thicket

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Portugal:M/12

Company:

Mandeville Films

Goofs:

Anachronisms: At the conclusion of the flashback of Monk in eighth grade, the principal of Monk's school flashes a Series 1999-2003 $5 Note. Since this note was not first issued until May 2000 and the flashback is dated April 12, 1972, such a note would have been unavailable.

Quotes:

Mrs. Ledsky: Here. I made one with exactly ten chips in it, like you like.
[Adrian takes the cookie, and bites it]
Young Adrian Monk: You're a great cook, Mrs. Ledsky.
Mrs. Ledsky: It's a gift...
[indicates her stomach]
Mrs. Ledsky: And a curse.

Plot summary

Monk is called upon by old friend Sherry Judd (actress Donna Bullock) to solve a mystery. Monk had a huge crush on her when they were classmates in junior high school. In the present, burglars break into her home when she is not there, and kill the housekeeper, but appear not to have stolen anything. However, on the way out they inexplicably spray paint a mustache and goatee on a prized painting. The police are stumped, so Sherry comes for help to Monk, who demonstrated his detective brilliance to her years earlier.

In flashbacks, we see young Monk's agony as he longs for the teen girl, who is friendly but seems impossibly out of reach. When young Sherry is accused of the theft of the bake sale money, young Monk (actor Grant Rosenmeyer), convinced of Sherry's innocence, tackles what may be his first case, and of course his brilliant insights save her from the clever scheming of the bully who framed her.

Natalie can see that Monk still has feelings for Sherry, and encourages him to make his move, but unfortunately Monk as an adult has as little self-confidence with women as he did as a teen.

Any episode where you get to see Monk as a child is a winner, and this one does not disappoint. His mother (actress Rose Abdoo) does a tidy job of suggesting to the audience where some of Monk's personality quirks come from. Any real fan of Monk will make seeing this episode a top priority.

Monk solves all mysteries, past and present, but loses out on the lady under circumstances eerily similar to what happened in the past.