Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month (6 Aug. 2004)

Monk goes undercover at a department store to investigate the mysterious death of a popular store employee. In the process he also gains valuable insights into the life of his former partner, who happens to be the store's head of security.

Director:

Scott Foley

Writers:

Andy Breckman (creator), Ross Abrash

Stars:

Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram, Jason Gray-Stanford

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Shalhoub	...	Adrian Monk
Bitty Schram	...	Sharona Fleming
Jason Gray-Stanford	...	Lt. Randall Disher
Ted Levine	...	Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Enrico Colantoni	...	Joe Christie
Alanna Ubach	...	Jennie Silverman
Kane Ritchotte	...	Benjy Fleming
Maree Cheatham	...	Edna Coruthers
Michael Weston	...	Morris
Kyle Davis	...	Ronnie
Esther Scott	...	Delores
Patrick Thomas O'Brien	...	Brent Donovan
Stanley Kamel	...	Dr. Charles Kroger
Sharon Johnston	...	Clara
Jill Wagner	...	Crystal

Storyline

An outlet store's highly industrious employee is killed when a TV falls on her. Monk and the police show up, they learn that they were called by the store's head of security, who was once Monk's partner on the force who was fired because he was suspected of stealing evidence which led to a criminal's release who would later kill some cops. He claims he didn't do it. He tells them that the woman had been getting death threats which he shows them. Monk decides not to pursue it any further. But some time later Monk takes another look at the letters and notices something odd about so he decides that his partner might be right so he gives Monk a job at the store. But Monk still doesn't believe his claim of his innocence. When Monk gets in line to be the store's employee of the month, he is attacked. He learns that the victim was the previous constant employee of the month. He thinks her death might have to do someone wanting to be the employee of the month.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Crime

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Details

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Mandeville Films, NBC Universal Television, Touchstone Television

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) has a girlfriend named Crystal Smith, played by Jill Wagner She is described as the "...world's leading wallet photo model." Crystal Smith is the name of Playboy's Playmate for September 1971.

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Goofs

Monk notices everything, yet he doesn't notice that the wrappings of his lunch had been tampered with or that the bag wasn't sitting in the exact position he left it.

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Quotes

Adrian Monk: You were right about Edna. I think someone was after her.
Joe Christie: How do you know that?
Adrian Monk: These are the complaint letters she received in the last three months. Different addresses, different handwriting, different postmarks. But the stamps were torn from the same roll. Look...
[arranges the envelopes in a row]
Adrian Monk: They fit together, like puzzle pieces.
Joe Christie: [laughing softly] I'll be damned. You're still the man.

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Connections

References The Brady Bunch (1969)

User Reviews

Fine episode showing what Monk was like before wife's death

This episode is special because of the character of Joe Christie, Monk's last police partner before Monk's wife's death, and the admiration Christie has for Monk despite the fact that Monk, Stottlemeyer, and the others came to think that Christie was a "bad" cop, getting Christie fired, so that Christie ends up a security guard in the department store that is the setting for this episode. I am new to the Monk show this year (2008) so I did not see this episode "in order," but it seems to me that Christie should have been a recurring character. The way the actor plays him is very warm and affecting and you get the sense that he might well be intended to re-appear in later episodes -- but he does not. However, the actor got a regular part on another series (Veronica Mars) that same year, so perhaps what happened is that he had to choose between series and chose the Mars series.