I would have given this episode 8, except for the contradiction in the way way Trudy died. The writers have no consistency in the that part of the story. Each writer makes up a method to suit his/her story line. So far, Trudy has,
1) Died alone in the garage.
2) Died with Stottlemeyer at her side in the garage.
3) Died in the hospital with Monk at her side.
In addition, Monk got the news:
1) With the fateful phone call coming while sitting in the station after telling a joke.
2) Heard the news from Stottlemer who got the phone call while they were on a case in a clinic.
This ties "Castle" for the worst example of inconsistency in story continuity. If you can get around this plot line failure, then the rest of the episode is pretty good.
1) Died alone in the garage.
2) Died with Stottlemeyer at her side in the garage.
3) Died in the hospital with Monk at her side.
In addition, Monk got the news:
1) With the fateful phone call coming while sitting in the station after telling a joke.
2) Heard the news from Stottlemer who got the phone call while they were on a case in a clinic.
This ties "Castle" for the worst example of inconsistency in story continuity. If you can get around this plot line failure, then the rest of the episode is pretty good.