"Monk" Mr. Monk and the Leper (2006)

Director:

Randall Zisk

Writers:

Andy Breckman (creator)
Charles Evered (written by)

TV Series:

"Monk" (2002)

Original Air Date:

22 December 2006 (Season 5, Episode 10)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Crime

Plot:

Monk deals with leprosy on two fronts as he's called to testify that a leper is indeed alive so that his money isn't given away. |

Plot Keywords:

Impersonation | Security System | Estate Hearing | Hansen's Disease | Hot Air Balloon

Cast

Tony Shalhoub	...	Adrian Monk
Traylor Howard	...	Natalie Teeger
Jason Gray-Stanford	...	Lt. Randall Disher
Ted Levine	...	Captain Leland Stottlemeyer
Sarah Brown	...	Mandy Bronson
Paul Blackthorne	...	Dr. Polanski
Stephen Bogardus	...	Derek Bronson
Emmy Clarke	...	Julie Teeger
Lawrence O'Donnell	...	Judge Barr (as Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.)
Timothy Davis-Reed	...	Nephew's Lawyer
Anne Gee Byrd	...	Mrs. Kennedy
Geoffrey Wade	...	Mandy's Lawyer
Katie F. Ward	...	Receptionist

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Company:

Kaledo Dritte Productions

Trivia:

On its original airing, this episode was presented first in black & white and then in color. USA Network then held an on-line poll for viewers to indicate which version they preferred. The episode opened with Tony Shalhoub providing an intro from the set about how it would be airing in black & white. It closed with Ted Levine and Jason Gray-Stanford introducing the color version, with Ted insisting it was better in color and Jason preferring to agree with Tony.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Obvious stunt double when the balloon is crashing - Adrian's hair is much thicker.

The funniest and cleverest "Monk" so far

A copy of "Mr. Monk and the Leper" should be placed in a time capsule and preserved for future generations. It is an ideal example of how comedy and serious drama can interface with each other.

The opening scene, where Adrian Monk meets his new client, a man who stays hidden in the shadows, is deadly serious: The man says he is a leper, and we are shocked to hear that this dread disease can still be with us.

But then, comedy takes over. There are numerous laugh-out-loud scenes, for example the scene at the probate hearing, where Monk asserts that the supposed dead man is still alive. The Commissioner decides to test Monk's powers of observation, and asks him to turn around. Monk does so.

Commissioner: "Now... can you describe my shirt?" Monk: "Which one? The one you're wearing, or the one your secretary is wearing?" To the Commissioner's surprise (but not to ours), Monk has noticed that the cute stenographer is wearing a man's shirt, obviously one she borrowed from her boss, after ripping her blouse during a sex romp on the office sofa. Monk even points out that the sofa cushions were replaced backwards, in haste.

Then, there is the scene where Lt. Randy Disher tries to retrieve a picture of himself that's on the dermatologist's wall. He tries to slip it off the wall, but that's not so easy. A struggle ensues: Randy against the wall of photos. It turns out that ALL the other pictures are loose, but the pic that HE wants is attached to the wall, which finally shatters when he tries to pry it loose. Funny stuff.

And of course, there's the unforgettable scene where Natalie is sitting in her date's car, and they are necking furiously... then he tells her that HE used to be a leper! The usually sensible Natalie freaks out, and later we see her drinking an entire bottle of mouthwash.

Cheers, Dan