Mr. Monk and the End - Part I

Season 8, Episode 15, Aired
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9.7
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EPISODE RATING: Superb
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While investigating the murder of a doctor who may be connected to Trudy's death 12 years ago, Monk soon discovers that his own life is in danger.
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Fan Episode Reviews (10)

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  • hhhjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By stevencocoboy, Nov 22, 2011
    h h h h h h h hhh h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h h hmoreless

  • Wow, emotional and amazing episode~!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By serene004, Oct 25, 2011
    I literally cried, I mean no doubt by the end my cheeks were soaked! And I seldom cry, especially not while watching Monk! I believe this episode was by far one of the best I have seen. I knew that Christmas present from Trudy was going to be more than just a watch, but wow this is amazing! Finally Trudy's murder is going to be solved! I'm just surprised it wasn't linked with Dale the Whale. Is Monk going to die at the end? It would have been amazing to have had a 2 hour finale instead; but regardless amazing episode! and next week is going to be heart-touching as well!moreless

  • Monk's Final Days

    10
    "Perfect"
    By sh811a, Oct 25, 2011
    There really isn't much I can say about this one but I'll just say that it's one of the best and most emotional episodes of the show I've seen.

    Death is always the last thing we would think would happen to any hero or superhero. It's not to say that in most situations they always get into it couldn't happen but when it happens it really hits us hard because it's something we didn't expect and shows how truly human heroes and superheroes.

    I'll admit it really made my heart sink knowing that Monk has very little time to live, and due to how bad the current sittuation which gives us no guarentees of any reasurance and the fact this is just one of the final episodes I'm litterally worried about Monk's life because anything seems possible right now.

    It's really in little moments that create the emotion mainly with the minor characters with Monk. I really loved what Stolomyer said when both Randy and him had a drink, that Monk was too human which was why he was not just a good detective but a great human being as well, Stolomyer is right. And that part where he had that present from his wife he never opened for a long time and seeing Natile cry put tears in my eyes.

    To be continued.moreless

  • Mr. Monk vs. Mortality

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By JesseTehSkox, Oct 25, 2011
    Well, it's finally here. After eight seasons, the epic two-part finale is upon us. The writers previously achieved two-part glory with the excellent "Mr. Monk is On the Run" from season six, so I came into this with high hopes that they could manage a repeat. And, while part one of "Mr. Monk and the End" isn't quite as strong as the first part of the aforementioned episode, it's still a strong episode with a lot to recommend, a few weird choices aside. If the second part comes through for us on the tantalizing possibilities introduced here, we'll be in for pure greatness, folks.

    In one of the most striking cold opens I can recall seeing on this show, we witness the chilling murder of Trudy Monk. Twelve years later, Adrian is called back to the midwife clinic where he first heard the news, to investigate a crime of more significance than he ever would've expected. Fearing it's now only a matter of time before he finally pieces all the clues together, Trudy's killer (kept in silhouette but rather obviously the Craig T. Nelson character, unless they're playing some devious trick on us) decides that Monk must be the next to go. Before too long, he finds himself poisoned with just two days left to live - looks like the title has more than one meaning here - and then stumbles onto a vital clue in the Trudy case that had been sitting underneath his nose this whole time. Thus we reach the brutal cliffhanger ending, tantalizing us with a mysterious dark secret in Trudy's past, and setting the stage for an epic race against time to close the case once and for all, before it's too late.

    This episode gets a lot of things right. Opening with an actual Trudy/Adrian scene before his meltdown was an interesting touch. By this point in the series, having been forced to wait this long, any progress on the Trudy case is exciting, and while this episode doesn't reveal much, the possibilities it sets up are fascinating. And I absolutely love that they brought back Trudy's Christmas present from "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa" - I never would've suspected, when that episode first aired, that anything therein was of actual importance. Monk's poisoning is handled well, appropriately dramatic but wisely played with a slight pinch of comedy so it's not a completely depressing experience. I particularly enjoyed the "vomiting" scene - Monk clearly has his priorities straight! Ted Levine is, for once, given some interesting things to do, including an intense-but-believable chase scene and a great speech about Monk that more or less summarizes why I've been able to identify so much with him over the years. "That was his problem. He was too human."

    On the negative side, and note that these are really just minor quibbles by comparison: The sudden reintroduction of Lieutenant Albright as Natalie's boyfriend feels awkward and rushed, a recurring element of this season's romantic plotlines. Seriously, was anyone itching for the reintroduction of this bland character? It's a little disappointing that the killer is seemingly revealed to us so early on in the episode, though it's possible (and seemingly probable) that the mystery behind the as-yet-unrevealed motive could make up for it. And finally, didn't they establish in "Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month" that Monk was in the police station, laughing, when he got the call about Trudy? Weird that they'd contradict everything about that here, shifting the scene to the birthing center, with Monk completely serious, and having Stottlemeyer get the call.

    But this is an episode where the good most certainly outweighs the bad. This series has been becoming more and more goofy and sitcom-ish in the last few seasons, but clearly the writers of this show still have what it takes to pull off brilliant emotional drama, too. With Andy Breckman himself behind this episode, I figured we'd be in for something special, and indeed we were. All throughout the season, I've been wondering if they could actually pull together a worthy finale for this series, and now I'm thrilled to say, they're halfway there.moreless

  • I hope they handle part 2 right.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By degenerate, Oct 25, 2011
    Honestly I wish they wouldn't have ran a commercial for part 2 every commercial break. It really diminished the feeling of urgency to find a cure for the poison when we know he's gonna pull through. I mean, as a viewer I'm aware this is only part 1, but to remind me every 10 minutes took some of the desperation out of this episode. The scene with like 30 people holding Monk down to draw blood was a little silly. The part that irked me though was at the very end. The video with Trudy intimated that she had a secret life she hid from Monk. Poor Monk- loyal to a fault. He has spent his entire career and life trying to solve this last mystery. If we learn that Trudy was less than faithful, Monk will be crushed. It might even make solving the crime anticlimatic. Yea, he solved it, but... Oh well. Gonna just have to watch and see. Thank you for 8 wonderful seasons.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (3)

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    • When the camera shows the birthing clinic for the first time, a white Toyota Prius passes by. The scene is set in 1997, but the Prius shown is a 2003 model not invented for another six years.

    • In "Mr. Monk and the Employee of the Month," Joe Christie said he was with Monk when Monk got the call that Trudy was dead. Here he's nowhere to be seen.

    • In "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa," Monk stated that he found Trudy's present to him after she died. Here he finds it before she died.

  • QUOTES (10)

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    • Trudy: I love you. Monk: Can't imagine why.

    • Dr. Nash: Excuse me, what are you doing? Monk: I was... I was straightening it out a little bit. Dr. Nash: They're umbilical cords. They're never straight. Stottlemeyer: (indicates Monk) I bet his was.

    • Trudy: You're sleeping by yourself, Adrian. Monk: No, I'm not.

    • Natalie: This is for me. Mr. Monk. Me. Mr. Monk. Lt. Albright: I'm sorry, I don't get it. Why two separate carts? Why can't we separate them when we get home. Natalie: Yeah, I stopped asking those questions a long time ago.

    • Nurse Fitzgerald: We're gonna need some blood. Monk: All right, Natalie, give her some blood. Nurse Fitzgerald: I mean your blood.

    • Dr. Shuler: You're gonna feel normal for a while. And then there's gonna be some vomiting, followed by death. Monk: Vomiting? Dr. Shuler: That's right. Followed by death. Monk: Vomiting. Dr. Shuler: Yes. Followed by death. Monk: Vomiting! Dr. Shuler: Adrian, I really need you to focus on the last part of that sentence. There's gonna be some vomiting and then death. Monk: Is there any chance death could come before the vomiting? Stottlemeyer: Two days? Monk: Wish it were five. Stottlemeyer: Why? Monk: 'Cause it's a bigger number.

    • Dr. Bell: The man who poisoned you, this Kazarinski. Did he say anything before he died? Monk: He was hit by a train. He probably... said, "train."

    • Monk: I've wasted so much time. I've probably spent three years just washing these hands.

    • Stottlemeyer: I had him all wrong. I know that now. I'd always thought that Monk was not all there, like there was something missing, like he was less than human. But he wasn't missing anything. He was seeing more than anybody. he was feeling more than anybody. That was his problem. He was too human. If we had more like him, we'd be better off.

    • Monk: (to Trudy's gravestone) I love you. Natalie: Is that it? Sure you don't want to say something else? Monk: No, I can tell her myself tomorrow.

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