Mr. Monk Goes to Group Therapy

Season 8, Episode 8, Aired
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9.5
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EPISODE RATING: Superb
390 votes
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Monk is forced to attend Dr. Bell's group therapy sessions, and he begins to suspect that a murderer in the group might be going after the other patients.
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • Super Mr. Monk vs. Mr. Krenshaw Turbo II: The Final Showdown

    4.0
    "Poor"
    By JesseTehSkox, Oct 22, 2011
    Here's the thing. I've never been a huge fan of Harold Krenshaw. While he was worth a few chuckles in his debut in the quite good "Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf", perhaps giving him a major role in the occasional episode since then wasn't a good idea. In fact, the Krenshaw episodes "...and the Daredevil" and "...Gets Hypnotized" are my two least favourite episodes of the series. So, not surprisingly, I did not care for this episode - but depending on your tolerance for the character, your mileage may vary. If you like Harold, then you'll probably love this episode. Enjoy!

    The story, as it were, involves Monk's HMO no longer covering office visits with Dr. Bell. This episode's best moments come as Monk tries to adapt to the news - first by attempting to speed through all his problems in one last session, then by awkwardly attempting to talk up Dr. Bell outside of his office. But none of it works, so he has to resort to group therapy. And, as per Monk's incredible knack for stumbling into murders, it appears that someone is killing off the group, one by one. And, oh yeah, Harold is there too.

    The mystery has what could potentially be a terrific setup a la "And Then There Were None", with the group being picked off one by one. Unfortunately, there's not much mystery to be had. Instead of allowing us to have a few different suspects for once (something this show has always stubbornly shied away from), the killer is rather obviously called out early on, as is his motive. And while his killings are clever, there's no doubt on our end as to how he did it. Thus, despite a great initial premise, we're left with the most minimalist mystery since "Mr. Monk Makes the Playoffs".

    But I suppose this episode was supposed to be more about Monk's growth as a character and his rivalry with Harold, and...it fails in that department, too. Harold has always seemed like a highly artificial opponent for Adrian, a character who has become recurring not because he's actually an interesting character, but simply because the writers feel compelled to have a recurring nemesis for him who isn't morbidly obese with a cute rhyming name. This episode finally provides closure for their relationship, but it, too, feels highly artificial. I just don't buy their sudden bonding (in yet another contrived "let's randomly put Monk in danger just to pad out the script" scenario), and while it's great that Monk finally conquered his claustrophobia, it's not like that's something that will have a huge effect on the series.

    Now, I know I've been rather harsh on this season, but it's only because I've watched this show from the beginning. And therefore I know this show can do better than this, with its incredibly lame mystery and recurring character that makes Kevin Dorfman look tolerable. I still have high hopes for the end of the series ("Mr. Monk and the Badge" onward), but for the time being I'm incredibly disappointed that, after a decent start to this season, this show is slipping back into the mediocrity that plagued the last few. I know you can do better. So...please do so.moreless

  • A terrible episode for this the last season.

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By tedwilliams406, Jun 27, 2011
    Was very disappointed with this episode. Had little actual police involvement, not much of the Capt or Randy. The story line was rather far fetched, not very realistic, the ending, with the two in the trunk and the actual killer in his house crying to the doctor......Just a poor episode especially after the previous week's with Meat Loaf. Hopefully it will get better as the season and show draws to a final conclusion, the mystery of Trudy's death....After the many years of MONK, this has to be one of the worse, sorry to say. And I do love the show and will be sorry to see it come to an end!moreless

  • Adrian has to deal with Group Therapy after discovering that his insurance company only covers 2000 therapy sessions and he has gone through them all.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Saifcap91, Jun 05, 2011
    I thought this was one of Season 8's better episodes. The plot was well-executed and the ending was brilliant.

    We finally got to see some real progress as Monk, along with Harold, was able to overrcome his claustrophobia. It was wonderful seeing Adrian and Harold comforting each other and finally making amends.

    There were plenty of humorous moments, including the argument at the supermarket and the battle in the therapy room. Probably the funniest moment came when Harold and Adrian burst into Dr. Bell's house and discovered him perfectly safe and sound talking to his would-be-murderer.

    When Harold told Monk that it was Dr Bell's house they were standing outside of, Monk's reaction was pricelss. It seemed that all that talk in the trunk was going to go down the drain, but thankfully they came to their senses.

    Overall, a very good episode and it deserves the 10 I'm giving it.moreless

  • Mr Monk argues with his nemesis in group therapy for over half the show.

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By JohnGrossbard, Jun 05, 2011
    This episode is horrendous. This once great show has turned into utter crap right before our eyes. Amazing the average score is a 9.0. Either most Monk fans just give any show a 10 or someone has created 100 accounts to try and raise the score.

    The killer was way to easy to figure out. About 2/3 of the show was spent in Dr Bells office. I would like it better if we never saw Dr Bell again. The lack of using Randy and Stottlemyre is ridiculous. This is an example of a show going on for a year too long.moreless

  • They had to have known that this one was not a very good one.

    5.0
    "Mediocre"
    By acrobbins, May 05, 2010
    I was disappointed in this episode because it seemed like the writers have given up already and are not as enthusiastic or creative as they once were. Like someone else said, I hope the remaining episodes are better. Not a very good episode compared to what I'm use to seeing. I kept saying to myself at the end,"Is that it?" I felt like I was still waiting for something else to happen. The group therapy thing was a good idea, but, that seems as far as the good idea fairy decided to go on this episode. Shame on you writers.moreless
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  • QUOTES (9)

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    • Natalie: Uh-oh. Monk: What is it? Natalie: It's from your HMO. Monk: Oh. Don't open that. Natalie: It says "important." Monk: All the more reason--just throw it out. Natalie: Maybe it's good news. Monk: Yeah, good news from my HMO. What do you think--I won a free colonscopy?

    • Natalie: I think you're being ridiculous. Monk: Yeah, ridiculous like a fox.

    • Natalie: I know, I know you're not a big fan of Harold Krenshaw's. Monk: I hate him. He can go to hell. Natalie: Yeah, I understand, but besides him, besides Harold who can go to hell, how was the session? Monk: Awful.

    • Disher: Could be a serial killer. He's killing people according to their phobias. This guy was afraid of heights so he pushed him off the roof. Monk: Augie wasn't afraid of heights. He was afraid of spiders. Disher: That's different. It's killing people using the opposite of their phobias. The Opposite Killer. Stottlemeyer: So you're saying the opposite of a spider is a tall building? Disher: What do you think the opposite of a spider is? Stottlemeyer: I have no idea, but it's not a tall building. Disher: Hmm, tell that to the Opposite Killer. Natalie: Are you crying? Stottlemeyer: No, I have allergies.

    • Disher: It's him--the Opposite Killer. That's his MO. Stottlemeyer: There is no Opposite Killer. If there were, you would have been killed by a falling rocket scientist years ago.

    • Harold: We need your strength, Neven. Your guidance. You're the beacon. you're the light that will see us through our darkest hour. Rhonda: So, Harold, how is it up there in Neven's butt? You lonely? Getting scared of the dark?

    • Harold: Dr. Bell, I.. I don't know what to feel. Tell me what to feel. Dr. Bell: I think we should all feel confused. Harold: Confused--I can do that.

    • (eliminating murder suspects) Natalie: Who else was in the group? Monk: There's Harold. Could it be Harold? Natalie: I don't think so. Monk: You're right. God would never do that. It would make me too happy.

    • Monk: We have to find a phone and call the police. Harold: There's not enough time. It takes the police four minutes and 20 seconds to get here. Don't ask.

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