Top 10 Monk Episodes

As Project Monk draws to a close it seemed like a good idea to compile a list of my ten favourite episodes from the series. It was not an easy task. There's 125 episodes of Monk and I've enjoyed them all and this is by no means a definitive list. Heck I'm not even completely happy with it but here is a list of the ten episodes that at this moment in time I consider to be my favourite (as in my opinion I don't claim it to be fact so feel free to disagree with me). 

10. Mr. Monk’s 100th Case

Picture from Monk Source

100 episodes is quite a milestone in modern TV and Monk reached it during season seven. The 100th episode manages to mix of nostalgia with a brand new case for the defective detective to solve. Several characters from past seasons return including the flight attendant from season 1's "Mr. Monk and the Airplane", Monk's arch rival Harold Krenshaw and his brother Ambrose. 

The episode serves as a great tribute to the show's rich past. There is little I'd change about this episode although it would have been nice to have paid some small tribute to the late Stanley Kamel's Dr. Kroger and it's a real shame Bitty Schram didn't make a return appearance as Sharona.

9. Mr. Monk and the magician

Picture from Monk Source

I am a big fan of Monk's annoying neighbour Kevin Dorfman. Every episode he appeared in was a joy to watch and when I accidentally discovered that he was killed off before I'd seen this episode (damn you Sporcle) I was gutted. Poor Kevin's murder at the hands of an evil magician is very sad but the magician's downfall at the hands of Monk is a truly satisfying moment. 

The last scene of Monk and Natalie watching Kevin's video will is incredibly touching. After Monk worrying about not having any friends over the last couple of seasons it's sad to realise he had a friend in Kevin he never really appreciated that until he was gone.

8. Mr. Monk and Little Monk

What was Adrian Monk like as a child? We find out here. Two cases one girl. Through a series of great flashbacks we get to see the that the young Monk was a brilliant detective even then. Young Monk is awesome and the fact he didn't get a full spin off series is a crime.

7. Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion

This episode of Monk is another with flashbacks to a younger Monk. This time it's Monk at college and we get to see how he and Trudy first met and the first time he told her he loved her. It's all rather touching. Sentimentality aside this episode also features one of my very favourite murderous schemes. The evil Kyle wants to kill his wife and after finding a suicide note she wrote whilst in college. He decides to use the note to make her murder look like a suicide. The only problem being that the note made mention of various events that occurred at college meaning he has to use the reunion to recreate them. 

6. Mr. Monk and the Kid

Tony Shalhoub is a fantastic actor and throughout the eight seasons he made us genuinely care for the character of Adrian Monk. When Monk took in a young boy who found a finger in the park there wasn't a dry eye in the house. The more time the boy spends with Monk the more like him he becomes. The scene where Monk realises that the kid will never be happy with him is truly heart breaking.

5. Mr. Monk and the Actor

Monk had a tendency to do episodes where it finally looked like Monk was well on the road to recovery before the events of the episode devastated him leaving him back at square one. It was a toss up between this episode and the episode "Mr. Monk and Mrs. Monk" for inclusion on this list but I think Stanley Tucci's amazing performance as the method actor who gets far too involved in his latest role just shades it for the most devastating. Hollywood is making a film version of one of Monk's most high profile cases and David Ruskin, the actor who is to play Monk, wants to study the real detective to aid his performance. Unfortunately he has a tendency to take things to far and its not long before he believes he's the real Monk and tries to solve Trudy's murder. This episode also features the fantastic moment where Stottlemeyer and Disher get to be on set as they film a scene featuring the pair only to discover Disher has been made a woman and the two have a romantic relationship.

4. Mr. Monk and the Leper

Filmed in glorious black and white Mr. Monk and the Leper finally sees a criminal using Monk's well documented phobia's to aid their evil scheme. Monk's reaction to discovering he's shaken hands with a leper is classic. This coupled with Natalie's disappointment in his reaction followed by her reacting the same way when she finds out she's kissed a former leper makes this one of the funniest episodes and the case itself is very interesting.

3. Mr. Monk and the garbage strike

This picture says it all. This is the funniest episode of Monk. Period. A garbage strike is enough to send Monk completely insane. So insane that he accuses rock legend Alice Cooper of committing murder to get his hands on his antique chair that he ruined during the murder leading to him no longer wanting it. Cooper's completely silent cameo is just awesome and Monk's descent into madness is hilarious. From mailing his garbage to Dr. Kroger to stealing garbage trucks and picking up the rubbish himself Monk completely loses it and it is incredibly funny. Only when Monk is locked in a "clean room" at a computer factory is he able to think straight and solve the case.

2. Mr. Monk and the End

Yeah all right this is technically two episodes but screw it it's my list and I'll cheat if I want to. I very nearly put this at the top of the list. Maybe it's not the best episode of the series but it's one of the most satisfying. All the loose ends from the last eight seasons are tied up and Monk finally gets closure. He solves the murder of Trudy and everyone gets a happy ending. Perhaps the actual solution is a little too simple what with Monk having held the answer in his hands all these years. It was a nice touch that the last Christmas present Trudy gave Monk that he could never bring himself to open played a part as it had been clearly set up in earlier seasons. If I ever made a list of my all time favourite series finales this would probably make the list.

1. Mr. Monk and the Astronaut

Never in my life have I hated a fictional character more than I hate Steve Wagner. The evil astronaut that very nearly got away with murder is a cruel bully that puts Adrian Monk through hell during this episode. But Steve Wagner gets his just desserts by the end. His constant attempts to make Monk feel like a coward and less than a man are his undoing. Is there a more satisfying moment than when Monk stands in front of Wagner's fighter jet preventing him from disposing of the only evidence of his guilt? For me this is the brightest moment in Monk's eight season run and my all time favourite episode.

Notable mention: There are a few episodes I wanted to include but just couldn't find the space for them. The one that narrowly missed out was "Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus" which is by far my favourite Christmas episode ever. I also feel pretty bad for not including any episodes featuring Sharona. But they're all good. Watch 'em all.