great Monk episodes there were, plus the fact that the show ran for eight seasons, it can be easy to forget how strong of a start the series had. Monk did not take too long to become a fan-favorite and bring in significant viewership numbers, with the show also earning a lot of awards and securing eight Emmy wins out of 18 nominations.
While Adrian Monk’s character is that he was not very welcome to change, which is why most Monk episodes were not very different from each other. Monk did rely on a few recurring tropes, and it is interesting how most of those tropes were set up in the pilot. Additionally, everything we needed to know about Adrian was established in the first five minutes of the series.
Monk’s Opening Scene Perfectly Set The Tone For The Show
The Scene Quickly Tells Us Who Adrian Is And What He Does
Monk season 1, episode 1, “Mr. Monk and the Candidate” opens with a team of police officers and forensic scientists observing Adrian Monk as he “does his thing” and investigates a crime scene. A body had been found, and Adrian was brought in as a consultant. It soon becomes clear that this is not the first time Monk is assisting the police on a case, which is why everyone in the room is so interested in watching Adrian work. Monk is carefully going through the crime scene, but he eventually starts to worry about something else.
Every interaction between Adrian and Sharona is incredibly funny, and we believe that these two have been working together for a while.
Monk, who had been struggling with severe OCD since his wife was murdered, could not stop worrying about whether he had left the stove on. This is when we are introduced to Sharona, who tries to convince Monk that everything is okay. However, while Adrian does try to focus on investigating the murder, he cannot stop asking Sharona about the stove. This brief interaction between Monk, Sharona, and the police officers established all the important aspects of the show and explained what the rest of the series was going to be like.
Monk’s Pilot Was A Strong Start For The Show And One Of Its Best Cases
“Mr. Monk And The Candidate” Had A Lot Of Great Moments
Monk would have over a hundred more episodes after the pilot, but “Mr. Monk and the Candidate” remained the best episode of the series. It’s not unusual for pilot episodes to have a higher degree of production value and better pacing than the rest of the first season, but Monk’s first episode was genuinely good with a lot of great moments. Every interaction between Adrian and Sharona is incredibly funny, and we believe that these two have been working together for a while. Tony Shalhoub embodied the role right from the first scene and made Monk fascinating to watch.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Blink-And-You-Miss-It Role In Monk Is Even Better Once You Learn The Story Behind It
Jennifer Lawrence famously appeared in an episode of Monk before she broke big, and the story behind her role on the show makes it even better.
The case itself was also very interesting, with Adrian eventually deducing that what appeared to be a case of the wrong target getting shot was something else entirely. Monk did not have a lot of two-part episodes, but “Mr. Monk and the Candidate” made the most of its 90-minute runtime with a well-paced story that never got boring. The pilot did have some odd character dynamics and concepts that wouldn’t be carried onto the rest of the show. This included the animosity between Adrian Monk and Leland Stottlemeyer, the latter of whom seemed bothered by having Adrian around.
Monk’s First Scene Was Revisited In Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie
Mr. Monk’s Last Case Opened With A Flashback To The Pilot
Monk concluded in 2009, but “Mr. Monk and the End” would not really be the end of the story. Over 14 years later, Monk's cast got together for a Peacock original film whose premise was born of an online reunion they had done during the pandemic. While most of the movie took place in 2022 and explored the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Adrian’s mental health, Mr. Monk’s Last Case opened with a callback to the show’s first episode.
Mr. Monk's Last Case explains Sharona's absence by saying she was back home helping Benjamin take care of his child.
A remastered version of the “stove scene” was used as the opening sequence for Mr. Monk’s Last Case as present-day Adrian was ing that case while talking to a publicist. Not only was this a very nostalgic way of opening the Monk movie, but it also allowed Sharona to be present in the film, even if with a flashback only. Mr. Monk’s Last Case brought Monk full circle, and its opening sequence may have inspired many to revisit the show from the start.
Monk
- Release Date
- 2002 - 2009-00-00
- Network
- USA
- Directors
- Randy Zisk, Jerry Levine
WHERE TO WATCH
Starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk follows the titular detective, a private investigator with OCD who helps solve crimes with the San Francisco Police. On the side, he also investigates the death of his wife, who was killed by a car bomb. Bitty Schram, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford also star.
- Seasons
- 8
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
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