This article includes mention of suicide.
The darkest Monk story made me an even bigger fan of the тιтular character. The USA Network series, which aired for eight seasons, always had a strong balance between its comedy and drama. Tony Shalhoub brought a great deal of humor to his portrayal of Adrian Monk, as the private detective’s phobias and his need for everything to be organized in a specific way often clashed with the realities of the cases he investigated. Monk‘s best episodes were funny, but they also had their fair share of high stakes.
The high stakes not only came from each episodic case, but due to the long-running storyline of Monk investigating who killed his wife, Trudy, which was the one case he had never been able to solve. Shalhoub’s impeccable portrayal made Monk’s enduring love for Trudy feel real, and it brought a great deal of heart that elevated the story above other procedural shows in the 2000s. While there was darkness to Trudy’s death and how it impacted Monk, his darkest story happened after season 8.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie Was Darker Than The Average Monk Episode
The Covid-19 Pandemic Took A Toll On His Mental Health
14 years after the series finale, the detective’s story continued with Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. The reviews for Mr. Monk’s Last Case were generally positive, but the movie was much darker than the average Monk episode. Monk was considering taking his own life as he struggled to find his place in the world after the Covid-19 pandemic. He lost a book deal that he was relying on to pay for the wedding of his stepdaughter, Molly Evans, and became fixated on reuniting with Trudy.
The case that the movie revolved around was also darker than many of the cases in the average Monk episode. The murder victim was Molly’s fiancé, Griffin Briggs, which made it a more personal case for Monk to solve. While it was dark to see him thinking about taking his life, along with solving the murder of his stepdaughter’s fiancé, the movie handled it in a way that felt authentic to the character and that did him justice more than a decade after the show ended.
The Monk Movie Realistically Explored How The Pandemic Would’ve Affected Adrian
The Impact Went Far Beyond His Germophobia
Before losing the book deal and before Griffin’s murder, Monk had already regressed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The detective’s germophobia was often used for comedic effect in the show, and there was even a five-minute-long Monk episode released in May 2020 that showed the effect the pandemic had taken on him. Mr. Monk’s Last Case took this a step further by showing him wearing a hazmat suit, but the movie also explored the heavy toll that the pandemic had on his mental health.
“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” was released as a segment in Peacock’s At-Home Variety Show.
If someone is genuinely a germophobe like Monk is, it is realistic for a pandemic to be their worst nightmare. This is what happened to Monk, and he was not able to manage his obsessive-compulsive disorder as effectively as he had by the end of the show. The world was no longer in a state of global emergency, but the sense of emergency had not ended for Monk, whose compulsions and phobias were affecting him worse than ever before. I appreciated that Mr. Monk’s Last Case confronted this reality and meaningfully incorporated it into the story.
Despite The Darker Story, Mr. Monk’s Last Case’s Ending Was Very Uplifting
It Ended On A Hopeful Note
Even though the story goes to some dark places, the ending of Mr. Monk’s Last Case is hopeful. After solving Griffin’s murder and ensuring that the killer, Rick Eden, is arrested, Monk still plans on taking his own life. However, he is visited by Trudy, Griffin, and countless others who he has helped through his detective work, along with those he can still help. Monk decides not to take his life, realizes that he has made more of a positive difference in the world than he ever knew, and is determined to solve lingering cold cases.
The revival movie could have leaned purely on nostalgia and the lighter aspects of the beloved show, but it instead went in a bolder direction that made sense for the character.
I am an even bigger fan of Monk after seeing him confront his greatest mental health struggle yet. The revival movie could have leaned purely on nostalgia and the lighter aspects of the beloved show, but it instead went in a bolder direction that made sense for the character. The ending to Mr. Monk’s Last Case also sees him getting a dog named Watson, which is a lovely touch to an already beautiful conclusion. The darkest Monk story went on to have a positive ending.
