Season synopsis
Contains spoilers for this season and earlier seasons.
Early cases keep Monk and his circle moving: he guards a former child star, helps a widower investigate the hit-and-run that killed his wife, and joins Dr. Bell’s therapy group just as its members are being murdered. Sharona returns to San Francisco to handle legal affairs after her uncle’s death; Monk suspects foul play, and the reunion puts his former and current assistants in the same case. As Stottlemeyer prepares to marry T.K. Jensen, a murder investigation threatens the wedding. Later, Monk joins Disher’s camping trip to impress a committee member involved in his reinstatement bid. Only late in the season does Monk regain his badge: assigned away from Stottlemeyer and without Natalie, he questions whether he wants police work back.
The final two episodes return to the question that has shaped Monk’s life. Trudy’s unopened Christmas gift contains a tape: she says she had an affair with her married law professor, Ethan Rickover, before meeting Monk, and that the baby she bore was said to have died minutes after birth. Monk identifies Rickover as the judge who ordered her murder. After the hitman who poisoned Monk is killed, Rickover denies responsibility at his confirmation hearing. Natalie recognizes that Monk’s wipes are contaminated; the hospital prepares an antidote while Monk leaves before treatment to confront Rickover. Monk orders the judge to dig beneath his sundial, where they find midwife Wendy Stroud’s remains. Rickover confesses, then dies by suicide. Only afterward do Monk and Natalie receive the antidote and recover. A newspaper clue then leads Monk to Molly Evans, Trudy’s surviving daughter, who encourages him to return to casework.