‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’: What to Remember From the Series Finale for the Peacock Movie Plot
Monk fans can rejoice as their favorite germaphobe SFPD detective returns, but this time on the big screen. Tony Shalhoub announced he and the original cast would return for a movie for Peacock. Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie will take place post-COVID as Mr. Monk takes care of one final case. But before the Monk movie, there are a few key details to remember about the series finale.
Mr. Monk solves one last case that hits close to home for ‘Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie’
The USA 2002 series became a success, generating a large fan base that lasted beyond eight seasons. Shalhoub starred as former homicide detective Adrian Monk. His whole life, he has been persnickety, a germaphobe, and had irrational fears. But his life changed when he met his wife, Trudy. Years later, his world ended when she was killed in a car bomb. It became the one case Monk could never solve.
The series revolved around Monk solving cases, with the added storyline of him still agonizing over his wife’s death and looking for evidence. Monk ended on a good note as he finally solved the unsolvable case. Fans eagerly awaited a reunion since the series ended in 2009. During COVID, the cast reunited in character for a comedic skit about the pandemic.
In an interview with the Unheard Stories podcast, actor Tony Shalhoub dropped the biggest news for die-hard Monk fans. He and the cast will return for a reunion movie for Peacock. According to Deadline, “New and returning fans of Monk will love how this creative team was able to preserve all that we admire about Adrian Monk while bringing him into the present,” said UCP president Beatrice Springborn.
The plot for Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie ties back to the series finale and takes place in the present time after the pandemic. Monk returns to solve a personal case connected to his stepdaughter Molly, a journalist, as she prepares for her wedding.
‘Monk’ series finale revealed Trudy had a daughter she thought was dead
After years of anger over being unable to solve Trudy’s death, Monk got the biggest piece of evidence he could have ever imagined. He is called to a crime scene at a birthing center where its director was killed. It is the same center where Monk was investigating the disappearance of a midwife before being told about Trudy. As part of the new investigation, they identify the hitman as Joey Kazarinski.
Monk and Captain Stottlemeyer meet Judge Ethan Rickover for an arrest warrant. While apprehending him, Kazarinski is killed by a train. The Monk Season 8 finale took a turn when Monk is poisoned, and there is no antidote without the source. Knowing of his imminent death, Monk opened the last gift Trudy left him.
It was a video recording of her admitting to having an affair with a professor in college and getting pregnant. She was led to believe the baby had died. Trudy revealed the man was Ethan Rickover and made the tape in case of her death. Monk realized Rickover killed people involved in his secret to secure his political position. He had buried the midwife in his backyard. With the evidence, Monk confronts him to unearth her remains, but Rickover dies by suicide after admitting to everything.
Monk Season 8 finale ends with Monk surviving as the poison was on his wipes. The biggest surprise was when Monk realized Trudy’s baby had never died but was adopted. He meets Molly Evans, a writer who looks exactly like Trudy. After eight seasons, Monk solved his wife’s case and gained a stepdaughter.
The series finale teased Monk continued to work as a consultant
According to the plot of Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, Monk solves one last case. In the series, fans watched as a now happy Monk dressed more casually and put away all the case files of Trudy’s murder. But fans may have noticed the small changes in Monk, like his open collar. The series’ last scene is Monk sleeping with only one pillow and using the entire bed.
He also wears a regular shirt and suit jacket as he and Natalie go to a new crime scene. Fans might see a more relaxed Monk in the movie as the series teased that he has let go of some of his strict habits. Fans can speculate that up until the movie, he has worked as a consultant for many more years.
There is another key piece of information to remember from the series final before the Monk movie. With Jason Gray-Stanford set to return as Lieutenant Randy Disher, his story had a very different ending. Fans will remember how he always had an unproclaimed interest in Sherona. Bitty Schram returned for one final episode in Monk Season 8. At the end of it, it was revealed that she and Randy had started a romantic relationship.
During the Monk Season 8 finale, Stottlemeyer revealed Randy is the new police chief of Summit, New Jersey. Natalie quickly realized it was because of Sharona. With Schram also set to return for Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie, fans can guess she and Randy were invited to Molly’s wedding.
