“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” showed how Adrian Monk was faring during the COVID-19 pandemic, a question that every Monk fan asked themselves at least once during the lockdown. Given Adrian’s long list of phobias revealed throughout Monk‘s eight-season run, one of which is fear of germs, it was difficult not to think of the character during the pandemic. From using elbows instead of hands to practicing social distance, Monk was way ahead of the curve when dealing with a viral pandemic.
Although the challenges the world faced during the COVID-19 pandemic were very serious, the idea of a Monk episode showing how the quarantine was affecting Adrian Monk sounded too interesting not to happen. Even though Monk was in a better place at the end of the show in terms of his OCD symptoms, a pandemic caused by a virus would have certainly affected the character in some way. This was the perfect setup for a Monk cast reunion, which happened through a 5-minute-long segment of Peacock’s At-Home Variety Show.
“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” Showed Us How Monk Was Handling The Pandemic
The Short Was Part Of Seth Macfarlane’s At-Home Variety Show
Peacock Presents: The At-Home Variety Show Featuring Seth MacFarlane premiered on May 11, 2020, and brought a scripted Monk reunion in which the main cast returned to play their iconic characters from their homes, including Tony Shalhoub as Monk. The premise of this web episode, which was written by Monk creator Andy Breckman and directed by Shalhoub’s wife Brook Adams, was that Monk’s friends wanted to check in on him during the quarantine. Natalie, Stottlemeyer, and Randy were all on a call with Monk and wanted to make sure he was doing okay.
Adrian Monk has 312 phobias, although that number would change depending on the episode.
While Monk’s mental health had improved a lot ever since he found Trudy’s killer and discovered Molly – which he acknowledges during the conversation with his friends – he was being “classic Monk” when it came to COVID. From microwaving the correspondence to standing six feet away from the computer, Monk didn’t want to take any risks. He was also missing Natalie, who could no longer give him tissues during an emergency. When Randy sneezed toward the end of the episode, Monk preferred to end the call, even though they were on different sides of the country.
Monk’s Quarantine Episode Is The Reason We Got Mr. Monk’s Last Case Movie
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie Felt Like A Sequel To The Quarantine Reunion
“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” set the stage for a proper Monk reunion, which would happen three years later with Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. The Peacock original film was born off that web episode and continued to explore the impact of the pandemic on Adrian Monk’s mental health, this time in greater detail. Whether the At-Home Variety Show segment is considered “canon” is difficult to say, but Mr. Monk’s Last Case revealed more about what happened to Adrian during the quarantine.
Related
Monk 2: Is It Happening? Everything We Know About The Mr. Monk’s Last Case Sequel
Tony Shalhoub’s beloved detective returned in Mr. Monk’s Last Cast: A Monk Movie to great fanfare, but will there ever be a Monk 2?
Monk spent most of that time living with Molly, Trudy’s daughter, who moved in to help take care of him. They had some very strict rules to face the pandemic, including giving Monk an anti-contamination suit. Most of the film took place in 2023, but we got to revisit Monk’s quarantine days through flashbacks. Not only was “Mr. Monk Shelters in Place” a great chance to revisit those beloved characters, but it also planted the seeds for the Monk movie.
-
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.
-
Considered the conclusion to the beloved comedy crime-solving series, Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie sees the titular character return along with several other prominent cast members. In the film, Monk finds himself stuck in the middle of a big case directly related to his stepdaughter, preparing to marry.
