Mr. Monk and the Candidate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Mr. Monk and the Candidate” | |
|---|---|
| Monk episode | |
 "Excuse me" |
|
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Guest stars | Michael Hogan Gail O'Grady Rob LaBelle |
| Written by | Andy Breckman |
| Directed by | Dean Parisot |
| Original airdate | July 12, 2002 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| – | "Mr. Monk and the Psychic" |
| List of Monk episodes | |
"Mr. Monk and the Candidate" is the pilot episode of the TV series Monk on the USA Network.
[edit] Plot
Private Detective Monk is called in to investigate the stabbing of a woman named Nicole Vasquez in her home. Turning up a number of clues, the obsessive-compulsive detective completes his evidence gathering only to be called to the scene of another crime. It seems that a sniper has taken a shot at one of the candidates for mayor, but the candidate's bodyguard is killed instead.
Called in as a private consultant to the crime by Police Captain Stottlemeyer, who is heading the case, Monk begins turning up evidence and links that may tie the two crimes together. Following whatever leads and threads he can find between the two cases, Monk begins to formulate a theory. As it turns out, one of the candidate's aides was using illegal funds to pay for his campaign. However, during a botched arrest, Monk is blamed for letting the suspect escape, and is discredited by the police. Upset, he goes to the parking lot where his wife was murdered, where he finally solves the case.
Nicole and the bodyguard were aware of the plot, and both were killed to keep them quiet. Nicole was murdered and the bodyguard was shot in a way that looked as if it were an assassination attempt on the candidate. The key clue was a newspaper picture showing the aide pointing out the location of the assassin he hired shortly after the shooting. However, Monk proves that there was absolutely no way he could have known where the assassin was without prior knowledge, since balloons blocked the location visually and the gunshot echoing off of the other buildings would make it impossible to find it by hearing. Unfortunately, the assassin, afraid that the aide will implicate him the crime, fires on him and Monk. The aide is injured and Sharona is taken hostage, but Monk is able to incapacitate the assassin, saving Sharona and allowing Leland to apprehend him.
