“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” showed how Adrian Monk was faring during the COVID-19 pandemic, a question everyone has been asking Monk fan asked himself at least once during lockdown. Given Adrian’s long list of phobias revealed throughout MonkAfter eight seasons, one of which is the fear of germs, it was difficult not to think about the character during the pandemic. From using his elbows instead of his hands to practicing social distancing, Monk was way ahead of the curve in dealing with a viral pandemic.
Although the challenges the world has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic have been very serious, the idea of a Monk The episode showing how quarantine was affecting Adrian Monk seemed too interesting not to happen. Even if Monk was in a better position at the end of the show in terms of his OCD symptoms, a pandemic caused by a virus would certainly have affected the character in some way. This was the perfect setup for a Monk cast reunion, which took place via a 5-minute segment of Peacock’s Home Variety Show.
“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” showed us how Monk was dealing with the pandemic
The short was part of Seth Macfarlane’s home variety show
Peacock Presents: The At-Home Variety Show with Seth MacFarlane premiered on May 11, 2020 and brought a script Monk reunion in which the main cast returned to play their iconic characters in 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 see how he was doing during quarantine. Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Randy were on a call with Monk and wanted to make sure he was okay.
Although Monk’s mental health has improved greatly since he found Trudy’s killer and discovered Molly – which he acknowledges during conversation with his friends – he was being the “classic monk” when it came to COVID. From microwaving the mail to staying six feet away from the computer, Monk wasn’t taking any chances. He also missed Natalie, who could no longer give him tissues during an emergency. When Randy sneezed at the end of the episode, Monk chose to end the call, even though they were on different sides of the country.
Monk’s quarantine episode is the reason we got the latest Mr. Strange movie.
Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie Felt Like a Quarantine Reunion Sequel
“Mr. Monk Shelters In Place” set the stage for a Monk reunion, which would take place three years later with Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. The Peacock original film was born from this web episode and continued to explore the impact of the pandemic on Adrian Monk’s mental health, this time in more detail. I want Home Variety Show segment is considered “canon” it’s hard to say, but Mr. Monk’s Last Case revealed more about what happened to Adrian during quarantine.
Monk spent most of his time living with Molly, Trudy’s daughter, who moved in to help care for him. They had some very strict rules to deal with the pandemic, including giving Monk an anti-contamination suit. Most of the film took place in 2023, but we were able to revisit Monk’s quarantine days through flashbacks. It wasn’t just “Mr. Monk Shelters in Place” was a great opportunity to revisit these beloved characters, but it also planted the seeds for Monk film.