Mr. Monk Goes to a Fashion Show

Monk wears the same shirt every day. When he realizes that Shirt Inspector #8 is doing a poor job, he sets out to see what is wrong with her. It leads to discovery that her son is in prison for the murder of a fashion model. All the evidence seems against him but Monk immediately realizes otherwise. The remainder of the show involves encounters with beautiful models.

Now Ted Levlne, mostly known for playing a psychopath in a classic movie (Silence) gets trumped by a more famous actor who played a psychopath in an even more famous (or infamous) cult film, Clockwork Orange, that being Malcolm McDowell, as a villain who enjoys being a villain, unlike many other Monk killers that we don't see much of: McDowell, and Andrew McCarthy before him, are more like Columbo villains that goad Monk and enjoy their badness and rudeness.

For once, Monk doesn't start with a crime. Instead, Monk is buying a shirt. His first bad news is that the sales person he likes has quit, claiming that there is a customer who always comes in who drove him crazy. Monk doesn't make the connection. The second bit of bad news is that when he gets his shirt, inspected by "#8", it has flaws in it. He goes and finds her and discovers that her son is in jail for killing a fashion model. Since this has happened, she has not been able to concentrate on her work or anything else.

Monk agrees to look at the case file and talk to her son. He finds some inconsistencies, but there is the problem that DNA evidence matching the inspector's son, Pablo, was found at the scene. Further investigation finds that the dead model's employer, Julian Hodge (Malcolm McDowell), is an arrogant jerk with a hot temper. Monk is suspicious, but then there is that pesky DNA evidence. Complications ensue.

I really didn't care for the fashion part of the show - Disher and Natalie are both trying to impress Hodge as though they were a couple of teenagers. Plus Hodge says some pretty cringe stuff sexualizing Natalie's 13 year old daughter, whom he wants to model in his shows. The part with the inspector was touching though. Monk wrote her a letter at some point, praising the quality of her work. She has it in a place of honor near her desk.

This might be the weakest episode of season four, even though it does barely make the grade to a 7/10 rather than a 6/10.

Monk is usually amazing - but this episode is the worst. First of all, Julie is only 13 and she is eyed by an old man, is he a pedophile? Nathalie is OK with this? I can't imagine she would be happy for Julie to be sexualized like that. The character of the designer is so overdrawn and poorly written, such a cliche. It really is the worst episode of Monk. The designer's studio is frantically filled with models and other people. It all feels so staged, there isn't even a hint of the usual lovely humor the better episodes have. The side story of Monk's obsession with #8 inspector is also odd. Monk does not seem to care about her at all. He wants her back in the sweatshop to inspect "90 or 100" shirts by the end of the work day, is he now working for the shop's management?

I love the opening to this. Monk is buying a shirt, his normal, customary shirt. Monk looks for "Dennis," his normal salesman but it seems Dennis has quit because some unknown customer was driving him nuts. Hmm. Anyway, Monk wants the same size, the same print - and - won't accept the shirt unless the little tag inside the shirt says "Inspected by No. 8." He knows "Inspector 8" is the best.

The salesman finds one that matches all of the criteria but there is a flaw in the shirt. Horrified, Monk winds up going to the place they make and inspect the shirts and tracks down "No. 8" to see what's wrong. He's right; there is something wrong. "Maria," the inspector, is extremely upset because her son Pablo was accused of a murder he didn't commit (so she obviously can't focus on her work.). Monk would prefer she just focus on her work so he can get his perfect shirts, but Natalie talks him into investigating the case.

This episode has a big-name guest star, Malcolmn McDowell, who plays snotty fashion designer "Julian Hodge." Monk and the crew go behind-the-scenes of high fashion modeling to find out if Maria's son is innocent. Along the way, Natalie's 13-year-old daughter Julie gets a taste of modeling.

This was a very interesting story with a neat twist at the end.