User:Kevinbrogers/Sandbox/Monk articles/Mr. Monk Is Someone Else

"Mr. Monk Is Someone Else" is the fourth episode of the eighth season of Monk (TV series), and is the 113th episode overall.

Plot summary
At the behest of an FBI agent, Monk goes to Los Angeles to pose as a recently deceased hit man in order to foil a murder plot.

Plot synopsis
In what is probably the shortest prologue of any Monk episode (barely half a minute) a man who appears to be Adrian Monk crosses the street while reading a newspaper. "Monk" is suddenly hit by a bus and is instantly killed on the spot as the dust settles.

Sometime later, in San Francisco, Natalie Teeger is crying, but it turns out it is because she is reading the book Marley and Me. Adrian Monk is in fact, alive and well, and unhappy, since a deliveryman insists on tacking a ridiculous $40 surcharge for wheeling in Monk's new refrigerator, and Monk doesn't have sufficient steel in his spine to refuse.

They are distracted when Natalie and Monk get a hasty summons to the police station. At the police station, they meet FBI Special Agent Stone (Reed Diamond), in addition to Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher. Stone starts off the briefing by explaining that he is the head of Team Alpha, an FBI division responsible for tracking and handling high profile targets. He explains that they have been following a man named Frank DePalma for the past few months. Just the day before, DePalma arrived in Los Angeles. At around 4:35 PM, when he was crossing Wilshire Boulevard, he was hit by a bus and killed instantly (he was the man killed in the teaser). Agent Stone reveals that they have kept DePalma's accidental death quiet, to the point of falisfying his death certificate with the name "John Doe" so that it will be said that the accident never happened.

It turns out that the FBI has reason to keep his death silenced: DePalma was one of the mob's most notorious contract killers. Stone believes that in his real life, DePalma killed at least 17 people - 10 of them in America, 5 in Europe, and 2 in Asia - but there is no evidence at all. Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer, and Disher are given a picture of the dead DePalma. They realize that DePalma is a dead ringer for Monk (in every way except for the plug-ugly expression on his face), and a perfect doppelganger. Agent Stone reveals that his team wants to recruit Monk, and have him go to Los Angeles to impersonate Frank DePalma. Aghast, Stottlemeyer immediately vetoes the idea, but the Agent cannily appeals to Monk's better nature: he reminds Stottlemeyer that DePalma went to Los Angeles to kill someone. They need to find the target, and if the mob finds out that DePalma is dead, the FBI will not be able to find and protect the target, and that person will likely die as soon as the mob recruits another hit man. Monk agrees.

They travel to the FBI's Los Angeles field office. Monk hastily commits DePalma's biography to his phenomenal memory (including things like where he was born (Allston, Massachusetts in 1953), his parents (Joseph and Helen, the former of whom was a gambling addict who died when DePalma was 14), his first arrest (October 27, 1997 for assault and battery, for which he did two years in the Joliet Correctional Center) and his first contract killing (a real estate billionaire in Key West, Florida named Donnie Hernandez; DePalma blew up his yacht and made it look like a fuel leak)). Stone also gives Monk a crash course in looking and acting like a tough guy - something that doesn't come naturally to Monk - including swaggering.

Later that day, Monk, dressed in his guise, arrives back at "his" hotel in Los Angeles, and the doorman casually greets him as "Mr. DePalma." Monk gives him an odd look before going to his room. Monk's suit is equipped with a wire so that he can communicate with Natalie, Stottlemeyer, Disher and Agent Stone, who are all in a mobile command unit parked out front.

Once Monk gets into "his" hotel room, he starts describing the room... step, by step, by step. He also mistakes the plasma TV for a blackboard. Monk looks inside one of DePalma's suitcases and finds a hidden compartment used by DePalma to conceal a gun.

Just then, someone knocks at the door. Monk answers to Lola (Kelly Carlson), DePalma's hot girlfriend. She comes onto Monk, and when he keeps her at arms’ length, she figures he’s mad at her for events that happened in Barcelona, not knowing that "DePalma" is actually Monk in disguise. She orders some champagne. When room service comes (courtesy of a guy named Jimmy Barlowe), Monk almost blows his cover when he refuses to tip the waiter, who reminds Monk that he "tipped" more the day before. Monk reluctantly hands the waiter a $20 bill. Monk tries to bring himself to drink the champagne to keep in character, but he can't, so he claims that he's decided to cut back, having given up alcohol.

While acting like he is checking the gun, Monk (claiming he's had memory loss) asks Lola if she knows what the name of his new target is. She says that she doesn't know, and they’ll both find out that night. When Lola tries to kiss him, Monk backs away, and he claims that he's got a new girlfriend. Lola asks Monk for "his" new girlfriend's name, and Monk claims that her name is "Natalie Teegerb" (causing everyone in the FBI van to cast glances at Natalie). Lola tells Monk to bring Natalie with him to a local nightclub that evening where they’ll meet with Jimmy Barlowe, the man who owns the club and who wants to hire "DePalma".

At the club that night, Monk arrives with Natalie (who is wearing a dress similar to the one Lola was wearing earlier). Monk asks for the music to be turned down, but Charlie, the bartender, doesn't turn the noise off until he realizes who Monk (supposedly) is. He then turns off the music and an irritated customer, Jake, comes over to complain. He quickly backs off when Charlie tells him that Monk is "Frank DePalma". Lola comes over, and gives Natalie the once over. Natalie walks Jake away as Lola takes Monk.

Lola takes Monk to meet Jimmy Barlowe (Vince Curatola), his nephew Lenny (Eric Balfour), and his lieutenant, Tommy G (Louis Lombardi). They make small talk. Tommy notes to Monk that it's been three years since their encounter in Miami. He asks Monk to help out and provide some information on a family member he killed, but Monk manages to bluff it out and straightens out Tommy's tie (because it's crooked), which for Tommy is a very intimidating gesture. Tommy apologizes for bringing up the matter, and Jimmy finally comes out with his target's name: he wants "DePalma" to go to Ventura and eliminate a target by the name of Stanley Greenblatt, who needs to have "DePalma's" type of accident. Unfortunately, things get awkward when Jimmy passes around cigars. Monk manages to bluff his way through again by not lighting his cigarette and saying he prefers to smoke them with the tips still on. Lenny, who wants to kill Greenblatt himself, starts to wonder if "DePalma" isn't who he says he is the moment Monk starts asking for more information about Greenblatt.

Later, Monk, Natalie, Agent Stone, Stottlemeyer, and Disher rendezvous at the FBI office. Agent Stone has dug up Stanley Greenblatt's file, but he has no obvious mob connections to Jimmy Barlowe. Today's the man's birthday, and Stone also notes that Greenblatt is a retired UPS driver who has had no arrests in his entire life. He also notes that Greenblatt has a daughter, and a son named Alvin who died about a year ago. They wonder why the mob is targeting Greenblatt, and also wonder why they'd hire someone for $80,000 to do the deed.

Natalie would like to quit the operation, but Agent Stone asks Monk to keep up the impersonation until they learn something useful and he reluctantly agrees. Stottlemeyer and Disher volunteer to talk to Greenblatt. When they go to his house, an angered Greenblatt seems to not want to do anything with them, and insults them. Stottlemeyer shows a photo of Jimmy Barlowe to Greenblatt, and the old man doesn't recognize or know Jimmy (who happens to own a few casinos in Reno, Nevada), even though Stottlemeyer points out that Jimmy knows about Greenblatt somehow. Soon, Greenblatt starts throwing pots and pans at Stottlemeyer and Disher, who make a hasty retreat. They wonder why the mob wants him dead.

Elsewhere, Monk meets with Tommy and Lenny at a beachside cafe and Lenny asks him how he's going to handle the hit. Monk claims he’s taking his time, and Tommy explains to an ever-so-impatient Lenny that DePalma is a methodical man. Their conversation is interrupted when Monk's rival patient Harold Krenshaw passes by while rollerblading and recognizes Monk. Harold is on vacation in Los Angeles and is surprised to see Monk out of his house. Monk (in character) gets up and tells Harold that he's making a very big mistake and threatens to kill Harold. Monk then proceeds to shove Harold into a tree, and as soon as Harold slinks away, Monk snaps at a nearby couple in a very non-Monk kind of way.

Back at FBI headquarters, Stottlemeyer warns that Monk is too much into the role and Stone is ready to pull the plug. By this point, Monk is playing the role of Frank DePalma to the hilt (even demanding warm iced tea). They have a lot of photos from the incident at the beach. Monk refuses to back down and insists that he has to go through with the impersonation to find out why the mob is targeting Stanley Greenblatt. Natalie thinks that Monk has finally found an outlet for years of repression but Monk says he’s in control. When he tries to leave, Stottlemeyer tries to stop him but Monk stares him down and orders him out of the way. Stottlemeyer, surprised, steps back and lets his friend leave.

Returning to the hotel, Monk goes to see Lola and demands to know why Jimmy wants Greenblatt dead. She tries to flirt with him but Monk pushes it and she finally agrees to tell him. She gets him close to whisper it and then admits she doesn't know. Lola starts to kiss him but realizes he's not the real DePalma. Monk starts to panic, realizing that he is having a relapse in his assumed personality as "Frankie DePalma". Lenny arrives and realizes that Monk hasn't done the job yet (Monk pretends that he was busy preparing to carry out a hit in Pasadena). He tells Monk that Jimmy's going to let him do the job if Monk delays it by one more night. He mentions that he and the other mob members are tired of waiting for the old man's funeral, and mentions that they'll have to go out through the basement to avoid the cops out front (though Monk insists that he can take care of them) and that Jimmy insisted he has to go along. Monk has no choice but to take him along.

Monk and Lenny drive over to Greenblatt's house. Monk has Lenny stay outside as the lookout while he goes in to warn Greenblatt. He's too late, however: on the kitchen floor, he finds Greenblatt, who has died from severe cardiac arrest. Lenny comes in and figures Greenblatt got off easy.

The next day, back in San Francisco, Natalie brings Monk in to apologize for Stottlemeyer. Stottlemeyer admits to Monk that he's proud of him, and knows that his friend has the guts to stand up for what he believes in when it comes right down to it, standing up to both Stottlemeyer and then to the mob. Stottlemeyer tells Monk that they've got nothing to arrest Jimmy - Greenblatt did indeed die from natural causes, and hence no crime has been committed.

However, Monk notices that Stottlemeyer has received two birthday cards from his two sons. He remembers seeing two birthday cards in Greenblatt's house which were both addressed from his children. Monk also remembers having heard that Stanley's son Alvin Greenblatt died over a year ago, and figures that Alvin actually faked his death.

Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer, Disher and Agent Stone meet at Greenblatt's funeral, observing the mourners, as they look for Alvin. Monk remembers having learned that Jimmy owned several casinos. He figures that Alvin must have embezzled money from one of the casinos, and faked his death to escape the mobster's wrath. However, the mob knew he was alive, but they didn't know where. Monk also remembers Lenny telling him that they were "tired of waiting for the old man [Stanley]'s funeral'. He deduces that the reason Jimmy wanted Stanley killed was because they wanted to lure Alvin out of hiding, figuring he wouldn't miss his father's funeral. Stottlemeyer observes the mourners with his binoculars, but he doesn't see Alvin. They figure Jimmy grabbed him at the airport.

Monk prepares to impersonate DePalma for one last time. At Alvin's house, Lenny, Jimmy, and Tommy have been pistol-whipping Alvin and are trying to find out where he's hidden the money. Alvin finally tells them that he's hidden about $700 grand under some of the floorboards in his attic. Jimmy tells Alvin that he's got bad news: he believes him. Before Lenny can shoot Alvin, Monk comes in, wearing his normal suit. Once again acting as Frankie DePalma, Monk insists on fulfilling his "contract" and killing the son since he got "cheated" out of his opportunity to kill the father. He asks Jimmy to explain and then volunteers to kill Alvin, insisting that he's got a good reputation and he'll do it for no charge, but Lenny refuses. Cold as ice, Monk stares down Lenny until Lenny hands him the gun. Monk points the gun at Alvin, and seems ready to shoot the guy himself, but then he suddenly takes Lenny, Jimmy and Tommy hostage at gunpoint. On this signal, Natalie, Stottlemeyer, Disher, Stone and several FBI agents burst in and arrest the three captors. Before being led away, Jimmy tells Monk that he's a dead man, but Natalie smugly tells him that DePalma has actually been dead for a week now.

Later, Monk calls in the deliveryman from before to look at his refrigerator, which has a broken part in it. He finds the problem and claims that unfortunately, the warranty is voided. As Natalie watches, Monk takes charge and tries to stare him down, telling the deliveryman to fix it for free. The deliveryman doesn't give in until Natalie comes over behind Monk's back to add her own stare. Natalie quickly goes back to her chair as Monk boasts that he's still got the part of a tough guy.