Mr. Monk Goes to Mexico - S2-E2
Trivia: According to co-producer Tom Scharpling, the Mexican homicide cops are purposely written as parodies of Stottlemeyer and Disher, right down to their attitudes, their ranks, their suits, and Captain Alameda's mustache. Even the bumbling lieutenant's name is a little joke on Disher. Plato means "dish" in Spanish.
Jean GMr. Monk and the Leper - S5-E10
Trivia: When Randy is fiddling with the piano at the leper's house he very slowly starts to play part of the original theme from Monk.
QTPitootyFLTrivia: The flight attendant Monk drives crazy in 1-13 is played by his real-life wife. She also plays Sheriff Butterfield in "Monk visits a farm"and the crazy cat lady in 8-14.
Mr. Monk and the Airplane - S1-E13
Trivia: In "Mr. Monk and the Airplane," Monk and Sharona are boarding the plane when Sharona spies Tim Daly. She is very excited and says she watched him all the time on a show called "Wings." Monk says he never saw that show. Tim Daly and Tony Shalhoub were co-stars on Wings together for many years.
Mr. Monk and the T.V. Star - S2-E12
Trivia: Marcy, the obsessed fan of Brad's crime show, complains bitterly about his series changing its theme song. This was written as a little joke on Monk's real life fans, many of whom protested the show's 2nd season musical change from Jeff Beal's instrumental to Randy Newman's vocal theme. Newman's vocals opened this episode as usual, but after Marcy repeats her "don't change the theme song" mantra at the end, Beal's theme was brought back to play over the closing credits. It's been used at the end a number of times since.
Jean GMr. Monk and the 12th Man - S2-E9
Trivia: The woman murdered at the cinema was seeing an Alfred Hitchcock movie double: Psycho and The Man Who Knew Too Much. In 'Mr. Monk and the Billionaire Mugger' the couple at the beginning are walking out of the same movie double.
BlibbetyblipMr. Monk and the Captain's Marriage - S4-E12
Trivia: Just before he's attacked by the murderer, Gerald is reading to Devo from a mystery novel. Not by coincidence, it's a book by Monk novelist and scriptwriter Lee Goldberg. (00:24:30)
Jean GMr. Monk and the Genius - S7-E2
Trivia: The housekeeper Paulina is portrayed by Tony Shalhoub's sister.
Mr. Monk and the Actor - S5-E1
Trivia: The fictive movie producer's name in this episode is Hoberman, and the lead actor is called David Ruskin. Both characters are named in honor of Monk executive producer David Hoberman. (00:05:00)
Jean GMr. Monk Takes Manhattan - S3-E1
Trivia: When Monk is playing the 'find the queen' game with the crooked busker, one of the onlookers is Andy Breckman, the show's creator. He can be seen smiling in a close-up shot of him after Monk wins a second time. He has glasses, a beard and moustache, and is bald on top.
BlibbetyblipMr. Monk and the Airplane - S1-E13
Trivia: When Monk and Sharona are first getting on the plane, we see a balding, bespectacled man wearing an orange/brown coat getting on the plane just before them. This is Andy Breckman, the show's creator.
BlibbetyblipMr. Monk and the Candidate (1) - S1-E1
Trivia: Randy Disher was named Randy Deacon in this episode and 'Mr. Monk and the Candidate Part 2'.
BlibbetyblipTrivia: Leland Stottlemeyer and Randy Disher (named Randy Deacon in the pilot episode) were named for Inspector Lestrade in the Sherlock Holmes series. Take the first two letters of their names (LEland STottlemeyer, RAndy DEacon), and they spell LESTRADE.
BlibbetyblipMr. Monk Goes to the Circus - S2-E4
Trivia: The traveling circus is called "Dratch and Denby." The first half of the name is a winking nod to Monk story editor and staff writer Daniel Dratch.
Jean GMr. Monk Joins a Cult - S6-E11
Trivia: The cult leader, Ralph Roberts, is played by Howie Mandel of Deal Or No Deal, who suffers from OCD in real life.
Mechanic1cTrivia: The plot of this episode deals with the sudden death of Mr. Monk's therapist. This was due to the actor portraying him dying of the same affliction three months prior.
ArchProctorMr. Monk Goes Back to School - S2-E1
Trivia: The woman killed is named Beth Landow. In real life, Beth Landau (same pronunciation) is the wife of Andy Breckman, the creator of the show "Monk."
Bishop73Mr. Monk Visits a Farm - S5-E14
Trivia: The bee keeper is being played by Tony Shalhoub's older brother Marcus. Marcus appears again as the priest who is leading the service at Stottlemeyer's wedding in "Monk is the best man."
Answer: That's the thing about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It's not something rational. He just has to touch things like that. It's not something he can rationally think through. However, since part of his disorder includes an obsession with cleanliness, he also has an assistant walk around handing him wipes periodically. It's like when he gets a cold and uses both a humidifier (because that's what you use when you're congested) and a dehumidifier (to counteract the effects of the humidifier). He may spout rationalizations after he does something, but his compulsions exist outside of any rational thought whatever.
Garlonuss