Ep 16. Mr. Monk Goes to Jail

In season 2 episode 16 of Monk, titled "Mr. Monk Goes to Jail," we find our titular character in a very precarious situation. Monk, played by Tony Shalhoub, finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time when a prison riot breaks out. Unfortunately for him, he gets caught up in the chaos and ends up being mistaken for one of the prisoners.

The episode starts off innocuously enough with Monk and Captain Stottlemeyer, played by Ted Levine, attending a parole hearing for a man named David Kiesel. Kiesel is a former tech executive who was convicted of embezzlement and sent to prison. He is up for parole, and Monk is there to testify on his behalf, as he believes Kiesel has truly reformed.

However, things take a turn for the worse when a group of prisoners, led by a man named Otis, takes the prison guards hostage. Monk, along with Stottlemeyer and Kiesel, get caught up in the chaos and end up being taken hostage as well. During the confusion, the prisoners mistake Monk for one of their own, and he is thrown into a cell with them. Kiesel, on the other hand, is taken to a separate area, where he is questioned by the prison warden and other officials.

Monk's time in jail is a harrowing experience for him. He is constantly on edge, as he knows that he doesn't belong there and that any moment something terrible could happen to him. He tries his best to blend in, but as a well-dressed and highly strung man, he sticks out like a sore thumb. The prisoners, of course, pick up on this and don't take kindly to him.

Meanwhile, Stottlemeyer is doing everything in his power to try and get Monk released. He knows that his friend is innocent and doesn't belong in jail. He works with the prison officials to try and prove Monk's identity, but with the riot still ongoing, things are chaotic, and progress is slow.

The episode does an excellent job of building tension. As viewers, we know that the longer Monk stays in jail, the worse things will get for him. We've seen him struggle with his OCD and various phobias throughout the series, and being in jail only exacerbates those issues. Additionally, the prisoners around him are violent and unpredictable, which only adds to the sense of danger.

One of the more interesting aspects of the episode is how the prison riot affects Kiesel. At first, he seems unaffected by the chaos around him. However, as the episode progresses, we learn that he has a more sinister agenda. Kiesel is not the reformed man Monk thought he was. Instead, he is using the situation to orchestrate an escape.

Overall, "Mr. Monk Goes to Jail" is a tense, well-crafted episode that keeps the viewer engaged from start to finish. It showcases Shalhoub's acting chops, as he's thrown into a situation vastly different from what we've seen him in before. The episode also provides some interesting character development for Kiesel, who was introduced solely as a supporting character but ends up playing a pivotal role in the plot. Fans of the series will surely enjoy this episode, as it's one of the better ones of the season.