Ep 15. Mr. Monk and the Magician

Mr. Monk and the Magician is the fifteenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy-drama mystery television series Monk. The show follows Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub), a former homicide detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder, who continues to work as a private investigator despite his quirks. This episode features guest star Andy Richter as a magician named Larry Gammelgard.

The episode begins with Larry performing for a charity event at a museum. During his act, he appears to transform a woman in the audience into a tiger, which causes her to fear for her life and scream. The audience is horrified, and Larry is fired from the event. However, he claims that what happened was not part of the act, and that something went wrong.

Monk is hired by Larry to find out what happened and clear his name so that he can continue performing. Along with his assistant, Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard), Monk begins to investigate the incident. They question witnesses, including the woman who was turned into a tiger and the stage crew who were responsible for the setup.

As they delve deeper, Monk becomes convinced that someone was trying to harm Larry. He discovers that one of the stagehands has a criminal record and may have been hired as part of a plot against Larry. Monk also learns that Larry's ex-wife, who is now dating the director of the museum where the event was held, may have had a motive to sabotage Larry's career.

Monk and Natalie attend one of Larry's performances to gather more information. During the show, they notice that Larry's new assistant, who he hired after the incident at the museum, seems suspicious. They follow her backstage and find her tampering with Larry's props.

After confronting her, they learn that the assistant was hired by Larry's ex-wife to sabotage his career and make him look bad. She was instructed to make it appear as if Larry had lost his touch and didn't know what he was doing. However, things went wrong when the woman in the audience became scared and started screaming.

In the end, Larry's name is cleared, and he is able to continue performing. Monk and Natalie also form a new partnership with the assistant, who decides to turn her life around and start a new career. Monk continues to struggle with his OCD, but he gains some closure when he is finally able to confront his wife's killer, who has been on the run for years.

Mr. Monk and the Magician is a fun and engaging episode that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. It features some great performances by both the main cast and the guest star, Andy Richter. The episode also deals with some serious issues, such as mental illness and criminal behavior, without ever feeling heavy-handed or preachy. Overall, it's a great addition to the Monk series and a must-watch for fans of the show.