"Mr. Monk and the Leper" is the 11th episode of the fifth season of Monk.

Monk Season 5
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16
Season 4				Season 6

PlotEdit

The story begins with Monk entering a shady bar while Natalie sits outside waiting in her new car. Monk then walks over to a dark booth and, uncharacteristically, shakes the man's hand. Monk soon discovers that this man "prefers the dark." The man then offers Monk a two-hour job for the price of $20,000. The stranger reveals himself to be Derek Bronson, a technology tycoon who everyone thought was dead because he got lost in a ballooning incident. He actually was washed up onto a small island in the pacific, and while there contracted leprosy. Monk then runs out of the bar in a panic, and because Natalie can't open her car, he ends up running all the way home.

The next morning, after scrubbing his hand with soap for nine hours, Monk realizes that by shaking hands with a leper, he's taken a big step in conquering his germaphobia. After another call from Mr. Bronson, Monk and Natalie go to see a doctor on Leprosy.

Dr. Polanski reveals that leprosy isn't very contagious, and there is a cure, but Natalie then informs the doctor that Bronson is allergic to the antibiotic. Although still hesitant, Monk agrees to meet Bronson again in the bar, but takes a seat two booths away.

Bronson tells Monk that there will be a probate hearing in a week. He was having an affair, from which there was leftover letters, which would "destroy [his] wife" and after being declared legally dead, lawyers could go through his files and would find the letters. Bronson finally revealed the job: he wanted Monk to break into his house and steal the letters, and return them to Mr. Bronson. After giving Monk a map and the security codes, as well as pleading with him, Monk finally accepts.

Natalie and Monk break into the house and make their way up to the home office, after removing the love letters, they are confronted by Bronson's wife, who claims she knew about the affair for years, and demanded to see her husband.

The two Bronsons met in a garage where Mrs. Bronson begs Mr. Bronson to come home. Mr. Bronson refuses saying that no one can see him in his current condition, until it is revealed that his will left all of his money and posessions to his sister's children. In order to save his wife from eviction, he needs to prove that he is in fact still alive. Catching Monk eavesdropping, he is able to coerce him in to testifying at the probate hearing.

Next, a scene is shown where Mrs. Bronson walks in on a man playing piano and shoots him. The next morning, Monk successfully testifies at the probate hearing and Mrs. Bronson is allowed to keep the estate.

Assumigly simultaneously, Disher and Captain Stottlemeyer look around the apartment of a piano player who had gone missing. The Captain finds a night bag filled with make-up, bandages, a book on skin disease, and a planner with Mrs. Bronson's name in it.

Here's What HappenedEdit

Later, Monk remembers the date of when the security panel was installed, and it doesn't match up with Mr. Bronson's story, Monk then realizes that he has been duped and the whole thing was a sham, later deducing that the real Mr. Bronson was killed 7 years ago by his wife, and she found someone similar to him to impersonate him and stop the probate hearing. Natalie and Monk then break into the house again, but hear a noise in the backyard and find Mrs. Bronson blowing up a hot air balloon with the missing piano player, Mr. Steiner, in it.

When investigating the balloon, Mrs. Bronson returns, and the only escape route for Natalie and Monk is to hop into the balloon. Mrs. Bronson begins shooting at the balloon until Disher arrives with Dr. Polanski and arrests her. However, the balloon loses control, and Monk finds himself stuck half-way off a cliff, and needs to use the hand of Dr. Polanski, a former leper, to pull himself to safety, although it far from ends his fear of lepers.

Finally, Natalie embarks on another date with Dr. Polanski, beforewhich Julie shakes the doctors hand, becoming the first person all episode who had a knowledge of his former leprosy and was still willing to touch him.

Background Information and NotesEdit

• When looking around Mr. Steiner's apartment, Disher played a slower, simplified version of the original Monk themesong along with a few other songs, calling it "background music."
• The episode was originally broadcast in Color and Black and White because it followed a typical film noir set-up.