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"Mr. Monk and the Three Julies" is the 13th episode of the sixth season of Monk.
Plot
Captain Stottlemeyer and Lieutenant Disher arrive at a crime scene in a new Dodge Charger that Stottlemeyer has been waiting to get for several years. They meet Adrian Monk and Natalie Teeger outside the building. Stottlemeyer loves his new car so much that, for once, he and Monk are of the same mind in watching out for scratches, dents, or other blemishes. Stottlemeyer hands Monk the keys, trusting him and Natalie to take good care of it, and after he hands them a walkie-talkie, he joins a team of other cops as they enter an apartment building to execute a search warrant. While they are waiting, Monk and Natalie make small talk, and Natalie mentions, on the subject of driving, that Julie is at driving school and will be taking her driving test the next day. She adds that Julie wants her to buy her a used car. Monk tells her to refuse, but Natalie points out that it's impossible to say "no" to a teenager. Just then, Natalie hears a communication from the police dispatcher over the radio about a possible "code 187" involving a victim with the name 'Julie Teeger'. Natalie immediately panics, and asks Monk what a code 187 means. When Monk says that said code is a police radio code meaning homicide, Natalie grabs the keys, jumps into Stottlemeyer's car, and speeds away, despite Monk's protests.
On the other side of town, the police are setting up barricades as Natalie comes speeding in and knocks over one of the barriers. The cops try to stop her, but when Natalie lifts up the sheet covering the body, she is relieved to find that the victim is not her daughter, but rather, a housewife. Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher arrive minutes later in a marked patrol car. Stottlemeyer is a bit upset to find that the rearview mirror on the passenger's side has broken off (and is now dangling precariously by a few wires), but accepts what has happened, and sympathizes with Natalie's fears, noting that any desperate parent would have done the same thing. Randy informs them that the primary investigator would like them to help out as long as they are on the scene. While Natalie remains outside and tries to call her Julie, the three men head inside.
Monk and Stottlemeyer talk to the neighbor, who discovered the body. He claims that he was taking a bath and his window was open when he heard arguing going on between the dead Julie and another man. He heard Julie screaming, followed moments later by a car screeching off. He ran over, and found the victim lying dead on the floor. She'd been stabbed in the chest with a steak knife from the kitchen rack. A few minutes later, George Teeger, the dead Julie's husband, storms in, frenzied, and Randy and another officer are trying to restrain him. Stottlemeyer promises to find his wife's killer.
Outside, Natalie tries to call Julie from her cell phone and leaves a message. As she hangs up and walks away, she happens to overhear a communication on a police officer's radio. A cop at another crime scene reports that a victim has been identified as being a woman named Julie Teeger. The uniformed cop standing near Natalie double-checks with the other cop to make sure that there isn't an identification mix-up, but the other cop claims that there's no mixup. Once again, Natalie runs back to Stottlemeyer's car. Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher exit the house, having finished up work inside, just in time to see Natalie speeding away. Stottlemeyer is once more exasperated at the fact that Natalie has stolen his car again.
When Monk, Stottlemeyer, and Disher arrive in a patrol car at the second crime scene, Natalie tells them that the victim is not her Julie. Natalie tells them that this second Julie Teeger is a graduate student, who was apparently struck by a car while riding her bike across the park. She has nothing in common with the first Julie except the name, and the death seems accidental.
Stottlemeyer examines his car, which now has obtained a lot more extensive damage - specifically, the hood has been smashed in. Natalie says that she had taken a shortcut and cut across the creek, but Stottlemeyer insists that there are no bridges across the creek. Natalie tries to apologize for this extra damage, but Stottlemeyer reassures her that the car is insured.
While that is going on, Monk looks around the scene and notices some clues that seem to suggest anything but an accident: for one thing, the victim and her bike are fully rigged with a lot of safety equipment, so why would such a careful person be riding down the wrong side of the road? Monk notices flower petals wedged in the bike's frame that match a bush a few feet away, and when he walks over there to take a closer look, he notices tire tracks in the dirt, which show that this Julie cut across the park, as if she was fleeing from something. Randy notices a tear in the back of the victim's sweater with a square bruise inside it. When Monk looks at the bruise, he realizes that the bruise was inflicted by a car's trailer hitch, and realizes that this was actually a deliberate murder: the death car chased the victim on her bike, hit her, and then backed up to finish her off.
Monk mentions his theory that that someone is hunting down "Julie Teegers," and Natalie immediately becomes frantic, worried for her own Julie's safety. In a different part of the city, Natalie's Julie is with her driving instructor. She turns onto a deserted street after accidentally blowing through a stop sign. The instructor has Julie pull over, then asks her to make a three point turn out of a parking space. Julie starts the turn, but stops when the instructor tells her that she's forgotten to turn on her flashers. Julie doesn't see it as a big deal, and points out that there are no cars coming. On cue, three police cars, come barreling around the corner, sirens wailing, and block Julie in. Natalie jumps out of one of the cars, and hustles Julie into the backseat, despite Julie complaining that she can't be detained just because she failed to use her blinker.
At the police station, Monk and Stottlemeyer learn that Julie has been picked up. Stottlemeyer makes arrangements for police protection on Julie. They also start looking for other Julie Teegers in the United States. At Monk's suggestion, Stottlemeyer has schools and birth records checked (for children and people who wouldn't be listed in any phone directories) and also has social security contacted (as married women might be listed under their maiden names). Monk theorizes that someone was paid to kill one of the Julie Teegers but he didn't know what she looked like, but Stottlemeyer shoots this theory down, noting that the housewife was stabbed and the graduate student was run over.
Randy comes in and informs them that he's found a possible suspect: a young man named Matthew Teeger, 35 years old, has been committed to an asylum in the past and is a paranoid schizophrenic. He's also been arrested for assault, having attacked his stepfather a few years ago while supposedly defending his mother, whom he's obsessed with. The mother's name: Julia Teeger. As they prepare to check Matthew out, Monk asks Randy about his other idea, and Stottlemeyer notices that Randy is holding a DVD copy of The Terminator, having theorized that a robot assassin was sent from the future. Stottlemeyer makes fun of Randy's theory by speaking with a mock Schwarzenegger accent and even sarcastically suggests luring the killer to a smelting plant on the outskirts of town.
That night, Monk, Stottlemeyer and Disher arrive at Julia's house, and find that the door is unlocked. Noticing a lot of stuffed animal heads, Monk realizes that Matthew is an amateur taxidermist. They split up, and Monk goes upstairs, where Monk finds the crowning touch to Matthew's habit: the stuffed body of his dead mother.
Monk makes a late night visit to Dr. Kroger for an emergency consultation, both to deal with his own anxiety fallout after the discovery, and also to work up a profile on Matthew. Monk mentions that Julia died three months earlier from coronary heart failure, but Matthew never reported it. Dr. Kroger believes that Matthew psychologically refuses to acknowledge his mother's death.
Later that night, Matthew is seen hiding on a corner, waiting for a newspaper van to pull away from a newspaper vending machine. As soon as the van has left, he breaks into the vending machine (on which there is a front page article with his photo and information on the murders) and empties the machine's stack of papers into the wastebasket nearby.
Back at Natalie's house, Julie is talking on the phone to her friend and looking out the window. She mentions how she feels like she's in a spy movie with all the police protection on the house. Natalie comes in, and immediately closes Julie's curtains. Julie is upset at having to miss school and her driver's test, and Natalie is concerned that Julie isn't taking the risk seriously enough.
Natalie goes back downstairs to talk to Randy, who is in the kitchen eating ice cream out of the container (the ice cream is beginning to melt, and he gets some of it on his tie). Feeling helpless, Natalie asks Randy for a handgun. Randy objects, but Natalie feels helpless, unwilling to sit out the two week waiting period. Stottlemeyer and some other cops come back. After confirming that Julie isn't yet asleep, he instructs Natalie to pack Julie's belongings up, as he's transferring her to a room at the police station. He is merely vague as to why he's requesting the transfer, merely saying he's taking a precaution. At Natalie's insistence, Stottlemeyer reveals that they completed their search for other Julie Teegers has turned up empty -there were only three Julie Teegers in California, or for that record, west of the Rocky Mountains – Natalie's Julie is the last one. Now Julie starts taking the risk more seriously.
The police set up a truly bizarre sting operation: Randy dresses in drag and takes position in the rocking chair where the dead mother was propped, on their belief that Matthew will soon "visit" with his mother and confess over the wire. Monk, Stottlemeyer, and a technician observe the entire operation from a police van parked out front. Monk and Stottlemeyer give different code phrases for Randy to use if he finds that he's in trouble.
Matthew does visit, and heads upstairs to the room where Randy is sitting. When Randy asks Matthew if he's been a "bad boy," Matthew breaks down and says he has, hugging Randy possessively. Randy panics and uses Monk's code phrase ("I wish there were ten of them"), and the police capture Matthew.
Back at the police station, Julie is in Stottlemeyer's office, going through a book of women's names, when Natalie comes in. Julie has decided on some interesting names, but Natalie reminds Julie that she was named for her father's aunt, one of the first female war correspondents in the Vietnam War. Monk bursts in to inform them that they've caught Matthew. He points at them as Matthew is led into the station, followed by Randy (who hasn't yet had time to change and is still wearing a bra).
Feeling that the danger is over, Julie begs to be allowed out to take her driver's test. Natalie passes the decision to Monk, who hesitates. Then Matthew catches sight of Julie as he is being led into the interrogation room, and, reading her name off the school binder in her hand, tells her to be careful. Both Natalie and Julie are shaken, but Julie is now 100% sure Matthew is "the guy." Although Monk is skeptical (pointing out that they still have to question Matthew), he has trouble saying no to Julie, and says yes. Another cop offers to give Julie a ride to the DMV's office.
Under interrogation by Stottlemeyer, Matthew denies committing any violent acts, and appears shocked to be told that someone is targeting women with the same name as his mother. Monk notices something strange: Matthew carries a knife with him everywhere in his boot, but the first Julie's killer grabbed a steak knife that was in that house.
After Julie leaves, Monk and Randy head down to the graduate student Julie Teeger's apartment to check it out. Stottlemeyer comes to comfort Natalie in his office, but just then, a series of gunshots go off. A detective bursts in and informs Stottlemeyer that Matthew grabbed another officer's gun and escaped the police station. The police scramble, and find that Matthew has also stolen a pizza delivery truck.
Monk and Randy, meanwhile, unaware of the shooting, check out the graduate student's apartment. Monk learns that this Julie received a lot of packages, and he finds a torn scrap of yellow paper. The landlady confirms that Julie did receive a package the day she was killed. They are interrupted when Randy receives a call about the shooting.
While Julie is taking her driver's test on the obstacle course, Matthew appears. Julie panics and starts driving wildly around, looking for an escape route while Matthew chases her on foot. As the car becomes wedged on a cement block, Matthew reaches the driver's side just as Stottlemeyer arrives with backup. A sharpshooter aims a rifle at Matthew's head, but Monk arrives with Disher and knocks the rifle aside just as he pulls the trigger (the bullet unfortunately goes into Stottlemeyer's engine block). Monk tells them that Matthew isn't the guy, and also assures Julie that she can roll down her window and that Matthew isn't a threat to her. Turning their attention back to Julie, they see her roll down the window in response to Matthew's pleas. He tells her to be careful, and he gives her his lucky rabbit's foot, which his mother gave him to protect him from "bad people."
Here's What Happened
Monk, Natalie, Stottlemeyer and Disher confront George Teeger at his house. He reveals what happened: George was having an affair with another woman, Maria Hamilton. They had a fight, and Maria vindictively packed several personal items George had left at her home into a box, and mailed them to George's wife. But the address label was torn, and the post office inadvertently sent it to the other Julie Teeger, the grad student (the post office confirms that this happened frequently). Monk reveals that he recognized a strip of torn wrapping in the second Julie's dorm room that matched a box in Julie #1's house. Being a good neighbor, the second Julie took the package to the first Julie. A few minutes after she left, the first Julie opened it, found the items, and in the fight that ensued, George grabbed a steak knife and stabbed her to death. He planned to pass her death off as a random burglary gone wrong, but he had to get rid of the second Julie, who could confirm that he was home at the time that his wife was killed. He got in his car and ran her down before she could get home. Randy reveals that the trailer hitch on George's Cadillac Escalade matches the bruise on the second Julie's body. George is arrested, as Natalie takes a call. Much to her chagrin, she hears that Julie was allowed to re-take her driver's test, and passed.
A few days later, Stottlemeyer is waiting on a bus bench, as his car is sitting in the body shop getting repaired. Julie happens by, driving a used hatchback that Natalie has bought for her, with two of her friends. She offers Stottlemeyer a ride, and he swallows his pride and accepts, jokingly urging her to drive faster, like her mother.
Trivia
- The scenes with Matthew and his mother are an obvious homage to the film Psycho.
- Randy Disher's second theory (the ridiculous one) parallels the plot of the first Terminator film, when the killer robot sent from the future kills all the "Sarah Connors" in the phone book in an attempt to eliminate his target. Oddly enough, Monk proposes the same theory first (only without the robot assassin from the future part), only to be shot down by Stottlemeyer.
- John Hawkes (Matthew Teeger) appeared on two episodes of Wings (with Tony Shalhoub) as Mark, a stalking waiter.
- In real life, a homicide detective never makes promises in homicide investigations in case they are not solved. In this episode Captain Stottlemeyer gives the man his word he will solve his wife's murder.
- When Julie offers the Captain a ride, he laughs due to the irony of having to get a ride from the daughter after the mother wrecks his.