Mr. Monk Goes to the Bank - Recap

Two uniformed cops pull up to a bank and notice a car illegally parked outside. They prepare to give it a ticket but decide to grab a bite to eat and leave. They figure whoever parked the car is lucky... unaware that inside, Monk (dressed in a bank guard's uniform), and Natalie, Stottlemeyer, and Disher are locked inside the bank vault.

Two Days Earlier

Monk is at his apartment haggling with Natalie over buying a new toaster: he doesn't want to despite the fact it burns his toast. They hear a news story about a break-in at Monk's page and Monk insists on going there immediately. At the bank, Stottlemeyer is talking to the manager, Crawley, who explains that a man with a heavy Russian accent came in, shot and wounded one of the tellers, and stole the contents of several safety deposit boxes. Meanwhile, Disher goes outside to talk to the only witness: a "living statue" who refuses to talk until his break comes up. He starts talking about how he saw the shooter... then goes back to work, refusing to talk.

Monk arrives and insists on seeing his own safety deposit box. It was one of the ones that the Russian took, and Monk insists he has to get it back: it held Trudy's bracelet. While Disher considers moonlighting as a living statue, Monk notices that someone moved a potted tree to block a hidden camera, indicating an inside man was involved. Monk insists on going undercover as a security guard and Stottlemeyer reluctantly agrees.

The next day Monk works as a security guard, but spends more time harassing the customers, making sure the ink levels in the pens are even, and paying his own money to make sure people get even hundred dollar amounts. Natalie comes in and is surprisingly impressed with Monk in uniform. Monk goes over all of the bank employees and figures out only one person could have moved the plant: the manager, Crawley. They check out his house and find him dead in the trunk of his new car.

The police seal the crime scene but Monk insists he needs to take off. Once they're clear, he explains to Natalie that he found a pawn shop ticket, but if he gives it to Stottlemeyer they'll hold the bracelet as evidence rather then give it to Monk. They go to the pawnshop owner and try to collect the bracelet, but he says that he no longer has it. He does say that the person who got the ticket said he had "half a box" in San Francisco.

Monk and Natalie have Stottlemeyer and Disher meet them at the bank. One of the tellers, Madge, is working late and lets them in. Monk takes his friends to the box and explains that the robber stole the contents of the boxes... and hid them in another safety deposit box. The box belongs to Crawley and Madge gives them the keys, then goes outside to watch them on the security cameras. Monk notices six toothpicks and realizes what really happened... and Madge seals them in the vault.

Now

Monk explains that all six staff members helped commit the bank robbery. Madge pretended to be the Russian, heavily bundled up, and they used the toothpicks to determine which one had to be shot to make the robbery look convincing. However, when Crawley spent his share of the loot on a new car, the others killed him.

The next morning, they manage to get open the safety deposit box holding the loot and Monk is reunited with Trudy's bracelet. The bank staff keep the vault locked up the entire day and lie to the customers that they can't get in. The air is running out and they figure Monk and the others will be dead within 24 hours. Stottlemeyer is forced to ask Monk to give up Trudy's bracelet so he can use the diamonds to cut through the lock on the circuit box, but there's no phone inside. They do find the control that handles the sign display outside. Disher takes it and sends insulting messages to the living statue man outside. Once the guy's break comes up, he calls the police.

All of the bank employees are arrested and later Monk and Natalie go to the bank where the new manager offers them whatever they want. Over Monk's objections,Natalie takes a new toaster. Outside, Disher is working at his new job as a living statue... and competing with his rival living statue man.

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