(S07E01) It seems like only yesterday when Monk, the ultimate obsessive compulsive Sherlock Holmes, began on USA Network, and now here it is the start of its seventh season. In all that time, for a man who doesn't like change at all, Adrian Monk has had to endure quite a bit of upheaval. The untimely death last April of actor Stanley Kamel, who played Monk's security blanket/therapist Dr. Kroger, was written into this premiere episode, in -- what I believe -- was a very subtle, graceful way.

Monk's sudden displeasure with his home is rooted in his discomfort in his life now that Dr. Kroger is gone. The ultimate egotist, in that Monk cares most for himself, Adrian is desperate to throw himself into work to avoid the irritating piano-playing coming from the little girl across the street and disturbing the sanctuary of his home. Kudos to the new therapist, Dr. Bell, for connecting the dots and quickly sizing up why Monk finds the music so displeasing.






Hector Elizondo seems to fit in perfectly and Monk's new therapist. His office is a model of symmetry and he even has Adrian's favorite bottled water ready for him. Without saying, you think that maybe Dr. Kroger -- who did know Bell -- prepared him with notes about how to make Monk your client! He was almost too perfect. He even gave him a wipe after shaking his hand.

Was it realistic that Monk would have so precipitously leap into the buying of a home? No. Was it a huge coincidence (or was it?) that Honest Jake -- guest Brad Garrett -- runs in to Monk at Lowe's (it looked like Lowe's with the blue vests) and offers him a business card? Yes. Did the story dovetail too neatly into Monk's new home being the center of a murder/money scheme? Absolutely.

But by now, fans of Monk are not looking for great mystery storytelling. The writers have twisted the plotting like this for years, with rarely a good pay-off for all that pretzel-making. Therefore, the fun of the show is watching Monk in all of his OCD madness, and a smidge of humanity, figure things out and solve the puzzle.

The great surprise -- if you want to call it that -- of this episode was how Jake tied in to the money. Garrett got to play a stone cold killer, a guy who could pull the trigger or stab a woman without conscience. Quite a switch from Robert on Everybody Loves Raymond!

As the story wrapped, Monk was back in his apartment and -- presumably -- the house is up for sale. He can tolerate the piano playing, even enjoy it now, because Dr. Bell has made him understand that in doing so, he's reminiscing about his relationship with Dr. Kroger. Dr. Kroger wasn't just Monk's therapist, you see, he was his...Dr. Kroger.

Other points of interest

-- Dr. Bell's first name is Neven. It's a palindrome, as Natalie points out, which should please Monk. Unfortunately, it's not a perfect one because of the capital N in Neven!

-- Did you recognize comic Jack Carter as old man Moody in the wheelchair? He didn't look the same, but I recognized his voice.

-- You know how you can tell this is a not a procedural drama like Law & Order or CSI? Brad Garrett's character would have worried about forensics, you know, leaving fibers at the murder scene or fingerprints or blood splatter. He just stabbed and shot without a care.

-- Two movie references right off the top; first, Moody was talking about Gregory Peck in The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit. Second, when the nurse pushed him down the stairs, it was a direct homage to Richard Widmark in his star-making, Oscar-nominated role as a killer in Kiss of Death.

-- It was a damn shame that the destroyed Monk's new house. It was a great-looking place before the construction. At that point, I was thinking of another movie reference, The Money Pit!

-- Natalie is a smart cookie. She saved the day by knowing Morse code and how to start a fire. Maybe she was a Girl Scout, too.

-- When Jake referred to Monk as Columbo, it seemed like a Brad Garrett ad lib.

-- Product plug: Mayflower movers. I guess it was fairly inoffensive, and it was more realistic than Maytulip movers, let's say.

-- Moody goes on and on about a neighbor he had named Nabors. A reference to Monk co-producer, Doug Nabors?

-- In the end, there was a really nice salute to Stanley Kamel with a shot of his picture in a frame in Monk's apartment, then a dedication in the end credits.