Good episode. A return to what made Monk great initially, solving some crazy case that makes no sense on the surface.

Monk was in his glory in the office, he looked happy for a while. Happy to finally be one of "the gang". You just knew that one of his quirks would ruin everything. What a sad ending to this episode too. Poor lonely Monk.

We need to know more about Natalie's arrest in Vermont.

I was worried when Monk first showed up at the crime scene with his index cards, as I was thinking this would be another episode in which Monk's idiosyncrasies would be expanded yet again merely for a weak attempt at humor. The only time I can recall seeing them before was when he tried to have a phone conversation with a prospective date in the blackout episode in season three, so it seemed unlikely that he would use them in the one area of his life where he is without insecurity - at the scene of a crime. The fact that the cards were brought up again throughout the episode helped (when the co-worker whispered to him what he could do with his new bowling shoes, for instance), so it actually worked as a plot device.

After my initial misgivings, the episode really took off and it did deliver Monk at his quirky best. His absolute euphoria as Natalie described the tedium and anonymity of working in a large office, and the way he became one of "the gang", was a joy to watch. I laughed out loud at his reaction when he first got invited to join them for lunch ("C'mon, Annette!") and, yes, it was heartbreaking to watch as the very thing that made him a office hero also caused his crushing fall from favor, but that's Monk. I think this was my favorite episode of the season so far.

Good episode. Where have I seen that killer guy before? He looks familiar from another TV show or something.

I felt sad for Monk after he was alienated for not wearing the bowling shoes.

His name is Brett Rickaby. I think he looks like Mike Judge.