The time has finally come to bid Monk farewell forever. It’s been a great run and I’m so glad to have been a part of the show’s audience for the past eight years. Last week’s episode, part one of the finale, ends with Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub)  fighting for his life after being targeted by his wife’s killer. He’s overcome with emotion as he views the contents of a video tape, left by Trudy (Melora Hardin) the day before she died, revealing shocking secrets about her death.  In this week’s continuation, we follow Monk as he attempts to settle the score with the man responsible for his wife’s death.

The episode begins with Monk, still deathly ill from the effects of his poisoning, as he continues to watch the video tape left behind by Trudy.

He’s shocked to find out that his wife had an affair with her law professor, now Judge Ethan Rickover (Craig T. Nelson), 16 years prior to her marriage to Monk. Even more shocking is the revelation that the affair resulted in a daughter that Trudy was told had died shortly after birth. Trudy, feeling uneasy and fearing for her life, decided to reveal her secret to Monk in the tape after receiving an unexpected call from Rickover asking her to meet him the following day. Tragically, Trudy’s meeting with Rickover ends in death as he attempts to silence her forever in order to keep the secret affair under wraps.

After some fancy detective work and a lot of determination on Monk’s part, Monk uncovers crucial evidence that proves Rickover is indeed Trudy’s killer. Overcome with humiliation, the judge decides to end his life by shooting himself in the head. Rickover’s last words, “take care of her,” leads Monk to uncover yet another shocking secret, a secret that would change his life forever. This amazing secret is just what Monk needs to make peace with Trudy’s death and give new meaning to his life.

The writers did an excellent job of bringing the eight season run of Monk to a close. In my opinion, this episode was the absolute best in the show’s history. I’m going to miss watching Monk during its usual Friday night time slot, but I look forward to catching the reruns of all the episodes I missed throughout the years.