History Recap / MonkS4E12MrMonkAndTheCaptainsMarriage

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: MistakenForCheating doesn't have an AllIsWellThatEndsWell situation here. In most cases, it would be resolved with a joke, and the two parties reconciling. Not so much at the end of this episode: Karen is legitimately upset that Leland believed she would cheat on him, and she's been unsatisfied with their marriage for a while. She finally admits that she wants a divorce and can't live with Leland's temper anymore.

* SayingTooMuch: During the police lineup when Stottlemeyer and Sharkey were brawling, Karpov calls the latter a sergeant. This clues Monk in that the two of them know each other, especially because Sharkey was wearing plain clothes during the lineup..

* MythologyGag: At one point, the homeless man Gerald Vengal is reading his mouse Devo a ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'' novel, written by Lee Goldberg. Specofically the fourth book, ''[[Literature/DiagnosisMurderTheWakingNightmare The Waking Nightmare]]''.

* MythologyGag: At one point, the homeless man Gerald Vengal is reading his mouse Devo a ''Series/DiagnosisMurder'' novel, written by Lee Goldberg. Specofically, ''[[Literature/DiagnosisMurderTheWakingNightmare The Waking Nightmare]]''

* MythologyGag: At one point, the homeless man Gerald Vengal is reading his mouse Devo a ''Sereis/DiagnosisMurder'' novel, written by Lee Goldberg. Specofically, ''[[Literature/DiagnosisMurderTheWakingNightmare The Waking Nightmare]]''

* MythologyGag: At one point, the homeless man Gerald Vengal is reading his mouse Devo a ''Diagnosis Murder'' novel, written by Lee Goldberg.

* SayingTooMuch: During the police lineup when Stottlemeyer and Sharkey were brawling, Karpov calls the latter a sergeant. This clues Monk in that the two of them know each other.

* IronicEcho: Natalie tries to console Leland when she starts saying "When God closes a door...", before he bitterly finishes with "...sometimes he breaks your heart."

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Monk tells Natalie that the Stottlemeyers' marriage is one he's never understood because they don't have anything in common. He comes to regret saying that on seeing that they are divorcing.

* CassandraTruth: Karen tells Leland that she's never met Sharkey before in her life when seeing the other cop face-to-face. Sharkey then starts professing love for her right there...but Monk busts him. He gets his EurekaMoment that Karen is telling the truth and proceeds to tell Leland that Sharkey weaponized the other cop's temper. Regardless, Karen is upset with Leland for not believing her and reveals that she's filed for divorce.

* CassandraTruth: Karen tells Leland that she's never met Sharkey before in her life when seeing the other cop face-to-face. Sharkey then starts professing love for her right there...but Monk busts him. He gets his EurekaMoment that Karen is telling the truth and proceeds to tell Leland that Sharkey weaponized the other cop's temper. Regardless, Karen is upset with Leland for not believing her and is forced to admit she wants a divorce.

* DirtyCop: Sharkey Jr. who is working for Karpov, and kills a would-be witness. Unfortunately, his victim fights back, enough that Sharkey ends up losing a tooth and bleeds a bit. Which he covers up later by provoking Stottlemeyer into punching him.

* DoesntLikeGuns: Karen Stottlemeyer, it's one of the many ways they're incompatible according to Monk.
* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: When Leland confronts Karen with the photo of the man she was with, Karen says he's a divorce lawyer. Leland incorrectly assumes that she was having an affair with a divorce lawyer and says that he forgives her, and they'll work it out. Karen then clarifies; she was consulting a divorce lawyer, and wants to end their marriage.

* IronicEcho: Natalie tries to console Leland when she starts saying "When God closes a door...", before he bitterly finishes with "...he breaks your heart."
* ManipulativeBastard: Sharkey was willing to (further) ruin Leland's marriage by claiming to have slept with his wife in order to lead the latter into contaminating the crime scene. Later, he even tries to gaslight Leland into thinking Karen's denials of sleeping with Sharkey are lies.
* MythologyGag: At one point, the homeless man Gerald Vengal is reading his mouse Devo a Diagnosis Murder book, written by Lee Goldberg.

* WhatTheHellHero: Karen gives a quiet and devastated version of this to Leland. She asks him why he would ever believe that she would sleep around and that he wouldn't listen to her telling the truth. Leland responds by confronting her with a photo of her talking to another man. Realizing he's never going to change, Karen responds that she was seeing a divorce lawyer.

* WhamLine: Karen reveals that the man she was "seeing" was in fact a ''divorce attorney''. And she'd been doing so even before Stottlemeyer had any suspicions that she was cheating on him. It still takes him a few moments to realize his wife wants a divorce.

* DayInTheLimelight: For Captain Stottlemeyer.

* WhamLine: Karen reveals that the man she was "seeing" was in fact a ''divorce attorney''. And she'd been doing so even before Stottlemeyer had any suspicions that she was cheating on him. It still takes him a few moments to realize his wife wants a divorce.

* BerserkButton: Sharkey hits Stottlemeyer's when he says he's having an affair with his wife

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The Captain screws up the case twice. First by punching Sharkey Jr. thereby contaminating the crime scene then by messing up the line-up by starting a fight with Sharkey again. Fortunately, Monk is able to solve the case anyway.

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Monk tells Natalie that the Stottlemeyers' marriage is one he's never understood because they don't have anything in common.

* DayInTheLimelight: For Captain Stottlemeyer

* ManipulativeBastard: Sharkey was willing to (further) ruin Leland's marriage by so claiming to have slept with his wife in order to lead the latter into contaminating the crime scene. Later, he even tries to gaslight Leland into thinking Karen's denials of sleeping with Sharkey are lies.
* MythologyGag: At one point, the homeless man Gerald Vengal is reading his mouse Devo a Diagnosis Murder book, written by Lee Goldberg
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The Captain screws up the case twice. First by punching Sharkey Jr. thereby contaminating the crime scene then by messing up the line-up by starting a fight with Sharkey again. Fortunately, Monk is able to solve the case anyway

* VerbalBackspace: At one point, Leland angrily and enviously accuses that Karen is indeed cheating on him with Sharkey. Later, Leland tries to pass off his jealous disposition as a sign that "[he] loves his wife". Karen doesn't buy it.
* WhamEpisode: Stottlemeyer's marriage falls apart

* WhamLine: Karen reveals that the man she was "seeing" was in fact a ''divorce attorney''. And she'd been doing so even before Stottlemeyer had any suspicions that she was cheating on him.

* DirtyCop: Sharkey Jr. who is working for Karpov. The reason he baits Stottlemeyer into punching him is so he can have an explanation for his DNA at the crime scene.
* DownerEnding: Karen divorces Stottelmeyer, leaving the latter to bitterly regret their marriage couldn't be saved.

* FatalFlaw: Stottelmeyer's temper is heavily deconstructed as one of the reasons Karen is divorcing him.
* IronicEcho: Natalie tries to console Stottelmeyer when she starts saying "When God closes a door...", before he bitterly finishes with "...he breaks your heart."
* ManipulativeBastard: Sharkey was willing to (further) ruin Stottelmeyer's marriage by so claiming to have slept with his wife in order to lead the latter into contaminating the crime scene. Later, he even goes as far as to gaslight Stottelmeyer into thinking Karen's denials of sleeping with Sharkey are lies.

* PoliceLineUp: Done so that Gerald Vengal can identify the killer. Unfortunately, the Captain's anger issues ruin the line-up when he decides to start a fight with one of the cops volunteering.
* TameHisAnger: The anger management session leader attempts to do this with Captain Stottlemeyer by giving him a yo-yo, he uses it to hit the man he punched to end up in anger management in the first place.
* VerbalBackspace: At one point, Stottelmeyer angrily and enviously accuses that Karen is indeed cheating on him with Sharkey. Later, Stottelmeyer tries to pass off his jealous disposition as a sign that "[he] loves his wife". Karen doesn't buy it.
* WhamEpisode: Karen divorces Stottelmeyer.

* FatalFlaw: Stottelmeyer's temper is heavily deconstructed as one of the reason Karen is divorcing him.

* VerbalBackpedal: At one point, Stottelmeyer angrily and enviously accuses that Karen is indeed cheating on him with Sharkey. Later, Stottelmeyer tries to pass off his jealous disposition as a sign that "[he] loves his wife". Karen doesn't buy it.

* WhamLine: Karen reveals that the man she was "seeing" was in fact a ''divorce attorney''.

* DownerEnding: Karen divorces Stottelmeyer, leaving the latter to bitterly regret that his temper has cost him their marriage.

* DoesntLikeGuns: Karen Stottlemeyer, it's one of the many ways they're incompatible according to Monk

* TameHisAnger: The anger management session leader attempts to do this with Captain Stottlemeyer by giving him a yo-yo, he uses it to hit the man he punched to end up in anger management in the first place.

!! This episode includes examples of the following tropes: