USA Network – Just finished watching the most recent episode of Monk, “Mr. Monk And The Garbage Strike.” It’s the second episode of the 5th season, which is just getting underway. The first episode was so-so, not quite up to the level of brilliance the show usually has. But then came this second episode, where things got back on their feet. This second episode is rather over-the-top in many ways, but it’s done for a good cause – creating Monk’s worst nightmare. For the first two thirds, it had been a rather good episode of Monk. Then came the last third, which raised the bar to make it a great episode. I’ll just describe the magic moment as “the antique chair moment.” (It’ll make sense if you’ve seen it) When Monk’s “here’s what happened” montage kicked in, I was laughing hysterically. It’s not just the ridiculousness of it all, it’s the energy and timing (And that rhyming!). Tony Shalhoub hit every mark, and the editors made it all flow perfectly. My eyes were watering from laughing. I had to rewatch it, just because I could. My hats of to the writers, cast and crew of this episode. I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. I also loved Dr. Kroger’s last scene in the episode.