NATALIE
SCENE 1 – NEW
1 INT MONK’S APARTMENT –
DAY
1
Monk turns. The WASTE BASKET IS
SMOKING!! It’s on FIRE!
MONK
Hey!
Hey! Fire!
There’s a FIRE
EXTINGUISHER on the wall on the wall.
Monk panics! He takes it down and carries it to the waste basket.
Then he stops,and reads the label on
the extinguisher.
2
CLOSE UP- FIRE EXTINGUISHER
LABEL 2
It says: STAND
8 FEET FROM THE FLAME. *
3
RESUME- SCENE 3
SMOKE is
filling the room! A SMOKE ALARM starts WAILING. BEEEEEEEP!
MONK
(reading label)
“Stand
8 feet from flame…” *
Monk starts to
pace out the distance from the wastebasket! *
MONK (cont’d)
Eight feet. Five,
six… seven… *
During this,
the front door opens. Natalie enters.
NATALIE
Hello…?
Natalie sees
the crisis in progress: The flames! The smoke! And Adrian
Monk, carefully measuring the floor.
NATALIE (cont’d)
Are you okay?
(then)
What are you doing?!
MONK *
Measuring. It says eight feet. *
Stay back.
NATALIE
They mean approximately.
(continued) 1/3
MONK-CASTING SCENE 2 – 8/20/04 2.
4
CONTINUED:
MONK
It doesn’t say approximately.
NATALIE
Oh, for Gods sake. Give me that! *
Natalie takes
charge! She’s fearless! She grabs the FIRE EXTINGUISHER and SPRAYS the waste
basket.
MONK
(panicking,
pointing!)
No! No! YOU’RE
TOO CLOSE! READ THE LABEL! READ THE LABEL!
NATALIE
Just stand
over there. Stand back!
*
Natalie easily
puts out the fire. Then she CLICKS OFF
the smoke alarm.
It’s over. A beat. They both collect themselves.
MONK
Are you okay? We did it. *
(embarrassed)
I’m going to
write them a letter.
It should say “approximately.” We *
could’ve been killed.
NATALIE
Are you Monk?
Monk nods.
NATALIE (cont’d)
Adrian Monk? The detective?
(skeptically)
The admired,
respected detective?
MONK
If you still
want the job, we can
talk in the living room.
NATALIE
What job?
MONK
Aren’t you here
from the agency?
NATALIE
No, I came
here to hire you. I’m
Natalie Teeger.
(MORE)
(CONTINUED) 2/3
MONK-CASTING SCENE 2 – 8/20/04 3.
3
CONTINUED: (2) 3
NATALIE
(CONT’D)
Captain Stottlemeyer said you might be
able to help me. He said you were the
best cop he ever met. I guess he’s
never seen you put out a fire.
MONK
I’m
sorry. I’m not taking any work
right now.
(somberly)
I recently
lost a dear friend.
NATALIE
Oh. I’m
sorry. Who died?
MONK
No one died.
My nurse is out of
town. Her mother is sick.
NATALIE
The Captain
said you might change
your mind. I can pay you. I’m not
rich, but I’ll borrow if I have to… *
MONK
I’m sorry. I
can’t.
NATALIE
(pleading,
eyes tearing)
Detective Monk. There was a man. *
In my house last night. I killed
him.
That gets Monk’s attention.
NATALIE (cont’d)
There was
another man in my house
a few days ago. They’re after
something. I can’t figure it out.
Nobody can. Do you have kids?
Monk shakes
his head.
NATALIE (cont’d)
I have a
daughter. She’s 13 years
old. I’m scared. I don’t say that
very often. But I’m really scared.
(beat)
Please. Help
me. Help us.
Monk considers
her. *
*****
3/3
NATALIE
SCENE 2 – NEW
1
INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY 1
Natalie
emerges from a classroom.
Monk is there
in the hallway. He’s cleaning something…
or straightening something. You know,
being Monk.
NATALIE
What are you doing?
MONK
Well, this picture wasn’t exactly…
NATALIE
(interrupting)
That doesn’t matter. *
(excitedly)
What do you call a guy who studies
Fish?
MONK
An ichthyologist.
NATALIE
That’s what you are.
MONK
No I’m not.
NATALIE
Yes you are.
MONK
I really don’t think I am.
NATALIE
Well, for the
next five minutes
are. I need you to tell Julie’s
teacher that a dart-fish can live
for more than two year.
She starts to
drag Monk toward the classroom. Monk
resists.
MONK
(nervously)
Natalie. Here’s the thing. I can’t
lie. I’m not good at it…
NATALIE
Are you a man?
(CONTINUED)
1/5
MONK-CASTING SCENE 3 – 8/20/04 2.
1
CONTINUED:
MONK
Am I a…?
NATALIE
Are you a man?
MONK
Yes.
NATALIE
Then you can lie. That’s what men
DO.
2 INT. CLASSROOM –
CONTINUOUS 2
Natalie drags Monk back into the classroom.
NATALIE
(to Mr. Franklin)
Hello again. I
thought you might
have some questions, so I went down
to
my own expert. This is Professor
Adrian Monk.
Monk manages a
nervous, weak smile.
MONK
Hello.
NATALIE
He’s an ick…
icky…
Natalie looks
at Monk, gesturing: “help me.”
MONK
An ichthyologist.
NATALIE
He’s world
renowned. He wrote a
book about fresh water fish.
MR. FRANKLIN
(skeptically)
Really? What was it called?
MONK
(inventing)
Fresh Water Fish.
(beat)
By Adrian Monk.
(CONTINUED) 2/5
MONK-CASTING
SCENE 3 – 8/20/04 3.
2 CONTINUED: 2
NATALIE
I tried to read it.
(gesturing “it was
over my head”)
Whoosh!
Monk- as
always- has become distracted. He’s
fidgeting with something on a wall or desk.
Natalie (cont’d)
Professor?
Professor Monk?
Finally Monk
snaps out of it.
MONK
Sorry.
NATALIE
(resuming, to
“Professor Monk”)
Mr. Franklin
doesn’t think that
Julie’s fish- you know, the one I
showed you- could live longer than a
year or two.
(prompting Monk)
What do you
think?
MONK
I think it
can.
MR. FRANKLIN
I don’t see
how. It’s a common
variety dart-fish. It doesn’t have
*
an immune system or it’s own
exoskeleton.
Natalie shoots
Monk a look: “invent something!”
MONK
(anxiously)
Well, that’s
true about most dart
*
-fish. But this is a completely
different species. It’s a North
Korean dart fish.
MR. FRANKLIN
North Korean…?
MONK
It’s a very
strong fish. Very tough.
They’d have to be to live in a
country like that. They can live
for four or five years.
(CONTINUED) 3/5
MONK-CASTING
SCENE 3 – 8/20/04 4.
2
CONTINUED: (2)
Natalie gestures: “No! Higher… higher…”
MONK (cont’d)
(elaborating, as
Natalie gestures)
Or six… or seven… or eight.
Or nine.
(Natalie nods)
That’s it.
Nine years.
There’s a COMPUTER on the desk.
Mr. Franklin starts typing.
MR. FRANKLIN
I’d like to
read that book of yours.
What did you say your name was?
MONK
(weakly,
frightened)
Monk.
MR. FRANKLIN
(typing)
M-O-N-K…
Natalie breaks down… and confesses-
NATALIE (cont’d)
Okay. Okay.
The truth is: it’s not
the same fish. I’ve been replacing
it every year.
Mr. Franklin stops typing.
NATALIE
(cont’d)
Julie’s father
gave it to her before
he died. I don’t have the heart to
tell her the truth. It’s all she
has left of him.
Natalie
reaches for the phone. She holds up the
receiver. She challenges Mr.
Franklin-
NATALIE (cont’d)
If you want to
call that little girl
and tell her the fish she’s been
talking to and praying to every night
has been dead for six years, go ahead.
I’ll dial it for you.
Natalie starts
to dial the phone.
(CONTINUED)
4/5
MONK-CASTING SCENE 3 – 8/20/04
5.
3
CONTINUED: (3) 2
MR. FRANKLIN
I’m sorry. I
didn’t know. She can
bring the fish to the science fair. *
NATALIE *
Thank you. *
MR. FRANKLIN *
But I can’t give her an award. *
NATALIE
She doesn’t
need an award. She just
needs to get through junior high
school without falling apart.
(to Monk)
Come on,
Professor. I’ll drive you home.
*****
5/5