Darlene Kardon Movies

It promises to be a busy week at the Federal courthouse in this final episode of Monk's fourth season. The Feds are prepared to escort "most-wanted" criminal Miguel Escobar (Carlos Gomez) to his long-overdue trial, and Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is summoned to jury duty on a minor robbery case. Though it makes him queasy to be locked in a room with eleven strangers, Monk appears to be in no hurry to leave when he is the only one to vote "Not Guilty." As he tries to sway the other jurors to his way of thinking, Monk finds himself saddled with another legal headache when the body of a dead woman is found stuffed in a dumpster just outside the courtroom. This being Monk, it is virtually a foregone conclusion that our hero's "Not Guilty" ballot, the woman's death, and the impending Escobar trial are all linked together. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hank Azaria returns in the role of David, the nerdy but good-hearted scientist with whom Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) briefly fell in love way back in Friends' first season. Upon finding out that David has come back to New York -- albeit only for one day -- Phoebe is determined to have a passionate reunion. Only one problem, however: Phoebe is currently supposed to have dinner with Joey (Matt LeBlanc). Elsewhere, Ross (David Schwimmer) must play peacemaker when Monica (Courteney Cox) is upset over not being invited to a relative's wedding. And in keeping with the title of the episode, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) have trouble resisting temptation when several cheesecakes are delivered to the apartment by accident. ~ All Movie Guide

By rights, Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) should be dancing for joy: He has finally been accepted at Princeton University. Instead, Carleton is hiding out at the local bowling alley, terrified at making a commitment and asking himself if he really wants to go to Princeton, or if he's just going through the motions to please his father. Can it be that our hero is about to throw away everything he's worked for in favor of becoming a professional pin-buster? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode was originally telecast one day before the election of President Bill Clinton--and, accordingly, focuses on the Election Day coverage by the "FYI" staff. As the ballots are tallied and the predictions noted, each staff member recalls the first time that he or she ever cast a vote. Not surprisingly, Murphy (Candice Bergen) serves up the most fascinating flashback, reaching way back to the turbulent seventies. Patrick Warburton of Seinfeld fame appears as Bo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide