Trudy Anne Monk (née Ellison) was a recurring character and the catalyst of the entire series.
Biography[]
She was the wife of Adrian Monk. Adrian loved her dearly, and after she was killed in a car bomb, Monk was left "emotionally paralyzed". Trudy's murder was Adrian's only unsolved case, and was the overarching mystery of the series.
"Mr. Monk and the End (Part One)" and Mr. Monk's Last Case: A Monk Movie feature Trudy appearing to Monk in spirit form. While this could on some level be interpreted as Monk's imagination, functioning as a manifestation of his conscience, this spirit-version of Trudy is shown to have knowledge beyond Monk's own, suggesting she is in fact her ghost making a supernatural appearance: in "Mr. Monk and the End" she hints that he will finally solve her murder very soon, and in the film she repeatedly intervenes during his attempts to end his own life.
Appearance[]
Trudy has curly, blonde, shoulder-length hair, and blue eyes. She is very beautiful. Monk mentioned in "Mr. Monk Gets Married" that she never thought she was beautiful, which only made her more beautiful in Monk's eyes. When she died, she was just starting to get wrinkles around her eyes, he says in the same episode, and she hated them. Monk loved them, however - "those are my wrinkles," he would say, because he gave them to her by making her laugh so much.
She always wore lilac lotion, and used strawberry shampoo. Monk never liked the former while she was alive but now misses it intensely. He sometimes takes out the pillow she slept on just to smell her lotion and shampoo again, simply to feel close to her.
Personality[]
Trudy was a warm, kind woman. She was very caring about the people in her life and was close to her parents. Trudy was also willing to overlook Adrian's obsessive-compulsive tendencies and even separated his food for him. At one point, Adrian claimed that Trudy "kept every promise she ever made". Trudy was Adrian's rock and she helped him to stabilize his OCD. However, upon her death, it sent Adrian into an emotional tailspin and he didn't leave his apartment for three years. He still wears his wedding ring and still considers himself "the husband."
Adrian's grief over Trudy's death was intense and with him every day of his life; he has stated more than once that he is never truly happy and never expects to be truly happy ever again. Adrian would occasionally take out his photo album with Trudy's wrecked car and newspaper articles to try and figure out the murder. It wasn't until he opened up Trudy's last gift that he found out who murdered her. Even so, something was nagging at Adrian about what Ethan Rickover told him to "take care of her". He figured out what he meant and he wanted to meet Trudy's daughter, Molly Evans. Upon meeting with Trudy's long-lost daughter, Molly, Adrian starts his permanent serious recovery from grief and obsession.
Trivia[]
- Trudy was portrayed by Croatian Canadian actress Stellina Rusich throughout Season 1 and Season 2 but was ultimately replaced after the show switched shooting to Los Angeles by American actress Melora Hardin.
- There are some continuity errors regarding Adrian's and Trudy's relationship. In Mr. Monk and the Class Reunion, Adrian and Trudy are shown meeting in college. In earlier episodes, however, it is stated that Adrian met Trudy when he was already employed at the SFPD.[2]
- Cameron, an actress masquerading as Trudy, was also portrayed by Melora Hardin.[3]
- Andy Breckman once stated that Trudy holds a special place in Monk's heart and that even if he started dating again, he would always love Trudy more than them.
- Trudy was allergic to fish.
- Trudy loved to write poetry.
- Trudy always put a cinnamon stick in her coffee, which was a trick she picked up in Spain.
- Trudy’s favorite dish was Chicken Cacciatore.
- Trudy was Willie Nelson's "biggest fan".
- Trudy’s favorite wine is a 1984 Allacco Cabernet.
- Trudy's favorite perfume was Shalimar.
- Trudy always went barefoot inside, even when it was cold out.