As soon as I saw the title of "The Garbage Strike," I knew this episode was going to be hilarious. The Sanitation Union has gone on strike for better wages, and when the union leader is found dead, the union members become even angrier and less willing to negotiate. As another reviewer wrote, this show gets off to a weak start: in an uncharacteristic turn (probably caused by his anxiety over the garbage in the streets), Monk tries to pass off the leader's murder as a suicide. He hopes that if the union members see the death as a suicide, they will reconcile with city leaders and start collecting the garbage again. However, at Natalie's insistence, Monk soon comes clean and begins investigating the murder. This is a typical Monk case with lots of details and twists. As the reeking bags of garbage pile up all over the city, Monk's already fragile mental state deteriorates even more, with hysterical results. Be sure to stay tuned for Alice Cooper's hilarious cameo!