The episode was well-received ; Kamel elected it one of his three favorite episodes of the series , Jeffrey Robinson of DVD Talk dubbed it a " strong episode " , while Adam Finley from AOL TV said it was " great " . IGN 's Colin Moriarty said one can " have a hardy laugh at the high level of dysfunctionality " with the episode while highlighted the one-armed therapist and mainly the interactions between Monk and Harold as the responsible for its humor . On his blog Cultural Leanings , critic Myles McNutt affirmed Shalhoub did a " tour de force comic performance " and that " It features most of Monk 's best qualities : his feud with fellow patient Harold , his insecurity about his mental health , his reaction to a new therapist with only one arm , and his broad comedy . " Although disliked the scene in which Harold took a shot as it was made in a cliched way , Finley enjoyed seem Dr. Kroger getting more attention . Similarly , Raven Snook , a '' TV Guide '' contributor , appreciated the fact that the doctor 's home life was explored in the episode . Jon Weisman , writing for '' Variety '' , selected the scene in which Monk manifests the five stages of grief the best scene of the episode . The scene was also highlighted by Robert Licuria of the '' Los Angeles Times '' , who nevertheless said the episode felt " a bit ' same old same old . ' " Chris Beachum , writing for the same newspaper , stated it was " the weakest episode " of the series to ever being submitted for the Primetime Emmy Awards , and , unlike other reviewers , considered the grief scene " just too forced and ' showy . ' " Shalhoub was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for this episode . However , he lost at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards to Ricky Gervais for the '' Extras '' episode " Sir Ian McKellen "
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
59th Primetime Emmy Awards
Mr. Monk Gets a New Shrink