Traylor Howard (Natalie), was pregnant in this episode, this is why she was filmed wearing an overcoat, sitting or standing behind something. This is the same with the next episode, Mr. Monk Is at Your Service (2007).
Monk and Hal watch a "Sonny Chow" martial arts movie, which harks back to Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra (2005) where Monk has to figure out what's going on when it appears that Sonny Chow, aka "The Cobra," has committed a murder despite being dead. However, the actors in the clip in this episode bear no resemblance to the Sonny Chow of the other episode.