This is a weird one, as episodes of Monk go. His phobias and personality quirks take a back seat to the overall arc of the series' story line.

Those of us here for the mystery itself are in for a sore disappointment. Homicide task forces don't use custom bracelets as hard evidence. Her birthstone, astrological symbol and initials on a piece of jewelry don't count as clues in real world, especially in a city with an airport. Because a bracelet with a bull, dance slippers, and a particular type of precious gem could line up with, literally, any other set of factoids about a person. The bull could easily have represented an interest in cattle, the gem could have been the result of a favorite color, and the slippers could have represented an interest in ballet. The minute this woman denied seeing the bracelet, it wouldn't have been evidence against her any more.

Where were the forensics? No fingerprints off the murder weapon? No looking for DNA? And once the police discovered that the taxi driver was actually a war criminal in hiding, that would have significantly widened their search field.  This is a man that an entire country wants to kill. It could even have been a professional hit.

Also, the police shouldn't have had their guns drawn when they came to arrest Lana, unless they'd been given some reason to suspect she would resist arrest.

The police in Monk's world didn't do their job this time. What is truly troubling, though, and to the severe detriment of this episode, is that Monk somehow saw this bracelet as evidence too.

I would love to have seen that case in court, by the way. With either Lana or her mother standing trial, the fact that the victim had slaughtered thousands would had to have counted as an extenuating circumstance. And with the non-evidence the police had acquired, I can't see a jury ever finding Lana -- or her mother -- guilty.

Even if you aren't wrapped up in the minutia like I am, the mystery of this episode didn't deliver for the mere reason that, with only one extra character, I knew very early on that the killer would turn out to be Lana's mother.

Those of us interested in Monk's character arc, however, will find plenty of things to enjoy about this episode. He touched Lana without freaking out, and didn't wipe her kiss off his cheek. Clearly, a woman in his life could help clear up a lot of his psychological issues. I really wanted to see him eat the foreign food in the Slavic-themed restaurant, but alas--Lana's powers could only do so much.

My bet is that we'll be seeing Lana again sometime toward the end of the season -- and hopefully not as a suspect.