Am a big fan of detective/mystery shows/dramas and have been for nearly twenty years, thanks to primarily 'Inspector Morse' and Agatha Christie. Really liked to love all of the three best known shows in the 'Law and Order' franchise (the original, 'Criminal Intent' and 'Special Victims Unit') in their primes, in the case of all three shows the early seasons to me are better with 'Special Victims Unit' especially becoming uneven later on.
Combining two cases based upon two real life cases, the fifteenth episode of 'Criminal Intent's' Season 2 "Monster" is great in my view. Not quite one of the best of the season or of the show, with it not quite having the same amount of tension and emotional complexity that high-points such as "Probability" had, but "Monster's" numerous outstanding things make it come extremely close to that level. It has a compelling and intricate case, Goren and Eames on vintage form and two fabulous guest stars. What's there not to love?
On first watch when not as knowledgable in a genre that is one of my personal favourites, it did seem to me that Goren jumped to the conclusion very quickly without reason to or proof. Re-watching "Monster" a few times since proved me completely wrong, he does come to the truth on the quick side definitely but this was a case where physical evidence actually was not needed. It is actually very easy to see how Goren came to the conclusion and what drove him to it, to the extent that one is surprised in retrospect how they could have missed what incriminated the responsible. Especially with it being one of the most familiar final solution plot tropes in murder mystery history ('Murder She Wrote' for example used its at least once in every one of its twelve seasons).
"Monster" has a great story. It doesn't have a dull moment and there are plenty of clever twists and turns to keep one guessing to the knockout ending that showcases what makes Goren so good at his job and his character traits so enjoyabe to watch. It is an intricate case without being over-plotted or confused and hardly anything is obvious too early. Love Goren and Eames together and their chemistry is well balanced without being too much of the Robert Goren show, thanks to some show-stealing wisecracks from Eames that stop the episode from being over-serious. Goren's quirks are a delight, especially his expressions when interviewing.
While Kathryn Erbe and especially Vincent D'Onofrio are typically excellent, D'Onofrio at his best on fire, they are also brilliantly supported by Mike Starr and a reptillian but not too one-dimensional Adam Storke. They are advantaged by a script that is tight, amusing in spots and always intelligent, a lot of talk here as usual for the show and the franchise but not in a way where it feels like there's too much fat or anything. Also the spot on characterisation, especially for Goren and Dietrich. Have no issues with the production values or with the music.
In summation, great episode. 9/10