When the murderer (Vincent Ventresca) in this episode is confronted by Monk about a suspicious connection between him and his victim, the culprit chalks this up as mere coincidence. Monk replies that he doesn't believe in coincidences. This may be the most unintentionally ironic things ever uttered on Monk, not just because of the sheer number of coincidences that occur on the show on a regular basis, but because this episode may contain the granddaddy of them all: not only that damning evidence of the murderer's guilt exists in the most unlikely place imaginable, but that it happens to be in the possession of one of the main characters and that said character and the murderer cross paths so that he becomes aware of its existence. The odds against any one of those things taking place are staggering, and combined, it's completely mind-boggling.
I was able to figure out exactly where this ludicrous plot was going within the first ten minutes or so. Vincent Ventresca's character didn't have the worst scheme ever, but as he became increasingly desperate, by the end of the episode, he turned into a complete idiot. Even if he had succeeded in destroying the incriminating evidence against him, I would have liked to have seen him try to explain his insane behavior to the police.
The implausible mystery aside, the there are a wealth of good moments that make this episode worth watching, such as the woman at the police station who insinuates herself into the conversation between the main characters and the talk Adrian has with Julie, which is alternately funny and touching. Actually, there was very little about this episode I didn't like. As is often the case with Monk, the mystery was somewhat stupid and obvious, but the interactions between the characters more than made up for it.