Just conjecture here, but could the model be a princess? or a spy?

We start with Randy, he's out on a date with Amanda, they've been drinking, not too much, but, they're "smiley" Randy is trying to hail a cab down. One comes by, but keeps going.
Amanda says it's freezing, Randy, being Randy, is too oblivious to this, and just agrees, Amanda, freezing, remarks on Randy's nice blazer, Randy-ish bit... finally he realises she's cold, and gives her his coat, remarking, on the fact that he notices everything because he's a detective.

They notice a taxi a block ahead, they run towards it.

What they don't know, is, that the cabbie is dead, murdered, gruesomly.

The two of them scramble inside the taxi all giggly, NOT realising that the cabbie is dead.

The two are still too oblivious to this, Randy tells him the address... still, they don't realise...
Randy keeps pointing out to Amanda how he notices everything... uh-huh...

Amanda points out that they're not moving, she finally realises he's dead.

Next day, HQ. The dead cabbie is ID as Drazen Mirko, 50s. He was stabbed multiple times with a hatpin, so they asume that killer is female.

We jump to a Zemenian refugee relocation centre, Zemenia, the make-believe country.

They have a possible suspect, Leyla Zlatavich, beautiful...

Monk stares at her, like we've never seen before, he's smitten.

Monk declares her innocent, just like that.

the rest are distracted, Monk, being Monk... Leyla thinks he's a refugee, Monk is dumb-founded he can only nod...

Monk is really smitten, a lot of Monk and Leyla scenes... like we've never seen before...
He is really smitten...

Later on Natalie tells Monk that he has to stop seeing her... they think Monk is obstructing the case...

First of all -- why a hat pin? Who uses a hat pin anymore?



Oh, wow... So this really is a romance then, and not just a crush. It will be interesting to see how all this pans out. I have mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand, I think it is good because it really reestablishes Monk as a sexual creature, and shows a LOT of improvement since the beginning of the show.

On the other hand... <deep sigh> Some days it's just hard to be a Monk/Natalie shipper. And I think that might be one of those days.

Or maybe not -- maybe Natalie's not concerned about Monk obstructing the investigation at all. Maybe she's just...

that she will be innocent, and that their feelings will be real and mutual. But I think Monk will reluctantly break it off when Natalie insists that he needs to for the sake of the investigation. Once she is proved innocent, Monk will try to reinitiate contact, which she will refuse -- being hurt because she was not trusted.

But why would she break it off w/ Monk and refuse him - he's the one who really thinks she is innocent.

is a made up country. There are tons of countries that are tiny and a lot of people have never heard of.

Zemenia, is a made-up war-torn country somewhere in Eastern Europe, according to Monk, they (Zemenia) haven't stopped fighting in over 600 years. They speak russian, or, as the script says : "phony Russian - gibberish "

Leyla, is just a normal woman (not a model or princess) who left Zemenia; she works a the refugee relocation centre. There is no mention of her looking anything like Trudy.

The murder weapon, the hatpin/hairpin, is engraved, that's how the make the Zemenia/Leyla connection.

We also have two cynical and not-so-kind-to Monk detectives; Det. Collins & Det. Rodriguez.
The 2 of them are the ones who feel that Monk is obstructing the case.

They have a mountain pile of evidence against Leyla. Monk still believes she is innocent. They want to indict her.
Natalie informs Monk that they (Collins & Rodriguez) are going to file an official complaint with the D.A. about Monk's obstruction of the case. So he must stop seeing her, he agrees. He "undestands" she's a prime suspect...
He ends up seeing her again. He is attracted to her...

In a very awkward scene, they (Stottlemeyer, Randy...) come to arrest Leyla at her home and...
lo and behold, there's Monk, sans pants in a robe...

I don't want to give it all away...

but, keep reading at your own risk...



she confessess, but... there is more to this... again, I don't want give the whole ending away, but, this isn't going to be like "Mr. Monk & The bad girlfriend"

why Monk is wearing a robe and no pants. I'm thinking there has to be another reason. He can't move that fast (in my mind at least) if I have any understanding of the character at all. Maybe I don't.

why Monk is wearing a robe and no pants. I'm thinking there has to be another reason. He can't move that fast (in my mind at least) if I have any understanding of the character at all. Maybe I don't.

he probably spilled something on his pants, and she is cleaning them for him.

I'm also thinking that if she killed someone, it will be in self defense. I mean, a hat pin? Who would commit premeditated murder with a hat pin?! That's the kind of weapon you use when you find yourself in need of some kind of weapon on short notice and take whatever is close at hand, which means crime of passion or self defense. If you planned it, you'd brings something more likely to do the job with less effort on your part, like a gun or a knife. Do you know how hard it would be to kill someone with a hatpin? Or how ridiclously lucky? Besides, I just can't imagine Monk's instincts being so far off the mark that he would be attracted to someone who would kill in cold blood. Someone who could/would kill in self defense or maybe even desperation (like if someone was black mailing her with threats of deportation, and she was so desperate and afraid that she could react without thinking), but not someone who would actually plan a murder or be stupid enough to plan a murder by hatpin.

How exactly could you kill someone with a hatpin? Maybe dip it in poison? But someone who would do that would take the hatpin with them, right? I assume that they found the weapon sticking out of the victim, and putting that with the fact that it's a frickin' hatpin(!) would say to me that it wasn't planned out, or if it was, it was very, very poorly planned out.

The victim is probably also Zemenian, I'm guessing. Someone who knew her before or who knows something about her that she doesn't want to get out.