Yes, Manual for Murder is largely an episode meant to recap previous cases and recycle some footage, but after over 180 episodes, a recap isn't really a bad thing - just an expected thing for a long-running series. With Julia and Murdoch's book on the market, someone appears to be killing people in the same ways shown in some of their more infamous cases. There are twists to keep things interesting, and while we get the return of hotel detective Colin Mochrie, it's sad to say that we have seen him deliver a better performance than this in the past. The resulting episode is "meh" - not awful, not brilliant, with a few moments very much worth the viewer's time and others that are easily dismissed. There is a tease of possible things to come, so at least a single viewing is warranted by the long-time Murdoch fan.