I won't bother commenting on the murder method, other than to say I thought it was pretty clever, if a bit, how do the English say, Heath Robinson.
But Columbo is about character interactions more than the brilliance of the murder plot. If you watch Columbo for brilliant air tight murder alibis, you are watching the wrong show by the way - after all, if they were air tight, Columbo would not 'get his man'. Some are more believable than others, but this is escapist stuff, not gritty crime drama.
What I like about this, is all the characters. If you think about it too hard, they won't seem like geniuses, because Hollywood, especially back then, usually had no clue about how geniuses look or act. They are caricatures I guess, but interesting ones.
I found the younger woman amusing as a support character. Wish they had developed her a bit more.
But the main interaction is the killer and Columbo. I enjoyed how, over time, rather than being more and more annoyed by Columbo, he developed a respect for him. I also like how, over time, his character weaknesses were exposed. Isn't that true for a lot of us? We often have weaknesses we try to hide, like gilt paint over base metal.
I think most fans should enjoy this one a lot if they like a few interesting support characters, and the usual byplay between a murderer who thinks they are unassailable and Columbo who hangs onto any discrepancy like a bulldog.
But Columbo is about character interactions more than the brilliance of the murder plot. If you watch Columbo for brilliant air tight murder alibis, you are watching the wrong show by the way - after all, if they were air tight, Columbo would not 'get his man'. Some are more believable than others, but this is escapist stuff, not gritty crime drama.
What I like about this, is all the characters. If you think about it too hard, they won't seem like geniuses, because Hollywood, especially back then, usually had no clue about how geniuses look or act. They are caricatures I guess, but interesting ones.
I found the younger woman amusing as a support character. Wish they had developed her a bit more.
But the main interaction is the killer and Columbo. I enjoyed how, over time, rather than being more and more annoyed by Columbo, he developed a respect for him. I also like how, over time, his character weaknesses were exposed. Isn't that true for a lot of us? We often have weaknesses we try to hide, like gilt paint over base metal.
I think most fans should enjoy this one a lot if they like a few interesting support characters, and the usual byplay between a murderer who thinks they are unassailable and Columbo who hangs onto any discrepancy like a bulldog.