This is possibly my favorite Columbo so far. It actually created an atmosphere of tension and suspense, which frankly most Columbos don't even aim for. Of course, I knew Columbo would not be killed since the DVD has a few more episodes after this one, and the series came back for a couple of encores, but there were moments that sent a shiver up my spine, like the scene at the Spahn, er I mean Callahan ranch, the one when the murderer is about to feed the dogs chocolate, and of course, the final denouement at the pool table. I also thought the murder itself was fairly horrifying, and the training session with the dummy triggered a flashback to Kolshack The Night Stalker, a show that terrified me as a child. Faceless dummies always have a touch of the unheimlich for me, even (or especially) when they're being torn apart by zombie dobermans. I always enjoy episodes with evil psychologists; I hope by the time I've watched the entire series I'll have a blueprint for a lucrative career. Nichol Williams character is a behaviorist who today would be wowing them on the TED talk circuit with his psychobabble. It was refreshing to have Columbo face an opponent he seemed to dislike after a run of relatively sympathetic perpetrators. Usually, when the murderer tries or succeeds at eliminating a witness in addition to the main victim, you can be fairly confident Columbo will relish catching the creep. As a psychologist myself, I thought Columbo really got shortchanged on the personality analysis, and I therefore hope this psychologist loses his license to practice in addition to his freedom. Young Kim Cattrall was quite lovely and stylish. I wonder if the creators of the series experienced a formative trauma related to tennis or tennis players. Tennis often seems to be a symbol of decadence in this series, or maybe tennis was just super popular in the 70s, like TikTok is now.
Review of How to Dial a Murder
