Theodore Bikel, Jamie Lee Curtis.
8/10
Joyce Van Patten is great and there are several very funny moments, but the story doesn’t quite work. The clues are much too obvious and some, such as the lights being on/off, are badly explained. The ending is flat, too. 5/10
Robert Vaughn. A remarkable departure from formula. Doesn’t really feel like a Columbo episode.
Yet it works. As something different. Because Peter Falk is always great fun tow watch and there’s a sly sense of knowing humour to the whole enterprise, courtesy - no doubt - of director Patrick McGoohan. 9/10
Always been a big fan of Robert Culp. (Who isn’t?)
Some gifs from some random guest shots on various TV shows.
Jack Cassidy. Lots to enjoy here.
Ricardo Montalban, A Martinez, Pedro Armendáriz Jr. Very few things to like in this episode. The location and slow pace prove to be a major distraction to enjoyment. The script contrives a way to have our hero working in Mexico that never really rings true. And he shares very few scenes with the murderer, which is a shame because Montalban is excellent in the role. The resolution is unsatisfying. As motives go, this is a weak one. 5/10
Patrick McGoohan, Leslie Nielsen. Slow pace, and too much important story detail is left vague: Frustrating. But the casting/chemistry/performances… fantastic!! 8/10
Hector Elizondo. Lot and lots of great clues in this one, but it’s got lackluster motivation and kinda fizzles at end. The are fun moments and clever moments, yes, but the overall movie is unsatisfying. 7/10
(Patrick McGoohan, military academy) My favourite episode. A battle of wills between equals. Equals with mutual respect. 10/10
Monday, April 5th, 2010
05.00 Castle
06.00 White Collar
09.00 Columbo
Castle. Season 2, Episode 14. "The Third Man"
An episode highlighting the two best things about the show.
1. The chemistry between the two lead characters is fun. In this episode there's a blurb in a newspaper that suggests they are romantically linked so he spends many of the early scene trying to stop her from seeing the story. And... it's very funny. A big part of the charm. Yes, we know they like one another and we have seen this kind of thing many times before but that doesn't take away from the fact that when it's well done, it's very, very entertaining.
2. A good story. A good mystery. This episode is positively brimming over with good story/mystery. The first half of the hour is devoted to a man who sneaks into people's empty homes and lives there while they are on holiday. Nicely mystifying. The second half of the hour switches over to an equally compelling mystery: the secret of what he accidentally saw on one of his sleep overs and why it nearly got him killed.
Sometimes the endings on these shows are a little too clever, when there is no real need. Often on NCIS they return in the closing minutes to a minor character seen earlier and reveal that they are the Big Bad behind everything. You can almost predict it, really. In fact, you could use this pattern to impress somebody watching with you. In the closing ten minutes think back to a minor character from the first ten minutes and boldly declare that they are the culprit. If it's NCIS, then three times out of five you will be proven right. This Castle episode does that, by returning to the brother-in-law of the first victim. And it's a nice twist. But hardly necessary in an already superior hour of TV.
White Collar. Episode 11. "Home Invasion" Five Elephants
In order to enjoy White Collar you have to buy into a couple of things.
First, it's seems like everybody in this world (especially crooks) are forever communicating in elaborate codes. A couple of episodes back Erik Palladino played a cop who left a clue for our heroes in the amount of spare change he deposited as a tip (!!), in this episode Sarah Carter creates a complex code to record five names for herself. This list, of course, falls into the hands of our heroes and they are able to spend hours toiling over it until they track her down. And it's all a lot of fun to watch. But, at the back of your mind, you do have to wonder why she bothered to create the list in the first place.
Second, it seems like Peter and Neal are always going to be doing this same dance of trust over and back, no matter what has happened between them in previous episodes. You would think, by now, they would have a pretty strong bond. But, no... they do seem ready to lose (and regain) their mutual trust on a semi-weekly basis.
These two elements detract slightly from my enjoyment and serve to keep White Collar on a lower tier (quality wise) than the other USA shows that I watch and enjoy.
Columbo. Episode 15. "A Stitch in Crime" Leonard Nimoy
Sometimes the ending to a Columbo episode is so good, so vivid, that you just can't forget it.
I like to leave years between my Columbo re-watches (and it's been over a decade since I last saw this story) and one of the benefits of the time lag is a tendency to forget various details of what happens. Sometimes I'll forget the chronology of events, sometimes I'll forget major scenes and story beats, sometimes I'll even forget the mechanics of how our hero traps the killer at the end. That's always wonderful. It's like seeing it for the first time. Precious, like gold.
But some endings are too strong, make too much of an impact to ever forget, and this is one of those.
Leonard Nimoy is one of my favourite actors and this is one of his best roles. His character is calculating and truly cold-blooded, and his arrogance towards Columbo makes it easy to resent him, and cheer his downfall.
There are two parts to that downfall. First there is the piece of evidence, displayed with a wonderful flourish by the good Lieutenant in the movie's final seconds and freeze-frame, something that lingers long after viewing. In my case, it has lingered - literally - for years.
Second, there is 'the mistake'. Columbo killers always make a mistake somewhere along the way. Sometimes it is at the very beginning of the tale (and it's fun to try and spot it), and sometimes it happens later on in the story, while they are being harassed by the persistent cop. The sweetest, however, can often be in the closing seconds when they do something stupid right there in front of Columbo and he immediately pounces. This type of mistake can fall into two further sub-categories: the mistake of detail, and the mistake of character. And whole both are sweet and rewarding, the second one is the sweeter and more satisfying.
And that's what happens here. Mayfield (Nimoy) does something completely out of character. Something subtle, guaranteed to go unnoticed by the first-time viewer. So subtle that Columbo almost lets it slip by.
But then he remembers. And that final five seconds are amazing.
Unforgettable.
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07:30 Columbo
09:30 90210
Columbo. Episode 12. "The Most Crucial Game" Very enjoyable. There's no real cat-and-mouse game, but we get to see lots of great Columbo moments where we see him noticing things and react while nobody is watching him. This episode also boasts one of the very best endings. The ending is moderately clever and satisfying, but the way it is shot and edited raises it up towards being magnificent. The revelation is followed by no dialogue, just multiple close-ups and silence until the eventual fade to black.
Robert Culp returns to the show to play the killer again, but he and Peter Falk share very few scenes. Instead, the rumpled detective behaves more like a typical TV detective and spends a lot of his time with other people: a football coach (James Gregory), a private eye (Val Avery) and a prostitute (Valerie Harper). All three guest stars are terrific and these scenes allow us to see another side of Columbo: the tough detective. He's not bumbling with he lays a trap for the pi or when he forces the call girl to give him some info. And every step of the way he's the clever observer we know and love. This movie is filled with great Columbo moments (the water, the telephone, the off-switch, the clock). Time and time we see that this is a clever guy and we root for him.
90210. Episode 6. "Model Behavior" Some elements are good, but most of this one is plastic nonsense. Only in the crazy world of 90210 could this happen: a fashion photographer desperately needs Debbie's help for a fashion shoot/show and - soon - all the kids are involved. Nonsense. Normally I will accept this if the she can throw something good into the mix, but there is little to enjoy in this one. Best bits? The Kelly/Brenda fight over Dylan, Adrianna's problems and the stuff between Naomi and her boyfriend. Their break-up scene in the car was wonderfully underplayed and rather heartbreaking. The show needs more of this and less of the "I desperately need your help with this fashion show" crap.
Highlight? Columbo (clever hero)
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01:00 The Closer
02:00 House
08:00 Columbo
10:00 90210
11:00 Beverly Hills 90210
The Closer. Season 4, Episode 6. "Problem Child" Dark stuff. He might only be 13 but the child at the centre of this story is a disturbed individual. He's the victim. And, as the team investigates, they discover that a lot of people had a lot of very good reasons for wanting him dead. In many ways it's more like a Without A Trace episode than an episode of The Closer, because the story really paints a full picture of the victim and who he was. Superb storytelling.
The final scene, where Brenda and her boyfriend talk about a new house (but are really talking about whether they will have kids or not) is heartbreaking and masterful.
House. Season 5, Episode 1. "Dying Changes Everything" Great opening episode. Thirteen takes the lead with the case-of-the-week and it plays wonderfully into her own life and illness. House and Wilson are on speaking terms and nobody is laying any blame for Ambers death at House's feet. Least of all House. At least that's how it starts: Wilson decides to quit and leave, so House blackmails him into stay by abandoning his own patient and leaving her to die.
Only on House!
I love the way the show was able to deliver the conflict we expected, but not in the way we expected.
Columbo. Episode 11. "The Greenhouse Jungle" Clever and very satisfying. No real game of cat-and-mouse this time out but lots of funny scenes of the great detective doing his thing. It's one of the break-with-forumla episodes as: it's a kidnapping not a murder, the victim is alive for most of the story and - without knowing he will ultimately be killed - he helps the killer plan and execute the whole thing. Also, the twist at the end has nothing much to do with any mistakes made by the killer. It's just a case of Columbo being a very good detective, being willing to do a lot of paperwork on his suspects and - in this case - getting very lucky.
90210. Episode 4. "The Bubble" Really enjoyable. Probably the best episode so far. I adore Naomi. She's so sweet and quaint. A spoiled rich teen in a spoiled rich world who is horrified by the thought of her father's cheating on her mother. I should roll my eyes at this storyline, but the actress sells it and... I care. Meanwhile the flirtation between Dixon and Silver steps up a notch and - for the first time in the series - I really liked Silver. Her confidence (in Dixon's attraction to her) is cute, funny and likable.
And now we know who fathered Kelly's child! Wow. I gasped with shock. In hindsight, it makes sense.
Beverly Hills 90210. Season 7, Episode 3. "A Mate for Life" Kelly gets the best storyline (by far) but all the tales in this outing are worth tuning in for. It's Nat's wedding and his wife's hot daughter (who happens to be an exotic dancer) is in town, and in Brandon's arms/bed. It's a cute and fun storyline. Valerie (my favourite character) is still dealing with that latest bad boy love-interest of hers (he's married, the lying so-and-so) while David and Donna (my favourite couple) are having a tiff, because - suprise, suprise - he's being a jerk to her. Jerk!
It's lightweight fun. And the Kelly storyline really shines: she's working at an AIDS hospice. Nothing dramatic or silly happens, but she befriends one patient and he gives her some good advice about liking yourself and avoiding melancholy. And it's very good indeed. The advice, and the episode.
Highlight? The Closer (dark story)
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07:00 Columbo
09:00 Hunter
Columbo. Episode 10. "Étude in Black" While the previous episode was clever but lacked tension, this one isn't very clever but the tension between hunter and prey make it one of the very best Columbo episodes. And it has several scenes that are truly classic.
John Cassavetes murders his mistress, but drops something at the crime scene. He returns to get it and brazenly picks it up and takes it back in full view of Columbo and everyone else. Whereupon the rumpled detective bounds across the room, grabs his hand and declares: "I'm a big fan of yours, a really big fan!" with a huge grin on his face. Meaning: You are an arrogant murderer and I'm going to take you down.
I love that moment.
And the movie is full of them. Columbo spends one scene talking about the guy's house and another one talking about his car. He also puts forward the theory - to to the guy's face - that he is the murderer and explains openly how he has arrived at this conclusion. The murderer is openly amazed by his pursuer and John Cassavetes is simply superb in the role.
There is a lot of variety to the Columbo stories. Sometimes we meet the murderer long before they think to commit a crime, sometimes we meet them hours/minutes before they do it. Sometimes they are justified in what they do, and sometimes they are arrogant and hateful. Sometimes they are undone in a clever/complex manner and sometimes it's a very obvious ending but it takes a great detective/hero to make it happen. This is a story which introduces the bad guy as he prepares to kill his victim (a mistress who is blackmailing him into leaving his wealthy wife). His motives are selfish and he is ultimately weak and hard to like (but easy to watch thanks to a great performance).
Peter Falk is at his best here. There's another classic scene early on, where Columbo talks about the victim. Usually they are just a dead body. Not this time. Columbo humanises her in a way he rarely and Falk is nothing sort of superb in his performance: repeating the same line of dialogue four times in a superb soliloquy, and never with the same nuances of sadness. Truly a master detective played by a master actor. A+
Hunter. Season 3, Episode 7. "True Confessions" One of my all-time favourite episodes of Hunter and one of my all-time favourite hours of television. Ever.
Hunter changed a lot from the first season to the third season. It started life as a big, loud action show and became a subtle, cerebral detective show. But, even at the start, it could do something that no other cop show could do. It told stories with great characters who did unpredictable things and changed the story around so much that you never knew what was going to happen.
This is one of those.
It's structured unlike anything else on TV. The two main character of the show don't appear much in the first third of the episode. Nether does the main character of the story! I'm sure there's a rule against that somewhere, but rules are made to be broken and Roy Huggins has the skill to break rules.
A young woman dies after partying with three men. They convince her to take cocaine and are in the process of raping her when she goes into a seizure and dies. A patrolman at the scene of the incident is surprised when one of the three men blurts out a confession. At the trial that follows: the confession is thrown out and - as a consequence - so is the case. Even the judge says they are guilty, but his hands are tied. There's a media storm and - a third of the way through - our focus switches to the sister of the dead girl who is dragged from the courtroom swearing that the three men "will pay".
In rapid succession two of the men are shot down. Hunter and McCall (who up to this had appeared in cameos) go to the sister of the dead woman. She's their main suspect and we only see the case from her perspective. She claims to be innocent, claims that she is being framed/used and claims that the media attention directed at her (which makes her out to be an avenging heroine) makes her sad and uncomfortable. She says she wants no more death and want to move on with her life.
Lauren Tewes gives a superb performance. There is no way to know what is going on. Is she a sincere women caught in a web of deceit and murder, or is she a clever murderer who knows how to lie convincingly? Scene after wonderful scene will leave you no wiser. You might not know what is happening, but you know you are getting a great story.
I've seen this episode many, many times. I love it with a passion. Every scene is perfect. The character work on the regulars (especially Rick Hunter) is great. The three main guest characters are well sketched out, too. Tewes' character is fascinating to watch. So is the third and final member of the original trio. The episode gives him one short scene of remorse at one point. It serves no purpose within the story, but it's an example of truly great storytelling. Giving the audience a reason to invest in even the most minor of characters, by taking the time to flesh them out in ways that matter.
Hunter is at his most laconic in this episode, and he has never been cooler (kudos to Fred Dryer) and the episodes ends abruptly with a great final line of dialogue and a haunting freeze frame that lingers in the mind for a long time after viewing. A+
Highlight? Tough call. Two great episodes. Two of my favourite episodes that I have seen many times. But, if forced to choose I will pick Hunter because of Lauren Tewes.
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06:30 Columbo
08:00 Flashpoint
09:00 Greg The Bunny
09:30 Greg The Bunny
Columbo. Episode 9. "Blueprint for Murder" A great script, but not one of the great episodes. Though it is very clever and satisfying it lacks the tension of the really great Columbo episodes. Patrick O'Neal makes a great foe in many respects, but the game of cat-and-mouse is never as engaging as it is in many other stories. I never believed that there was a contest between them, I suppose, so the ending felt like less of a "win" for the rumpled detective.
Flashpoint. Episode 5. "Who's George?" Predictable from the very first scene to the very last but still very good. Flashpoint does it's first bank-siege storyline and offers nothing that we haven't seen before in other shows. What makes it worthwhile, however, are the regular characters as they deal with the crisis and the aftermath. Parker, Lane and Braddock get a few pivotal scenes here and there and that is what I enjoyed. Braddock is used in this episode like Greg is on CSI and it works.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 12. "The Singing Mailman" A pretty good episode. Some genuine laughs as Dottie is blackmailed into getting a really bad actor onto the show. When he's bad (on camera) it's very funny, and the episode continues to amuse as we see how everyone reacts. First of all when they all openly hate him and later when Dottie has sweet-talked them all into helping her help the guy keep his job. At one point Alison is told the guy is "clearly ahead of his time". When she points out that this makes him no use to the show, the compliment is amended to: "He's only about three weeks ahead of his time, so by the time the show airs he'll be perfect!" Man, I laughed at that.
Greg The Bunny. Episode 8. "Jimmy Drives Gil Crazy" Decided to give this classic episode a second watch. It takes a heck of a long time to get going, but when it does it sure provides the laughs. Greg being held hostage in a speeding car: Funny! Jimmy tied up and filmed by a scantily-clad schoolgirl: Funny! The gang watching the police chase on TV: Funny! And Gil declaring his love for Corey Feldman: Funny! Definitely on a par with the egg-throwing episode.
Highlight? Flashpoint (sad ending)
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09:30 Columbo
11:00 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
11:30 WKRP In Cincinnati
12:00 Rising Damp
Columbo. Episode 8. "Short Fuse" is one of my least favourite episodes. Roddy McDowall is mis-cast as a killer. At least on this show. He's too likable. He's also much too over the top in his acting style to go head to head with Peter Falk the way all the other guest stars do. I also dislike the ending. Yes, it is clever. One of the cleverest that the show ever did, but Columbo is so out of character. The appeal of the character is that he is meek and annoying. And he quietly lures the killer's into his subtle traps. No so here. For some odd reason the writers have him running around shouting orders to get the bad guy into the trap. Which is frustrating because there was no need. There were many other (more suble ways) to get the characters into the same situation. Disappointing execution of a clever idea.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Episode 15. "Howard's Girl" is an average episode which ignores the regulars and devotes far too much time to the guest stars. It's a cute story, though. Mary is dating a guy called Paul. Eleven months earlier she had a date with his brother Howard and she finds out that the rest of the family still think of her as "Howard's Girl" and are somewhat surprised that she has no plans to marry Howard. Amusing, not hilarious. The episode does have one Lou Grant scene with which is very funny. It's always good when the writers put Mary alone with Lou in his office. He shouts, she gets nervous and says the wrong things. Always funny.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 62. "I Am Woman" is not only very funny, it's really something special. The central character is Bailey (Jan Smithers: one of TV's all-time most-beautiful women) and she is leading a campaign to keep the building they work in from being torn down. The other characters help/hinder her for various reasons but this is Bailey's story. It's a very funny episode, it gives great insight into the character of Bailey (and many of the others) and it has a truly great speech from Bailey towards the end (about why she is fighting this cause). I truly loved this episode in a million different ways for a million different reasons.
Rising Damp. Episode 4. "A Night Out" The gang get dressed up and take Miss Jones out for her birthday. As always, while the laughs flow freely, the undercurrent of lonliness and poverty is never far from the surface. The dynamic between the characters is fully in place at that stage. The boys may tease Rigsby and he is superficially mean to them, but they all get on very well. It's obvious (by now) that Rigsby isn't a bad person, just a man who has experienced very little. My favourite part of this episode comes in the last scene, when Rigsby and Alan are kicked out and decide to head off themselves for a bag of chips.
Highlight? WKRP In Cincinnati
04:00 Columbo
05:30 The Name Of The Game
03:00 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
03:30 WKRP In Cincinnati
04:00 Rising Damp
Columbo. Episode 7. "Lady in Waiting" There are many things to admire in this series. First, there is the quality of the guest stars. Not just the murderers who go head-to-head with Peter Falk in every story, but also the victims and peripheral characters who appear. For instance, this episode features Richard Anderson and Leslie Nielsen in strong supporting roles. Nielsen is particularly good.
Second, there is the music. Columbo episodes have no opening theme, and use a different closing theme for each story. Back in 1980 I assembled about 35 of these themes on an audio cassette and listened to it many, many times in the years that followed. So much so that these Columbo themes are as familiar to me now as the themes to Hawaii Five-0, Magnum, PI or Law And Order. The scores for each episode tend to use the closing theme (and variations of it) in a lot of scenes and the music is usually beautiful and evocative.
Next, there are many Columbo episodes with a uniquie visual gimmick at some stage. Some scenes enlist split-screen, freeze-frame or blurred images to help tell the story. Sometimes the visuals incorporate sun-glasses or chess pieces in inventive fashion. In other episodes, the producers play around with the audio. On all fronts the show is creative.
Finally, I always admire the amount of variety the producers/writers work into a very rigid formula. This episode, for instance, features Susan Clark as the killer and we witness her elaborage plan acted out in a long fantasy sequence. We are shown how all the pieces will (hopefully) fall into place and she will get away with her crime. Then, when she actually puts her plan into action, we see how things go wrong for her (in one respect) and she has to scramble like crazy to keep it all on track. It makes for a very exciting first half-hour.
This is one of the best Columbo stories. The criminal is sympathetic. She has been protected by her brother to such an extreme extent that she has basically been bullied into submission and it is fascinating for us to see the transformation that comes over her when he is out of her life. Fascinating for us and (unfortunately for her) very revealing for Lt. Columbo.
The Name Of The Game. Season 1, Episode 1. "Fear Of High Places" The first regular episode of the TV series (based on the movie which had appeared two years earlier) again stars Tony Franciosa as superagressive investigative correspondent Jeff Dillon. When I was a kid I thought Franciosa was the coolest of the cool and watching this it is easy to see why. He owns the screen when he is on it. Particularly when he puts on his biggest smile and asks the hardest of hard questions.
It's a sophisticated and enjoyable movie. The middle half-hour meanders a bit too much to maintain interest, but the opening third is strong and the final thirty minutes are the best. The story starts when Dillon attends a press conference where a high level business tycoon denies that he is about to take over a position of power within the government. Dillon gives him a hard time over this and - afterwards - is approached by a young woman who claims to have had an affair with the tycoon. Dillon has misgivings about running the story, but he agrees to meet with the girl. She later turns up dead, sending Dillon on a investigation that will uncover an elaborate espionage plot.
Franciosa is fantastic, and so is Susan Saint James as his researcher, Peggy Maxwell (the only character to appear in all episodes). She's funny, but the two of them lack the sort of chemistry required to make us believe that there is a sexual tension between them. Something the script wants us to believe. Franciosa's scenes with Gene Barry also lack the sort of comeraderie that the writers wish to convey. Barry seems strangely out of place. But none of that is important. What matters, on this show, is the story.
After all the meandering and the (rather good) action finale, the story comes to a close with a fantastic showdown between Dillon and the tycoon's wife. He could blow the whole story wide open and destroy the man's credibility. Yet, despite his infidelity, his wife pleads for him to be left alone. It's an eloquent debate and Dillon's decision (in the final seconds of the movie) makes for a great ending to a good first episode.
Forty years later Tony Franciosa is still the coolest of the cool.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Episode 14. "He's All Yours" is one of the weaker episodes. Mary has to deal with mild sexual harassment from an inept younger man, who also has a go at Rhoda and then spreads rumours about Mary at their workplace. It's all slightly uncomfortable and lacking in laughs. Lou Grant is great however. First he drops Mary right in it by telling her to take the young man under her wing, but he saves her at the end in very heroic (and typically gruff) fashion. But, all told, not a great episode.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 61. "Ask Jennifer" is a classic. The first half details Herb's unsuccessful attempts to find a DJ for an afternoon advice show. The second half shows what happens when receptionist Jennifer steps in to do the job and is a roaring success. WKRP always gets praise for writing the "pretty blonde" as the smartest one on staff. But I also love the fact that all the other characters awknowledge this and respect her enormously. Male and female alike, everyone admits that Jennifer is the cleverest one in the room. This episode highlights this character trait and - using nothing but her own common sense - she becomes a city-wide hit as she dispenses advive left, right and centre with a witty quip. Loni Anderson has never been better in the role, perfectly capturing Jennifer's joy at at the microphone. And Loni Anderson really comes into her own when it all turns sour. One caller, acting on previous advice, is beaten up by her husband. As she tells her tale, and the camera gently zooms in on Anderson's face, the horror and guilt are perfectly displayed. It's a wonderful performance and a wonderful script.
Rising Damp. Episode 3. "Charisma" contains one of my all-time favourite funny moments. Ever. Phillip has told Rigsby that one sure way to win Miss Jones' heart is to "burn love wood". He then breaks off a piece of the wardrobe and gives it to Rigsby to use. Not knowing what it is the landlord sets it alight and approaches the object of his affections - a clearly bewildered Miss Jones - waving the smoking stick around like a mad-man. It cracks me up every time I see it. Classic comedy. Wonderful.
Highlight? The Name Of The Game.
08:00 Columbo
09:30 McMillan And Wife
11:00 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
11:30 WKRP In Cincinnati
12:00 Rising Damp
Columbo. Episode 6. "Suitable For Framing" From the weakest Columbo ending to the very best. None of the Columbo endings were ever as abrupt or satisfying as this. And, unlike any other episode that I can remember, this one has two rapid twists in the final seconds just before the credits roll. It helps that the bad guy in this one (Ross Martin) is one of the least likable characters ever to grace the show. Who am I kidding? He's a jackass! And a cold-blooded killer, too. And it's so sweet when Columbo brings him down.
This is one of those Columbo episodes were there is no great "moment of clarity" for the great detective and no great tell-tale mistake from the killer, either. It's one of those nice simple cases where - logic dictates - there really is only one suspect from the start. And Columbo just hones in on the guy from the moment he meets him. It's also one of those episodes that - while showing everything that happens on the night of the murder - doesn't let the audience know until near the very end what the killer's full plan is. And it's a great plan. Very clever. And, on first viewing, it really does appear like he's going to get away with it.
Even now, years later, watching it again and having a vivid memory of how it all came together (and that glorious final shot) I was at pains to remember how the pieces of the jigsaw actually fell into place. That's great television. Great storytelling. And it reminds me that Columbo episodes can be watched over and over and always satisfy.
The episode is also noteworthy for a great guest shot from Mary Wickes who plays a woman who annoys Columbo in exactly the same way he annoys his suspects. She has a photo of the killer (Columbo hopes) in a place where he said he never was, but on her way to getting that particular photo she keeps stopping to tell Columbo about all the other photos in her album. Bombarding him with pointless trivia about her life. Brilliant.
McMillan And Wife. Episode 2. "Murder By The Barrel" The ending finds a clumsy way to place Sally in danger and some of the comedy falls flat but, by and large, this is yet another solid episode of McMillan And Wife. John Schuck gets more screen time than in the pilot. Which is fine by me. John Schuck, Rock Hudson and Susan Saint James are three actors with superb comedic timing, so putting together a lot serves to keep the show amusing.
Sally stumbles across a dead body. Which is fine by me, too. That's basically the premise of the series. If Sally isn't accidently in the middle of various murders and crimes then the show doesn't exist. I used to hate it when heroes like Magnum, PI, spent more time helping friends and accidentally finding crimes that actually solving cases they had been hired for, but on some shows you just have to accept how the stories happen. And this is how they happen on McMillan And Wife: Sally is always in the wrong place at the wrong time! And, on this occasion, she finds a body, which then disappears before anyone else can see it. Later on, Sally is attacked, but nobody else sees the attacker. And on it goes.
Most of what happens is very funny and the actually story is pretty good to. One sequence of verbal gymnastic between the three stars falls flat and the ending where Sally is lured to the bad guy is really dumb, but I had a lot of fun watching this.
I confess that I really like this show for the happily married couple in the middle of it. The McMillans have always been a favourite TV couple of mine. They are much more fun than the Harts and they are so evidently in love. In this episode, I was watching Mac to see how much suffering he could take and still be devoted to Sally. Even when her stories seem crazy he never doubts her and he always follows up on her suspicions. And that's one thing I really love about the show, too.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Episode 12. "Anchorman Overboard" Ted loses his nerve and starts to mess up every newscast. It's kinda Mary's fault (in a roundabout way) so Lou decrees that she has to fix it. Classic MTM fare. It uses Mary, Ted, Phyllis and Lou to perfection and generates much laughter by leaving them all together in Mary's appartment for a character-based crisis.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episode 60. "Venus and the Man" A famous episode, where Venus tries to talk a high-school dropout into going back to finish out his education. It should be awful. A sit-com trying to preach about something serious and offering up pointless TV solutions. But, instead, it's very good. It does have a point to make and it makes it very well. There are laughs to be had (particularly from Les, whose one scene is truly superb) but most of it is written (and played) straight. Venus makes some great points. And the kid decides to go back, at least until the end of the year. It's a small victory and Venus reflects in the final scene that the chances of the kid actually staying in school are slim. It's that kind of story-telling that makes WKRP a classic.
Rising Damp. Episode 2. "Black Magic" Phillip is a bit nicer now to Alan, which is how I remember things. They appear to be more of a team now (united against their small-minded landlord) although Alan is still bombarding Phillip with pointless questions. The actual plot revolves around Phillip's 'magic powers' and Eric Chappell generates many laughs from the simple idea that Miss Jones is waiting for a knock on the floor to tell her to come up. It's great.
Highlight? Columbo
10:00 Columbo
11:30 WKRP In Cincinnati
12:30 The Mary Tyler Moore Show
01:00 Rising Damp
Columbo. Episode 5. "Dead Weight" It has one of the worst endings ever in a Columbo episode, but it also has some of the best characters. It's also a complete departure from the usual formula. Eddie Albert shoots someone and the murder is seen by (the lovely) Suzanne Pleshette. Columbo investigates but finds nothing. However the witness is so sure of herself that he keeps looking around, then the murderer starts dating the witness and she starts to doubt her story. It's a great story. And the characters are terrific. I grew up watching Albert in Switch and I just love to see him in anything. He's great here. As a super-confident, very clever cold-blooded killer. He is arrogant to Columbo and charming to the woman he seeks to silence. Pleshette is amazing in her role. Her character arc is a bit daft, but she makes it work. Thanks to her you really care about the character.
Columbo is sidelined in a lot of ways. It's really the story of the two other characters doing their dance of trust and mis-trust. There are some wonderful contrasts between the shabby policeman the she super-smooth bad-guy (who shows up at the woman's home in a tuxedo). The woman's mother has no time at all for Columbo but simply adores the rich, charming other man in her daughter's life. And this observation on social ranking is very much a part of the Columbo appeal.
Unfortunately, the daft make-it-up at the last minute ending is not part of what makes Columbo great. The conclusion makes no sense no matter how you look at it. Yes, the killer is arrogant but why should suppose that his famous war pistol couldn't be stolen while he was lying in hospital recovering from war wounds? And why would the man lie about it being stolen? And why would Columbo be able to figure all this out AND know that it was the murder weapon AND know where it was hidden.
Nonsense. But the ride that got us there was great fun.
WKRP In Cincinnati. Episodes 58 and 59. "Dr. Fever and Mr. Tide" is a strange episode. Some of it is quite serious, as Johnny takes a job as a sleazy television presenter and appears to develop a second personality. The story has a few points to make about selling-out and the state of the music industry in the 70s. And Johnny is really quite unwell for the latter half of the story. And all of that is played quite seriously. Particularly by (the superb) Howard Hesseman, Gary Sandy and Loni Anderson. It's light on laughs. Except when Les is on screen. He's very funny in this episode.
The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Episode 11. "1040 or Fight" doesn't use the regular characters to generate it's storyline, but it's still a terrific episode with a terrific guest star: Paul Sand who dominates the episode as a shy IRS auditor who dates Mary. Sand, and the unusual romance, make for a laugh filled episode. Mary, of course, is adorable. I'm part the generation that grew up watching Mary Richards and are thus pre-programmed to fall in love with her whenever we see an episode. Sigh.
Rising Damp. Episode 1. "Rooksby" is a classic. Considered by many (including me) to be The Best ITV Sit-Com this opening episode is pitch perfect. Phillip isn't quite as nice as I remember, but everyone else is the same. Rigsby is my favourite Leonard Rossiter character and this episode is a positive showcase for his quirks. I love the part where he laughs at Alan's skeleton joke (thus showing that he's not really all that bad) and I love all his scenes with Miss Jones. Underneath the laughs is the quite desperation of lonliness. Which, of course, is part of the genius of this show. All of the characters are unhappy. Particularly Rigsby himself. Not that that detracts from the laughs.
Highlight? Rising Damp
Sat, Apr 19th, 2008
07:00 Dexter
08:00 Battlestar Galactica
09:00 Columbo
11:00 The Office
11:30 Corner Gas
Dexter. Episode 12 bring the first season to an end in superb fashion. Dexter's final battle with the Ice Truck Killer is everything we could have hoped for. A great build-up and a great pay-off. Very emotional and certainly deserving of a twelve episode lead-in. Just as good are all the subtle signs that Dexter's perfect life is (probably) about to come to an end. Some of the signs are not so subtle (Doakes). And what about that final scene? A fantasy sequence in a show which never does them? A crowd cheering Dexter because he's their favourite Serial Killer? Wow. Cool idea. Nice ending, given the emotional battering that poor Dexter had taken.
Battlestar Galactica. Season 4, Episode 3. Gut-wrenching television. A beloved character dies a brutal death. Horrific. I really loved this character and I'm sad to see death claim them. But, unlike what Prison Break did this season, this is a death that makes sense within the show, and feeds perfectly into where the show is going. I don't like it because I adore the character, but - apart from that - I have no problems with it. Having one regular character kill another regular character is always going to be exiting, but having the killer be one of the undercover Cylons makes the viewer wonder about all of them. Are they all capable of this? Are they really cold-blooded killers? Just machines? All of them?
BSG is having a fantastic season. So many scenes are now underscored by what we know (that the characters on-screen don't) and it looks like that is going to continue for a while longer. Can't wait. (But why do they have to kill the characters we love so much?)
Columbo. Episode 4. Some of the killers on Columbo are cold-blooded planners who set out to trap their prey, and some are victims of circumstance, who elicit sympathy from the viewer. The killer in this story is a curious mix. A private investigator who occasionally resorts to blackmail. This time, however, it goes wrong and he kills a woman in a fit of bad temper. At times you do feel sorry for him, but as the story advances (and he gets more smug) that empathy evaporates. Columbo is always the one you root for, anyway. And he is in top form here. His clever use of palm-reading early on, to figure out who the killer is is particularly cheer-worthy. And, in general, there is a strong sense of the underdog going up against the big shot. And it's always a pleasure to see the little guy winning.
The dialogue at the very end (where Columbo explains how to use a potato to stall a car) is one of my favourite pieces of dialogue from the show. Ever. I've had it on audio tape for almost thirty years. I could say it backwards!
The Office. Season 4, Episode 10. Back on form. Michael becomes obsessed with a model in a catalogue (as you do) and Dwight tracks her down. Well, actually, he finds her grave! Genius. This storyline is full of laughs and underscored by sadness: Michael is lonely, and too shallow/blind to bond with a genuinely nice woman who crosses his path. Kevin, meanwhile, got a great storyline where he solved the parking problems for everyone in the office and got a great line of dialogue about how great it felt to win one. Great piece of television that.
Best TV Moment of the Week? Jim teases Pam about proposing.
Corner Gas. Season 4, Episode 14. Another winner. Corner Gas is having a run of classic episodes. Brent and Karen play table hockey in this one. And the whole town becomes obsessed. So much so that Hank televises the games. It's genius. Such a goofy idea. Full of great laughs, too.
Highlight? Battlestar Galactica.
