I cannot praise this episode enough. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole structure and the mixture of facts we saw and those we didn't.
Usually, in A Columbo episode you have murder. There is the occasional second murder when one of the killers friends or relatives has some sort of evidence in their hand, or the killer just wants to get rid of any unnecessary problems. But here we have three murders and oh boy do things get complicated.
As any other gambling addict Harold has money issues. He's seriously in debt and the loan sharks are getting very angry. What does he do? He of course goes to ask for money from his uncle, the famous Big Fred. The response is expected: rejection. Dolores, his secret lover and Big Fred's wife is next. The woman, however, has some dirty secrets only Harold knows. She wants to put his husband away and she accomplishes it. Things get complicated, though, as Harold also wants to kill his uncle.
Now comes the fun part. Harold rigs a bomb under his uncle's car but the victim is the gardener. Poor guy just tried to move the car. This is probably the only murder that wasn't on purpose as we can see Harold clearly saddened.
Now we have two murders and finally Columbo gets involved and on the case. The Lt. is back to his usual self, brilliant and conical. There are so many funny scenes in this episode, there's just no time for you to get bored.
Finally, after a while Harold tries to get money from Dolores once more, but, after she rejects him, he turns angry and threatens to spill the beans. Afraid she might get into trouble, Dolores kills Harold. But the murder is so bad, she leaves so much evidence for Columbo to just come in and solve the final case easily.
The ending is really masterful as well. When Dolores asks the Lt. for a motive, he gives her one. Then she obviously asks for more evidence to prove the murder. But Columbo's response is brilliant. One is enough. Yes it is! Perfect! Better then some of the 70's best episodes!
Usually, in A Columbo episode you have murder. There is the occasional second murder when one of the killers friends or relatives has some sort of evidence in their hand, or the killer just wants to get rid of any unnecessary problems. But here we have three murders and oh boy do things get complicated.
As any other gambling addict Harold has money issues. He's seriously in debt and the loan sharks are getting very angry. What does he do? He of course goes to ask for money from his uncle, the famous Big Fred. The response is expected: rejection. Dolores, his secret lover and Big Fred's wife is next. The woman, however, has some dirty secrets only Harold knows. She wants to put his husband away and she accomplishes it. Things get complicated, though, as Harold also wants to kill his uncle.
Now comes the fun part. Harold rigs a bomb under his uncle's car but the victim is the gardener. Poor guy just tried to move the car. This is probably the only murder that wasn't on purpose as we can see Harold clearly saddened.
Now we have two murders and finally Columbo gets involved and on the case. The Lt. is back to his usual self, brilliant and conical. There are so many funny scenes in this episode, there's just no time for you to get bored.
Finally, after a while Harold tries to get money from Dolores once more, but, after she rejects him, he turns angry and threatens to spill the beans. Afraid she might get into trouble, Dolores kills Harold. But the murder is so bad, she leaves so much evidence for Columbo to just come in and solve the final case easily.
The ending is really masterful as well. When Dolores asks the Lt. for a motive, he gives her one. Then she obviously asks for more evidence to prove the murder. But Columbo's response is brilliant. One is enough. Yes it is! Perfect! Better then some of the 70's best episodes!