This one's a bit more interesting and involving than the typical BARNABY JONES episode of this period, with lots of moving parts: a suicidal woman, Barnaby coping with the guilt of a rare mistake made several years earlier, scarily competent and effective villains, and a shocking murder at the end of part 1 of this two-part story. If you spent any time watching these Quinn-Martin detective shows either now or back in the day, you are well aware that the heroes NEVER flubbed things as badly as Barnaby seems to have done here, so this story is quite a departure from the established formula. I liked the way the plot is carefully spooled out, with not only the motivations of the bad guys still murky at the end of the episode, but also the viewer isn't quite sure what exactly happened during the crime in question 11 years prior. Add to that the little glimpse that is given of the REALLY bad bad dude's marriage, showing it to be affectionate and loving, which also leaves the viewer wondering if the wife is in on it or not, and you have a many-layered thing. This episode is so jam-packed with guest-stars that the standard opening credits procedure of listing two or three actors and then giving an arbitrary "special guest-star" designation is abandoned, and all the players are listed alphabetically.
And yet for all that there is to recommend about this episode, I still found it to be lacking in the "oomph" dept.; the proceedings have a kind of listless quality to them, the story doesn't "crackle" the way it should, and I have to lay the blame for that at the feet of the serviceable-but-staid direction, and also, unfortunately, with Mr. Ebsen himself. He never really convinces us of the turmoil he should be feeling, and his line readings are pretty flat. I hate to say it but all of that is pretty par for the course by season 6; Buddy Ebsen was almost 70 when this episode hit the airwaves and perhaps his age was finally catching up with him. I think it was a wise decision that starting with this season and going forward, the heavy-lifting for the plots began to be split between the three series regulars, giving B. E. a lighter work load.
One hilarious contrivance that demands to be pointed out: When Barnaby is talking on the phone with the suicidal woman, he hears an ice cream truck in the background, playing "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"; he tells his assistants to get on the phone and call all the ice cream truck companies and ask them if any of their trucks play that song, and if so, find out what their routes are, so as to help pinpoint the location of the suicidal woman; the information is achieved in minutes!
Can you imagine how long that would have taken in real life? In a city of the size of Los Angeles--if the lady was even IN Los Angeles? Especially before the days of the internet? First you have to hope that the relevant business is listed in the Yellow Pages; then you have to hope that they answer the phone; then you have to hope that the person who answers knows anything..."Do any of your trucks play 'Mulberry Bush'?" "Uh, I don't know...I just answer the phone..." "Can I talk to somebody who WOULD know?" "Uh...let me see if Carl is still around...I'll be right back..." (ten minutes later:) "Uh, Carl is gone for the day, can I have him call you back?" And then multiply that conversation by 10 or 15 or whatever. Lol.