Columbo Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo (1971–2003) Online

To all those who disregard or disdain every one of the late Columbos, I hate quite a few of them too. In fact, this one plays with the format as well, which is what caused so many of the others to be dreadful. But surprise, surprise, it not only worked this time, it turned into one of the greatest of all episodes, top 5 in my book. For starters, we have the old Columbo, reserved and serious but with a bunch of funny character quirks. None of the speaking like a senile old man, or explaining things like one does to a 3 year old child. The great dialogue is back. The french restaurant scene pitting Columbo against the Matre D' is hilarious and priceless. So is the chili scene with the waitress Gracie. The plot is brilliantly original, realistic (yes, there are psychopaths like that in the real world too). Helen Shaver, always underrated, is superb, grabbing every minute of her unusually long screen time and killing it. Her cat and mouse with Columbo is superb. And Columbo not only gets to do his usual great stuff as a sleuth, but also has to become a prime time actor, and does it splendidly. Finally, Roscoe Lee Browne is splendid as Dr. Steadman, and the scene in which he and Columbo do a dance act to get the necessary info without violating doctor/patient confidentiality is a joy to watch. If all that wasn't enough, the final two scenes are just riveting. Oh, did I mention that I really liked this movie?

This time the movie its main target is Lt. Columbo himself. He's being given a hard time by a lady, who's husband has died in jail after he had been convicted for murder. Of course the person that got him behind bars was Columbo himself. Now how has to watch out for his life and that of his own wife now that the woman is seeking revenge.

Sounds like a real formulaic thriller plot, which it is also is really. But the difference is that this plot is different from just the usual Columbo formula, though the movie still knows to maintain all of the typical Columbo movie ingredients. The movie is also being told slightly differently and is told in a flashback mode. Normally it doesn't work out too well when a Columbo tries out a new approach with its style and story but in this particular case it simply works out well, since it's so well constructed and effective. Even if this script would had been used for any other average non-Columbo affiliated movie it would had been just as good.

Columbo has always used his wife to gain the trust from his main suspects and you could even question if there really is a Mrs. Columbo, also since she is never shown in any of the movies. Yes, I know there is a short lived "Mrs. Columbo" series which focused on the lieutenant's wife solving crimes as a reporter but I doubt that it was the original creators intention that she would ever appear in life form. In this movie his wife plays a central element for the movie its story, (also hence the movie its title) even though she again never even appears in the movie itself.

Helen Shaver plays a great part within the movie. Rarely has a Columbo movie ever concentrated so much on the movie its killer and viewpoint. So it's a real carrying role, which she handles just fine. She is a capable actress who isn't the best known but she has played in some great movie productions throughout her career, though often in much smaller roles. She's also active as a director now days and has directed many episodes of some very successful series.

The movie is interesting because it differs with its main concept so much from any other Columbo movie and it is also great since it actually works out and has a solid script, that is nicely constructed and being told within the movie.

8/10

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Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo is not one of my favourites of the brilliant Columbo series, but I still find it a very good episode. While it does drag in the middle, it is one of the more fascinating later Columbos, having an intriguing flashback-driven story, clever dialogue that is both amusing and tense and some great scenes especially the restaurant scene and the ending. Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo looks beautiful too, with some atmospheric scoring, slick editing and crisp direction. Peter Falk perhaps has given better performances of the series, but he is still gleefully enjoyable, and Helen Shaver is excellent in her meaty and quite unhinged role. Support roles are taken by Ian McShane and Roscoe Lee Brown and both are among the more interesting support performances of the later episodes.

In conclusion, fascinating. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Wow! After watching this a couple of times, it didn't stand out as particularly special, but somehow on the third viewing all the quality of this simply superb episode was revealed to me. I've just watched it for a fourth time and it just gets better. It's an incredibly rich, exquisitely textured episode, full of great dialogue and an intriguing storyline.

Columbo himself is in top form, Peter Falk at the top of his game. I can see why one poster said Columbo's mock-grieving wasn't very realistic, but I think that was almost intentional, his way of gently taking the pee out of the murderess. Knowing full well that she is insane, Columbo deliberately has some fun with the whole scenario! Plus, Columbo isn't an actor. So Peter Falk is doing a good acting job in portraying a cop trying his hand at acting.

I love the little things in this episode, such as the saga of the abysmal chili cooked by Heinrich, not the previous chef with "one blue eye, one brown eye"! One wonders if this is a sly piece of self-deprecating wit regarding Falk's own distinctive eyes...

I also love the golf course scenes with the excellent Ian McShane. They remind me of the scenes with Robert Culp in "Double Exposure": Columbo bumbling around on a stuffy golf course, totally disrupting the game and embarrassing the man he's interrogating.

The climax of the movie, where Columbo gets his confession before admitting the whole funeral for Mrs Columbo was a fake, is a classic Columbo ending.

This is yet another modern episode just as good as the 70s ones. Maybe one reason why many people don't rate the modern ones as much is that they are less immediately gripping, they take a few viewings to really appreciate them. But I wholeheartedly recommend watching "Rest In Peace Mrs Columbo" over and over...you won't get bored of it and you'll catch something new in each viewing.

This episode is one of the best 'new' Columbo-episodes. With perfect flashbacks the viewer sees how a insane woman is manipulating Columbo and trying to kill Mrs. Columbo and Columbo himself. The whole episode has an very sad atmosphere (especially the scenes of the funeral) but has also an happy end :) The Columbofans also learns a lot about the habits of Mrs. Columbo and that is also a nice thing. One of the best 1989's Columbo's. You must see it !!!

as Columbo's nemesis. She portrays a realtor in Beverly Hills, and there are the usual amusing scenes with Columbo visiting her at work, ogling the mansions, asking what prices they go for. This Columbo episode as well as the older one with Janet Leigh ("The Forgotten Lady") are quite interesting as you see some of the old L.A. architecture, mansions and so forth.

Roscoe Lee Brown portrays Shaver's psychiatrist. As Columbo is asking him questions as to why someone would commit murder, he says; ..."sometimes it is revenge; I have been wronged, so now am entitled to do wrong"... Describing the thought patterns of a murderer.

I will not give away the ending. Suffice it to say, you will enjoy this episode. 9/10

Helen Shaver plays a somewhat "unhinged" realtor who plots the end for Lt. Columbo because she holds him responsible for her convicted husband's death in prison. She devises an elaborate plan to not only eliminate the detective but his wife and her husband's former business partner, a man who "ratted" on her husband, which led to the husband's arrest and eventual incarceration. Shaver does a good job of balancing "normalcy" with an occasional "twinge", hinting at her mental state. As always, Peter Falk portrays the fashioned-challenged detective with his usual flair.

A nice touch is the use of flashbacks from Columbo and the principal guest stars.

One of the highlights is in the casting of Ian McShane as Shaver's romantic interest and the late Roscoe Lee Browne as her psychiatrist. Both actors possess two of the most distinctively mellifluous voices in the business and it's just a treasure to hear them enunciate. It would have been an audible treat if the two had shared a scene or two together.

Another "bonus" is Richard Markowitz'a excellent score, ranking it as one of the best in the history of the series.

This episode is one from the later series. It does not have anyone in it particularly famous as in the early 1970's series and the story, bending the format established from those early episodes is a bit contrived playing as it does on the character of the unseen Mrs Columbo. The Mrs Columbo bit does not appear until well into the story which drags a bit then picks up again finishing with a very good entrapment plot device. The best part of this episode for me is the food theme that seems to run through it. First of all the villain has dinner with her married boyfriend. Columbo is then seen, as in quite a few episodes, with a carton of coffee surveying the murder scene.He goes and has a bowl of chilli which he does not like and then stops off for a lolly ice. He calls on the villain who is having breakfast of coffee, English Muffins and Marmalade which Columbo declines. He contacts a psychiatrist, who treated the villain, in a restaurant while having dinner with a glass of wine, while offering Columbo the menu and orders something plain but which arrives very fancy and Columbo asks for a doggie bag. After the "funeral" he takes the villain home to what is supposed to be his place and cooks breakfast and eats it. This consists of a fried egg previously made coffee and ...you guessed it! NO... toast and marmalade Not a bad episode but the food was fun!

What a wonderful surprise this episode that I did not know at all. But the last Columbo series season has not been very widely shown in France, unlike the previous ones. And this episode proves that this season is absolutely not the worst of all, on the contrary. The evil woman, the female killer is exquisite, and played by this unknown gal, but so gorgeous. And I also appreciate all those surprising elements, such as this one emphasizing on Columbo's wife as the next murderer's victim, or the breakfast sequence, whilst Columbo invites the murderess at his "supposed" home. And the final scene when she slapped him...

Columbo will always remain for me one of the best TV series ever, and which never gets old.

As the newer entries of Columbo movies go, this one surprised me because it was quite good. The flashbacks are an interesting twist. The charming but unhinged female villain is convincing. I am also glad they dropped the cheesy music and kept things a bit more realistic. The ending has a nice twist. This is really a bit unusual for a Columbo movie because Columbo and his wife are the intended victims. The feel of this film is closer to vintage Columbo than some of the other newer movies. I notice quite a difference from the '89 series versus the '90s series. I feel they were tweaking things and getting back to the original formula with better results. Best moment : Columbo fixes breakfast at the end.

This Columbo story departs from the usual format in that Columbo is always the outsider digging for facts to solve a murder. The perpetrators are always apart and are never a threat to Columbo personally.

But Helen Shaver is a different kettle of fish. She shoots Edward Winter who ratted out her late husband and Columbo is also in her sights as he was the investigating officer. Her husband convicted of fraud died in prison and Shaver spent some time in a mental health facility.

So while in a remarkable coincidence is the investigating detective on Winter's homicide she's getting close to him with murder on her mind. And if not him her target could be Mrs. Columbo.

So Peter Falk is playing quite a cat and mouse game with Shaver and both are seeing themselves as the cat.

A real good scene is Falk with psychiatrist Roscoe Lee Browne who treated Shaver. With doctor/patient privilege applying and Browne trying to enjoy his gourmet meal he does convey to Columbo the danger he and the wife could be in.

Shaver is one dangerous woman not to be missed.

REST IN PEACE, MRS. COLUMBO is an atypical episode in the COLUMBO series and a not entirely successful one. Like UNDERCOVER and NO TIME TO DIE, it seeks to break the established format of the show - the format that made it so successful in the first place. The idea's a novel one, I'll give them that, but the execution here is only so-so.

What I did like was the idea of having the guest villain nursing a personal grievance against our detective hero. Helen Shaver isn't one of the series greats, but she does strive to embody her conniving character with depth and realism, so you have to give her that. The episode is also notable for featuring a couple of top character actors in support, namely Ian McShane and Roscoe Lee Browne. It's a pity they're both so underutilised.

What I did love was the way that the villain in this story makes it personal, but that's only in the last half an hour or so and the pacing is a little off before then. The middle section does feel dragged out. However, the Columbo's-family-in-peril stuff is great, and the last ten minutes in particular really picks things up for some exhilarating viewing. The bad thing about this is the structure, particularly the opening sequence with that confusing funeral which is returned to throughout the episode. It means that the story has to be segmented and told in flashback, which is just ridiculous (and why McShane would be at the funeral is anybody's guess). A more linear narrative and this might have been one of the most memorable episodes of the entire series.

I commented under Columbo Cries Wolf that I didn't like the way they made Columbo look like a fool for the most part, yet I understood why they tried to tweak the formula Here they tweak the formula properly by making it personal for Columbo. I wish they did that more often, maybe by killing a friend of Columbo, or something.

Is it predictable? Yeah, but almost every Columbo is predictable. He's going to catch his crook and we want to see how he does it. I think by the middle, people could figure out it was a fake funeral. Really killing off Mrs Columbo would completely change the character. They were never going to do it.

Peter Falk won the Emmy that year for Best Actor in a Drama Series which was amazing to me because everybody knew the deal with Columbo so there was nothing groundbreaking about it. But even though he won it for the previous episode with Patrick McGoohan, I think he won it for this. A new spin to the classic character

Vivian Dimitri is a successful estate agent whose personal life is tinged with sadness as her husband died in prison. Secretly she does not blame him for his crimes but blames the others for getting him caught – including her boss Charlie Chambers (who she believes informed on him) and one Lt Columbo (who put him away). She plots revenge and enacts it by shooting Charlie and using an affair with the married Leland St John to help establish as good an alibi as possible. Her revenge on Columbo will also involve his death but first she decides to kill his wife and allow him to feel the loss of a loved one for a while before she kills him. As she watches Columbo at his wife's funeral, Vivian contemplates the genius of her plan that started with the murder of Charlie.

By opening with the funeral of Mrs Columbo and with Vivian's revenge half delivered this film offered a move away from the usual Columbo formula – which as we have seen is rarely a good thing with this series. Flashing back to Vivian's first murder we actually follow pretty closely to the usual formula by having Columbo investigating this crime but the usual cat and mouse between him and Vivian had greater potential because we know her end-game involves Columbo, she is not just trying to evade him. In theory that should make this better but the hook doesn't really come through in reality and the story is rolled out in the normal way. In this regard it is still OK and will probably please those who like the formula but it is not as good as it could have been and, in terms of the formula this is only a so-so entry in the series.

The acting is part of the reason for this because nobody is really any good. In the flashbacks Falk is his usual self but in the later scenes he is a terrible grieving man; here was his chance to really push the character he wears like a second skin but he doesn't take it. His chemistry isn't there with Shaver either but that is more to do with her lacklustre performance. The plot has her character as scheming, disturbed and driven by hatred to the point of murderous revenge however none of these come through where really she should have kept it just under the surface but expose it here and there, but she doesn't do anything of the sort. Support is equally so-so with turns from Ian McShane, Edward Winter and a small role for Roscoe Lee Browne.

Overall this is an OK entry in the Columbo series that is a nice try at something new without moving too far from the formula however it doesn't use the new ground that well. The plot isn't that good but will do enough for formula fans but it is hard to ignore the fact that the potential of the new is mostly missed. Interesting enough for fans but not good enough to stand up with the classic films from the seventies.

I'm a massive Columbo fan, but the later episodes were somewhat hit and miss. This was one of the better ones, if not the best. It gets personal for Columbo when Mrs Dimitri - still grieving for her dead husband who Columbo arrested and put behind bars years ago - seeks revenge. I think from the title we know who she sets out to kill. But will Columbo see through her plan? Of course he will. Will we get to see Mrs Columbo? Of course not! Hugely enjoyable 7 out of ten

Fun to watch, with good acting all around and Falk at his bumbling, annoying-yet-endearing best. But the ending was more than I could swallow (no pun intended, if you've seen the episode). Columbo stages a fake burial, supposedly with the assistance of some fellow officers, but apparently also with the connivance of a priest (unless it was a cop in disguise) and a local cemetery, replete with a coffin and flowers. Even assuming he could've pulled that off, he would have no way of knowing if the suspect would take the bait and show up. It could've all been for naught. The ending could've been much simpler, more plausible, and IMO more effective, for that very reason. It seems like another later episode in which the writers tried too hard to come up with something different.

After seeing this episode, i felt surprised and delighted at the same time. My reaction was quickly followed by this idea: i wished i had an old black and white television properly rigged for viewing the episode again but this time with no colors. But why? Because this episode is reminiscent of many classic film noir movies from the 40's. It is that good, despite its flaws. Unlike Columbo, I have seen many police mysteries that were so bad, they looked like the adventures of a police detective shopping in a Cosco on a Sunday afternoon. Many of them feel pre-fabricated, glazed over with slick, unlikely characters and no vision for mood, meaningful lighting or genuine dialogue. Columbo is one of the very few series that succeeded in creating a multi faceted character that we slowly connected with during the long journey this series puts us (the viewers) through while giving us a nice feeling that we are respected as viewers. This episode should be included in many categories, including Film Noir. Many film noir elements are present: narrators taking us through the plot, flashbacks, an undertone of sadness ans despair pushing the plot through, close ups, the "dame" crying and full of hatred and revenge, the "dame's" red dress and scarf, the funeral scene that is quite dark, wet and dreary..... I bet there was a much more visionary approach in this episode's script and directing... i almost suspect the film noir feel of this great episode was maybe a salute to the great crime movie of an era gone by and a hint for us fans to put Columbo's legacy on the same shelf as movies with Tierney, Bogart and all the others. And the last scene, as surprising as the reveal is, Shaver's teary reaction and slap are just the elements needed to make the ending perfect.

Another twist on the usual Columbo process. By flashbacks from several attendants at the funeral of Mrs. Columbo (we even get a peek at the real Mrs. C. on a photo near the end), we get deeper into the case of a woman scorned. She is supposed to be certifiably insane, but Helen Shaver does a delightful job of keeping her sympathetic and warm for a long time (even if we do know...).

Maybe the flashback structure doesn't work perfectly all the time (Dede Perkins' part in all this is rather small for instance), but it's fun to watch it all unfold. Columbo has a quite few clever tricks up his sleeve, and his acting here proves once again that the man is like a good wine; aging becomes him. And there's quite a few nice supporting roles here as well (for instance, Ian McShane and Roscoe Lee Browne).

A good 8 out of 10.

Mind you, I didn't believe for a minute that they'd actually let Mrs. C get killed off, but the writers did a good job letting you sort out how Columbo sets up that cemetery scene. Helen Shaver is very good as the vengeful widow, who unlike so many women of a certain age in the 90s seemed a bit absurd when trying the come-hither thing on Peter Falk. This time it works. I always love it when Columbo gets to say a line like "this isn't even my house." Game, set match! There were a few botched experiments with this franchise when writers tried veering too far off the main formula. Here's a case where the experiment was a success.

The raving reviews for this episode make me feel as though I didn't watch the same episode. I'll give it 6/10 for Peter Falk's sake and the brilliant scene at the posh restaurant where Columbo orders a sandwich. Other than that (& and after watching episodes of this series multiple times for over 35 years now) I think this is the worst episode ever. So much song and dance has to come from the final act that the build up to it is one long yawn. The Helen Shaver role is ridiculous in the obscene. The one and only episode that almost made me fall asleep 4 times. This material needed a much better crook. I need a strong dose of Robert Culp episodes now.

One area I found confusing. Lt Columbo is getting frustrated with the Psychiatrist (Roscoe Lee Browne) who keeps saying "Confidentiality" and will not answer any questions. When a person is a danger to themselves or to others? Confidentiality goes out the window. It no longer applies. And this woman has already murdered one person. Hurting yourself or others. No confidentiality. There is actually a third exception that does not apply here. If you are a minor and admit to be sexually abused? The authorities must be contacted. Lt Columbo gets around this by talking "hypothetically" about a fake case. However,. the scene appeared to forced. It could have been written differently. And according to the Law.

PLOT: A successful realtor (Helen Shaver) seeks vengeance on the two men who put her beloved husband behind bars, where he eventually died. After taking care of one man, she focuses on Columbo's wife and the detective himself.

COMMENTARY: Shaver is fairly charismatic as the almost-40 murderess with a mad gleam in her eye. The funeral for Mrs. Columbo is a fresh angle, albeit highly unbelievable. If nothing else, it was nice to finally see a picture of the oft-mentioned "Missus." The installment is a little overrated in some circles, but still okay with a couple of highlights (e.g. the chili scene with waitress Gracie and the French restaurant sequence which pits Columbo against a Maître D').

GRADE: B-

I can remember when this episode was about to air, the promos for the show kind of had me shocked. Columbo's unseen yet beloved wife being killed off? Outrageous! Still, I watched it, and to my surprise I found it to be a pretty good entry. It does make some changes to the basic formula made in the older episodes, but the changes add some freshness while still allowing some of the basic (and welcome) elements we expect from the show. The ending is somewhat telegraphed long before it happens, even if you are not paying very close attention to what happened beforehand, but it proves to be very satisfying all the same (Columbo's telephone call at the very end is touching.)

However, the episode proves to have a nagging detail. Towards the end of the episode, Columbo says that he and his wife never had children. But in earlier episodes of the show, he said at least once that he and his wife had at least two children. Did Columbo lie as a part of his investigation? Or did the writers seriously screw up? It's never explained. But if you can look over that unanswered question, the episode remains a solid entry in the series.

The good news is that Columbo is such a good and talented detective that he can figure out in a short time who the killer is. The bad news is that we have seen him so many times leading his suspects into an entrapment that by the second half of the movie we can predict how he is going to solve his case. The conversation he had with the therapist practically gives it away.

Helen Shaver's performance is great as a mentally disturbed widow. But Peter Falk was not convincing as a "devastated" widower.

Overall, it is a better than average Columbo.

The feeling that something within this episode touches a nerve has proved to be persistent. Through years of time, multiple conclusions have been drawn with respect to the reasoning of that which makes "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" so special to me. Consider the 69 episodes which sit in the "Columbo bank" and then visualize making a "withdrawal" of each and every one in which the killer's spouse is the killer's victim. With the undeniable note that we would be taking away such classics as the two pilot episodes, let us focus on that which we would have remaining in that "bank". We must concede that hardly any of those stories make much reference to the villain having a loved one. Occasionally we encounter minor characters such as the daughters of Luis Montoya in "A Matter of Honor" and The Great Santini in "Now You See Him". Bart Kepple's wife is never seen although mentioned in "Double Exposure"--and in "Agenda For Murder", the very preceding episode of that which highlights this post, the wife of Oscar Finch is hardly a factor at all. Then, along comes "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo"--a treasure which greatly appears to break the aforementioned trend in a most intriguing way. Never before had a "Columbo" story seriously focused on the grief and thirst for revenge of a loved one after our Lieutenant sees to it that the villain is arrested. For example, the anger and shock of Janice Benedict during the conclusion of "Etude in Black" is toward her villainous husband for committing betrayal and then resorting to murder in order to cover it up. We do not see enough of Montoya's daughter in "A Matter of Honor" to formulate a reasonable opinion as to whether or not she resents Columbo, and it is obvious that Elizabeth Van Wyck is far too stunned by the unmasking of her own mother's killer in "Playback" to formulate much distaste for the cop who made the arrest. "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" strongly comes across as quite different. In focusing on the sinister intentions of a widow whose deep grief for her husband and the unfortunate circumstances which led to his demise lead to committing murder and planning another killing, a very tantalizing hint is planted--a strong implication that we are going to see such above-mentioned barriers very forcefully broken through. It not only focuses on the loved one of a killer arrested by our hero. The script also heavily implies that the murder of Columbo's wife--a consistently-referenced and beloved woman whom we have cherished yet never seen--is going to be the ultimate highlight and the reason for which this main character finally breaks out of his shell. Throughout our lives we have formulated thoughts and/or fantasized about ideas such as "What if Wile E. Coyote caught the Roadrunner?" or "What if Lucy ever allowed Charlie Brown to kick that football?" And during a first viewing of "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo", we are teased with that which is perhaps among the greatest fantasies within imagination--the very cagey yet clever Lieutenant Columbo losing his never-seen wife in such a villainous way after many years of adoring this invisible conversation piece. As sincere "Columbo" fans, our pleasures do not end with observing complex murder plots, comical quirks, and clever endings. We are further intrigued by that which is referenced yet not seen: traits of the brother-in-law, a military history, and--most especially--the wife. The concept of Mrs. Columbo actually being murdered is so fascinating--such an unexpected change in a pattern which has remained consistent--that it is my strong belief that we actually want this news to be true as the episode progresses. This proves to be an intense contradiction because throughout its course--especially during the build-up to its climax--we are given hints which clearly imply that this heavily-advertised death is a fake. It is my belief that above-mentioned fantasy-related thoughts result in a strong element of disappointment upon learning that Mrs. Columbo is actually still alive. Even though we wish nothing but the best for our favorite TV detective, our yearns to see his emotional, expressive, and revenge-driven sides at least temporarily make us regret that his wife did not die. On the other hand, the breakthrough from fantasy back to reality within the final lines of the episode proves to be joyfully triumphant. Despite the so-called disappointing realization that "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" does not involve the death of our Lieutenant's wife, we find ourselves emotionally charged and ready to celebrate. Columbo has nabbed a nasty cold-blooded killer--one whose icy intentions leave those of many sinister villains from preceding episodes far away in the dust. And he appropriately tops it off with a now-even-more-than-before-treasured conversation with that virtually immortal wife. I will always treasure the intrigue, thought-provocation, and sense of heroics gained from repeated viewings of this episode during a significant number of years. Although I will never again experience the intensity of watching it for the first time, the depth of the surrounding thoughts shall never be forgotten. Peter Falk deservedly won another Emmy for his portrayal of Columbo during this very season. Additionally, the script of "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" was among the best of the entire series--out-doing even most of those which are referred to as the "original 45". I very respectfully envy Helen Shaver for taking a challenging role (and one which must be a lot of fun for an actress to portray) and taking it yet much higher. She is as deserving of praise as any actor or actress who ever suited up as a "Columbo" villain. Lastly, many thanks to ABC for allowing this masterpiece to air. It is a classic which succeeds in becoming much more treasured with the passing of time.