Étude in Black

A weak episode of Columbo, with John Cassavetes going a little over the top as a conductor who kills his piano playing mistress. It's comical if you have ever been to a symphonic concert to watch Cassavetes "conducting" the orchestra. It still makes me laugh after all these years.

This is a weak start to season 2. The setup dragged on, the fake musicians were distracting, and the conclusion was weak due to the series obsession with getting a confession. The compounding evidence was strong, but the killer confessing over the flower was so forced. Also Columbo went a bit extra with the harassment this episode.

Had higher expectations but with an episode starring Cassavetes but turned out one of the weaker ones.

The usual draws of a Columbo did not work here - the reveal was too obvious from the beginning. But the dialogue by Cassavetes was sparkling and Blythe Danner did her usual talk with the eyes. Conducting the orchestra to do a score for a Hitler documentary you would be left wondering if he was actually doing a Hitler impersonation. Aside from conducting superb acting.

Sloppy by their usual (high) standards and the conducting scenes were badly done but Falk was on form as ever.

Goodbye, genius.

Poorly directed, as it gives away far too much in the beginning, so you know how Columbo's going to solve it. It's still fairly enjoyable watching it play out though, as usual.

Peter Falk had starred in the John Cassavetes-directed "Husbands" and would later star in his masterpiece "A Woman Under the Influence" and in his "Big Trouble", and here Cassavetes "pays him back" by guest-starring in Columbo. Disappointingly, it's not a very good episode. Columbo ends up with what seems like inconclusive evidence, and at one point, he knowingly and in broad daylight presents a child witness to the murder suspect - a definite no-no.