Schleichendes Gift

As incredible and implausible as it is I still like this one because it kept me entertained. John Reed makes a great villain.

It is not unusual that fate plays a big role in making Columbo's job easier. As an example, who would normally leave the parking stub on the windshield? Besides, wouldn't it be turned in at the garage gate? Of course, this is Hollywood where many unusual things happen everyday. So, never mind that "little detail." I certainly enjoyed this episode and I'm ready to watch it again.

This was the recycling of an old Macmillan episode that starred Stefanie Powers - notice I said Macmillan and not Macmillan and Wife. It was after Susan St. James left.

That's the only reason I was disappointed in this episode - I'd seen it! It was "Affair of the Heart" on Macmillan. Strangely, Peter Falk himself did not realize that this episode had been previously done until I told him during an interview and sent him the Macmillan tape. Apparently, it was written by Steven Bochco, who also wrote for Columbo, and it was used again.

I enjoyed the Columbo episode more. The package was somewhat classier, including James Read, Paul Burke, and Jo Anderson. It also included a fun poker game that included Nancy Walker and Dick Sargent.

This is one of the better second generation Columbos. The murder is ingenious and the murderer is more intelligent than many others in the later Colombos. He doesn't make any careless mistakes and if not for his arrogance in thinking he couldn't be caught, probably would have gotten away with it. James Read plays a charming and sophisticated villain. It's a pleasure to watch him spar with Colombo and to see his mounting irritation as Columbo keeps turning up as the proverbial bad penny ("uh, just one more thing, sir..."). The cameos by the murderer's poker buddies are a nice treat. Columbo's solution is equally fun and ingenious.

Uneasy Lies the Crown is certainly not a bad episode, in fact I thought it was quite good, just not great like a lot of Columbo episodes. It is a little far-fetched and implausible in the plot at first, luckily the clues are deft and the tone of the episode becomes grittier and diverting by the final act. James Read certainly looks the part, tall, handsome and sophisticated, and he works very well with Falk in their sparring, however there were other times in this episode especially at the start where his performance felt underplayed and bland. There are some bright spots in the supporting cast, but the general standard was inconsistent ranging from inconsistent to bland and annoying. Uneasy Lies the Crown is still a well made episode with a strong score, often clever writing like in the cat-and-mouse scenes between Falk and Read and Peter Falk is just wonderful as always as Columbo, though I do think he has given better performances in the series. Overall, decent if lacking the extra something that the best episodes of the series had. 7/10 Bethany Cox

All in all, this was an enjoyable and clever episode. The villain is good looking but rather bland. His interaction with Columbo is nothing exciting. But where the episode excels is in Columbo's sleuthing. This episode reminds me a lot more of the vintage episodes. It follows the classic formula, no cheesy music and straight forward story telling. The newer movies only veer off when they try to be too cute or trendy. That's usually where the bad music comes in. My only complaint here is my usual gripe : choice of villain. They could have really used a more dynamic actor. The vintage episode usually had the best guest stars. The newer movies, with a couple of exceptions, used lesser known (and lesser talented, IMO) actors. Best moment : the tricky ending and Columbo's stained laundry.