Columbo: Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo

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 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 !!!

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'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

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.