Columbo: Butterfly in Shades of Grey

Shatner's character's mustache changes shape and color throughout the show.

William Shatner makes his second appearance, here playing a radio talk show host/commentator named Fielding Chase who is very possessive of his adopted daughter Victoria(played by returning actress Molly Hagen) and resentful of his investigative researcher Gerry Winters(played by Jack Laufer) who encourages Victoria to leave her father so that she can hand over a novel she wrote to a publishing friend of his(played by Richard Kline). In order to stop this, Fielding kills Gerry while establishing a clever alibi for himself, but Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) finds a big hole in his story that may force Chase off the air... Old fashioned(in some ways!) episode is entertaining and clever, with Shatner giving a good performance as the alternately sympathetic yet despicable character with complex moral shades indeed.

This is certainly not a bad episode, but it is not a great one either. It is strikingly filmed as the Columbo episodes often are, the music is good, the script is decent enough as is the direction and story, while Peter Falk is excellent and Molly Hagen is wonderful. However, the pacing is rather sluggish, and the murderer's motive is quite weak. Also I just didn't buy William Shatner in his role, he tries hard but he is too over-the-top and forced and his moustache was falling off in some scenes.

Overall, it is certainly worth watching but it wasn't brilliant. 6/10 Bethany Cox

William Shatner and Molly Hagan are reunited with Peter Falk for a second Columbo mystery, which is rather entertaining. Radio presenter Fielding Chase is very controlling of his adopted daughter Victoria (who is in the midst of writing a novel) thus killing her close friend Gerry Winters, who simply wanted her to branch out and lead her own life away from Chase. Actress Hagan is great as Victoria, a naive young woman who wants nothing but to please her murderous father. Shatner on the other hand has given better performances in his long career, and seems confused and over the top.

Peter Falk can portray the legendary Lt. with his eyes shut, and he simply (as always) brightens up the whole scenario. Funny gaffes include our Lt being mistaken for a homeless person, and mostly his beat up old (but also lovable) car continually backfiring! The case comes to a satisfying conclusion featuring many cunning tricks from our Lt....As usual Columbo outwits the murderer!

Butterfly In Shades of Grey is another enjoyable Columbo mystery and it's one I've seen many times, but there are stronger films in the Columbo franchise that eclipse this good but slightly weak 1993 edition. It's definitely not the best in the series. 7/10

BUTTERFLY IN SHADES OF GREY makes the return of William Shatner to the COLUMBO TV series after he first appeared in it in the 1970s. Shatner is one of my favourite cult stars - I find him an actor it's impossible to not enjoy - and he certainly lifts the material in what is otherwise a well-paced but fairly predictable Columbo storyline.

Shatner plays a brash radio talk show host with a fixation on his adopted daughter. When another man tries to break her away from him, he's driven to extreme means in order to dispose of the threat. The murder itself is quite straightforward here, relying on an unusual telephone-related alibi for the most part, and the resolution is fairly average.

What lifts it is a typically assured performance from Peter Falk as the titular detective. Falk enjoys a handful of comedic moments in this one; they're quite familiar and have played out before, but there's plenty of mileage in them nonetheless. He also shares plenty of scenes with Shatner, and both actors are really enjoying themselves. You can't help but do so as well.