Day 234: Columbo, Identity Crisis

Show: Columbo

Episode Particulars: S5EP3, “Identity Crisis”, original airdate November 2^nd, 1975.

 Summary: CIA operative Nelson Brenner (Patrick McGoohan) meets up with fellow agent Geronimo (Leslie Nielsen) to get Geronimo’s help with an assignment. Despite suspecting Brenner of being a double agent and taking some funds that didn’t belong to him, Geronimo goes along with the plan. After a successful meeting with the contact (Otis Young), Geronimo is ambushed by Brenner and killed, before his body is arranged to make it look like he was mugged. When Columbo starts investigating, he learns very quickly that things aren’t as simple as they appear, but for once, he’s not aware of just how complex the situation is. Neither is the audience, for that matter.

Standalone Thoughts: I really liked this episode. Though part of this may be the fact that I’m a fan of the spy genre, and this episode is full of the tropes I like. Sneaking around, code names and phrases, subtle innuendos, even a brief scene where Brenner and Geronimo prove that they’re crack shots…the first fifteen or so minutes alone had my attention. But then it gets even better, with Columbo being smart enough to find information in a roundabout way via photographs, and a few more spy twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting. Furthermore, McGoohan’s performance is great, suggesting that Brenner is sly and a little dangerous merely by his inflections. If this had been an original movie, it still probably would have been good. Certainly the episode doesn’t drag like most of the 90 minute Columbos tend to do.

You might think having Columbo in a cloak-and-dagger setting would be a bit incongruous, but I think it actually works. Having Columbo as the everyman gives some of the scenes when he’s involved in spy business a little more punch. I’m thinking specifically of a scene that in the wrong hands, would just have been blatant padding. Columbo comes over to Brenner’s house to pay back some money, and Brenner invites him in, gives him food, wine, and fine cigars, quietly flaunts how wealthy and distinguished he is, and oh by the way, lets Columbo know that he’d been wiretapping Columbo’s house. The scene doesn’t add that much to the plot in the grand scheme of things, but the bit about bugging Columbo’s house gives the material some tension, as you vaguely wonder if Brenner’s intending to do away with Columbo by poisoning his drink or slipping something into his cigar. There’s also enough stress on certain line readings that the scene kind of gives off the “Columbo and the murderer dance around the fact that they both know what’s going on” vibe that I love, so I wound up thinking that scene was one of the best ones in the episode, instead of writing it off as something included to kill time.

The other thing really worth noting about this episode is that Columbo’s exposure to the spy world seems to have rubbed off on him a little. Not only does he get a bit more witty and sarcastic at certain points in his investigation, but he also carries on a conversation with someone in Italian to get more information. The person he’s talking to can speak English; Columbo clearly just decided he’d get farther if he exploited the fact that he’s of Italian descent too. All of these are just tiny little beats in the episode, but they liven things up and pushes the boundaries of the Columbo formula. And in this case, everything worked out in the episode’s favor, which I couldn’t be happier about.

Number of “Columbo-isms”: 4/6, plus a mention of his dog. Besides that, we’ve got a few “Just one more things”, several mentions of his wife, and a scene that involves both the car and fumbling, although in this case the fumbling is for money instead of papers or pencils. Another deviation from routine, it seems, and again, one that works.

Other: *Fans of Patrick McGoohan’s big show The Prisoner (which actually ended only a few weeks before “Prescription: Murder” aired) will get a massive kick out of this episode, because not only does the story revolve around spies (Number 6 was a former spy), but Brenner wears a coat similar to the one McGoohan wore as Number 6 ;

(Original Source: http://www.kevinmccorrytv.ca/prisoner-1.html)

He also says “Be seeing you” four times. Though I’m kind of disappointed they didn’t try for six, or have a giant white ball involved for some reason…

*Both Brenner and Columbo have interactions with young children today that are kind of sweet on the one hand, but also slightly creepy in the “shouldn’t you know better than to talk to strangers” way. But maybe that’s just my modern sensibilities kicking in.

*Because the bar where Geronimo meets his contact is called “The Sinbad”, the theme is Middle Eastern, complete with a belly dancer and a lot of the musical clichés you’d expect. Somewhat amusingly, this means that the music in this episode is more Middle Eastern sounding than “A Case of Immunity”. I might not have noticed that normally, but since the episodes come one right after the other, I kind of had to chuckle at it.

*Columbo gets a pretty atmospheric entrance today;

I don’t know if the cinematography crew was inspired by the spy theme or what, but I’m certainly not complaining.

*Columbo makes a few brief references to the fact that he doesn’t carry a gun and is a horrible shot. So that running theme still hasn’t quite given up the ghost, it seems.

Would This Hold Up in Court?: Absolutely. Columbo did a lot of fact-checking and has recorded evidence to back up his claim. Given everything that’s probably going to go down as a result of this incident, having actual proof was pretty much a necessity today, and the writers knew exactly how to handle it. Well done.