Show: Columbo
Episode
Particulars: S8EP2, “Murder, Smoke and Shadows”, original airdate February
27th, 1989.
Standalone
Thoughts: Here’s a shocker for you; while I appreciate some of the little
glimpses into the world of movie-making, it’s not enough for me to give this
episode a pass. While I’m not entirely sure who to blame for the biggest
problem I have with the episode, I can pinpoint exactly what the problem
is—Alex Bradey.
On paper, it seems like a fun idea. Given that Bradey’s a
hotshot young director who’s made some enormous successes, I have the very
distinct impression that he’s supposed to be a riff on Steven Spielberg, and
there could have been some neat little homages in there, maybe even a nod to
the fact that he’d been involved with Columbo
before. Or given the repeated discussion of special effects, maybe Bradey could
have used special effects to disguise or hide the murder, and thus have it tie
in more with his profession. Instead, the murder is relatively pedestrian (make
a few tweaks and this could have been a rich man killing someone after having
his gardener hose down the driveway) and Bradey comes across as an egotistical
jerk. I’m sure that was part of the intent (although that then makes me wonder
what the writers had against Spielberg), but I also feel like Fisher Stevens
wasn’t a very strong actor, making the role even more unpleasant to watch. And
since we spend the majority of our time with him, the episode winds up
dragging.
It doesn’t help that it feels like Columbo isn’t in the
episode all that much. Other than one or two scenes, all the attention seems to
be on Bradey and his work, thus keeping us from the normal Columbo routine. And when they do
interact, it’s mostly bland, with Columbo bringing up his evidence while
Bradey impatiently snaps at him and waits for him to get on with it. The one
exception to this is a scene where Bradey uses special effects to illuminate a
picket fence while he and Columbo discuss the case. In another story, this
could have been a brilliant “dancing around the issue” scene, but here it just
comes across as pretentious and unrealistic, because while camera tricks and
editing can make the scene work for the audience, it wouldn’t have actually
been appearing the way it did to Columbo, so it’s a meta moment that completely
falls apart. I really wanted to like the scene, given my interests, but I just
can’t in this context.
While I won’t say this episode is outright bad, it’s
certainly not very good either. It might be entertaining enough if you catch it
on TV, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to check it out. At least, not when
there are several other, better Columbos
involving TV or movies that you can watch instead. I’d go for “Fade in to
Murder”, myself.
Number of
“Columbo-isms”: We get another perfect 6/6 today. The car pops up several
times, there’s a literal “Just one more thing”, Dog makes a cameo, there’s a
large scene involving fumbling, Mrs. Columbo gets mentioned once or twice, and
although you have to listen carefully, “This Old Man” plays on the soundtrack. I
didn’t expect to get another perfect score again, but I’m certainly not
complaining.
Other: *To
answer a question from my previous review; the music was light on the synths
today, and the lighting was much warmer, which suggests there’s not going to be
a trend in the 80’s episodes. I guess the crew just wanted to give off a creepy
vibe for “Columbo Goes to the Guillotine” for some reason.
*When Fisher spots Bradey on the studio lot, he hops out
of the tour bus he’s on and runs after him. My problem with this is, shouldn’t
someone have said something? The tour guide probably saw him do it and I’m
guessing this sort of thing isn’t allowed. It would have been much more believable
if the tour had been on foot and he’d slipped away, or if he pretended to go to
the bathroom after the tour was over and snuck in that way. As it is, it breaks
my suspension of disbelief slightly.
*I had no idea that money belts used to be literal belts
with secret pockets, instead of the large pouches I’m used to. I guess that
explains where the term came from, but I never would have thought that’s how
they got started. Live and learn.
Would This Hold Up
in Court?: I don’t think so. Columbo obtained his two major pieces of
evidence without a warrant (though one of these is more egregious than the
other), and he outright admits that he staged a situation to trap Bradey, a
situation that doesn’t necessarily prove anything anyway. It’s suspicious, but
not damning, so while there’s a chance he might get convicted, it might be a
lighter sentence than he deserves. Still, given Bradey’s name and wealth, the
odds are even higher he’ll be able to beat the rap. Or perhaps he’ll find a way
to pull a disappearing act…
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