Show: Columbo
Episode Particulars:
S10EP2, “Caution: Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health”, original airdate
February 20th, 1991.
Standalone
Thoughts: While this is overall a perfectly decent episode, there isn’t too
much I can think to say about it. Hamilton and Falk are fine, but don’t do
anything particularly noteworthy. Some of the editing choices are abrupt and
odd, but are more momentarily jarring than a consistent problem. A lot of
elements of the episode have been seen in previous Columbos, most notably the use of security tapes, the major plot
point of “Playback”. On a related note, it’s hard not to notice the old technology of the episode, given how much of
a role it plays, and it makes you wonder if the episode could even be made
today, given how far things have advanced. Though it does make for an
interesting thought experiment…
If there’s anything I really noticed about the episode,
it’s the handling of the content. While the pacing is overall good, feeling
much shorter than ninety minutes, it still feels like there’s padding in there,
which actually hurts the episode in two places. One is the scene of Anders
monkeying with his security camera; after we see him do it, that aspect isn’t
brought up again until near the end of the episode, at which point you’re
starting to wonder what the point was. The other is a bit involving Anders and
Columbo’s cars, which turns out to be very relevant but doesn’t feel like it at
the start. They might have worked better in other episodes, and they’re still
somewhat effective here, but in practice, it needed a little more editing.
If you asked me to rate this episode, I’d say it’s
probably in the middle to lower middle of the overall pack. There’s nothing
particularly wrong with it, but it’s not as engaging as a good chunk of the
other episodes. But at least it’s watchable, and that counts for a lot.
Number of “Columbo-isms”:
While I’m really tempted to say this was another perfect 6/6, I get tripped up
on the fumbling trope; I don’t remember Columbo digging through his coat, and
while he does ask to borrow something, that something is tweezers, which is
something you don’t expect Columbo to have on him on a regular basis (though he
does seem to have a pencil for once).
So I’ll reluctantly call this a 5/6, with both Dog and the car being important
to the case, several mentions of Mrs. Columbo, several variations of “Just one
more thing”, and Columbo whistling “This Old Man”. Columbo also shows up in a
tux briefly, though when it’s not buttoned up, you can see he’s as rumpled as
ever. Some things never change, it seems.
Other: *I
can’t help but be slightly amused at the fact that the two episodes featuring
George Hamilton involve both doctors and injecting someone with something.
Granted, they’re in two entirely different contexts, and the bit with the
doctor is a fakeout in this episode, but I enjoy a good coincidence.
*I had to wait for the credits to make the connection,
but Maxine “Max” Jarrett, the woman who seems to be in charge of the technical
aspects of Crime Alert, is played by Penny Johnson, who also played Kasidy
Yates on DS9. Sometimes it’s a small
world in projects like these.
*As Anders is poisoning the cigarettes, the camera
lingers on the “Caution: smoking can be hazardous to your health” label on one
of the packs. It’s not quite a Cinemasins “Roll Credits”, but it’s a little too
on-the-nose for my tastes.
*I am curious how the crew got the footage for “Holly
Does Huston”, the porn film. Did they find a clip from an old movie George
Hamilton did, a la “Forgotten Lady”? Or did they just get someone who sort of
looked like Hamilton did when he was younger, and hope the grainy film stock
would obscure the details? Either way, I appreciate their dedication.
*As in “Old Fashioned Murder”, Columbo winds up getting a
haircut. Unlike in the previous episode, however, I can’t tell if there was a
change. Maybe it’s a little less bushy, but ultimately, I can’t tell much of a
difference. Which I suppose is fine, especially since Columbo likes the way it
looks, but it does make you wonder what the point ultimately was. It can work
as a character moment, but when you combine it with other bits in this episode,
it winds up feeling more like padding. Speaking of which…
*The dance routine that’s supposedly going to take place
during an awards presentation is not only obvious padding, but it serves as
quite the blast from the past, almost as much as the technology use. Both the
music and the outfits feel like something out of the 80’s, even though this
episode was made in 1991. That being said, a few of the outfits do look closer
to the 90’s coloring, so a change is starting to take place. We’ll see how much
of an “Oh, yeah, I remember that!” feeling I get as we get more into the 90’s
episodes.
Would This Hold Up
in Court?: Yes; Columbo’s got two decent pieces of evidence, and
(presumably) acquired them without trickery. That being said, it’s not the
strongest evidence ever, and Columbo did have
to push Anders a little to ensure he got recorded evidence. Still, compared to
some of the other things Columbo’s done over the years, I’d say this one’s
pretty much above board.
No comments:
Post a Comment