I mostly agree with you E, but there are some clues that point to it not being an accident. Dudek's bag being incorrectly packed with the added toothbrush....who packed it? The note paper that the suicide note was written on was not the official stationery. And the type of paper that was used can't be found in Dudek's room.
And a few things that point the finger at Clayton would be that note..which is written in the same ink as his own pen..and could very well have been his exact pen. Also his growing irratablity and nervousness when Columbo is closing in on him.
I truly enjoy this episode a great deal, but I agree it could have been even better than it is. Laurence Harvey was a stupendous actor and I think if the script and clues were a bit tighter, it could have really shown off his talents in a better story. I mean just the chess backdrop alone was such a great premise. The whole "chess match" between Clayton and Columbo is such a rich notion...and I think a lot of that allegorical theme is missing.

i htink the fact that i didnt care too much for this episode is the character development of the murderer...i mean you can see he truly did not like and even detested columbo...i think what bothered me was that he didnt want to play the game with columbo...he was a bit of a cold fish and he just didnt want to be bothered....that could be the reason why i didnt like it as i just didnt like the character...

The one part of the episode I really didn't like was the implausibly ridiculous character of Linda, the ex-fiancee who hates Laurence Harvey now and who just also happens to know Dudek from the "old country".

OTOH, what fascinates me about this episode is looking at it and realizing that Laurence Harvey had barely six months to live at the time.

Yes, I agree the character of Linda was a bit of a stretch. And I agree there are some good signs that Dudek's fall was not an accident...another indication is that Dudek didn't sign the note.

I guess it seemed so weak because I couldn't understand why the episode ended when it did. Of course I knew the 90 minutes were up, but just moments before the final clue Columbo was presenting Clayton with a very strong series of minor clues that Clayton very confidently dismissed as "circumstantial trivia." Then he just suddenly stopped. (just like the grinding machine did)

Maybe they could have played on the chess journal clue more. Maybe reveal it in front of the audience during the multiple chess match scene. Before revealing the journal, maybe Columbo could have feigned confusion about the game in the restaurant ("How did it happen? Dudek pushed out the salt, you pushed out the pepper? Dudek was white, you were black? Are you sure?") Clayton would respond with something like "Yes, I'm sure. That is exactly how it happened. How many times do I need to repeat it?"
Then Columbo could say something like "I was afraid of that. I hate to tell you this, sir..." and then bring out the chess journal.

Clayton murdered to protect his reputation as the champion chess player. It could possibly have been more satisfying if Columbo had destroyed it in front of everybody. And with his reputation destroyed (and the motive clearly established), then Clayton may likely give up.

Then they could have saved the "deaf man" clue for another episode.

Just some thoughts.

One other thing I didn't like about the episode was the wasting of Lloyd Bochner in a role where he has to effect one of the worst fake accents I've ever heard. Bochner is the kind of actor who would have made a great Columbo killer if he'd only had a higher profile (beyond his memorable "Twilight Zone" episode).

This remains one of my favourite episodes - I think that the "deaf" clue is entirely satisfying becuase it is tied in with all the other "circumstantial" evidence.

Columbo picks up on Clayton's wonderful memory - remember the scene in the hospital as Clayton memorises Dudek's medication and then writes it down. Columbo catches him at it and also manages to check the pen that Clayton uses and matches it with the one he forged the Dudek message with. I thought the way that Clayton got Dudek to write his own "suicide" letter was great!

The initial opening scene depicting Clayton's nightmare and the penulimate scene where Columbo's harassment compounds Clayton's loss to an individual in a group challenge chess match are brilliantly conceived and executed.

Laurence Harvey is magnificient in his villanious role - desperate but conniving, cold, calculating and suitably consistently stern-faced/humourless. This episode is definitely in my top 10.

Maybe I really need to stop picking on this episode, but another thing I've always wondered about is this.

Clayton couldn't hear the morning of the murder, so when he pushed Dudek into the machine, how could he have known if the machine were on in the first place? He had to do it at a time when no workers were present, so if there were no workers, why would the machine be on?

Also doesn't it seem like every time they show the basement and machine it looks different?

Maybe I need to join a "Most Dangerous Match" therapy group.

Pick away E!!
That is a good point you make about Clayton not being able to hear the trash thingy when he pushed Dudek in...I have never thought of that.

Good points. I think that the key point is that a non-deaf murderer would have turned the machine back on to finish the job as it were. But as you say, it could have been an accident, and how did Clayton know the machine was on in the first place...I will have to watch it again. Best thing about this episode is the snails and also Columbo phoning the vet and making Clayton think he is phoning the hospital.

I sometimes feel that this episode doesn't feel "grounded". By that I mean we never see the killers home, it is all set around a hotel and a hospital, and this gives it a transitory feel which other episodes don't have

That's a good point about the 'grounding' issue, Paul.
I mean, you can't really call a hotel lobby your home!!

I like the concept of a deaf murderer vs. a non-deaf murderer, but the problem is Clayton was the ONLY suspect. There were no non-deaf suspects to rule out which makes the clue unnecessary and meaningless.

Columbo had two options. It was either an accident or Clayton did it. The deaf man clue proves nothing.

As Jim Ferris was saying just before he was shot...This is the last time. That I can promise you.

If Clayton had heard the machine go off and turned it back on again, wouldn't that have completely destroyed any possibility of it being an accident? It would then be an obvious murder, and Clayton would be the obvious suspect.

Good point Cassa...I never made that connection!
And you are right E, the final clue does appear to be meaningless. I think it just sort of pains us sometimes to admit that a Columbo episodes has its flaws.

I agree, Paul. I think the reason why I am so bothered by this episode is because there is so much good stuff there, but it doesn't come together in a satisfying way. The ending is somewhat clever, but there are too many holes in Columbo's logic.