The Lt. Columbo Forum

An area where fans from all over can ask each other questions and voice their own ideas and opinions on anything Columbo.

This Forum is fondly dedicated in memory of  "cassavetes45"  (Carleen Zink),
Columbo's greatest fan and a great friend to us all.
​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
The Lt. Columbo Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

Most people hate Frances Galesko, but I have sympathy for her. She may have been a nag, but Paul could have left her. He would still make a good living with his photography and, being single, he could have tried romancing Lorna. Perhaps Paul married Frances for her money. If so, I have no sympathy for his unhappiness. My sympathy goes to Frances whose gold digging husband turned out to be a murderous psychopath who killed her and an innocent man who was trying to turn his life around.

I think we were supposed to feel sorry for Kathy Goodland, but I hated the way she kept yelling at Columbo that this wasn’t the Victorian Age and she didn’t care what Columbo thought about her relationship with Ken Nichols (Friend of the Family). She complains that: “They’re policing morals now”, but Columbo is not a very judgmental person and Mrs. Goodland was unnecessarily rude and defensive to him. She could have at least apologized after he pulled her fat from the fire. I found her absolutely classless.

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

Dr. Cahill from Mind Over Mayhem was not a great guy, but I have a soft spot for a father protecting his son. Of course if he really wanted to help, he would have checked his ego and allowed Neil to confess. Otherwise Neil would have to live the rest of his life as a fraud.

Speaking of parents protecting their children, Lauren Staton (Faye Dunaway) made a deal by confessing, in exchange for Columbo letting her daughter go free. Considering the circumstances: that the murdered man was an extremely dangerous extortionist who abused women, what was Lauren supposed to do? Why did Columbo even want to arrest her? Would he have allowed that man to hurt a woman that he cared about? I hope not. In this episode it was Columbo that I didn’t like, perhaps for the only time (I also was annoyed with him pestering Nora Chandler to do a phone prank after the death of a friend). I haven’t seen the episode in a long time, but I got the impression that those women were in great danger from the murder victim. They had little choice but to defend themselves. If so, Columbo should have been thankful that there was one less predator in the world and looked the other way.

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

I don't dislike Cathy Goodland, but all Columbo does is LOOK very uncomfortable around her and Ken. If he actually SAID anything judgmental, THEN I'd agree with her. So I agree that she gets after him when she shouldn't.

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

This is a great topic. There are so many that I could weigh in on but I'm going to keep it to 3.

1. Mrs Peck. You can't help but love the old lady. However, the way she treats a police officer leaves a lot to be desired. Nobody and I mean nobody would treat a police Lieutenant like that in real life.

2. Sylvia Danzinger. She is as sharp as a tack. She knows that her husband is fooling around. If not she very heavily suspects it. She really does put Colombo in his place when they are talkin by the pool. I wonder what her next step is after good old danzinger is arrested

3. Max Barsini. It must have been at least 10 years ago that I rent a topic on here in titled Max barsini is a creep. And that is an understatement. Three women? And he kills the best one of the bunch. All because she's getting married to some psychologist. He was so afraid that she was going to Spill the Beans about what happened many years ago that he chose murder. I was so glad to see the other two women at the end of that episode both leave him telling him off in the process. He got precisely what he deserves

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

I always got the impression that Mrs. Danziger knew that Hayden married her for money not love, but that she wouldn’t tolerate him fooling around. Did she make comments to the effect that she was “liberated” in the sense that she enjoyed him physically and allowed him to spend her money. But I thought that he had to behave or lose everything. I could be wrong, but I also thought that was his motive for murder. Rosanna threatened to either expose him or screech Volare at him for 20 minutes, lol

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

You have to both like and dislike Grace Wheeler. I do not condone murder under any circumstance even if she is trying to recreate herself. Her husband had a very good reason for not backing her. So she kills him. So that is the dislike part.

But she is very likeable in so many ways. Great entertainer. Good to her helpers in the house (Wonder what kind of champagne Raymond liked). And her former career spanned decades of stardom. And I always enjoyed the character Ned Diamond. It was a sad ending knowing she way dying.

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

Along with pretty bad ones like Jesse Jerome and Karl Lessing, there are several victims you at least aren't supposed to think highly of, but I can't help liking some of them.

When it comes to Ric Carsini, he may be a "hedonist" who's about to take the winery from Adrian, but he evidently has a legitimate argument about how Adrian runs it.

And I can never help liking "weak" ones like Eric Wagner and Tony Goodland.

Re: Characters You're supposed to like and don't, and vice versa

Well, I personally hate abigail mitchell, I think edmund is innocent and even so I think her murder was despicable, on a person who trusted her, no less, otherwise the method wouldn't have worked, and she even dared ask columbo to make an exception and not arrest her; life sentence, given her age!