Kind of strange episode for me. I remember when I was much younger I used to like it quite a lo. I also remembered music very good and scene where she goes after making a murder and listen to herself on headphones. But now everytime I watch it I like it less. Apparently there is something in it which makes me feel uncomfortable.
Maybe some examples:
- First of all I don't like Kay Freestone. One of my least likable murderers. She just seems not nice, egoistic, without sense of humor, not nice to people around her and her workers, of course you can say that there are moments where we see her nicer side (helping Valerie, being nice to Columbo), but these are only moments. In the end she loses almost everything so you can feel sorry for her, but just as Flanagan said: she created the circumstaces
- I really don't like, or may I say, even hate this "The Professional" movie atmosphere. I know it is movie in the movie but is it SO not Columbo like.. I even think that this is the biggest reason why I don't like this episode
- For me the whole episode is too dark. A lot of scenes in the night time, you feel some kind of loneliness (scene in old Kay's house which now is abandoned, this is my second least likable scene here, office scenes also in the night, final scene as well). What I love in Columbo is this Los Angeles atmosphere from that time, full sunshine (compare it to "Most Crucial Game" or "Negative Reaction" or many many more), lot of people around, nice shooting places, a lot of humour in it.
Here I just don't feel it at all. Even you don't have this mansions here. Ok, we can see Mark apartment for a while but still it is not what Columbo is about
- Motive for murder is one of the weakest. Honestly we are not 100% sure what is the motive. Not being promoted? Loosing a lover which probably didn't treat her as she wished to? If she hadn't killed - her life wouldn't change much. It would just be status quo, and what does she gain by murdering? I just don't know. This is another reason why I just don't like Kay's character
- ALL the plot with Valerie Kirk is not nice for me. I feel somehow digusted. I am fine with watching this kind of dramas in other movies, but again and again: it is not Columbo like for me
- even Bruce Kirby scene makes me feel bad! while I normally like almost all his scenes, here not, probably because of The Professional again
- time filler - Columbo sits in the studio and plays with screens in front of him for the whole 2 minutes... another reason for me
- one question though: Mark is so happy about proposal from New York. Isn't the Los Angeles movie/film industry much much bigger and reacher than New York's?

I think this are the reasons for me that I feel like I feel. It is good piece of television, but in this particular episode to sum up: it is too dark, there is too much loneliness there and there is too much typical Columbo elements that I just miss

One of the things that I like is definetely music score, and the actor who plays Sgt Burke. Whenever he is on screen (on Forgotten Lady and Try and Catch Me too), he acts funny for me, his responses to Columbo are one of the kind: "that's very good lieutenant", "his nose lieutenant?" :)