Jeanette Nolan's performance as the distraught and tightly-wound housekeeper Mrs. Peck is one of my favorite characters from the entire "Columbo" series. Columbo's bumbling presence keeps her on her very fine edge of combustibility throughout the episode, helping to make this compelling viewing even after many, many years. The outstanding cast - Martin Landau, Dabney Coleman, Julie Newmar and Tim O'Connor - and a stellar performance by Peter Falk - combined with the terrific plot twist, makes this one of my favorite episodes.

That being said, I understand how some find the Mrs. Peck character to be annoying.

Most viewers seem to be split over her character, so I was just wondering what were the thoughts here.

Cheers!

I can never help liking her.

I don't like her because she is unfair to Columbo. It would be different if she had a valid reason, like he was a brutal bent cop or something, be he's nothing like that at all.

I don't like her at all. I'm not into nasty and disrespectful people who scream at and berate others. I'd like the episode much more if she were different or not in it.

Don't like her either, I understand columbo isn't good with technology and she got angry at the damage he caused, but the yelling and telling him to leave seemed over the top.

Is she based on Charles Dickens' character, Charity Pecksniff?

It just occurred to me, but the second time he provokes her with the cigar (more than the first time), he's kind of asking for it by even smoking in that house a second time!
So in that scene at least, I'm with her.

I don't like Mrs. Peck or Columbo in this episode. I think they both behaved badly, and their exchanges become more irritating and tiresome as the episode progresses.