Mr. & Mrs. I know he directed 3 of the newer episodes..and sadly I have not seen them. But I have seen the 2 original episodes, Last Salute to the Commodore and Identity Crisis. Last Salute is an absurd episode wherein they were trying to go for an Agatha Christie type "Parlor" mystery....it didn't work because it did not conform to the Columbo formula. Viewing it today is somewhat entertaining only because of its novelty....but the story was written by Jackson Gillis, not McGoohan. He had to deal with the script. On Last Salute McGoohan definitely went way over board (pun intended!!) on his direction...it was a farce...and not a pleasant farce...but on Identity Crisis his master stroke was that he was playing his character to the full exetnt..he was Patrick McGoohan and Nelson
Brenner all wrapped up in one. He directed himself beautifully. His performance in that episode can be at the top of the list of all murderers....and maybe that is because he had a great director....

As we have commmented in other threads, Last Salute was a disaster, the second worst episode of the original series...HOWEVER, "Identity Crisis" was very good. There are certain problems with the plot (why on earth did Brenner meet Geronimo in an amusement park where they were seen and photographed together?), but having said that, McGoohan put in a great performance and the directing is superb. There is a lot of good camera work, such as the scene where Columbo is talking to Brenner in his car at the gas station. Here, unlike "By Dawn's Early Light", McGoohan is in his element, playing a spy (and he feels confortable with his British accent which he failed to suppress completely as Col. Rumford).

I agree that "Last Salute to the Commodore" was not one of the better episodes of the series. However, I do not agree with placing the blame on Patrick McGoohan. He did the best he could with the script they had. As for that final scene, keep in mind that it was the final episode of Season 5 and there was a reasonable possibility that it would be the last scene of the entire series. The scene was probably unique for this purpose, although thankfully there were many more episodes to follow.

Another note on McGoohan: It is unfair to sum up his directing ability with "Last Salute..." because do not forget that he also directed "Agenda For Murder" years later. This is one of the finest episodes of the ABC years and happens to be on my top ten list for the entire series.

Hey YM...what do you consider the #1 worst episode? You probably have mentioned it, but I forgot.

Are you kiding me!!!

Ashes to Ashes
Agenda for Murder
By Dawn's Early Light

some of the best episodes in the entire Columbo history!

gimmie a break . LOL

During the ABC years Peter started making Columbo more and more "cute" and less and less "odd". McGoohan definitely seems to encourage that kind of thing - just look at how bizarre Columbo acts in "Last Salute" compared to the episodes immediately before and after it.

"Identity Crisis" was well directed and well acted by McGoohan, but "Last Salute" was just incredibly bizarre. It was more like an episode of "The Prisoner" than "Columbo".

"Ashes to Ashes" is another solid episode. McGoohan must have been in normal mode. But then we get to "Ashes to Ashes", which, although it's a good episode, does feature some painfully "cute" scenes for Columbo (running around looking for dog food, anyone?). And then let's not forget "Murder with Too Many Notes". This one goes down as the worst "Columbo" of all time. Singing "Clementine" in the stage elevator... the scene where Crawford plays movie music for him... the incomprehensible ending...

I think McGoohan should have stayed in front of the camera. He's too much of a weirdo to stick to the time-tested Columbo formula.

My vote for worst episode is "Mind over Mayhem" with
the robot. It was like they made this episode
for a Saturday morning kiddie cartoon version of
Columbo--a real disgrace.

"Agenda for Murder" is one of the few episodes
of the revival of Columbo that I have seen and
I didn't care for it. It didn't make much of
an impression on me and I thought the bit about
the teeth marks was not impressive.

Although I have great respect for McGoohan as
an actor, the final episode of "The Prisoner"
which he was forced to write when the originator
of the series, George Markstein, quit in a huff
without telling anyone how he intended to wrap
it up,
is considered to be a disaster by many, maybe
most of the fans of the series. It is hallucinatory,
violent, uncoordinated and just downright bizarre.
McGoohan in best in front of the camera.

Oh now I remember you saying that in the past about Mayhem. I remember you saying that bit about it looking and feeling like a Saturday Morning kid's show....and I recall the first time you said that I sat there thinking how right you were. It was a thought which had never occured to me, but you hit it on the head.
And I agree, not a very good episode at all. This is one episode which makes me feel quite claustrophobic. All the scenes in the dreary think tank....there is no panache, no beautiful mansions....and also no chemistry between the murderer and Columbo.