It was a good episode, but in my view, the only real identity crisis was Patrick McGoohan's.

Interestingly, his house was also used as the Paris home in "Double Shock".

It is an ok episode, but not one that I like to watch repeatedly. A bit too complex and eccentric for my taste. I love the scene though when Columbo visits Brenners house. Some great dialogue.
Brenner:"Do you like music"
Columbo:"I hear it all the time. My wife loves music".
Brenner:"Would you like some wine, I have a cellarful".
Columbo:"Just a glass".
Brenner:"What kind?"
Columbo:"I don't know, red".

I always used to consider this episode among my least favorites, but I slowly acquired a taste for it. The story is confusing and dull at times, and the ending is weak. But the scenes between Columbo and Patrick McGoohan are amusing, and the idea of Columbo getting involved with the CIA is mildly entertaining. I would rate this episode a few notches above "The Conspirators," another episode that I may yet aquire a taste for.

I like this episode very much, but probably only because it stars Patrick McGoohan.
I still don't fully understand what is going on. Each time I watch it, though, some things become a bit clearer.
And you are right JF. That scene when Columbo visits Brenner's house is just so rich. I wish I could have been in the room with them!

i really like mcgoohan!!! he is somewhat like cassidy yet you really like mcgoohan for some reason!!! hes not slimy but snotty whereas cassidy looks like he can smell it but cant quite locate it!!!!

I watched this again the other night and it really is a classic spy Columbo episode. Full of wonderful interplay and fabulous ism's. Love the scene where Brenner knows he's in trouble when Columbo inspects the photograph of him with a receding hairline. Also little things like how Brenner lights his cigar in a capitulating manner at the end knowing his time as a free man is coming to an end. Plus it includes great seventies scenic shots of locations such as Nu-Pike Amusement Park and Travel Town. The story itself is one of the most complex of the Columbo series but as Cass says each time you watch you knew information comes to light. That for me shows great story writing.

One scene that I don't think I have ever mentioned before is the one where Columbo is at that park......sorry, my memory is failing me right now...but the park with the train. Well, he is sitting there enjoying his hot dog and talking to the 2 little girls and telling them how pretty they are and stuff. And then the 2 agents sit down, and the music gets all plodding and serious, and they covertly reveal their badges.
I find it so cool because it starts out as such a light and blissful scene...and then it becomes so ominous. I think director Patrick McGoohan did a good job on this scene and also on the entire episode.
One sad note for me involves the next scene....where Columbo has been escorted aboard the train and the guy takes his hot dog away from him!! The forlorn look on his face is such a sad thing to see.

Columbo: "I don't have any bugs, sir"

Folks, this is my all time favorite episode. Man!

The whole deal here is Nelson Brenner and "A.J. Henderson" (obviously not his real name) go way back, and Brenner owes A.J. a lot of money over some scheme the two were involved in. It's been years since they've seen each other, but now Henderson shows up on the scene. Brenner doesn't want to pay up, so he kills him off.
Very good episode, and one that I watch over and over.

I think the plot goes something like this....McGoohan plays Nelson Brenner who is an operator for the CIA whose past comes back to haunt him in the shape of fellow-operative Nielsen, who suspects him of betraying him and the organisation as a double-agent. The former knows this and eliminates him.

It is a decidedly complicated affair with a well-maintained aura of secrecy and slyness; nevertheless, it also has an awkward style about it since the script-writer seems to struggle with the development of a spy story whilst maintaining the familiar elements of the Columbo formula.

I found it quite a drawn-out adventure which only really warms up once Columbo establishes Brenner's "real" job. As has already been mentioned, the classic scene is where Columbo goes to Brenner's house and they play a cat-and-mouse game as Madame Butterfly plays majestically in the background.

Satisfying in parts but not as a whole.

This is one of my favorite episodes mainly because of Patrick McGoohans compelling (IMO) performance. I love the scene where he lends Columbo money to buy gas & of course, the scene in the house is classic. I love the double meaning of the "do you like to play games" conversation.

I love that scene in the gas station! It is terrific. It is a perfect Columbo moment when he is on the ground picking up his change that he has dropped and figuring out how much more gas he can afford. And then when he sticks his head and half his body into Brenner's car window...it just cracks me up!!

P.S...........as has been discussed here before...that is NOT Chuck McCann as the gas station attendant.....take my word for it.

In my opinion, the story here is not as good as "By Dawn's Early Light", but Patrick McGoohan puts in a better performance in "Identity Crisis", because this spy character is what made him famous in "Danger Man/Secret Agent" and "The Prisoner" (BTW he was offered the role of James Bond before Sean Connery, but turned it down, fortunately in my opinion).
I think the idea of having Brenner meet Geronimo in the amusement park was so dumb as to be laughable..sure enough Brenner was identified by the photograph as being with Geronimo. The writers were apparently aware of this problem so they had Geronimo say the best place for spies to meet is in a very public place, which just means there are a lot of potential witnesses.
Still, the interaction between Columbo and the suspect makes up for weaknesses in the story line, just like in "Any Old Port in a Storm" and "The Conspirators".

Cassa, i love the scene with the little girls, too. Columbo is such a sweetheart. And that was back in the days when a man in a raincoat could tell some little girls in the park that they're pretty without bringing out a SWAT team.

You got that right, girlfriend!!!

Despite the story as a whole I think the petrol station scene is great, really entertaining, although if you think about it there is a flaw - why would a leutenant who ranks higher than both a sargant and a basic police officer and so must be getting a good wage be scrambling around for a few cents? But as I said, a great scene.

Stephen, I think the reason Columbo was scrambling for change to pay for his gas was because Mrs. Columbo keeps the checkbook, and pays all the bills, and leaves Columbo with a small allowance. Columbo and Mrs. Columbo probably had a huge savings account that they were gonna use for retirement, and the were very disciplined to stick with their budget.

Just my imagined opinion.

By the way, I really believe in the beginning of this episode we find that Brenner owes Geronimo a few hundred thousand dollars, (the "banna land" scheme) and that's the main reason he kills him.