It was their reaction to the ruse that hung them, not the act Columbo gambled on.

Just like the contact lens in Death Lends a Hand.

It's a terrible ending to a terrible episode of Columbo.

It's not that it's a terrible episode just a little to pretentious in areas which is what you usually get when American TV tries to do British TV. Saying that Richard Basehart's performance was fabulous and I still find his humourous reaction to his demise at the end very unnerving.

I will still defend this episode to the bitter end! Great cast, great locations and great sense of style is what elevates this episode above any weaknesses in the storyline. It's my second favorite non-Season 1 episode of Columbo.

Good points, Fred.

But even Durk says to Columbo "The odds (of the bead being in there) were very poor and you know it."

Far-fetched, but still fun. A little more clever and entertaining than the similar contact lens trick in "Death Lends a Hand."

Clue Number One: The Title.

Lady Macbeth (in the Scottish play which, aptly, is at the center of the plot) uses this phrase while babbling insanely out of GUILT for her role in a murder.

(Rough paraphrase, from memory):

"Is this a dagger that I see, the handle toward my hand? Or art thou but a dagger of the mind?"

(Lady Macbeth is NOT holding a dagger, and has no real blood on her hands -- she is hallucinating, from guilt)

So, the "Columbo" ending has nothing to do with the real-life likelihood of the bead lodging in the umbrella. As in the best "Columbo" plots, it's all about Columbo's innate mastery of psychology -- in this case, his ability to skilfully drive a guilt-ridden killer over the edge, just like Lady MacB.