Great topic, Bryce, and just yesterday I watched "How To Dial a Murder," and your points are spot-on. I, too, wondered why the dogs growled, if that was no longer their trigger word; and you know I love a good outrage, so of course I had to shake my fist at the "Run away, Sigmund" scene. It's funny that, as I was watching it, I was thinking that many of the murderers in the series are head-gamesmen of one flavor or another (politicians, magicians, professional chess players, psychiatrists), and it reminded me of the recent topic about the quintessential murderer, which I believe was yours. For that topic, I think it would have to be someone who played literal or figurative mind games for a living.

Anyway, my "almost perfect" episode that hasn't already been listed would have to be "Candidate for Crime," which is my all-time favorite episode, so obviously the fact that it isn't perfect doesn't prohibit fandom! :)

The problem is that the entire episode is based on the premise that Nelson is shooting Harry for interfering with his Linda situation, but we actually come in on what appears to be the first time Harry is directly addressing it/making his demands with the two of them. So how was Nelson already 100% prepared with the incredibly elaborate beach house plan, including having not invited Harry to his wife's birthday party days in advance? Maybe he saw the writing on the wall, due to previous allusions, but also it seems to be an overly-dramatic response to something he might have been able to talk Harry out of objecting to, or might have been able to keep better-hidden from Harry in the future, and just continued as he pleased.

He's prepared even to the instant plan of cancelling the phone call to Linda that factors in to getting Harry to the beach house, and showing up with the fake watch and gun, and dealing with their inclusion into further steps of the plan, even before he has the confrontation with Harry. How'd he know that he would have to go see Linda due to Harry's actions, thus being able to get Harry to the beach house, on that particular day at that time? And what if Harry had refused? His demands are pretty strong, he didn't have to go along with it. Then how was Nelson gonna explain why he didn't invite him to his wife's party, since everyone seems to know it's going down.

Now, she does say initially to Harry that "Nelson finds you repugnant," but considering that the campaign manager seems to be the idea man, I just find it weird that he's decided to shoot him already, based on nothing more than just that and a feeling that he MIGHT make him give up Linda... and all this even though they're still doing their deals up until that time, with no apparent conflicts together.

Also, how come Linda wasn't at the party? She didn't seem surprised that one had taken place, even though she intimately knows Nelson, and was in fact the direct and only employee of his wife... wouldn't she be invited to the party given for his wife? I guess it's possible that she was not, but she doesn't seem surprised not to have been, even though Harry was expected to have been invited, and it's a key plot point that he wasn't. And Columbo doesn't seem all that surprised that she wasn't invited, either, and doesn't even ask if she was.

For me the exquisite episodes are any where there is a significant interplay between Columbo and the murderer on condition that the murderer is a powerful confident personality and we see his confidence of getting away with it gradually shift. Basically, any episode from 1970 through to 1978 fits the bill and then I'm afraid Columbo starts to lose his timing little by little and the magic formula starts to be played around with. Although there are moments of brilliance the later episodes don't do it for me. If I had to pick the most perfect Columbo I'd go for Exercise in Fatality which has it all!

"Murder By The Book" for me is 100% flawless up to the last scene. I still don't see how a five year old note scribbled by Jim Ferris is the solid piece of "gotcha" evidence that can nail Ken Franklin as the killer and make him crack as he does. As I understand (and maybe this was in the paperback novelization, but it is alluded to in the Columbo Phile), the reason why the alibi was never used in a Mrs. Melville novel was because Jim couldn't think of a way for Mrs. Melville to break it. To me, what could have sold the idea was if Jim had scribbled notation-"Ken finally has a truly brilliant idea for a Melville mystery etc. It's a shame I can't think of how to use it properly." Something like *that* which reveals how this kind of design is something that was so unique to Ken Franklin would have constituted strong evidence that would have made me accept the payoff clue more. As presented, it came off weak IMO.

That's a great observation about "Candidate for Crime", Wendy! It is odd that Nelson has this whole plan made out in advance. I can't remember exactly, but it seems as though "Forgotten Lady" and "Playback" have similar set ups, where in the former, for instance, Grace plans to murder her husband before she even approaches him about financing her. And I agree, "Candidate" is a wonderful episode, with a good mix of humor and tension, though those plot holes you pointed out certainly are striking when one considers them.

Derek, I think you're absolutely right about "Exercise in Fatality". Peter Fischer was such a brilliant contributor to the show, and I see "Exercise" and "A Friend Indeed" as his two greatest episodes. (And really two of the greatest in the overall series)

You make a good point about "Murder by the Book", Eric! When Columbo says, "With this, I think I have a conviction", it almost is completely anti-climactic, for the reasons you noted. I feel that low point is slightly redeemed by Franklin's sort of "ending speech", which I think is one of the strongest performances Jack Cassidy gave in the series (also I think the eerie version of the episode "theme music" played during that scene packs quite a punch to the otherwise lackluster conclusion).

Eric: Columbo doesn't read out all of the note. We can only assume that something else is written that provides more conclusive evidence.

I like Exercise in Fatality, too, but how is Columbo ever going to get a conviction based on the top loop of the shoe lace? Of all the gotcha moments, that one is the most clever, but will not necessarily hold up in court. And unlike other murderers, Milo Janus never confesses at the end. He never asks Columbo, "How did you figure it out?"

Best part of that episode? The fact that Milo Janus has his own theme song, and it's great!!

I kind of have trouble with that aspect of the ending, too. What makes it a little more binding for me, though, is the statement Milo made earlier about what Gene supposedly told him over the phone regarding Gene having changed into his gym shoes, showing that Milo had information at that time that he couldn't have had, unless he had been involved with putting the shoes on Gene himself. Of course, since that earlier statement was only recorded in writing by Columbo's hand, I suppose Milo could claim that Columbo had concocted it out of thin air. What might be a little stronger evidence is if Columbo had that statement written by Milo himself, or better yet, if Columbo had secretly tape recorded Milo's affirming the statement several times during that final scene.

I love that theme song, too. If only the members of Milo Janus's fitness gyms could have witnessed his brutal crime, the cheery vibe of that song would take on a whole new, creepy dimension!

I don't know if you were alive in the 70's, but daytime tv had a lot of happy jingles and theme songs, including Jack Lalanne, among others. The fact that the writers-music composers took the time to write a theme song just for this episode is a real bonus, a classic touch.

Does it matter if Milo knows that Gene changed into his gym clothes unless Columbo can prove that Gene was murdered before his clothes were changed? In other words, if the "top loop" of the shoe lace doesn't hold up in court as proof that the murderer changed Gene's clothes, than the fact that Milo claims Gene told him he had already changed doesn't prove anything. Gene could have changed his own clothes and died by accident afterwards, or had been murdered by an intruder after changing clothes. Without the "top loop" evidence, he can't convict. Let's hope it holds up because it is rather clever!

Don't forget the spliced tape where Gene Stafford must have said "Hello Jessica, this is Gene Stafford, is he there?" In court it might be hard to explain why that section of the tape was gone. The laces were the kicker, but the false alibi where Milo went, etc. would all help add up to conviction.

I also love the jingle, can't get it out of my head for a day or two after watching that episode each time.

I was born in '82, so I missed out on the '70s, but I'm quite fond of that era. What really cemented that fondness pretty early on was "Columbo", actually; that and "In Search of...", which I would watch together weekday mornings on the A&E network in the early 90s (they're still my two favorite shows ).