This episode of Columbo is a mixed bag as far as I am concerned.
The plot is not too bad. Tony Goodland is the heir to a fortune, but frustrated that his inheritance is locked in a trust fund he and his uncle devise a plot to free some of it. They set up a fake kidnapping, because the money from the trust fund can be used in such an emergency. Of course they plan to keep the ransom and split it between them. Little does Tony know that his uncle plans to kill him so he can keep the loot himself. Columbo initially investigates the kidnapping, and subsequently the murder case.
The story plays out effectively and has a nice twist; the uncle sees an opportunity to frame Tony's wife and promptly tries to do so. The episode is also helped by some good casting and acting. Ray Milland shines as the evil uncle, and Bob Dishy convincingly plays a young sergeant who is eager to learn from Columbo, even though he is somewhat mystified by his methods.
However I feel Columbo is not as astute as he normally is. Don't get me wrong, Falk plays him perfectly; all the traits we expect of Columbo are there. It's just that Columbo never seems in control of the case. I like to see Columbo knowing exactly who is guilty and why right from the start, to then go about proving it in his usual hounding manner, tying up loose ends and looking for the little things.
This episode though it is only in the last minutes that a long shot pays off, and he comes up with some relatively weak evidence proving the uncle is guilty and the wife is not. She came pretty close to being arrested and tried for a crime she did not commit, on Columbo's watch.
All in all I'd say it is a reasonably enjoyable episode, 7 out of 10; marred by Columbo's inaptitude it loses a point.
The plot is not too bad. Tony Goodland is the heir to a fortune, but frustrated that his inheritance is locked in a trust fund he and his uncle devise a plot to free some of it. They set up a fake kidnapping, because the money from the trust fund can be used in such an emergency. Of course they plan to keep the ransom and split it between them. Little does Tony know that his uncle plans to kill him so he can keep the loot himself. Columbo initially investigates the kidnapping, and subsequently the murder case.
The story plays out effectively and has a nice twist; the uncle sees an opportunity to frame Tony's wife and promptly tries to do so. The episode is also helped by some good casting and acting. Ray Milland shines as the evil uncle, and Bob Dishy convincingly plays a young sergeant who is eager to learn from Columbo, even though he is somewhat mystified by his methods.
However I feel Columbo is not as astute as he normally is. Don't get me wrong, Falk plays him perfectly; all the traits we expect of Columbo are there. It's just that Columbo never seems in control of the case. I like to see Columbo knowing exactly who is guilty and why right from the start, to then go about proving it in his usual hounding manner, tying up loose ends and looking for the little things.
This episode though it is only in the last minutes that a long shot pays off, and he comes up with some relatively weak evidence proving the uncle is guilty and the wife is not. She came pretty close to being arrested and tried for a crime she did not commit, on Columbo's watch.
All in all I'd say it is a reasonably enjoyable episode, 7 out of 10; marred by Columbo's inaptitude it loses a point.