Columbo (TV Series) Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo (1990) User Reviews

Lots of pluses for this late entry in the series

[garrard · 9/10 · 3 January 2010]

Helen Shaver plays a somewhat "unhinged" realtor who plots the end for Lt. Columbo because she holds him responsible for her convicted husband's death in prison. She devises an elaborate plan to not only eliminate the detective but his wife and her husband's former business partner, a man who "ratted" on her husband, which led to the husband's arrest and eventual incarceration. Shaver does a good job of balancing "normalcy" with an occasional "twinge", hinting at her mental state. As always, Peter Falk portrays the fashioned-challenged detective with his usual flair.

A nice touch is the use of flashbacks from Columbo and the principal guest stars.

One of the highlights is in the casting of Ian McShane as Shaver's romantic interest and the late Roscoe Lee Browne as her psychiatrist. Both actors possess two of the most distinctively mellifluous voices in the business and it's just a treasure to hear them enunciate. It would have been an audible treat if the two had shared a scene or two together.

Another "bonus" is Richard Markowitz'a excellent score, ranking it as one of the best in the history of the series.

One of the more fascinating entries of the later Columbos

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 9 April 2012]

Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo is not one of my favourites of the brilliant Columbo series, but I still find it a very good episode. While it does drag in the middle, it is one of the more fascinating later Columbos, having an intriguing flashback-driven story, clever dialogue that is both amusing and tense and some great scenes especially the restaurant scene and the ending. Rest in Peace Mrs Columbo looks beautiful too, with some atmospheric scoring, slick editing and crisp direction. Peter Falk perhaps has given better performances of the series, but he is still gleefully enjoyable, and Helen Shaver is excellent in her meaty and quite unhinged role. Support roles are taken by Ian McShane and Roscoe Lee Brown and both are among the more interesting support performances of the later episodes.

In conclusion, fascinating. 8/10 Bethany Cox

It Really Clicked After Three Viewings

[stubbers · 9/10 · 1 March 2010]

Wow! After watching this a couple of times, it didn't stand out as particularly special, but somehow on the third viewing all the quality of this simply superb episode was revealed to me. I've just watched it for a fourth time and it just gets better. It's an incredibly rich, exquisitely textured episode, full of great dialogue and an intriguing storyline.

Columbo himself is in top form, Peter Falk at the top of his game. I can see why one poster said Columbo's mock-grieving wasn't very realistic, but I think that was almost intentional, his way of gently taking the pee out of the murderess. Knowing full well that she is insane, Columbo deliberately has some fun with the whole scenario! Plus, Columbo isn't an actor. So Peter Falk is doing a good acting job in portraying a cop trying his hand at acting.

I love the little things in this episode, such as the saga of the abysmal chili cooked by Heinrich, not the previous chef with "one blue eye, one brown eye"! One wonders if this is a sly piece of self-deprecating wit regarding Falk's own distinctive eyes...

I also love the golf course scenes with the excellent Ian McShane. They remind me of the scenes with Robert Culp in "Double Exposure": Columbo bumbling around on a stuffy golf course, totally disrupting the game and embarrassing the man he's interrogating.

The climax of the movie, where Columbo gets his confession before admitting the whole funeral for Mrs Columbo was a fake, is a classic Columbo ending.

This is yet another modern episode just as good as the 70s ones. Maybe one reason why many people don't rate the modern ones as much is that they are less immediately gripping, they take a few viewings to really appreciate them. But I wholeheartedly recommend watching "Rest In Peace Mrs Columbo" over and over...you won't get bored of it and you'll catch something new in each viewing.

So who said none of the late Columbo episodes were good?

[sos45-977-267352 · 30 April 2014]

To all those who disregard or disdain every one of the late Columbos, I hate quite a few of them too. In fact, this one plays with the format as well, which is what caused so many of the others to be dreadful. But surprise, surprise, it not only worked this time, it turned into one of the greatest of all episodes, top 5 in my book. For starters, we have the old Columbo, reserved and serious but with a bunch of funny character quirks. None of the speaking like a senile old man, or explaining things like one does to a 3 year old child. The great dialogue is back. The french restaurant scene pitting Columbo against the Matre D' is hilarious and priceless. So is the chili scene with the waitress Gracie. The plot is brilliantly original, realistic (yes, there are psychopaths like that in the real world too). Helen Shaver, always underrated, is superb, grabbing every minute of her unusually long screen time and killing it. Her cat and mouse with Columbo is superb. And Columbo not only gets to do his usual great stuff as a sleuth, but also has to become a prime time actor, and does it splendidly. Finally, Roscoe Lee Browne is splendid as Dr. Steadman, and the scene in which he and Columbo do a dance act to get the necessary info without violating doctor/patient confidentiality is a joy to watch. If all that wasn't enough, the final two scenes are just riveting. Oh, did I mention that I really liked this movie?

This time it's personal.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 8/10 · 8 October 2008]

This time the movie its main target is Lt. Columbo himself. He's being given a hard time by a lady, who's husband has died in jail after he had been convicted for murder. Of course the person that got him behind bars was Columbo himself. Now how has to watch out for his life and that of his own wife now that the woman is seeking revenge.

Sounds like a real formulaic thriller plot, which it is also is really. But the difference is that this plot is different from just the usual Columbo formula, though the movie still knows to maintain all of the typical Columbo movie ingredients. The movie is also being told slightly differently and is told in a flashback mode. Normally it doesn't work out too well when a Columbo tries out a new approach with its style and story but in this particular case it simply works out well, since it's so well constructed and effective. Even if this script would had been used for any other average non-Columbo affiliated movie it would had been just as good.

Columbo has always used his wife to gain the trust from his main suspects and you could even question if there really is a Mrs. Columbo, also since she is never shown in any of the movies. Yes, I know there is a short lived "Mrs. Columbo" series which focused on the lieutenant's wife solving crimes as a reporter but I doubt that it was the original creators intention that she would ever appear in life form. In this movie his wife plays a central element for the movie its story, (also hence the movie its title) even though she again never even appears in the movie itself.

Helen Shaver plays a great part within the movie. Rarely has a Columbo movie ever concentrated so much on the movie its killer and viewpoint. So it's a real carrying role, which she handles just fine. She is a capable actress who isn't the best known but she has played in some great movie productions throughout her career, though often in much smaller roles. She's also active as a director now days and has directed many episodes of some very successful series.

The movie is interesting because it differs with its main concept so much from any other Columbo movie and it is also great since it actually works out and has a solid script, that is nicely constructed and being told within the movie.

8/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

One of the best episodes with Helen Shaver

[MarieGabrielle · 9/10 · 16 June 2006]

as Columbo's nemesis. She portrays a realtor in Beverly Hills, and there are the usual amusing scenes with Columbo visiting her at work, ogling the mansions, asking what prices they go for. This Columbo episode as well as the older one with Janet Leigh ("The Forgotten Lady") are quite interesting as you see some of the old L.A. architecture, mansions and so forth.

Roscoe Lee Brown portrays Shaver's psychiatrist. As Columbo is asking him questions as to why someone would commit murder, he says; ..."sometimes it is revenge; I have been wronged, so now am entitled to do wrong"... Describing the thought patterns of a murderer.

I will not give away the ending. Suffice it to say, you will enjoy this episode. 9/10

Solid, unconventional episode

[jbirks106 · 7/10 · 15 May 2015]

Mind you, I didn't believe for a minute that they'd actually let Mrs. C get killed off, but the writers did a good job letting you sort out how Columbo sets up that cemetery scene. Helen Shaver is very good as the vengeful widow, who unlike so many women of a certain age in the 90s seemed a bit absurd when trying the come-hither thing on Peter Falk. This time it works. I always love it when Columbo gets to say a line like "this isn't even my house." Game, set match! There were a few botched experiments with this franchise when writers tried veering too far off the main formula. Here's a case where the experiment was a success.

A fantastic flashback-episode of Columbo

[pvdudenhout · 10/10 · 29 December 1999]

This episode is one of the best 'new' Columbo-episodes. With perfect flashbacks the viewer sees how a insane woman is manipulating Columbo and trying to kill Mrs. Columbo and Columbo himself. The whole episode has an very sad atmosphere (especially the scenes of the funeral) but has also an happy end :) The Columbofans also learns a lot about the habits of Mrs. Columbo and that is also a nice thing. One of the best 1989's Columbo's. You must see it !!!

Unusual experimental episode

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 16 August 2016]

REST IN PEACE, MRS. COLUMBO is an atypical episode in the COLUMBO series and a not entirely successful one. Like UNDERCOVER and NO TIME TO DIE, it seeks to break the established format of the show - the format that made it so successful in the first place. The idea's a novel one, I'll give them that, but the execution here is only so-so.

What I did like was the idea of having the guest villain nursing a personal grievance against our detective hero. Helen Shaver isn't one of the series greats, but she does strive to embody her conniving character with depth and realism, so you have to give her that. The episode is also notable for featuring a couple of top character actors in support, namely Ian McShane and Roscoe Lee Browne. It's a pity they're both so underutilised.

What I did love was the way that the villain in this story makes it personal, but that's only in the last half an hour or so and the pacing is a little off before then. The middle section does feel dragged out. However, the Columbo's-family-in-peril stuff is great, and the last ten minutes in particular really picks things up for some exhilarating viewing. The bad thing about this is the structure, particularly the opening sequence with that confusing funeral which is returned to throughout the episode. It means that the story has to be segmented and told in flashback, which is just ridiculous (and why McShane would be at the funeral is anybody's guess). A more linear narrative and this might have been one of the most memorable episodes of the entire series.

This how you tweak the formula properly

[eckesg1-800-663207 · 9/10 · 27 December 2014]

I commented under Columbo Cries Wolf that I didn't like the way they made Columbo look like a fool for the most part, yet I understood why they tried to tweak the formula Here they tweak the formula properly by making it personal for Columbo. I wish they did that more often, maybe by killing a friend of Columbo, or something.

Is it predictable? Yeah, but almost every Columbo is predictable. He's going to catch his crook and we want to see how he does it. I think by the middle, people could figure out it was a fake funeral. Really killing off Mrs Columbo would completely change the character. They were never going to do it.

Peter Falk won the Emmy that year for Best Actor in a Drama Series which was amazing to me because everybody knew the deal with Columbo so there was nothing groundbreaking about it. But even though he won it for the previous episode with Patrick McGoohan, I think he won it for this. A new spin to the classic character

One of the best later episodes

[michael-kerrigan-526-124974 · 7/10 · 7 December 2018]

I'm a massive Columbo fan, but the later episodes were somewhat hit and miss. This was one of the better ones, if not the best. It gets personal for Columbo when Mrs Dimitri - still grieving for her dead husband who Columbo arrested and put behind bars years ago - seeks revenge. I think from the title we know who she sets out to kill. But will Columbo see through her plan? Of course he will. Will we get to see Mrs Columbo? Of course not! Hugely enjoyable 7 out of ten

With murder on her mind

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 26 February 2017]

This Columbo story departs from the usual format in that Columbo is always the outsider digging for facts to solve a murder. The perpetrators are always apart and are never a threat to Columbo personally.

But Helen Shaver is a different kettle of fish. She shoots Edward Winter who ratted out her late husband and Columbo is also in her sights as he was the investigating officer. Her husband convicted of fraud died in prison and Shaver spent some time in a mental health facility.

So while in a remarkable coincidence is the investigating detective on Winter's homicide she's getting close to him with murder on her mind. And if not him her target could be Mrs. Columbo.

So Peter Falk is playing quite a cat and mouse game with Shaver and both are seeing themselves as the cat.

A real good scene is Falk with psychiatrist Roscoe Lee Browne who treated Shaver. With doctor/patient privilege applying and Browne trying to enjoy his gourmet meal he does convey to Columbo the danger he and the wife could be in.

Shaver is one dangerous woman not to be missed.

As it happens, I don't agree

[jéwé · 6/10 · 11 July 2011]

The raving reviews for this episode make me feel as though I didn't watch the same episode. I'll give it 6/10 for Peter Falk's sake and the brilliant scene at the posh restaurant where Columbo orders a sandwich. Other than that (& and after watching episodes of this series multiple times for over 35 years now) I think this is the worst episode ever. So much song and dance has to come from the final act that the build up to it is one long yawn. The Helen Shaver role is ridiculous in the obscene. The one and only episode that almost made me fall asleep 4 times. This material needed a much better crook. I need a strong dose of Robert Culp episodes now.

That lady has issues!

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 15 January 2020]

"Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" is a strange episode, as the format and style of the show is quite different from earlier shows. First, it's non-linear in format...bouncing back and forth in time. Second, you can hear the inner workings of some characters' minds as they attend a funeral...quite unique.

Vivian (Helen Shaver) is a screwball who harbors a grudge against Columbo. Apparently, some time ago, her husband committed a murder and Columbo was the man who brought the man to justice. After going to jail, Pete had a heart attack and Vivian puts all the blame on Columbo for her husband's death. To further emphasize that Vivian is mentally imbalanced, you hear a message on her voice mail from her psychiatrist* at the beginning of the show..

In order to get back at Columbo, Vivian concocts a complicated plot requiring her to kill a co-worker. At the same time, she creates a seemingly air-tight alibi for her actions at that time. Where exactly all this is going and why she felt a need to kill this innocent guy, you'll just have to see when you watch the show.

One thing my wife and I both noticed in the film is that there was a lot of filler and the thing could have been an hour...like the earlier "Columbo" episodes. The worst filler was the scene that made my skin crawl--when Vivian was dancing and writhing about as she projected a slide of her dead husband on the wall! Embarrassing and it went on way too long. We get it...she loved him! It also was VERY obvious that the lady wanted to meet Mrs. Columbo...and she mentioned this too often to Columbo and acted like she wanted to be friends with them...even after Columbo told her he knew who her husband had been. Strange, that's for sure and lacking subtlety.

So is it any good? Yes....just not compared to other episodes of "Columbo". The writing could have been better and subtlety was lacking. Perhaps I disliked it more because the mental illness issue could have been handled better. But I certainly did NOT think the show merited all the 9s and 10s it received in other reviews. In particular, the funeral scene was shot poorly..making such high scores . In early flashbacks, it's pouring rain on everyone...absolutely pouring. Yet, later they show the end of the service and although it's a bit wet and had apparently rained, the sky is blue and it's very sunny. Surely the funeral didn't last several hours and the sunny sky made no sense! Nor did they have giant blow dryers there to dry off all the folks there. Sloppy....though I really, really liked how Columbo traps the woman at the end...that was pretty cool.

*Obviously the person who wrote this show never consulted with a psychiatrist or psychologist. Had they done so, they NEVER would have had the phone message you hear on the show. The therapist (Roscoe Lee Browne) tells Vivian that she can call him at his office....or HOME. No therapist would ever give out their private home number to a patient and therapists actually do a lot to conceal their home address and phone number. As an ex-therapist, I can attest to this and I never, ever was inclined to give this information to any client. The only way he MIGHT give her the number is if they are having an affair....and there's no indication of this in the show.

Columbo who got slapped

[searchanddestroy-1 · 30 May 2015]

What a wonderful surprise this episode that I did not know at all. But the last Columbo series season has not been very widely shown in France, unlike the previous ones. And this episode proves that this season is absolutely not the worst of all, on the contrary. The evil woman, the female killer is exquisite, and played by this unknown gal, but so gorgeous. And I also appreciate all those surprising elements, such as this one emphasizing on Columbo's wife as the next murderer's victim, or the breakfast sequence, whilst Columbo invites the murderess at his "supposed" home. And the final scene when she slapped him...

Columbo will always remain for me one of the best TV series ever, and which never gets old.

A near perfect episode

[paneraifreak · 9/10 · 15 February 2016]

After seeing this episode, i felt surprised and delighted at the same time. My reaction was quickly followed by this idea: i wished i had an old black and white television properly rigged for viewing the episode again but this time with no colors. But why? Because this episode is reminiscent of many classic film noir movies from the 40's. It is that good, despite its flaws. Unlike Columbo, I have seen many police mysteries that were so bad, they looked like the adventures of a police detective shopping in a Cosco on a Sunday afternoon. Many of them feel pre-fabricated, glazed over with slick, unlikely characters and no vision for mood, meaningful lighting or genuine dialogue. Columbo is one of the very few series that succeeded in creating a multi faceted character that we slowly connected with during the long journey this series puts us (the viewers) through while giving us a nice feeling that we are respected as viewers. This episode should be included in many categories, including Film Noir. Many film noir elements are present: narrators taking us through the plot, flashbacks, an undertone of sadness ans despair pushing the plot through, close ups, the "dame" crying and full of hatred and revenge, the "dame's" red dress and scarf, the funeral scene that is quite dark, wet and dreary..... I bet there was a much more visionary approach in this episode's script and directing... i almost suspect the film noir feel of this great episode was maybe a salute to the great crime movie of an era gone by and a hint for us fans to put Columbo's legacy on the same shelf as movies with Tierney, Bogart and all the others. And the last scene, as surprising as the reveal is, Shaver's teary reaction and slap are just the elements needed to make the ending perfect.

Different and entertaining

[zmartever · 8/10 · 16 March 2014]

As the newer entries of Columbo movies go, this one surprised me because it was quite good. The flashbacks are an interesting twist. The charming but unhinged female villain is convincing. I am also glad they dropped the cheesy music and kept things a bit more realistic. The ending has a nice twist. This is really a bit unusual for a Columbo movie because Columbo and his wife are the intended victims. The feel of this film is closer to vintage Columbo than some of the other newer movies. I notice quite a difference from the '89 series versus the '90s series. I feel they were tweaking things and getting back to the original formula with better results. Best moment : Columbo fixes breakfast at the end.

Good episode marred by a ridiculous ending

[rochesternypizzaguy · 7/10 · 8 August 2017]

Fun to watch, with good acting all around and Falk at his bumbling, annoying-yet-endearing best. But the ending was more than I could swallow (no pun intended, if you've seen the episode). Columbo stages a fake burial, supposedly with the assistance of some fellow officers, but apparently also with the connivance of a priest (unless it was a cop in disguise) and a local cemetery, replete with a coffin and flowers. Even assuming he could've pulled that off, he would have no way of knowing if the suspect would take the bait and show up. It could've all been for naught. The ending could've been much simpler, more plausible, and IMO more effective, for that very reason. It seems like another later episode in which the writers tried too hard to come up with something different.

My favorite episode

[crazynurse-88743 · 10/10 · 10 October 2019]

I absolutely love the beginning. It's so brilliant and gripping from every other start to the movies.

Good Episode!

[skarylarry-93400 · 6/10 · 8 October 2021]

When Vivien asked Charlie if she could turn off the TV, he would never have let her. He was a compulsive gambler and was watching a game he had a bet on. No Way! Also, the first goof on this says Columbo told Adrian, on another episide that he had kids means nothing! Has anyone ever heard of lying?????

Absolutely Fascinating, Considering Certain Elements........

[Dphilly521 · 10/10 · 29 January 2011]

The feeling that something within this episode touches a nerve has proved to be persistent. Through years of time, multiple conclusions have been drawn with respect to the reasoning of that which makes "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" so special to me. Consider the 69 episodes which sit in the "Columbo bank" and then visualize making a "withdrawal" of each and every one in which the killer's spouse is the killer's victim. With the undeniable note that we would be taking away such classics as the two pilot episodes, let us focus on that which we would have remaining in that "bank". We must concede that hardly any of those stories make much reference to the villain having a loved one. Occasionally we encounter minor characters such as the daughters of Luis Montoya in "A Matter of Honor" and The Great Santini in "Now You See Him". Bart Kepple's wife is never seen although mentioned in "Double Exposure"--and in "Agenda For Murder", the very preceding episode of that which highlights this post, the wife of Oscar Finch is hardly a factor at all. Then, along comes "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo"--a treasure which greatly appears to break the aforementioned trend in a most intriguing way. Never before had a "Columbo" story seriously focused on the grief and thirst for revenge of a loved one after our Lieutenant sees to it that the villain is arrested. For example, the anger and shock of Janice Benedict during the conclusion of "Etude in Black" is toward her villainous husband for committing betrayal and then resorting to murder in order to cover it up. We do not see enough of Montoya's daughter in "A Matter of Honor" to formulate a reasonable opinion as to whether or not she resents Columbo, and it is obvious that Elizabeth Van Wyck is far too stunned by the unmasking of her own mother's killer in "Playback" to formulate much distaste for the cop who made the arrest. "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" strongly comes across as quite different. In focusing on the sinister intentions of a widow whose deep grief for her husband and the unfortunate circumstances which led to his demise lead to committing murder and planning another killing, a very tantalizing hint is planted--a strong implication that we are going to see such above-mentioned barriers very forcefully broken through. It not only focuses on the loved one of a killer arrested by our hero. The script also heavily implies that the murder of Columbo's wife--a consistently-referenced and beloved woman whom we have cherished yet never seen--is going to be the ultimate highlight and the reason for which this main character finally breaks out of his shell. Throughout our lives we have formulated thoughts and/or fantasized about ideas such as "What if Wile E. Coyote caught the Roadrunner?" or "What if Lucy ever allowed Charlie Brown to kick that football?" And during a first viewing of "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo", we are teased with that which is perhaps among the greatest fantasies within imagination--the very cagey yet clever Lieutenant Columbo losing his never-seen wife in such a villainous way after many years of adoring this invisible conversation piece. As sincere "Columbo" fans, our pleasures do not end with observing complex murder plots, comical quirks, and clever endings. We are further intrigued by that which is referenced yet not seen: traits of the brother-in-law, a military history, and--most especially--the wife. The concept of Mrs. Columbo actually being murdered is so fascinating--such an unexpected change in a pattern which has remained consistent--that it is my strong belief that we actually want this news to be true as the episode progresses. This proves to be an intense contradiction because throughout its course--especially during the build-up to its climax--we are given hints which clearly imply that this heavily-advertised death is a fake. It is my belief that above-mentioned fantasy-related thoughts result in a strong element of disappointment upon learning that Mrs. Columbo is actually still alive. Even though we wish nothing but the best for our favorite TV detective, our yearns to see his emotional, expressive, and revenge-driven sides at least temporarily make us regret that his wife did not die. On the other hand, the breakthrough from fantasy back to reality within the final lines of the episode proves to be joyfully triumphant. Despite the so-called disappointing realization that "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" does not involve the death of our Lieutenant's wife, we find ourselves emotionally charged and ready to celebrate. Columbo has nabbed a nasty cold-blooded killer--one whose icy intentions leave those of many sinister villains from preceding episodes far away in the dust. And he appropriately tops it off with a now-even-more-than-before-treasured conversation with that virtually immortal wife. I will always treasure the intrigue, thought-provocation, and sense of heroics gained from repeated viewings of this episode during a significant number of years. Although I will never again experience the intensity of watching it for the first time, the depth of the surrounding thoughts shall never be forgotten. Peter Falk deservedly won another Emmy for his portrayal of Columbo during this very season. Additionally, the script of "Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" was among the best of the entire series--out-doing even most of those which are referred to as the "original 45". I very respectfully envy Helen Shaver for taking a challenging role (and one which must be a lot of fun for an actress to portray) and taking it yet much higher. She is as deserving of praise as any actor or actress who ever suited up as a "Columbo" villain. Lastly, many thanks to ABC for allowing this masterpiece to air. It is a classic which succeeds in becoming much more treasured with the passing of time.

The Widow

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 5 March 2016]

Helen Shaver stars as Vivian Dimitri, a widow who lost her husband due to a heart attack in prison for murder because of his embezzling funds from his clients. Lt. Columbo(Peter Falk) was the investigating detective on that (non-televised) case ten years earlier that arrested him, so Vivian enacts a two-part scheme of revenge that first sees her kill the man(played by Edward Winter) she knows informed on her husband, then making sure that Columbo is the one assigned to the case so she can kill Mrs. Columbo, then Columbo himself... Interesting variation on the formula with Shaver quite good, though the narrative structure makes the eventual outcome quite predictable.

Definitely one of the best.

[daddysarm · 9/10 · 23 May 2021]

Helen Shaver is terrific, as is the story, direction, writing, etc etc. It is nto the standard format but it definitely works. About the only problems with it are minor:

All of the "twists" are extremely easy to predict. That isn't even something I usually bother trying to do, but, in this, they were obvious.

Some of the goofs were hilarious.

She is in bed @ 2 am. She gets up and walks across the room. Surprise! Bright daylight through the window. She drives and ends up at home at no later than 3 am. She goes inside. Surprise! Bright daylight through the window.

She brags about her "English" lemon marmalade. They show the jar on the table. Surprise! It is Polaner.

"Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo" (1990)

[Wuchakk · 6/10 · 4 January 2019]

PLOT: A successful realtor (Helen Shaver) seeks vengeance on the two men who put her beloved husband behind bars, where he eventually died. After taking care of one man, she focuses on Columbo's wife and the detective himself.

COMMENTARY: Shaver is fairly charismatic as the almost-40 murderess with a mad gleam in her eye. The funeral for Mrs. Columbo is sort of a fresh angle, albeit highly unbelievable. I say "sort of" because the disheveled detective has been known to stage scenes since the beginning, a la "Prescription: Murder" (1968) and "Negative Reaction" (1974).

If nothing else, it was nice to finally see a picture of the oft-mentioned "Missus." While this installment is a little overrated in some circles, it's certainly okay and has a couple of highlights, e.g. the chili scene with waitress Gracie and the French restaurant sequence which pits Columbo against a Maître D'.

GRADE: B-

Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 29 April 2018]

Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo is such a provocative title. Vivian Dimitri (Helen Shaver) seems to have it all, she has just pulled a big real estate deal with plenty of commission for herself.

However she is not well, in mental torment since her husband died in prison. He was put inside for embezzlement and murder, Columbo was the arresting officer.

Dimitri gets a concerned phone call from her psychiatrist but she puts in motion a plan that she concocted a long time ago. She kills her boss who informed on her husband all those years ago and then goes after Columbo and his wife.

The episode opens with Mrs Columbo's funeral with Columbo in torment as we go through several flashbacks.

Of course we never see Mrs Columbo and it is nice to see a break in the usual format. However this is a slow moving episode, I actually found it all rather turgid enlivened each time when Ian McShane popped up as the smarmy married man that Dimitri is having an affair with.

It is clear that Dimitri is mentally ill so it is unlikely she will even get convicted of murder but she does give Columbo a good slap.