Despite being set in a location straight out of Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Priory School", "The Woman Who Doesn't Smile" takes most of its cues from "By Dawn's Early Light", one of the best episodes of "Columbo" and probably my all-time favourite. The main premise is pretty much the same as both feature a strict headmaster/headmistress who murders someone to preserve their rule-abiding, conservative schooling methods. While "By Dawn's Early Light" focused on military discipline, however, the titular headmistress from "The Woman Who Doesn't Smile" is obsessed with enforcing arbitrary rules such as no smiling, no dancing, and no make-up. This makes her a far less sympathetic character than Colonel Rumsford but it also allows writer Kôki Mitani to engage in some really clever format-breaking mystery writing.
You see, the killer in "The Woman Who Doesn't Smile" never lies. Not even to wily old Inspector Furuhata. This is the first rule of the priory school, one of the rules she killed to preserve. So, how is she supposed to get away with it? Well, if you've been following "Furuhata Ninzaburô" carefully, you'll know how much Kôki Mitani loves wordplay. It is not hard to imagine that Mitani wrote this character solely for the purpose of writing a sparkling battle of words between her and Furuhata.
The headmistress is played by Yasuko Sawaguchi who proves to be one of Furuhata's most admirable opponents. Sawaguchi brings a coldness, a calm, and a real threatening presence to the part despite her short stature and soft features. The episode opens with a stylishly shot murder scene (courtesy of director Hidetomo Matsuda) which ends in a striking close-up of her blood-spattered face. In that close-up, she resembles less the headmistress of a priory school and more Lady Snowblood herself.
"The Woman Who Doesn't Smile" is a massive step-up from the bland season opener but it is sadly still not a top-flight episode. For one, the motive for the murder, once revealed, is absolutely ludicrous and anticlimactic, especially since a more intriguing and scandalous alternative is clearly presenting itself. The second reason is that despite some really clever wordplay and a neat idea to keep the killer's motive a mystery, "The Woman Who Doesn't Smile" is a surprisingly straightforward story with no real twists along the way or major hurdles to Furuhata's investigation. Once he figures out a way around the headmistress' rules, catching her is a cakewalk for him.
But I did enjoy this episode, mainly for the clever dialogue, Yasuko Sawaguchi's chilly performance, and the spooky atmosphere of the priory school well-captured by director Hidetomo Matsuda. Note also some very atmospheric choral music arrangements of the familiar themes.