A retrospective by Brooks Rich
Jarvis Goodland, the legendary Ray Milland, is a snobbish egotistical plant collector who conspires with his nephew to fake a kidnapping to access a trust account. However Goodland turns the tables on his nephew and murders him when the nephew refuses to leave his adulterous wife. When the opportunity presents itself, he tries to frame the wife for the murder. The police even fall for it hook, line, and sinker. Well besides a certain lieutenant.
It should be clear now that the heavyweight in every Columbo is Falk himself. He is the show and without him nothing works. The chess match with the killers and the relentless nature of Columbo's investigation all fall on Falk's shoulders. Absolutely. I especially like in this episode we see a Columbo case from the post of view of a young sergeant who admires him, John Jay Wilson, who would return in a later episode. Wilson is the modern police, well modern for the '70s, and Columbo is the old school cop. I like in this where the solve of the case is their two styles coming together. Columbo is inspired by Wilson's use of modern technology and it helps him catch Goodland.
All that being said the standout in this episode is Ray Milland as Goodland. He is just a complete asshole. It's delicious how every line he says is just dripping with contempt for everyone. He is one of the most unpleasant people alive and that's even before he murders anyone. Most killers grow to be annoyed with Columbo but Goodland is immediately done with this buffoon the second they meet. He's also relentless in his criticism and snipes at his nephew's wife. Milland plays him to perfection and absolutely makes this episode a must watch.
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