Columbo returned to television on February 6, 1989, eleven years after “The Conspirators” aired.
In the years following “The Conspirators”, Peter Falk made it clear that he would consider returning to the character at a manageable workload. Attempts to negotiate a new contract with Falk had fallen through back in 1978 and, again, five years later when CBS attempted to lure him back as part of a brand new mystery wheel alongside Kojak. But in 1988, series co-creator William Link convinced ABC to revive Columbo. Falk eventually accepted the 600k/episode offer along with an Executive Producer title. And so, Columbo, at the age of 61, returned as part of ABC’s new mystery wheel that included Burt Reynolds as B.L. Stryker and Louis Gossett Jr. as Gideon Oliver.
The first of these new era episodes, “Columbo Goes to the Guillotine”, was well-received by most critics and viewers alike who were happy to welcome back the beloved detective. But there were a few exceptions. L.A. Times critic Howard Rosenberg wrote: “Falk seems to be trying so hard to live up to the old Columbo that at times he is almost a caricature, laying it on too thick with the shuffling feet and phony politeness, even getting on your nerves. As he creeps along ever so slowly, you wish he’d just shut up, get on with it and make the arrest.”
Finally, eagle-eyed Stargate fans might recognize a young Tony Amendola playing the part of a clergyman.
My thoughts on this episode in chronological viewing order…
Small quibble, but if she is looking at a reflection of herself raising her right hand in the glass, shouldn’t she actually see “a woman raising her left hand”?
Telepathically intercepting the thoughts of your enemy? Hmmmm. CIA experiments on remote viewing were all the rage back in the day.
Ah, there’s a connection between these two as both spent time in an Ugandan prison. Not top on my list of vacation destinations but, again, another time.
So far so interesting, but it doesn’t feel like Columbo.
The whole testing of his psychic abilities feels ludicrously convoluted.
A pretty gruesome murder by Columbo standards.
While I like the visual introduction to Columbo, I really hate the music that accompanies this scene.
Ten years later and still smoking those damn cigars.
Columbo accepts a drink with the guy in the wizard dunce cap because he’s off-duty. Just like the old days.
“One more thing so…could you do me a favor?” Classic.
Would you trust that kid with a finger guillotine?
I get the whole white top hat and tail magician’s funeral is supposed to be funny, but it just comes off as awkward.
While the scene of Elliott Blake sussing out the crime scene goes on too long, it is a lot of fun when Columbo pulls the rug out from under him and lays out his case for murder.
Would buying a 3 lb corned beef really be enough to dissuade a suicidal person?
Aha! The wrong screwdriver was in the victim’s hand. Although, technically, I believe you can still use a flathead screwdriver on a Phillips screw. Handypeople, help me out here.
Oh, Mrs. Columbo loves magic tricks!
“Well you fooled me. You actually made me think you’d read my mind.” Great line.
Boy, this kid is annoying.
Another signature Columbo move – surprising the suspect at their destination, in this case the plane.
The whole Columbo psychic schtick goes on way too long and is a kinda cringey.
Columbo feigning exhaustion, mopping his brow, collapsing is just silly.
Really hate the music in this episode.
No one notices before, during, or after the fact that all of the books hold the exact same maps with the exact same marks?
Columbo connects the two of them to their Ugandan stay. Good detective work.
Why would Columbo literally put his neck on the line like this? It feels like the production is trying to recapture the magic of the final Gotcha! moments from “How to Dial a Murder” and “Murder Under Glass” but failing miserably.
What’s with the silly novelty gun gag at the end? Ugh.
Hmmmm. As much as I did think Anthony Anderson a brilliant villain and I did love seeing Falk back in the role, this episode was a bit of a stinker. I lean towards Howard Rosenberg’s take on “Columbo Goes to the Guillotine” feeling more caricature than authentic, but given that writer-producer Richard Alan Simmons also returned for these new era episodes, I’m willing to chalk this one up to “everyone getting their sea legs back” as I look forward to the next episode.
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You CAN use a flat head screwdriver in a Philips screw, but it’s a frustrating experience. The flat edge of the screwdriver doesn’t fit well in the V shaped (depth-wise) opening in the screw.
Sounds like your experience was more like Rosenberg’s. Sometimes you just can’t go back.
I like this one a lot – but have yet to watch it for the review so I don’t recall the music. Out of the handful of newer episodes, this one I rank near the top. Why? Well, just wait until you see the rest!
I’ve been working on my ranking list for the first 7 seasons, and I find I’m changing things around a lot now that I have time to reflect. My top ones are still my top ones, just in a slightly different order. More stinkers added to the bottom, but lots filling the middle section., and those are the ones I’m still contemplating.
And think I totally missed Try and Catch me – I have to check. I like it, but I had trouble watching it when I was a kid because I didn’t understand her motive (now, of course, I do), so for the longest time I thought her victim was an innocent one. Many years later I understood her motivations, and that made quite the difference.
Twice now I had typed up replies for Columbo viewings and they didn’t go through. I think maybe it’s because I used a slightly colorful word, but not the really bad ones. I thought it weird, but was always too tired to write comments all over again.
I will try to keep up, but no guarantees. Mom is in rehab again so we’re trying to catch up on the things that we’ve neglected, like – ya know – laundry and dusting and putting stuff away were it belongs. Trying, as always, to do better!
Cheers,
das
Your family comes first so no rush. You can always add your thoughts to the specific blog entry at a later date but I will always read them as I moderate every comment.
I won’t say too much about the next episode but, suffice it to say, if things don’t turn around, this resumption of our rewatch may prove short-lived.
Great review! I wasn’t aware of the time difference of eleven years. I knew he looked a bit older.
The opening scene reminded me of Ghostbusters and other parts of the show was similar to The Mentalist.
I liked the way Columbo researched the subject. He always immerses himself in whatever the subject matter involves and seems genuinely interested. I bet he kills at any game that involves Trivia.
I liked the kid, Tommy. That kid is a go getter!
Tommy reminds me of my late brother. When my brother was in high school, he would buy boxes of candy and sale each individual piece on the school bus. Our bus trip was 1 1/2 hours, one way (we lived way out in the country). He made a tidy profit. Unfortunately, he stopped being a go getter when he became hooked on drugs. I hope Tommy didn’t follow that path. I digress…
The only big plot fail for me is that Columbo kept trusting guillotines. You would think seeing a decapitated body might make you leery of the trick. What if the killer didn’t switch the blades at the end? I would hope Columbo disabled the trick either way but it was never actually stated.
It was an entertaining twist but I don’t believe it would be enough evidence for a conviction A good lawyer would say confusion or something equally pathetic. “Lieutenant, if you believed my client guilty of murder, then why did you put your head in the guillotine?” Oh and IS Columbo still a Lieutenant?
Entertaining but not my favorite episode.
Have a great weekend! 👋🏻
Very good points in that final paragraph. The “attempted murder” charge would not be as strong as in the previous episodes cited.