Columbo: Columbo Goes to College

Not one of the strongest of the Columbo movies, but still pretty entertaining. There seem to be some echoes of "Compulsion"(1959) in the plot conceit of two college boy murderers who start insinuating themselves into the police investigation of the killing of their law professor, both to divert attention from themselves and to keep abreast of how much the police are finding out. But in this case, they are up against a much wilier opponent in Lt. Columbo, and their excessive self-confidence and politely suppressed scorn for the rumpled detective eventually lead them into a trap. Despite the fact that the murder plot hinges a little too much on fancy technology to be really plausible (could anyone really work out such a complicated conspiracy, requiring careful timing and gadgetry in just 24 hours?) it is still enjoyable to watch Columbo play the buffoon, lulling the culprits into complacency, and then proceed to wipe the smirks off their faces in the final revelation scene.

I felt that way when I saw the episode in its original run and still agree when I watch it on reruns. You had the culprits totally mocking Columbo throughout the episode and treating him like he has down syndrome. And in the end you see their shock when Columbo gets them dead to rights and arrest them. You also get a realistic reaction from the arrogant preppy killers. They stillcouldn't give Columbo his props and say he just got lucky. I like the formula where there is an elaborate crime, the killer(s) totally underestimate Columbo, and then you get their realization that Columbo was totally playing the criminals. I recall in the first few episodes of the post 1989 episodes they weren't following that formula and this was the first episode that I was pleased with.

PLOT: Two spoiled frat boys (Stephen Caffrey & Gary Hershberger) murder their professor in an inventive way after he threatens to flunk them and expose their fraudulence. Robert Culp is on hand as the VIP father of one of them.

COMMENTARY: This is my favorite episode of the latter-day series (1989-2003). The spoiled college guys are overconfident and mock Columbo behind his back but, despite the Lieutenant's appearance and geniality, he's not naïve or clueless. Speaking of which, the clues gradually mount up, leading the rumpled detective to one of the best 'Gotcha' conclusions in the series. Everything clicks for a superb entry.

GRADE: A

This episode of "Columbo" features a pretty clever twist. The two murderers are college kids that aspire to be lawyers, so they get to 'help' Columbo throughout his investigation and throw in as many fake leads as possible. These are really well-written villains, because they clearly show no respect for a character the viewer has been respecting for twenty years. They're just seeing how far they can go, barely able to contain their laughter while talking to Columbo. It makes the inevitable big climax when they're caught so worthwhile.

This is one of my favorite episodes because Peter Falk is just amazing in it. Columbo never appears as smart as he actually is, but here the character has to take playing dumb to a whole new level. He needs the killers to see him as no threat whatsoever, he needs to jump on every obvious red herring that they feed him. These college kids clearly have no idea who they're dealing with, and he has to pretend that he's not gloating. It's a fantastically nuanced performance by Falk, and it makes this an infinitely rewatchable episode.

This episode contains my favorite type of ending where the killer (or killers) try to out-smart Columbo till the end. Instead of an easy surrendering as in other cases.

The development, nonetheless, is hard to believe. Why didn't anybody hear the shot? Especially if it was made by a .45 caliber. How come the security officer kept his job? In normal circumstances, the security guard would've been fired for not watching the monitors. And why did Colombo not realize that it would've been much faster to go upstairs to get an emergency phone call instead of Justin using his truck? Well, the story could've been more realistic, but I still recommend it for entertainment.