Mrs. Columbo (TV Series) Caviar with Everything (1979) User Reviews

Loved the fnal moments

[parkerlansing · 6/10 · 24 June 2013]

While I agree that "Mrs. Columbo" invariably lumbered along on a very weak plot, this episode is one of my favorites. Considering that virtually nothing in the plot is believable, it's hard to imagine it being a favorite, right? Well it is for me, and for only one reason: The little tete-a-tete at the end. As unlikely as it is that such a confab would ever take place, both actresses, Claudette Nevins and Kate Mulgrew, are wonderful. They play off each other beautifully and take an unbelievable script and fly with it.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about Sam Groom. I guess he did the most with the script he had to work with, but I was embarrassed for him for having to say most of those lines.

I will have to say that I noticed a couple of boo-boos. In the part where Sybil puts on her mink coat, the collar suddenly jumps up after one quick cut away. Also, I think it's when Mrs. Columbo gets up to pet the sleeve of the coat, you briefly see a microphone at the top of the screen.

A Favorite

[MarcPerroquet · 6/10 · 5 February 2015]

I suppose that calling this a favorite episode isn't saying much since I didn't consider any of the "Mrs. Columbo" episodes to be well written. Nevertheless, and in spite of some negative reviews, this was one of the few that I enjoyed. It had nothing to do with having a plausible plot (which it didn't), but rather to the acting skills of Claudette Nevins who was excellent from start to finish, especially in the final scene which did a good job of showcasing her acting. In fact, the last scene was good enough to have been written by a different writer.

As a previous reviewer said, Sam Groom probably did what he could with the foolish lines he was given but, overall, it was hard to watch him most of the time. While the women were updated to the late 70's, poor Sam was left dawdling in the late 50's, early 60's.

For "goof" fanatics, overhead mics can briefly be seen in the final scene.

kind of dumb

[blanche-2 · 6/10 · 9 December 2017]

I never related "Mrs. Columbo" to "Columbo," which is one reason I watched it back in the '70s. I love mysteries, and Kate Mulgrew is a strong actress.

"Caviar with EVerything" concerns a catering company run by two women, Sybil (Claudette Nevins) and Patty (Trisha Noble). Patty wants Sybil to buy her out and also has plans of marrying...Sybil's ex-husband (Sam Groom). Sybil is not supposed to know about this, but she does, and she wants her husband back and Patty gone. Mrs. Columbo writes for her local community paper and is on hand doing a story about a huge party the women are catering and the firm itself.

If it hadn't been so ridiculous, the episode might have been good. Claudette Nevins is kind of Glenn Close-ish in the role of Sybil. Unfortunately you could drive a truck through the holes in the plot. The clues are so obvious. And the behavior of Sybil is dumb. She wants her husband back, apparently, until he wants to be part-owner of her business. Then every time he turns his back, she's got a fireplace poker in her hand and is trying to kill him, or push him off a railing. Mrs. C always interrupts her. But how stupid is it, after your partner dies, to knock off your ex-husband too?

Also, being someone highly allergic myself, Patty would have realized the absolute second that hors-d'oeuvres hit her mouth that it was lump fish -- and she would have spit it out.

As others have mentioned, the final scene was good. And that's it.

Dumbest murder ever... painful to watch

[diamonddolls · 1/10 · 1 November 2007]

Mrs. Columbo is a weak show to begin with, but this is one of the poorest executed crimes ever. Every piece of evidence that Mrs. Columbo "stumbles" on is painfully easy, not to mention that an autopsy would have straightened the whole thing out in the first place! The murderer should have been caught in the first 10 minutes and saved us 40 more minutes of watching the idiocy. I remember this episode from when it first aired in 1979 and just watched it again on DVD (bonus episode on Columbo Season 5 DVD's). I remembered being annoyed with it then, and was even more annoyed with it now. This episode has some camp value for its use of clichés... that's the best I can say for it!