All Columbo episodes are good. some are just not signature episodes that are emblematic of the series. This episode is one of those.
The charismatic John Cassavetes plays a conductor who murders his mistress rather then giving into her demands to leave his filthy rich wife replete with power broker mother-in-law.
The problem is too many clues pop up right away (the carnation, the mileage on the car, the paper put back in the typewriter) and Columbo seems to have concluded who the murderer is almost from the moment of first meeting him. The whole episode than proceeds to be one where he spends most of the episode trying to break the murderer down and make him confess (and that in itself is unconvincing because it's based on something very flimsy carnation incident. Add to this a manipulative, unsympathetic victim and you have a recipe for mediocrity rather than the extremely high standard the series set for itself.
The charismatic John Cassavetes plays a conductor who murders his mistress rather then giving into her demands to leave his filthy rich wife replete with power broker mother-in-law.
The problem is too many clues pop up right away (the carnation, the mileage on the car, the paper put back in the typewriter) and Columbo seems to have concluded who the murderer is almost from the moment of first meeting him. The whole episode than proceeds to be one where he spends most of the episode trying to break the murderer down and make him confess (and that in itself is unconvincing because it's based on something very flimsy carnation incident. Add to this a manipulative, unsympathetic victim and you have a recipe for mediocrity rather than the extremely high standard the series set for itself.