Columbo: The Complete Second Season DVD Review:

The wonder of DVD is the exposure young people now have to the generations past. Although many of the old television shows our parents (or grandparents) watched are on late night cable, most who have not been exposed previously would immediately change the channel once the quality gives the age away. Each generation simply has different tastes, and rarely ever trusts the past generations. Although I had seen Peter Falk in more recent roles, and had heard stories of his legacy as Columbo, I had never myself experienced the show or any of the television movies. Watching season two on DVD has given me a glimpse into the past, but it is far more than that. Watching Columbo has shown me one of the greatest detective shows in the history of television, and possibly the most amazing television performances ever to grace my living room.

The unique element that makes Columbo great, other than Falk, is the fact that the opening sequence always allows the audience to witness the murder as it happens. By the time that Columbo even gets to the crime scene the audience already knows more than he does. Or do we? Columbo bumbles his way through the crime scene, often falling down a hill or accidentally ruining his shoes. Many people doubt his abilities, as his methods are unorthodox, but he pays no mind. Columbo politely, although often irritatingly so, questions who he suspects, never faltering in what he observes. This is made apparent at the end of each episode as he calmly explains to the killers how he knows irrefutably that it was them.

The episodes may seem a bit slow to some younger viewers of the ‘MTV age’, mostly because the killer is already known and it seems to take Columbo a great deal of time to pin the killer down completely, even if it is obvious to him from the beginning. Personally, I didn’t find myself ever bored and that is due to one element that can never be imitated properly. The element is Peter Falk.

It may seem as though too much focus is being given to Falk’s performance, and yet the five-time Emmy winner (four times for Columbo) deserves far grander compliments than I could ever think to say. Falk is joined by a great deal of support in the season, including Robert Culp, Valerie Harper, Dean Stockwell, and John Cassavetes, but the scene is always stolen the moment Falk stumbles into the scene. Many detective personalities on television seem to feel as though they must yell in order to give a commanding performance, and yet Falk never seems to get excited and captures my attention far more.

As fascinated as I am with Columbo, I do wish that I could find out more about each episode. The box set, which includes two double disc cases with all eight episodes from season two, has no special features at all. The original airdate isn’t even posted anywhere on the cases. As much as I appreciate the fact that Columbo has been released for my enjoyment, with a fairly good transfer as well, it still seems as though more attention could have been given to the details.

Ryan Izay

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