Columbo: Series 9

Introduction

Peter Falk will almost certainly be forever known as the dirty mac wearing bumbling detective with the sharp mind, despite a career stretching back to 1957. Falk's effortless portrayal of quite possibly the greatest fictional detective after Sherlock Holmes seems to have struck a chord with viewers and has seen this character on our TV screens from 1968 to 2003 to date.Series 9 dates from the early 1990's, the brashness of the 80's hanging over it somewhat.

Murder: A Self-Portrait
A flamboyant painter with a penchant for women kills his first wife to prevent a secret being revealed.



Colombo Cries Wolf
The female part-owner of a male magazine vanishes during a trip to London. Despite being seen boarding the plane, Columbo believes that the woman was shot and killed before she even got to the airport.

Agenda For Murder
With his congressman friend of twenty years just selected as Presidential running mate, a lawyer kills a troubled businessman who attempts to blackmail him into helping him.

Rest In Peace, Mrs Columbo
A female real estate agent kills her male business partner and has her sights set on both Columbo and his never seen wife next.

Murder In Malibu
A successful romance novelist is shot dead in her home just after announcing her intent to marry a young and ambitious womaniser.

Uneasy Lies The Crown
A gambling addict dentist frames his wife for murder when he realises that she has filed for divorce.

Overall

70's Columbo is the best, of this there is no doubt. Falk's character made a comeback in the late 80's and 90's but is really of no comparison. This series highlights the stark differences between the series at its peak and this pale comparison.Columbo was all about the subtle cat and mouse game played between Columbo and his prey.

The first two episodes show that a line has been crossed and it's not so much cat and mouse anymore as out and out confrontation on the part of the villains. The stories just don't seem to be as imaginative either.The saving grace to this series is the Patrick McGoohan vehicle Agenda For Murder. The ex-Prisoner was a good friend of Falk's and he both stars and directs this episode in what appears to be a return to the past. McGoohan also makes a rather more interesting villain than anyone else who appears in this series.

One for devoted fans only.