Hopefully, “Rest in Peace, Mrs. Columbo” will put lie to the “There is no Mrs. Columbo” conspiracy theories out there. Because, in this one, someone actually tries to take out the Lieutenant’s wife! Helen Shaver plays Vivian DiMitri, a crooked real estate agent whose husband was sent to the pen by Columbo a few years ago. The guy died in the joint, so she kills her boss (who may have ratted the husband out), mostly to bring Columbo into the case. Her grand plan to take down Columbo? Find his wife’s favorite type of toast spread, apparently. Illustrator Stevie VanBronkhorst (@spoolses)is here to help Jon and RJ make some sense of all of this. Also, we all learn a bit about the wonderful town of Warrenton, Virginia.
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Loving the podcast. Agree with the take on the lead’s voice not being the best for such a villainous role. It kind of reminds me of Jennifer Darling who played Oscar Goldman’s secretary, “Callahan.”
For the record, none of us asked to learn anything about Warrentown, Virginia. We were educated without our consent.
Learning without consent may bring about charges from the Paint Quality Institute.
The fake funeral annoys me as an example of Columbo’s “blank cheque” approach to policing, which I think is something that gets worse in the 90s (?). I think this explains the decor in Sgt Brady’s place, Columbo can call upon the limitless resources of the LAPD to transform Brady’s musty clubhouse into the ideal abode in which a widowed detective can cry and regret.
When this episode first went out, I did fall for the idea they’d actually killed Mrs Columbo. It seemed to me that as rhetorical devices go, it was fine to replace “my wife” with “my wife, God rest her soul”.
But how come the LAPD’s “Fake Griefhole” budget didn’t stretch to putting fish in the fish tank?! Columbo tries to brazen it out anyway. And Vivian doesn’t seem to notice! Have they both gone mad? (I mean, it’s not just me, right? There really are no fish in that tank..?)
https://vimeo.com/152027050
That fishless aquarium leaves my theory in tatters.
I’m really, really loving the little skits at the end of the podcast. This was one of the best yet. Really funny. I also appreciated that you guys filled in some of the details of the episode, because this wasn’t an easy one to get a hold of. First time I’ve listened to a podcast without watching the ep first and I think I followed it just fine.
Hi. I loved Jon idea that the murderer had been running around killing people for last 10 years in order to get Columbo assigned to the case. Espically when she mentions her hatred of the judge who called her husband “mentally unstable”. I guarantee that judge died in mysterious circumstances. However that isn’t backed up when she explains to Charlie the fact she knew he was the man that dropped her husband in on it 10 years ago. But she kept low and calm waiting for her husband to get out. After 8 years he died in prision. Then has mental break down. That she says takes her a year to recover. Then she has a year to establish a new life and plan her revenge on Charlie.
Also the murderer here doesn’t fit the rich bastard we usually see on Columbo. She has a well paid job and lives in a nise house but she mainly works for and dates alot of rich people. I think this was the 90s team writers way of showing the class divide becoming smaller or more fluid compared to the 70s.
Lastly the only non white murderer I can think of is in A matter of Honour.