PLOT:
William Shatner plays radio presenter Fielding Chase. Chase is a controlling father to his stepdaughter Victoria, who is friends with Gerry Winters, who works for Chase's radio station. Fielding is worried by Winters' influence in Victoria's life and Victoria tells Fielding she is leaving for Europe. Fielding is furious and decides that enough is enough. He tells Winters to phone him to discuss some business. Winters phones Chase's house in the mountains at the time they agreed and he gets an answerphone message. Winters is puzzled and says 'what are you doing Fielding? You said you wanted to talk to me'. Then Fielding picks up the extension in Winters' house and pretends that he was in the garden when he heard the phone ringing. As they are talking on the phone Chase picks up the phone and heads to the room where Winters is. He shoots Winters in the back and then says 'Gerry? Are you alright Gerry?' and puts down the phone. He then jumps into his car and dials the Police on his carphone; telling them that he had been talking on the phone to Winters when he had heard shots. Columbo shows up at the scene of the crime and Chase is insistent on seeing him. He explains who he is and tells the Lieutenant that he had been talking on the phone to him when the murder had occurred. Columbo asks to see Winters' research files and Chase says that there are some at his house. He and Columbo turn up at the house. Chase's daughter Victoria is there and she's upset at her friend's death. She says under the circumstances she won't go to Europe after all. Chase comforts her. Fielding mutters something about checking the answering machine for messages and leaves the room. The first message is the conversation between Chase and Winters. Victoria is upset at hearing the shots. Fielding rushes back in the room and comforts her. He says he had forgotten that the answering machine had recorded the conversation, and that he had been in the garden when he had heard the phone ringing. Columbo is amazed at having the 'murder on tape' and takes the tape away as evidence. As Columbo's investigation progresses he pesters Chase with a lot of questions and it looks as if he suspects him. However, Columbo insists he just follows where the clues take him, and it is not until right near the end that it is obvious that Columbo definitely suspects Chase of the murder. Chase's alibi looks good, but Columbo has spotted a flaw in it. Columbo turns up at Chase's house and tells him that he has a witness down at the station that says he saw Chase in the vicinity around the time of the murder. Chase drives Columbo to the station. They haven't got far along the road when they see a commotion up ahead. There are several cyclists, one of which has apparently fallen off his bike. While Chase and Columbo get out of the car to see if the kid is OK, one of the other cyclists tampers with Chase's car. The kid is fine and the cyclists head off down the road. Then Chase and Columbo get back into Chase's car but it won't start. Chase tries to phone the AAA but he can not get a signal. Columbo explains that the reason for this is the mountains. He says this proves Chase's guilt, as he can't have made a phone call from his mobile three minutes after the murder, as he would have to be in this area, where there was no signal. Chase says he was probably further up or down the road but Columbo says that there is no signal along the entire stretch of road. Then Chase goes to the boot of his car and says that is rather foolish of Columbo to confront him with this evidence on a deserted stretch of road. Chase is about to take a gun from the boot when Columbo beeps the horn and the cyclists return. They are all undercover cops.
VERDICT: Shatner is in excellent form as Chase. His over the top performance brings humour to the episode. Columbo makes insinuations that he thinks Chase's daughter has killed Winters and Fielding becomes angry and says "Can you find your own way out? Good!" When Columbo shows up at Chase's radio station he is looking through some files and there is a cigar burning in the ashtray. Chase arrives and sees it and says "Has someone been burning rag weed in here?" Columbo apologises and says "that'll be my cigar". He throws the cigar into a bin. As Columbo and Chase begin to talk smoke starts to come out of the bin. Columbo's cigar has set the bin alight. Columbo throws some cold coffee into the bin and tries to continue the conversation, as he is clearly feeling guilty at what he's done. This is one of the classic comedy moments in Columbo history! This is probably the last good Columbo episode that was made. Falk is starting to look old and tired and the episode is a success largely thanks to Shatner's performance, far superior to his role in Fade in to murder. The plot is good and the episode reaches a logical conclusion.
Written by Mark Wilson
(C) Copyright Wilson/Young Enterprises 2006.
CAST:
Fielding Chase.......William Shatner
Victoria Chase...........Molly Hagan
Gerry Winters............Jack Laufer
Lou Cates..............Richard Kline
Ted Malloy................Mark Lonow
Deidre Ross............Beverly Leech
Senator Gordon Madison..Robin Clarke
Station manager....Yorgo Constantine
