PLOT: Martin Landau plays Dexter and Norman Parris, identical twins with murder in mind. They murder their rich uncle while he is having a bath by throwing a faulty electric mixer into it, thus electrocuting him. Then they leave his body on his exercise machine, making it look like he had a heart attack. Then they leave the house. All the time Mrs. Peck, the housekeeper, had been watching television oblivious to what was going on. However, once Columbo arrives he immediately suspects all is not as it seems. He sees a wet towel in the hamper and deduces that the murdered man had a bath shortly before exercising. But why would he have a bath before exercising? What is even more puzzling is the fact there is nothing wrong with the exercise equipment yet death was caused by electric burns. The Parris twins are top of the list of suspects but Columbo can not decide which one did it. The victim was about to marry his young girlfriend Lisa Chambers, which would have meant that the Parris twins wouldn't have inherited his money. The twins appear to despise each other and keep giving Columbo reasons why the other twin would be the killer. Dexter is a TV chef without much money, and though Norman is wealthy he has incurred large gambling debts. Columbo makes a nuisance of himself by constantly revisiting the scene of the crime. He drives fussy housekeeper Mrs. Peck mad with his untidiness. Then Columbo re-runs the murder. Mrs. Peck said that the lights and electricity went out for a few seconds around the time that the crime was committed so Columbo times how long it would take him to get from the bathroom to the cellar, where the fuse box is kept. He realises that the killer must have had an accomplice waiting in the cellar to change the fuse and realises that the Parris brothers have been leading him down the garden path. He checks with the phone company and sees they have made several calls to each other since the murder, although they claim not to have spoken. Columbo re-enacts the murder scene for one last time in front of Dexter and Norman and shows them how they did it. Dexter had visited his uncle earlier that evening and Mrs. Peck waved goodbye to him as he drove away. Columbo explains that this was not Dexter she waved goodbye to, it was Norman dressed as Dexter. Dexter had hidden in the house, turned the burglar alarm system off and let Norman in. There had to be two people to drag the corpse out of the bath and there had to be someone waiting by the fusebox when the electricity went out so that Mrs. Peck wouldn't be alarmed. Mrs. Peck is shocked as she thought the boys loved their uncle.
VERDICT:
This is the funniest episode in the whole of the series. Columbo and Mrs. Peck (Jeanette Nolan) are hilarious. At one stage Columbo uses an antique dish as an ashtray, infuriating Mrs. Peck. She tells him to get out of her house several times. On one occasion when he is re-enacting the murder scene the electricity goes out and when it comes back on the TV is purple, angering Mrs. Peck. Columbo apologises profusely and promises to get the TV fixed. Though Mrs. Peck is infuriated by Columbo's clumsiness, she is quite fond of him and they have a lovely relationship. She is the best non-villain character of all time. The other comedic element is Martin Landau, who portrays both twins, sometimes in the same scene. In fact it is difficult to take this episode seriously at times.
Written by Mark Wilson
(C) Copyright Wilson/Young Enterprises 2006.
CAST:
Dexter Parriss.......Martin Landau
Norman Parriss.......Martin Landau
Mrs Peck............Jeanette Nolan
Lisa Chambers.........Julie Newmar
Clifford Parriss......Paul Stewart
Mike Hatheway.........Tim O'Connor
Detective Murray....Dabney Coleman
Mrs Johnson............Kate Hawley
