PLOT:
Dr. Eric Mason is a motivational psychologist who specialises in word commands. So much so that he has programmed his dogs to kill when he says the word 'Rosebud'. He has planned the murder carefully, asking the victim to meet with him at his house. Then, while the victim is at the house, Mason is in hospital having a check up and having his blood pressure taken. The doctor leaves the room for a second and Mason uses the phone on the table beside him to call his house. The victim answers it and the dogs, who are trained to enter the room when the phone rings, arrive. Eric explains that he will be a bit late. Then the victim, who is unaware that the dogs respond to a command, falls into Mason's trap by repeating the word Rosebud. The dogs then attack him and maul him to death. Mason puts down the phone and then the doctor returns to the room. When Columbo is called to the scene he is puzzled that such friendly dogs had killed the man. He begins to suspect there is more to the case than meets the eye. He speaks to a dog trainer, who tells him that dogs respond to key words. Columbo then begins to have the idea that the dogs may have been commanded to kill and begins to suspect Mason. Mason is keen that the dogs be put down but Columbo is keen to find out what word made them kill. The dogs are locked up in preparation to be put down. Columbo tries many words but is unsuccessful. He tape records a conversation of Mason's and plays it back to see if he happened to mention the word. He is reaching the end of the tape when Mason mentions one of his favourite films Citizen Kane. He mentions the word Rosebud and the dogs leap up and snarl. He saw that Mason could have used the phone in the hospital to make the call and he arrests Mason for the murder.
VERDICT: This episode is not a classic. Scottish actor Nicol Williamson (speaking with an American accent) gives a fairly uninspiring display as the rather dour Mason. Columbo even says at one point that Mason had disappointed him in making the mistakes he did. The plot is a little farfetched and Columbo's version of proof would be unlikely to count for much in a court of law. There is a feeling now that the series is slightly past its peak and there are too many weak episodes. There are still one or two classics here and there but they are the exception rather than the rule.
Written by Mark Wilson
(C) Copyright Wilson/Young Enterprises 2006.
CAST:
Dr Eric Mason.....Nicol Williamson
Miss Cochrane........Tricia O'Neil
Joanne Nichols........Kim Cattrall
Dr Charles Hunter.....Joel Fabiani
Officer Stein.........Ed Begley jr
Techinician..........Fred J Gordon
Dr Garrison..........Frank Aletter
