PLOT:
This episode, written by Peter Falk, is unique because Columbo kisses a woman. The woman is Lauren Staton, who is a suspect in the homicide of her boyfriend. Columbo is placed in a difficult situation because, as he admits to Barney, 'the more I get to know her the more I like her, but the more I get to know her the more I know she's guilty'. Columbo tracks down Staton's accomplice Lisa and brings her in for questioning. Staton, through insinuated comments, does a deal with Columbo, who understands what she is offering. She agrees to make a statement confessing to the murder in exchange for Columbo letting Lisa go. He releases Lisa without charge and Staton admits that Lisa is her daughter, and that the murdered man Nick Franco had been two timing her with Lisa. Lauren and Lisa had realised this and Lisa had confronted Nick with it and had threatened to tell her mother. Nick badly beat her up but she told her mum anyway. Then they planned the murder. Staton is taken away and Columbo returns to Barney's restaurant. Barney says that it must have been a hard choice but Columbo acts like the whole incident didn't happen and suddenly starts talking about his wife, who he seemed to forget about during the rest of the episode.
VERDICT: Faye Dunaway puts in a good performance as Lauren Staton, who is a sympathetic killer. The whole love thing between her and Columbo is mostly a charade though. They are both playing games and both want something out of each other. Despite this I think if the two met in other circumstances they would get on. Columbo does have sympathy with Staton's motives (much as he has done in the past with killers such as Abigail Mitchell), but that doesn't mean that he will let her off. Columbo will do anything to solve a case but he has not openly flirted with a woman in any case before or since. It all seems far too off key and contrived. All in all this episode is OK but not a classic.
