I’ve been watching reruns of the long-running award winning detective drama Columbo which stars Peter Falk. It is streaming on IMDb and Amazon Prime. I stumbled across it when I was scrolling though various shows to provide me some relief from my addiction to watching MSNBC.
That was just a few days ago and I am already into season two.
If you weren’t a fan of Columbo at the time it ran like I was you it may not make sense to you why I have became hooked on the stories. It ran for 10 seasons with about 10 episodes per season beginning in 1971.
In every show about the first third of the 70-100 minute long episodes sets up the story of a powerful person almost always meticulously setting up a murder to advance or protect his or her career by murdering an enemy (I just saw “Dagger of the Mind” where the killing was an accident).
This is all before Lt. Columbo, the police detective who is sometime referred to by his colleagues as legendary comes on the scene.
The killers are all played by actors who were well known at the time generally playing characters unlike those they’ve played before. Here are 40 megastars who had but parts . Steven Spielberg directed the legendary “Murder by the Book” from Columbo‘s first season.
Once Columbo is on the case the primary interactions occur between him and the killer who becomes more and more arrogant and obnoxious. Colombo generally suspects who the killer is very early on if not almost immediately. He knows who did it in short order even though he doesn’t have enough evidence to prove it. The last part of each show is a game chess for high stakes as Columbo tries to compile evidence and the killer tries to thwart his investigation.
Columbo persists in annoying the killer by turning up unexpectedly in various places just to, as he puts it, clear up one small point. His signature move is to start to leave, turn around on his way to the door, brush his hair back and say something like “oh, I almost forgot to ask you to clear up a minor thing that kept me up all night… I’m just that way, I get something in my mind and can’t let it go… it drives my wife crazy.”
Sometimes he makes a surprise visit to the killer. He feigns getting sidetracked on something having nothing to do with the murder. For example, his asking for advice on saving his wife’s dying African violet which he brings along with him from he killer (in “The Greenhouse Jungle”) who is an orchid lover played by Ray Milland.
As Columbo gets closer and closer to proving his case the killer expresses his unconscious anxiety by become increasingly arrogant.
Does this sound familiar?
Eventually Columbo confronts the killer with irrefutable evidence.
The killers so far have all responded with begrudging admiration that they were outsmarted by someone they had underestimated.
More ways the killers aren’t like Trump:
None have had to be wrestled to the ground cursing and screaming “witch hunt” by the other officers Columbo always has with him to make the arrest. Knowing all is lost for them they leave gracefully without needing to be hand cuffed.
- They are all smart.
- They are the opposite of impulsive.
- They are capable of planning and committing a complex murder scheme that an ordinary detective couldn’t prove.
- So far none of the killers has called the 5’ 6” Peter Falk character Little Lieutenant Columbo.
How Columbo is like Nancy Pelosi:
- She is smart.
- She is capable of planning and executing a complex impeachment.
- She never calls Trump juvenile names.
Self-Care
As a therapist I recommend everyone find an escape if they feel enmeshed in and overwhelmed by politics. Take a break with streaming TV, reading, music, exercise or do whatever you enjoy doing. Try something new like yoga or taking a class.
If you are experiencing anxiety or depression your own self-care is the most important thing. Most people know when they feel more anxious than usual but sometimes overlook indications of depression. If you think you might be depressed take this self-scoring test.
If you feel stuck try forcing yourself to do something simple like taking a short walk.
If you need help please do not feel inhibited in asking for it.